Saxeten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saxeten
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Municipality
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Interlaken as viewed from Saxeten
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 Saxeten
Location in Switzerland
Saxeten
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | ||
| Canton | Bern | ||
| District | Interlaken-Oberhasli | ||
| Area
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| • Total | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). km2 (Formatting error: invalid input when rounding sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 1,103 m (3,619 ft) | ||
| Population
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| • Total | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | ||
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) | ||
| Postal code(s) |
3813>
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| SFOS number | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | ||
| Localities | Aeschi bei Spiez, Därligen, Lauterbrunnen, Leissigen, Wilderswil | ||
| Website | SFSO statistics |
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Saxeten is a small town, also called a municipality, in the Interlaken-Oberhasli area in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It's a peaceful place known for its beautiful views.
In 1999, Saxeten became known around the world because of a sad event. A sudden, powerful flood in the Saxetbach gorge caused 21 tourists and guides to lose their lives.
Contents
History of Saxeten
Saxeten was first written about in the year 1303. Back then, it was called Sachsaton.
During the Middle Ages, the valley where Saxetenbach flows was part of a special territory called Unspunnen Herrschaft. In the 1200s, a noble family, the Freiherr of Weissenburg, got half of the village. They later sold their share to Interlaken Monastery in 1334. The other half stayed with Unspunnen.
In 1348–49, the village joined a rebellion against the monastery, but it wasn't successful. Later, in 1500, the city of Bern bought the Unspunnen half of the village. In 1528, Bern changed its religion to Protestantism and made everyone in the Bernese Oberland follow the new faith. After Bern took control, they took over the monastery's lands, finally owning both parts of Saxeten.
In the 1800s, Saxeten was mentioned in travel books. George Downes wrote about it in 1828. Later, Alfred Wills and Karl Baedeker described hikes around the village in 1856 and 1897.
Saxeten has always been part of a larger church area called Gsteig bei Interlaken. This is now a village in the municipality of Gsteigwiler. The local government area of Interlaken changed in 2010. Saxeten then became part of the new Interlaken-Oberhasli district.
The Saxetenbach Gorge Accident
On July 27, 1999, a tragic accident happened in the Saxetenbach Gorge, just above Saxeten village. Twenty-one young people from different countries, including Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and Switzerland, died.
These 48 people were on a canyoning trip. Canyoning is an adventure sport where you float, swim, and climb through a gorge. The trip was organized by a company called Adventure World. Suddenly, heavy flash floods rushed through the gorge. Twenty-one people, including 18 tourists and 3 guides, were swept away. Authorities found out about the accident when a local jogger saw bodies in Lake Brienz.
An investigation was held to find out what happened. In December 2001, staff from Adventure World were found responsible for not being careful enough. They were found guilty of negligence, meaning they didn't take enough care to prevent the accident.
Saxeten's Coat of Arms
The blazon of Saxeten's coat of arms shows a red shield. On it is a silver triangle pointing down. On this triangle are two black Ibex horns crossed over each other.
Geography and Nature
Saxeten covers an area of about 19.2 square kilometers (about 7.4 square miles). A large part of this land, about 40.6%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 31.7% of the area.
About 1.4% of the land has buildings or roads. Rivers and lakes make up 1.6%. The remaining 24.8% is land that cannot be used for farming or building, like rocky areas.
Saxeten is located near the center of the Bödeli watershed. The Saxetenbach river flows through a gorge to Saxeten. It then joins the Lütschine river in Wilderswil. You can see beautiful waterfalls around Saxeten, like Wyssbachfall and Saxetbachfall. These are found at the narrowest part of the Saxettal valley.
People of Saxeten
Saxeten has a small population of about 90 people, all of whom are Swiss citizens. Over the past 10 years (2000-2010), the number of people living here has gone down by about 24.8%. Most people in Saxeten (about 99.2%) speak German.
In 2008, about 46% of the population were men and 54% were women. Most people were born either in Saxeten or in the same canton (Bern). A small number were born elsewhere in Switzerland or outside of Switzerland.
In 2010, children and teenagers (up to 19 years old) made up 17% of the population. Adults (20–64 years old) made up 54%, and seniors (over 64 years old) made up 29%.
Here's how the population of Saxeten has changed over time:
Economy and Jobs
In 2011, the unemployment rate in Saxeten was very low, at 0.85%. In 2008, 39 people worked in the municipality. Most jobs were in the primary economic sector, which includes farming. There were also jobs in manufacturing and the tertiary sector, which includes services like hotels and education.
Many people who live in Saxeten travel to other towns for work. In 2000, 12.1% of working people used public transportation, and 58.6% used a private car to get to their jobs.
Saxeten has one hotel called the Alpenrose, which opened in 1895. It used to have a restaurant and wine bar, but they are currently closed. A wood cutting company called Seematter is also based here. Farming cooperatives, Bergschaft Bällen and Bergschaft Innenberg, are also important for the local economy.
Religion in Saxeten
According to the 2000 census, most people in Saxeten (81.3%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. A smaller number (3.1%) were Roman Catholic. Some people belonged to other Christian churches, and a few did not state their religion or did not belong to any church.
Education
In Saxeten, about 26.6% of the population has finished upper secondary education. This is schooling after primary school. A small number (2.3%) have gone on to higher education at a university or a specialized college.
The school system in Bern canton starts with one year of optional Kindergarten. Then, students go to six years of Primary school. After that, there are three years of lower Secondary school. Students are grouped based on their abilities. After lower Secondary, students can continue their education or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade).
During the 2010–11 school year, 11 students attended classes in Saxeten. There were no kindergarten classes in the town. Seven students went to primary school in another municipality. There was one lower secondary class with 4 students.
Transportation
Saxeten is served by the PostBus route 111. This bus connects Saxeten to Wilderswil Station. It uses a smaller van instead of a large bus. There are 8 services every day, all year round. Some routes in winter start and end at Saxeten Skipintli. As of 2016, this PostBus service was special because it was the last one in Switzerland that still delivered milk!
Winter Sports
Saxeten has a small ski area called Skipintli. It has two ski runs, which are usually open from December to March. There's also a single surface lift to take skiers to the top. The Swiss Alpine Ski club promotes a ski touring route from Saxeten to the Rengghorn mountain. Besides skiing, Saxeten also has a fun toboggan run. You can slide down from Alp Nessleren all the way to the village center.
See also
In Spanish: Saxeten para niños
