Kaufdorf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kaufdorf
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Kaufdorf
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 Kaufdorf
Location in Switzerland
Kaufdorf
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Bern-Mittelland | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 2.06 km2 (0.80 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 560 m (1,840 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 1,073 | |
| • Density | 520.9/km2 (1,349/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3126
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| Surrounded by | Gelterfingen, Rüeggisberg, Rümligen, Toffen | |
Kaufdorf is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It's located in the Bern-Mittelland area, which is part of the Canton of Bern.
Contents
History of Kaufdorf
Kaufdorf was first mentioned in old records in the year 1148. Back then, it was known as Cuffedorf.
Early Village Life
The village of Kaufdorf first appeared in a record in 1319. At that time, it was part of the Herrschaft (which means a territory ruled by a lord) of Burgistein. Over time, different families owned the village. First, the vom Stein family, and then in 1386, the Spilmann family.
Eventually, the Spilmann family gave the village to the Inselspital monastery in Bern. In 1528, Bern changed its main religion to the Protestant faith. Because of this, the monastery was no longer a religious place, and the city of Bern took over Kaufdorf.
Changes Over Time
Kaufdorf has always been part of the large church area of Thurnen. In 1495, a chapel called St. Ursus Chapel was built in the village. However, it was later left empty and is now in ruins.
Between 1855 and 1911, people worked on projects to drain the wet, marshy land along the Gürbe river. This created new farmland for the village. In 1901, the Gürbetal railroad built a train station in Kaufdorf. This train line helped the village grow. It allowed businesses to move in and made it easier for people to travel to work in other towns. Starting in the 1970s, new neighborhoods were built for the growing number of people who lived in Kaufdorf but worked elsewhere.
Kaufdorf's Famous Vehicle Graveyard
Around 1933, a person named Walter Messerli from Kaufdorf started collecting old cars. He would take out useful parts from the vehicles. Then, he stored the empty car bodies on his land, letting trees and plants grow around them.
By the 1970s, when he retired, there were hundreds of rusty car bodies on his property. His son continued the collection, adding even more vehicles. Eventually, there were about 1000 cars and 400 motorcycles in the yard. In 2008, a Swiss court ordered that the vehicles had to be removed. By 2009, most of them had been sold at auction or taken away and recycled.
Geography and Landscape
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Kaufdorf covers an area of about 2.1 square kilometers (0.8 square miles). A large part of this land, about 65.5%, is used for farming. About 14.6% of the area is covered by forests. The rest of the town, about 20.4%, has buildings or roads. A small part, 1.5%, is made up of rivers or lakes.
Most of the forested land in Kaufdorf is covered with thick forests. The farmland is used for growing crops and for pastures where animals graze. Some areas also have orchards or vineyards. All the water in the town comes from flowing rivers or streams.
Kaufdorf is located in the Gürbetal (Gürbe Valley) and on the Längenberg mountain. The municipality includes the main villages of Kaufdorf and Gutenbrünnen, along with several scattered farms.
Kaufdorf's Coat of Arms
The coat of arms for Kaufdorf has a special design. It shows a red background with a silver ram's head looking forward. Below that, it has a silver background with a green three-leaf clover.
People and Population
Kaufdorf has a population of about 1048 people as of December 2012. A small part of the population, about 8.7%, are people from other countries.
Languages Spoken
Most people in Kaufdorf speak German as their main language. About 95.3% of the population spoke German in 2000. Albanian is the second most common language, spoken by about 1.6% of the people. French is the third most common, spoken by about 0.8%.
Age Groups
In 2012, children and teenagers (up to 19 years old) made up about 24.3% of the population. Adults (20 to 64 years old) made up 61.5%. Seniors (over 64 years old) made up about 14.1% of the population.
Population Changes Over Time
The number of people living in Kaufdorf has changed over many years. You can see how the population has grown in the chart below:
Economy and Jobs
In 2011, the unemployment rate in Kaufdorf was very low, at 1.31%. This means most people who wanted to work had a job.
Types of Jobs
In 2011, there were 187 people working in Kaufdorf.
- About 30 people worked in the primary sector, which includes farming.
- About 61 people worked in the secondary sector, which includes manufacturing and construction.
- About 96 people worked in the tertiary sector, which includes services like sales, transportation, hotels, and education.
Many people who live in Kaufdorf also work there. In 2000, about 106 workers both lived and worked in the town. However, more people leave Kaufdorf for work than come into it. About 33.6% of working people used public transportation to get to work, and 43.9% used a private car.
Religion in Kaufdorf
Based on a 2000 survey, most people in Kaufdorf belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, about 72.8%. About 10.0% were Roman Catholic. A smaller number of people belonged to other Christian churches or were Muslim. About 8.73% of the population did not belong to any church.
Education System
In Kaufdorf, many adults have completed a good level of education. About 60.9% of the population finished upper secondary education, which is like high school. About 25.2% went on to higher education, such as a university.
Schooling in Bern Canton
The school system in the Canton of Bern starts with one year of optional kindergarten. After that, students attend six years of primary school. Then, they go to three years of lower secondary school. In secondary school, students are grouped based on their abilities. After lower secondary school, students can choose to continue their education or start an apprenticeship to learn a trade.
Students in Kaufdorf
During the 2011-2012 school year, 108 students attended classes in Kaufdorf.
- There were 2 kindergarten classes with 31 students.
- There were 4 primary classes with 77 students.
A small number of these students were from other countries or spoke a different language at home.
In 2000, most students who lived in Kaufdorf also went to school there. However, some students from Kaufdorf went to schools in other towns.
See also
In Spanish: Kaufdorf para niños
