Lyss facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lyss
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Winter in Lyss
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 Lyss
Location in Switzerland
Lyss
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Seeland | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 14.83 km2 (5.73 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 444 m (1,457 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 15,763 | |
| • Density | 1,062.9/km2 (2,752.9/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3250
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| Surrounded by | Aarberg, Büetigen, Busswil bei Büren, Diessbach bei Büren, Grossaffoltern, Kappelen, Seedorf, Worben | |
| Twin towns | Monopoli (Italy) | |
Lyss (pronounced like "leece") is a town in Switzerland. It's a municipality in the Seeland area of the canton of Bern. On January 1, 2011, another nearby town, Busswil bei Büren, joined with Lyss.
Contents
History of Lyss
Lyss was first mentioned in old writings in the year 1009. Back then, it was called Lissa.
People have lived in the Lyss area for a very long time. Archeologists have found tools and items from the neolithic (New Stone Age), Bronze Age, and Hallstatt culture periods. One cool find is an Etruscan bronze statue from the 6th century BC.
During the Roman times, bricks were found in a place called Kirchhübeli. Also, tombs from the early Middle Ages and Middle Ages were discovered there. Even the remains of a Carolingian church were found. Some graves from the 7th century were also found at Sonnhalde-Kreuzhöhe.
A family of knights, called the Ministerialis of Lyss, were first mentioned in 1185-87. They served the Counts of Neuchâtel-Aarberg. In 1367, Lyss became part of the land owned by the Counts of Neuchâtel-Nidau. About ten years later, around 1377-79, it became part of the City of Bern. It was then part of Bern's bailiwick (an area managed by a special official) of Aarberg. Even though Bern owned Lyss, some noble families and monasteries still owned land or had rights in the village.
Before the Reformation (a big change in Christianity), Lyss had two main churches. One was the church of St. John the Evangelist, built in the 7th or 8th century. Around 1246, a new church was built in its place. This church became very important in the late 1300s. After the Reformation, it was the only church in Lyss until a new Reformed church was built in 1934–35. The other church, St. Mary's Church, was built on the old Carolingian church's foundations. It fell apart in the 1400s and was taken down in 1533.
For many years, the Aare and Lyssbach rivers often flooded Lyss. People built dams and levees (walls to hold back water) to protect the village. Starting in the 1600s, many mills and factories that used water power were built along the river. These included places that made oil, cut wood, or dyed cloth.
A big project called the first Jura water correction (1868–91) changed the Aare river's path. It sent the river into Lake Biel. This, along with the Lyssbach river correction (1911–16), created a lot of new farmland.
Lyss always had more people than the nearby town of Aarberg. But Aarberg was more important for politics and business. Lyss was a quiet town until the railroad arrived. In 1864, a railway line from Bern to Biel was built through Lyss. This helped the town grow a lot. In 1876, another railway line from Lausanne to Solothurn also came through Lyss. This made Lyss an important train hub. Later, a highway was built through Lyss in 1983-86, bringing even more traffic and growth.
In 1866, a bank called Käserei- und Kreditgesellschaft Lyss was started to help farmers. By 1880, it grew into a savings and loan bank. This bank helped fund Lyss's expansion. With the new train lines, factories started to open in the town. By 1900, Lyss had factories making watches, cement, biscuits, and steel. By 1940, big machinery factories also moved in. The town grew in 1956 and again in 1979 as more businesses and people moved there. In 2005, there were over 6,000 jobs in Lyss.
Geography of Lyss
Lyss covers an area of about 11.76 square kilometers (4.54 square miles). About 30% of this land is used for farming. Another 34% is covered by forests. The rest, about 36%, has buildings, roads, or other developed areas. A small part, 0.4%, is rivers or lakes.
Most of the developed land is for industrial buildings (6.4%), houses (14%), and roads (9.6%). Parks and sports fields make up 3.1%. All the forests in Lyss are dense forests. For farming, 21.5% of the land grows crops, and 7.2% is used for pastures. The water in the municipality is all flowing water, like rivers.
Lyss is an important center for business and administration in its area. It's located where the Lyssbach valley opens up, near where the Aare river used to flow. The municipality includes the main village of Lyss and smaller areas called Hardern and Eigenacker. Until 1876, it also included Werdthof, which is now part of Kappelen.
Lyss is on the eastern edge of a wide valley that stretches southwest to Lake Murten. To the west of this valley are Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Biel, and beyond them are the Jura mountains.
The valley is flat and used to flood often. But in 1878, a big engineering project changed the paths of the Aare and Zihl rivers. It also lowered the water level of the three lakes by about 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). Water from several rivers was sent into new canals, like the Nidau-Büren Canal and the Hagneck Canal.
Lyss Coat of Arms
The blazon (description) of Lyss's coat of arms is: a blue shield with a silver Fleur-de-lys (a stylized lily) that has a gold ring around it. This sits on three green hills.
People of Lyss
Lyss has a population of about 13,918 people. As of 2010, about 16% of the people living in Lyss were foreign nationals. Over the last ten years (2000–2010), the population grew by about 9.4%. Most of this growth was from people moving to Lyss.
Most people in Lyss (about 85%) speak German as their main language. Italian is the second most common (3.3%), and Spanish is third (2.5%). A smaller number of people speak French or Romansh.
As of 2008, about 49% of the population was male and 51% was female. About 25% of the people living in Lyss in 2000 were born there. About 39% were born in the same canton (Bern). About 15% were born elsewhere in Switzerland, and 17.5% were born outside Switzerland.
In 2000, children and teenagers (ages 0–19) made up about 24.3% of the population. Adults (20–64) made up 63.7%, and seniors (over 64) made up 12%.
In 2000, there were about 5,367 homes in Lyss. On average, there were 2.3 people per home. About 1,511 homes had only one person, and 220 homes had five or more people. Most apartments (93.3%) were lived in all the time.
The historical population of Lyss has grown a lot, especially after the railroad arrived:
Twin Town
Lyss is twinned with another town, which means they have a special friendship and cultural exchange.
Monopoli, Italy.
Economy of Lyss
In 2010, Lyss had a low unemployment rate of 2.5%. This means most people who wanted jobs had them.
As of 2008, Lyss had jobs in three main areas:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs like farming and forestry. There were 54 people working in this area.
- Secondary sector: This includes jobs in factories and construction. About 3,194 people worked here, with most (76.7%) in manufacturing.
- Tertiary sector: This includes jobs in services, like shops, hotels, and healthcare. About 3,761 people worked in this sector.
In 2008, there were 5,762 full-time equivalent jobs in Lyss. This means if you add up all the hours worked by everyone, it's like having 5,762 full-time workers.
Many people travel to Lyss for work. In 2000, about 4,242 workers came into Lyss, while 3,312 workers left Lyss to work elsewhere. This means Lyss brings in more workers than it sends out. About 21% of workers used public transportation to get to work, and 48.7% used a private car.
Religion in Lyss
According to the 2000 census:
- About 19.5% of people were Roman Catholic.
- About 61.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church (a Protestant church).
- Smaller numbers of people belonged to other Christian churches, Orthodox churches, or the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland.
- About 3.79% of the population was Islamic.
- There were also people who were Buddhist, Hindu, or followed other religions.
- About 7% of the population said they didn't belong to any church or were agnostic or atheist.
Education in Lyss
In Lyss, many people have a good education. About 40.2% of the population has finished upper secondary education (like high school). About 11.2% have gone on to higher education, such as a university or a specialized college.
The school system in the Canton of Bern works like this:
- Two years of required Kindergarten.
- Six years of Primary school.
- Three years of required lower Secondary school. Students are grouped by their abilities.
- After lower Secondary, students can continue their schooling or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).
During the 2018–19 school year, 1,640 students attended schools in Lyss.
- 269 students were in kindergarten.
- 857 students were in primary school.
- 419 students were in lower secondary school.
- Some students (95) attended special classes.
In 2000, 166 students came to Lyss from other towns to go to school. Also, 251 students from Lyss went to schools outside the municipality.
Lyss has a public library called Gemeindebibliothek Lyss. As of 2008, it had over 22,000 books and other media. It was open for about 20 hours per week.
Transportation in Lyss
Lyss has three train stations: Lyss, Lyss Grien, and Busswil BE. These stations offer regular train services to nearby cities like Bern, Biel/Bienne, and others.
Notable People from Lyss
- Ernst Albert Gäumann (1893 in Lyss – 1963): A Swiss expert in plants and fungi.
- Werner Zimmermann (born 1915): A Swiss canoeist who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
- Margrit von Dach (born 1946 in Lyss): A Swiss author and translator.
- Paolo Collaviti (born 1978 in Lyss): A Swiss football (soccer) player.
- Junior Strous (born 1986): A Dutch racing driver who lives in Lyss.
See also
In Spanish: Lyss para niños
