Oberwil bei Büren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oberwil bei Büren
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Oberwil bei Büren village church
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 Oberwil bei Büren
Location in Switzerland
Oberwil bei Büren
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Seeland | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 6.74 km2 (2.60 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 488 m (1,601 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 887 | |
| • Density | 131.60/km2 (340.8/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3298
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| Surrounded by | Biezwil (SO), Büren an der Aare, Gossliwil (SO), Lüterswil-Gächliwil (SO), Rüti bei Büren, Schnottwil (SO) | |
Oberwil bei Büren is a small town, also known as a municipality, located in the Seeland administrative district. It is part of the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Contents
History of Oberwil bei Büren
Oberwil bei Büren was first mentioned in official records in 1236. Back then, its name was Oberwile.
Ancient Discoveries in Oberwil bei Büren
Many old tools and items have been found around the town. These discoveries date back to the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Roman times.
Oberwil bei Büren in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, Oberwil bei Büren was part of a special territory. This territory was called Strassberg and was ruled by a lord. Between 1388 and 1393, the city of Bern took over all the Strassberg lands. After this, Oberwil bei Büren became part of Bern's new administrative area, known as the Büren bailiwick.
The Church of St. Mauritius
The Church of St. Mauritius was first mentioned in 1275. However, it was built on top of even older churches. The first church on this spot was a wooden one from the 7th or 8th century. A brick church was built there in the 9th or 10th century. Several more churches were built before the front part, called the choir, was rebuilt in 1506-07. The church was last updated in the 17th century.
Life in Oberwil bei Büren Over Time
Throughout its history, Oberwil bei Büren has mostly been a farming community. Today, there are not many jobs directly in the town. Because of this, about two-thirds of the people who work travel to other places for their jobs. Many of them have long commutes to cities like Bern or Zurich.
Geography of Oberwil bei Büren
Oberwil bei Büren covers an area of about 6.7 square kilometers (2.6 square miles). A large part of this land, about 56%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 35.7% of the area. The remaining 8.5% is built-up with buildings and roads.
Land Use in Oberwil bei Büren
About 4.9% of the town's area is covered by houses and other buildings. Roads and other transportation areas make up 2.8%. All of the forested land is covered with dense forests. For farming, 40.6% of the land is used for growing crops. Another 14.6% is used as pastures for animals.
The town is located on the western side of a high area called the Bucheggberg plateau.
Administrative Changes
On December 31, 2009, the old district of Amtsbezirk Büren was closed. The very next day, January 1, 2010, Oberwil bei Büren joined the new Verwaltungskreis Seeland administrative district.
Coat of Arms of Oberwil bei Büren
The official description of the town's coat of arms is simple. It shows a golden farm tool called a harrow on a blue background. The harrow has silver rings.
Population and People in Oberwil bei Büren
Oberwil bei Büren has a population of about 800 people. As of 2010, about 6.3% of the people living here were from other countries. Over the past ten years (2000–2010), the population grew by about 6.1%. This growth was mainly due to people moving into the town (3.7%) and more births than deaths (2.8%).
Languages Spoken in Oberwil bei Büren
Most people in Oberwil bei Büren speak German. In 2000, about 97.9% of the population spoke German as their main language. A small number of people spoke French (0.9%) or Serbo-Croatian (0.5%). One person also spoke Romansh.
Gender and Origin of Residents
As of 2008, the population was almost evenly split between males (50.1%) and females (49.9%). Most residents were Swiss citizens. About 38.3% of the people living in Oberwil bei Büren in 2000 were born there. Another 35.6% were born in the same canton of Bern. About 18.1% were born elsewhere in Switzerland, and 4.3% were born outside Switzerland.
Age Groups in Oberwil bei Büren
As of 2010, children and teenagers (ages 0–19) made up 21.3% of the population. Adults (ages 20–64) were the largest group at 62.8%. Seniors (over 64 years old) made up 16% of the population.
Living Arrangements in Oberwil bei Büren
In 2000, there were 294 single people in the town who had never been married. There were 390 married people, 47 widows or widowers, and 35 divorced individuals.
In 2000, there were 84 households with only one person. There were 17 households with five or more people. Most apartments (93.7%) were lived in all year round. A small number were used only at certain times of the year (2.7%) or were empty (3.6%). In 2010, new homes were being built at a rate of 2.5 new units for every 1000 residents. In 2011, about 1.06% of homes were empty.
Historical Population Trends
The chart below shows how the population of Oberwil bei Büren has changed over many years:
Sights and Heritage
The entire village of Oberwil bei Büren is recognized as an important Swiss Heritage Site. This means it has special historical and cultural value.
Economy and Jobs in Oberwil bei Büren
In 2011, Oberwil bei Büren had a very low unemployment rate of 0.67%. This means almost everyone who wanted a job had one. In 2008, there were 198 people working in the town.
Main Job Sectors
Jobs in Oberwil bei Büren fall into three main groups:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs related to farming and natural resources. In 2008, 73 people worked in this sector, with 24 businesses.
- Secondary sector: This includes jobs in manufacturing and construction. There were 84 people working here, with 13 businesses.
- Tertiary sector: This includes jobs in services, like shops, restaurants, and education. 41 people worked in this sector, with 19 businesses.
Commuting for Work
In 2000, 65 workers came into Oberwil bei Büren for their jobs. However, 330 workers left the town to work elsewhere. This shows that many more people leave Oberwil bei Büren for work than come in. About 8.8% of working people used public transportation to get to work, while 61.3% used a private car.
Religion in Oberwil bei Büren
Based on the 2000 census, most people in Oberwil bei Büren are Christian. About 85% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. About 4.6% were Roman Catholic. A small number belonged to other Christian churches (3.92%) or the Christian Catholic Church (0.26%). About 1.04% of the population was Islamic. There were also 3 people who were Buddhist. About 4.31% of the population did not belong to any church, and 2.48% did not answer the question.
Education in Oberwil bei Büren
In Oberwil bei Büren, about 43.5% of the people have finished non-mandatory upper secondary education. This is like high school. About 10.8% have gone on to higher education, either at a university or a specialized college.
School System in Bern Canton
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. Students are grouped by their abilities.
- After lower Secondary, students can choose to continue their schooling or start an apprenticeship (on-the-job training).
Students in Oberwil bei Büren Schools
During the 2009-10 school year, 75 students attended classes in Oberwil bei Büren. There was one kindergarten class with 15 students. A small number (6.7%) of these kindergarten students were temporary or permanent residents from other countries. The town also had 3 primary classes with 60 students. About 3.3% of these primary students were temporary or permanent residents from other countries.
In 2000, only one student came to Oberwil bei Büren from another town for school. However, 28 students from Oberwil bei Büren went to schools outside the town.
See also
In Spanish: Oberwil bei Büren para niños
