Kirchlindach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kirchlindach
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The Halen development (Siedlung Halen) in summer
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 Kirchlindach
Location in Switzerland
Kirchlindach
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Bern-Mittelland | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 11.96 km2 (4.62 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 595 m (1,952 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 3,200 | |
| • Density | 268/km2 (693/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3038
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| Surrounded by | Bern, Bremgarten bei Bern, Diemerswil, Meikirch, Münchenbuchsee, Schüpfen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen | |
Kirchlindach is a small town, also called a municipality, located in the Bern-Mittelland area in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It's a peaceful place with a mix of old history and modern living.
Contents
History of Kirchlindach
Early Beginnings
The name Lindenacho, which is an old name for Kirchlindach, was first written down on October 2, 1185. This happened when Pope Lucius III officially said that a place called Erlach owned the land. He did this using a special letter called a papal bull.
We know people lived in this area a very long time ago! Scientists have found old Hallstatt grave mounds (small hills where people were buried) and a La Tène period grave with jewelry and a stone bowl. These finds show that people were living here even before recorded history. During the Roman times, there was a Roman farm near Oberlindach and Buchsacker.
Middle Ages and Land Ownership
In the Middle Ages, the most important landowners were the Lords of Bremgarten. In 1185, they gave some of their land in Kirchlindach to a monastery called St. Johannsen Abbey. By the year 1300, the Lords of Bremgarten had lost all their land. Rich families from Bern then became the main landowners.
Back then, there were different types of courts. The "low court" (for smaller local issues) was usually run by Bern through a court in Herrenschwanden. The "high court" (for more serious crimes) for Kirchlindach was held in the main town of Zollikofen.
Country Estates and the Village Church
Kirchlindach was home to several large country estates built by wealthy Bernese families, known as patricians. One of these, the Heimenhaus estate, was built around the 12th or 13th century in a style called late-Romanesque. Later, in the 18th century, it was bought and made bigger by Werdt Matthey.
Another estate, Nüchtern, was built in the early 1700s. It became a health resort in 1891 and later, in the late 1900s, a center for social therapy. Sacker estate was built in 1727 and is now a farm.
The village church, named St. George, was built around 1200. It was first mentioned in writing in 1275. This church was actually built on top of even older churches! One was a wooden building from the 8th century, and another was a stone building from the 9th or 10th century. The church has been fixed up many times. The tower was rebuilt in the 13th century, and the chancel (the part of the church near the altar) in the 14th century. In 1766, the main part of the church was renovated. Old wall paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries were restored in 1907, and the whole building was renovated again in 1978–79.
Farming and Modern Growth
During the Middle Ages, Kirchlindach and nearby villages like Niederlindach and Herrenschwanden were all farming communities. From the 1700s, farms started growing hay, milk, vegetables, and fruit to sell at the market in Bern, instead of just grain for themselves.
The village was on the main road between Bern and Aarberg after a new bridge, the Neubrücke, was built over the Aare river in 1467.
In the 1950s, more people started moving to villages around Bern. In Kirchlindach, the old village centers stayed mostly the same, and new homes were built in separate areas. In Herrenschwanden, some new and interesting housing areas were built between 1957 and the 1970s. These "Holistic Building" designs included homes, offices, studios, and gardens all together. The first project was Halen (built 1957–61). Later came Hostalen, Thalmatt (I-II), and Möslimatt in the 1970s. The Halen area is now a very important heritage site in Switzerland.
Between 1950 and 1980, the number of people living in Kirchlindach doubled. Many people moved there but still traveled to Bern for work. Even though there are jobs in farming and small factories in Kirchlindach, most people now travel to Bern for their jobs.
Geography
Kirchlindach covers an area of about 11.9 square kilometers (4.6 square miles). A large part of this land, about 66.7%, is used for farming. About 23.7% is covered by forests. The rest of the land, about 8.5%, has buildings or roads. A small part, 0.8%, is rivers or lakes.
The town is part of the larger city area of Bern. It sits on a high area above the right side of the Aare river. Kirchlindach includes the main villages of Kirchlindach, Oberlindach, and Herrenschwanden, along with smaller hamlets and individual farms.
Coat of Arms
The blazon (description) of Kirchlindach's town coat of arms is: A silver shield with a red bar across the middle, and three green linden leaves.
Demographics
Kirchlindach has a population of about 3,158 people (as of 2018). About 5.9% of the people living here are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010), the population grew by about 5.2%. Most of this growth (4.8%) was from people moving into the area.
Most people in Kirchlindach (about 92.8%) speak German as their main language. A smaller number speak French (2.2%) or Italian (0.7%).
In 2008, about 47.6% of the population was male and 52.4% was female. About 21.1% of the people living in Kirchlindach in 2000 were also born there. Many others were born in the same canton (47.6%) or elsewhere in Switzerland (18.9%). About 9.7% were born outside Switzerland.
As of 2010, children and teenagers (ages 0–19) make up 18.3% of the population. Adults (ages 20–64) are 60.7%, and seniors (over 64) are 21%.
Heritage Sites of National Significance
Some important places in Kirchlindach are considered heritage sites of national significance. These include the Halenbrücke (Halen bridge), the Neubrügg (New bridge), and the Siedlung Halen (Halen settlement). The entire Siedlung Halen is also part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites, meaning it's a very important cultural site.
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Halenbrücke (Bridge)
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Neubrügg (Bridge)
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Siedlung Halen in December
Economy
In 2011, the unemployment rate in Kirchlindach was low, at 1.67%. In 2008, there were 676 people working in the town.
- Primary Sector: This includes jobs like farming. About 122 people worked in this area, with 40 businesses.
- Secondary Sector: This includes jobs in manufacturing and construction. About 76 people worked here, with 14 businesses. Most of these jobs (69%) were in manufacturing, and 31% were in construction.
- Tertiary Sector: This includes jobs in services, like sales, transportation, hotels, restaurants, information, science, education, and healthcare. About 478 people worked in this sector, with 77 businesses.
Many people who live in Kirchlindach travel to other places for work. In 2000, about 1,139 people left Kirchlindach to work elsewhere, while only 330 came into the town for work. This means Kirchlindach is a "net exporter" of workers. About 33.9% of working people used public transportation to get to work, and 42.3% used a private car.
Religion
Based on a survey in 2000, about 15.1% of the people in Kirchlindach were Roman Catholic. A larger group, about 65.5%, belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There were also smaller numbers of people who belonged to other Christian churches, or were Islamic or Jewish. About 11.81% of the population said they did not belong to any church, or were agnostic or atheist.
Education
In Kirchlindach, about 41.0% of the people have finished non-mandatory upper secondary education (like high school). About 23.1% have gone on to higher education, such as 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, there are three years of mandatory lower Secondary school, where students are grouped by their abilities. After lower Secondary, students can choose to continue their schooling or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).
During the 2009–10 school year, 180 students attended classes in Kirchlindach. There were 2 kindergarten classes with 47 students. The town had 7 primary classes with 133 students.
In 2000, 20 students who lived in other towns came to school in Kirchlindach. However, 208 students who lived in Kirchlindach went to schools outside the town.
See also
In Spanish: Kirchlindach para niños
Images for kids
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Office and small garden in the Halen development
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Kirchlindach village
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Thalmatt I development in Herrenschwanden from 1967 to 1974
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Garden and terrace in the Halen development
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Kirchlindach village church
