Heimberg, Switzerland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heimberg
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 Heimberg
Location in Switzerland
Heimberg
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Thun | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 5.44 km2 (2.10 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 551 m (1,808 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 6,968 | |
| • Density | 1,280.9/km2 (3,317/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3627
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| Surrounded by | Brenzikofen, Fahrni, Kiesen, Oppligen, Steffisburg, Thun, Uetendorf, Uttigen | |
Heimberg is a small town, also called a municipality, located in Switzerland. It's part of the canton of Bern and is found in the Thun area. It's a place with a long history, growing from a small farming community into a modern town.
Contents
Heimberg's Past: A Journey Through Time
Heimberg was first mentioned in old writings way back in 1146. It was called Heimberc then.
People lived in this area even earlier! We know this because Roman ruins have been found near Bühlacker. In the Middle Ages, a noble family called the Freiherr von Heimberg ruled the village. Not much is known about them, and they disappeared from history around 1175.
Later, a powerful family called the Zähringens owned Heimberg. The village was then split between two other noble families: the Counts of Kyburg and the Counts of Buchegg. In 1259, the Buchegg family gave their part to a group of monks at Interlaken Monastery. However, the Kyburgs kept their half and seemed to control the whole village.
After a battle in 1382, the Kyburgs lost most of their lands to the city of Bern. Bern then gave half of Heimberg to a local leader named Ludwig von Seftigen. He ruled it as his own area within the larger Steffisburg court. Around 1528, when Bern changed its religion to Protestantism, the two halves of Heimberg were joined together. Over the next centuries, different noble families from Bern owned the village.
Heimberg was part of the Thun church area until 1536. Then, it became part of the Steffisburg church area. In 1988, Heimberg got its own church area, separate from Steffisburg.
For a long time, Heimberg was just scattered farmhouses near the Aare, Zulg, and Rotache rivers. The land was often wet and swampy, which made farming hard. But between 1871 and 1876, the Aare River was changed to control flooding and drain the swampy areas. This created new land for homes and farms.
Around the same time, a new road and a railroad were built, connecting Heimberg to nearby cities. This helped about 80 companies that moved goods and traded to set up in Heimberg. After World War II, Heimberg grew very fast. New neighborhoods like Hubel-Bäumberg and Kaliforni appeared, along with the Winterhalde industrial park. New schools were built in 1953-56 and 1981 to support the growing number of children.
Heimberg's Location and Landscape
Heimberg covers an area of about 5.4 square kilometers (2.1 square miles). A big part of Heimberg's land is covered by forests, about 34.6%. Another large part, 25.7%, is used for farming. The rest of the area, 37.1%, has buildings and roads. A small part, 1.8%, is made up of rivers or lakes.
The town is located on the right side of the Aare river. It sits between the Rotache river to the north and the Zulg river to the south. In 1869, a nearby village called Thungschneit became part of Heimberg.
Heimberg used to be in a district called Amtsbezirk Thun. But on January 1, 2010, it joined a new, larger area called Verwaltungskreis Thun.
Heimberg's Coat of Arms
The blazon (a special description) of Heimberg's coat of arms is: Azure a Lamb passant Argent holding a flag of the same cross Gules with Tassels Or on a Mount of 3 Coupeaux Vert.
This means the shield is blue. On it, there is a white lamb walking, holding a white flag with a red cross and gold tassels. The lamb stands on three green hills.
Who Lives in Heimberg?
Heimberg has a population of about 6,465 people. About 8.8% of the people living in Heimberg are from other countries. The population has been growing steadily.
Most people in Heimberg (about 93.2%) speak German as their main language. Albanian is the second most common language, and Italian is the third.
In 2008, about half of the population was male (49.9%) and half was female (50.1%). Many people living in Heimberg were also born there or in the same canton (region).
Heimberg has a good mix of ages. About 19.9% of the population are children and teenagers (0–19 years old). Adults (20–64 years old) make up 64.0%, and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.1%.
Many people in Heimberg are married, but there are also many single people, widows, and divorced individuals. Most homes are permanently lived in. In 2012, new homes were being built at a good rate. Most of the homes in Heimberg are single-family houses.
The chart below shows how Heimberg's population has changed over many years:
Heimberg's Economy: How People Work
In 2011, Heimberg had a low unemployment rate of 1.95%, meaning most people who wanted jobs had them. There were 2,384 people working in the municipality.
Jobs in Heimberg are divided into three main types:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs like farming. About 46 people worked in this area.
- Secondary sector: This involves making things, like in factories or construction. About 596 people worked here.
- Tertiary sector: This is about providing services, like working in shops, offices, or healthcare. This is the biggest sector, with 1,743 people working in it.
Many people who live in Heimberg also work there. However, more people travel out of Heimberg for work than those who travel in. About 14.4% of workers use public transportation, and 54.8% use a private car to get to work.
Heimberg has one of the lowest tax rates in its canton, which means people pay less in local and regional taxes compared to other places.
Religion in Heimberg
Based on a survey from 2000, most people in Heimberg (about 67.6%) belong to the Swiss Reformed Church. The second largest group (11.7%) are Roman Catholic.
There are also smaller groups of people who belong to other Christian churches, or are Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu. About 5.15% of the population said they didn't belong to any church or religion.
Learning and Education in Heimberg
In Heimberg, many adults have completed higher education. About 61.2% have finished non-mandatory high school, and 15% have gone on to college or a specialized school.
The school system in the Canton of Bern works like this:
- One year of optional Kindergarten.
- Six years of Primary school.
- Three years of required lower Secondary school, where students are grouped by their skills.
- After lower Secondary, students can continue their education or start an apprenticeship (learning a job while working).
During the 2012–13 school year, 611 students were attending schools in Heimberg. This included students in kindergarten, primary school, and lower secondary school. Many students in Heimberg's schools speak a different language at home than the one used in the classroom.
Most students who live in Heimberg also go to school there. Only a few students travel from other towns to attend school in Heimberg.
Getting Around Heimberg: Transportation
Heimberg has two train stations: Lädeli and Heimberg. These stations are on the Burgdorf–Thun line. You can catch regular trains from these stations to nearby towns like Thun, Konolfingen, and Solothurn. This makes it easy for people to travel for work, school, or fun!
See also
In Spanish: Heimberg para niños
