Lenk im Simmental facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lenk im Simmental
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 Lenk im Simmental
Location in Switzerland
Lenk im Simmental
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Obersimmental-Saanen | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 122.96 km2 (47.48 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 1,068 m (3,504 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 2,314 | |
| • Density | 18.819/km2 (48.741/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3775
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| Surrounded by | Adelboden, Ayent (VS), Icogne (VS), Lauenen, Leukerbad (VS), Mollens (VS), Randogne (VS), Saanen, Sankt Stephan | |
Lenk im Simmental (or just Lenk) is a town in Switzerland. It's located in the canton of Bern, in the Obersimmental-Saanen area. Lenk is known for its beautiful mountains and as a popular spot for tourists.
Contents
History of Lenk
Lenk was first mentioned in old records in 1370. It was called An der Leng back then.
Early Settlements in Lenk
People have lived in the Lenk area for a very long time. Scientists have found tools and items from the neolithic period (New Stone Age). This shows that people were here thousands of years ago. During the Bronze Age, which was even before Roman times, two places called Burgbühl and Bürstehubel were used as forts.
Lenk in Roman Times and the Middle Ages
When the Romans were in charge, Lenk was on an important trade route. This road went from north to south over the Rawil Pass and Kaltwasser Pass. The Romans even built a small resting place and a shrine near the Iffigsee. They also made a road and a special oven (a lime kiln) at Iffigenalp.
Later, in the Middle Ages, the old Bronze Age forts were used again. The land around Lenk was split between different powerful families. By 1502, the city of Bern took control of the area where Lenk is today.
Becoming Its Own Town
Lenk became its own separate town in 1504–1505. Before that, it was part of the neighboring town of St. Stephan. By 1522, Lenk gained more independence within the canton of Bern.
The Church and the Reformation
The main church in Lenk was built in 1505. It became a very important church for the area in 1513. In 1528, the city of Bern decided to follow the new Protestant Reformation faith. Many towns in the Bernese Oberland (the higher parts of Bern) didn't want to change their religion at first. But they were made to accept the new faith that same year.
Soon after, Lenk had to protect itself from the Catholic people in Valais, a nearby region. Because of these religious disagreements, the Rawil Pass, which connected Lenk to Valais, was closed for a while. However, this pass remained a key trade route for many years. It was only when the Lötschberg railway line was built in 1913 that the pass became less important for trade.
In 1878, a big fire destroyed much of the village. But the church was rebuilt just three years later, in 1881.
The Rise of Tourism
In the mid-1800s, people started visiting Lenk. They came to see the beautiful nature and to try the special mineral springs. A health spa opened in 1843. It grew over time and became a large hotel by 1900. In 1969, a new spa and indoor pool replaced the old hotel. Today, tourism is the most important business in Lenk. Many vacation homes and chalets have been built for visitors.
Geography of Lenk
Lenk covers an area of about 123.1 square kilometers (about 47.5 square miles).
Land Use in Lenk
Here's how the land in Lenk is used:
- About 36.4% is used for farming.
- About 23.0% is covered by forests.
- About 2.0% has buildings or roads.
- About 0.9% is rivers or lakes.
- About 37.7% is unproductive land, meaning it's too rocky or covered by glaciers to be used.
More specifically, about 17.7% of the land is dense forest, and 3.6% has orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 7.9% is used for pastures, and 28.5% is for alpine pastures (high mountain grazing areas). Of the water, 0.2% is in lakes and 0.7% is in rivers. The unproductive areas include 5.8% with unproductive plants, 23.4% that is very rocky, and 8.5% covered by glaciers.
Location and Mountains
Lenk is located in the Simmental valley, which is part of the Bernese Oberland. It's about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Bern and 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Montreux.
Lenk is the highest town in the Simmental valley. It has many mountains. The highest one is the Wildstrubel, which is 3,243 meters (10,640 feet) tall. The Simme River, which gives the Simmental ("Simme Valley") its name, starts from the Siebenbrunnen ("seven fountains") area, just below the Wildstrubel.
Many small streams flow into the Simme River. The Iffig Creek, its waterfall called Iffigfall, and its lake, the Iffigsee, are popular places for hikers to visit. Other nearby mountains include the Wildhorn (3,248 meters or 10,656 feet) and Niesehorn (2,776 meters or 9,108 feet). You can often reach these mountains by hiking trails that start in Lenk.
Villages and Administration
The large area of Lenk includes the cooperative farms (called Bäuerten) of Aegerten and Brand. It also includes the villages of Lenk, Gutenbrunnen, Ober- and Pöschenried.
In 2010, Lenk became part of a new administrative district called Verwaltungskreis Obersimmental-Saanen.
Lenk's Coat of Arms
The coat of arms for Lenk im Simmental has a special design. It shows a green top half with seven streams flowing downwards. These streams represent the Siebenbrunnen falls, which are the seven sources of the Simme river. The bottom half is red and has a sword and a distaff (a tool for spinning wool) crossed over each other.
People of Lenk (Demographics)
Lenk has a population of about 2,450 people (as of December 2011). About 14.5% of the people living in Lenk are from other countries. Between 2010 and 2011, the population grew by 2.1%. Most of this growth was from people moving to Lenk.
Languages Spoken
Most people in Lenk (about 94.2%) speak German as their first language. The second most common language is Serbo-Croatian (1.5%), followed by Portuguese (1.2%). A few people also speak French, Italian, or Romansh.
Population Details
In 2008, about 49.5% of the population was male and 50.5% was female. Most people (about 50.4%) were born in Lenk and still lived there in 2000. Others were born in the same canton (26.2%), elsewhere in Switzerland (10.2%), or outside Switzerland (9.2%).
In 2011, children and teenagers (ages 0–19) made up 18.4% of the population. Adults (ages 20–64) were 62.2%, and seniors (over 64) were 19.4%.
In 2000, about 50.4% of adults in Lenk were married. About 40.8% were single, and the rest were widowed or divorced.
Homes in Lenk
In 2010, there were 348 homes where only one person lived. There were also 70 homes with five or more people. In 2000, about 35% of the apartments were lived in all year. About 60.5% were used only for holidays, and 4.4% were empty. In 2011, single-family homes made up about 29.6% of all housing in Lenk.
Population Changes Over Time
The chart below shows how Lenk's population has changed over the years:
Economy of Lenk
In 2011, the unemployment rate in Lenk was low, at 1.65%. This means most people who wanted a job had one.
Jobs in Lenk
In 2008, there were 1,584 people working in Lenk. Jobs are often grouped into three main types:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs that get raw materials from nature, like farming or forestry. In Lenk, 350 people worked in this sector, with 121 businesses.
- Secondary sector: This includes jobs that make things, like manufacturing or construction. In Lenk, 264 people worked in this sector, with 43 businesses.
- Tertiary sector: This includes jobs that provide services, like hotels, restaurants, shops, or healthcare. In Lenk, 970 people worked in this sector, with 129 businesses.
Overall, 1,267 people who lived in Lenk also worked. About 42.9% of the workers were women.
Full-Time Jobs
In 2008, there were 1,230 full-time equivalent jobs in Lenk.
- Primary sector: 201 jobs, mostly in agriculture (178) and forestry (23).
- Secondary sector: 241 jobs, with 86 in manufacturing and 150 in construction.
- Tertiary sector: 788 jobs. Many were in hotels or restaurants (444 jobs). Others were in sales (136), transportation (30), finance (10), science (36), education (22), and healthcare (39).
Commuting and Transportation
In 2000, 268 workers came into Lenk for their jobs, and 203 workers left Lenk to work elsewhere. This means more people came into Lenk for work than left it. About 79.9% of workers in Lenk also lived there. For getting to work, 6.1% used public transportation, and 44.6% used a private car.
Taxes and Income
In 2011, a married couple with two children in Lenk who earned 150,000 CHF (Swiss Francs) paid about 13.2% in local and canton taxes. An unmarried person earning the same amount paid about 19.4%. These rates were a bit lower than the average for the whole canton of Bern.
In 2009, 989 people paid taxes in Lenk. The largest group (266 people) earned between 50,000 and 75,000 CHF per year. The average income for those earning over 75,000 CHF was 113,484 CHF.
In 2011, a small number of people (1.3%) received financial help from the government.
Religion in Lenk
According to the 2000 census:
- About 76.8% of people belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church (a type of Protestant church).
- About 7.7% were Roman Catholic.
- About 2.44% were Orthodox Christians.
- About 4.62% belonged to other Christian churches.
- About 1.07% were Muslim.
- A few people (4 individuals) were Hindu.
- About 4.07% said they didn't belong to any church, or were agnostic (not sure about God) or atheist (don't believe in God).
- About 3.12% didn't answer the question about their religion.
Education in Lenk
In Lenk, about 52.1% of adults have finished non-mandatory high school (called upper secondary education). About 12.4% have gone on to higher education, like university or a special college called a Fachhochschule.
School System in Bern
The school system in the Canton of Bern works like this:
- One year of optional Kindergarten.
- Six years of Primary school, which is required.
- Three years of required lower Secondary school. Students are grouped based on their abilities.
- After lower Secondary, students can choose to continue their education or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).
Students in Lenk
During the 2011–12 school year, 203 students attended schools in Lenk.
- There were 2 kindergarten classes with 26 students. A small number of these students (7.7%) were not Swiss citizens, and 3.8% spoke a different language at home than in class.
- There were 6 primary classes with 112 students. About 10.7% were not Swiss citizens, and 9.8% spoke a different home language.
- There were 3 lower secondary classes with 65 students. About 15.4% were not Swiss citizens, and 15.4% spoke a different home language.
In 2000, 253 students lived and went to school in Lenk. Another 12 students came from other towns to study in Lenk. At the same time, 78 students from Lenk went to schools outside the town.
Lenk's Library
Lenk has its own public library, called the Gemeindebibliothek Lenk. In 2008, the library had 4,698 books and other media. It loaned out 9,570 items that year. The library was open 304 days a year, for an average of 6 hours per week.
Tourism in Lenk
Lenk relies a lot on tourism, especially for winter sports like skiing. Lenk can host about 5,000 guests, with 800 hotel beds available. This is a lot for a town with only about 2,000 residents! Lenk has a ski resort that operates on both sides of the valley. You can reach Lenk by train from the town of Zweisimmen.
In 2010, the Swiss College of Hospitality Management (SHML) opened in Lenk. This was Switzerland's first special college for boutique hotel management. They teach courses in English, including degrees like undergraduate, post-graduate, and MBA.
There is also a five-star hotel in Lenk called the Lenkerhof.
See also
In Spanish: Lenk im Simmental para niños
