Grossaffoltern facts for kids

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Grossaffoltern

Grossaffoltern-Kosthofen

Coat of arms

Grossaffoltern

Location in Switzerland

Grossaffoltern

Location in Canton of Bern

Switzerland

Area

• Total

15.08 km² (5.82 sq mi)

Elevation

511 m (1,677 ft)

Population

(Dec 2020 )

• Total

3,033

• Density

201.13/km² (520.92/sq mi)

Postal code

3257

Localities

Ammerzwil, Kaltenbrunnen, Kosthofen, Ottiswil, Suberg, Vorimholz, Weingarten

Surrounded by

Diessbach bei Büren, Lyss, Rapperswil, Schüpfen, Seedorf, Wengi

Twin towns

Horsovsky Tyn (Czech Republic)

Grossaffoltern is a town in Switzerland. It is located in the Seeland area of the Bern canton. This town is famous for its stork colony, which is a group of storks living there.

A Look at Grossaffoltern's Past
Grossaffoltern's Landscape
Grossaffoltern's Coat of Arms
People of Grossaffoltern
Grossaffoltern's Economy
Religion in Grossaffoltern
Learning in Grossaffoltern
Images for kids
See also

A Look at Grossaffoltern's Past

Grossaffoltern was first written about in the year 1216. Back then, it was called Affoltron.

Scientists have found very old signs of people living here. They found tools from the Stone Age at Vorimholz. An ax blade from the early Bronze Age was found at Munimatte. Other Bronze Age items were found at Kosthofen. There are also at least 38 old Hallstatt era burial mounds in the area. People also lived here during the Roman times and in the Early Middle Ages.

During the Middle Ages, the land belonged to the House of Zähringen family. When that family ended, the Kyburgs took over. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Grossaffoltern was part of the Oltigen district. In 1412, the town and nearby villages came under the control of Bern. It later became part of the Aarberg area in 1483. In 1798, during the Helvetic Republic (a time when Switzerland was influenced by France), Grossaffoltern was in the Zollikofen district. It then went back to the Aarberg district in 1803.

The village church, St. Stephen, was first mentioned in 1275. The church building you see today was built between 1510 and 1524. It stands on top of older churches from the 12th or 13th centuries. The church tower is even older, from the 14th century. In 1383, a noblewoman named Anna of Kyburg-Nidau gave the church to a monastery. The monastery later sold it to the Abbey of Frienisberg in 1416. In 1451, it became the main church for the local area. Bern took control of the church in 1528.

Even today, farming is a big part of Grossaffoltern's economy. In the mid-1800s, a main road from Bern to Biel/Bienne was built through the town. Later, a railroad came in 1864, and a highway in 1983. These new ways to travel helped the local economy grow. Many people started living in Grossaffoltern and traveling to work in other towns. In 1967, Grossaffoltern and six nearby villages joined together. This helped them manage their government and services better.

Grossaffoltern's Landscape

Grossaffoltern covers an area of about 15.06 square kilometers (5.81 square miles). A large part of this land, about 62.6%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 26.1% of the area. About 10.9% of the land has buildings or roads. A small part, 0.7%, is rivers or lakes. Only 0.1% of the land is not useful for anything.

Looking closer at the developed areas, about 4.9% is for houses and other buildings. Another 4.9% is for roads and other ways to get around. All the forested land is covered with thick trees. For farming, 49.0% is used for growing crops. About 11.8% is used for pastures where animals graze. Another 1.8% is for fruit trees or grapevines. All the water in the town comes from flowing rivers or streams.

The town is located on the western side of the Rapperswil Plateau. It sits in the Lyssbach valley. Grossaffoltern is made up of seven villages. These include the main center of Grossaffoltern, Ammerzwil, Vorimholz, Wingarte, Suberg, Kosthofen, and Ottiswil. There are also many scattered farmhouses.

Grossaffoltern's Coat of Arms

The description of Grossaffoltern's coat of arms is: A golden shield with a green apple tree growing from a green base, and red apples on the tree.

People of Grossaffoltern

Grossaffoltern has a population of 3,033 people. As of 2010, about 4.6% of the people living there were not Swiss citizens. Over the last ten years (2000–2010), the population has changed slightly. More people were born than died, but some people moved away.

Most people in Grossaffoltern speak German. About 96.4% of the population speaks German as their first language. French is the second most common language, spoken by 0.8% of people. English is third, spoken by 0.6%. A small number of people, 12, speak Italian.

In 2008, about 50.6% of the population was male and 49.4% was female. Most people in the town were Swiss citizens. About 30.2% of the people living in Grossaffoltern in 2000 were born there. About 45.8% were born in the same canton (Bern). Another 14.8% were born elsewhere in Switzerland. About 6.0% were born outside of Switzerland.

In 2000, children and teenagers (ages 0–19) made up 25.5% of the population. Adults (ages 20–64) made up 60.7%. Seniors (over 64 years old) made up 13.8%.

In 2000, there were 1,105 homes in Grossaffoltern. On average, there were 2.5 people living in each home. About 256 homes had only one person. About 79 homes had five or more people. Most apartments (91.9%) were lived in all the time. A few (5.4%) were used only at certain times of the year, and 2.7% were empty. In 2009, new homes were being built at a rate of 1.8 new homes for every 1000 people. In 2010, about 2.27% of homes were empty.

The chart below shows how the population of Grossaffoltern has changed over time:

Grossaffoltern's Economy

In 2010, the unemployment rate in Grossaffoltern was very low, at 0.8%. This means almost everyone who wanted a job had one.

In 2008, many people worked in different areas:

Primary sector: 182 people worked in farming and forestry. There were 61 businesses in this area.
Secondary sector: 165 people worked in making things or building. There were 34 businesses in this area. About 47.9% worked in manufacturing, and 52.1% worked in construction.
Tertiary sector: 211 people worked in services. There were 63 businesses in this area. This included jobs in sales, transportation, hotels, restaurants, and education. For example, 25.5% worked in sales or car repair. 18.8% worked in hotels or restaurants. 14.1% worked in education.

In 2000, 153 workers came into Grossaffoltern for their jobs. However, 1,118 workers left the town to work elsewhere. This means many more people leave Grossaffoltern for work than come in. About 16.7% of working people used public transportation to get to work. A much larger group, 57.9%, used a private car.

Religion in Grossaffoltern

Based on the 2000 census, most people in Grossaffoltern belong to the Swiss Reformed Church. About 78.3% of the population were members. The next largest group was Roman Catholic, making up 8.9% of the population.

A small number of people belonged to other Christian churches. This included 0.39% who were Orthodox and 5.14% who belonged to other Christian groups. There were also 0.46% who were Muslim. A very small number, 0.07%, were Christian Catholic. There were also 3 people who were Hindu. About 6.68% of the population said they did not belong to any church.

Learning in Grossaffoltern

Many people in Grossaffoltern have a good education. About 43.1% of adults have finished high school (non-mandatory upper secondary education). About 13.1% have gone on to higher education, like a university or a specialized college.

The school system in the Canton of Bern starts with one year of optional Kindergarten. After that, students go to six years of Primary school. Then, they have three years of mandatory lower Secondary school. In secondary school, students are grouped based on their skills. After lower Secondary, students can continue their education or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).

During the 2009–10 school year, 226 students went to school in Grossaffoltern. There were 3 kindergarten classes with 48 students. In primary school, there were 9 classes with 178 students. Some students were not Swiss citizens, and some spoke a different language at home. In 2000, 4 students came from other towns to study in Grossaffoltern. However, 167 students from Grossaffoltern went to schools outside the town.

Grossaffoltern also has a library called Bibliothek Grossaffoltern. In 2008, the library had 7,624 books and other media. They loaned out 14,646 items that year. The library was open for 165 days, averaging 8 hours per week.