Oberthal, Switzerland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oberthal
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Oberthal village schoolhouse
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 Oberthal
Location in Switzerland
Oberthal
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Bern-Mittelland | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 10.54 km2 (4.07 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 822 m (2,697 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 721 | |
| • Density | 68.41/km2 (177.17/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3531
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| Surrounded by | Arni, Bowil, Grosshöchstetten, Lauperswil, Signau, Zäziwil | |
Oberthal is a small town, also called a municipality, located in the Bern-Mittelland area of the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It's known for its scattered farms and beautiful natural surroundings.
Contents
History of Oberthal
Oberthal was first mentioned in old writings in the year 1275. It was called mons Obertal back then.
The oldest sign of people living here is the remains of a castle. This castle is on a hill called the Chnubel spur (which is a small ridge coming off a larger mountain). We don't have any records about this castle, so its story is a mystery!
Over time, different powerful families owned the scattered villages and farms in Oberthal. These included the Counts of Kyburg and the rulers of Signau. In 1529, the city of Bern took control of the whole valley. It became part of a new area called the Signau district. Oberthal was also part of the parish (a church area) of Grosshöchstetten.
In the 1800s, many farmers in Oberthal changed what they grew. Instead of just grain for themselves, they started raising cattle for milk and cheese. To help with this, five dairies (places where milk is processed) were built in the valley. However, there weren't enough jobs for everyone. Many people left Oberthal to find work in bigger cities. Today, about half of all jobs in Oberthal are still in farming. Also, more than half of the people who live here travel to jobs in Bern or nearby towns every day.
Geography and Landscape
Oberthal covers an area of about 10.54 square kilometers (about 4 square miles). This is how the land is used:
- About 63.1% of the land is used for farming.
- About 32.2% is covered by forests.
- About 5.4% has buildings or roads on it.
Most of the forested land (30.8%) is dense forest. A small part (1.3%) has orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 20.4% is used for growing crops, and 41.5% is used for pastures where animals graze.
Oberthal doesn't have one main village center. Instead, it's made up of many scattered homes and farms. These are mostly found on the Blasenfluh hill, which is above the Kiesental (Kiesen Valley).
In 2010, Oberthal became part of a new administrative area called Verwaltungskreis Bern-Mittelland.
Oberthal's Coat of Arms
The blazon (official description) of Oberthal's coat of arms is: Argent seven Mullets of Five, three and four, and a Mount of 3 Coupeaux Vert.
This means the shield is silver (Argent). It has seven five-pointed stars (Mullets of Five). Three stars are at the top, and four are below them. At the bottom, there is a green (Vert) hill with three rounded peaks (Mount of 3 Coupeaux).
Population and People
Oberthal has a population of about 774 people (as of December 2011). A small part of the population (1.3% in 2010) are people from other countries living in Oberthal. Over the past 10 years (2001-2011), the number of people living here has slightly decreased.
Most people in Oberthal (99.4%) speak German as their main language. A very small number of people speak French or English.
In 2008, about 53.8% of the population were male and 46.2% were female. Most people (about 50.9% in 2000) were born in Oberthal and still lived there.
In 2011, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) made up about 21.8% of the population. Adults (20–64 years old) made up 60.9%, and seniors (over 64 years old) made up 17.3%.
The chart below shows how Oberthal's population has changed over many years:
Economy and Jobs
In 2011, Oberthal had a very low unemployment rate of 0.89%. This means almost everyone who wanted a job had one. In 2008, there were 357 people working in Oberthal.
Jobs are divided into three main types:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs that get raw materials directly from nature, like farming or forestry. In Oberthal, 181 people worked in this sector, mostly in agriculture.
- Secondary sector: This involves making things, like in factories or construction. 78 people worked in this sector.
- Tertiary sector: This includes jobs that provide services, like teachers, doctors, or people working in restaurants. 98 people worked in this sector.
Many people who live in Oberthal travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 245 people left Oberthal for jobs, while only 58 people came into Oberthal to work. About 14% of working people used public transportation, and 48.1% used a private car to get to work.
Religion in Oberthal
Based on information from the year 2000:
- Most people (86.5%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, which is a type of Protestant church.
- About 3.1% were Roman Catholic.
- About 6.63% belonged to other Christian churches.
- A very small number (1 person) was Islamic.
- About 4.25% of the population did not belong to any church. These people might be agnostic (meaning they don't know if God exists) or atheist (meaning they don't believe in God).
Education System
In Oberthal, about 35% of the people have finished non-mandatory upper secondary education. This is like high school after the required years of schooling. About 9.9% have gone on to higher education, either at a university or a Fachhochschule (a type of professional university).
The school system in the Canton of Bern works like this:
- One year of non-required Kindergarten.
- Six years of Primary school.
- Three years of required lower Secondary school. In this stage, students are grouped based on their abilities.
- After lower Secondary, students can choose to continue more schooling or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).
During the 2010–11 school year, 70 students attended classes in Oberthal. There was one kindergarten class with 21 students. There were two primary classes with 35 students. There was also one lower secondary class with 14 students.
In 2000, 5 students came to Oberthal schools from other towns, while 37 students from Oberthal went to schools outside the municipality.
See also
In Spanish: Oberthal para niños
