Schwendibach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Schwendibach
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 Schwendibach
Location in Switzerland
Schwendibach
Location in Canton of Bern
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Bern | |
| District | Thun | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1.49 km2 (0.58 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 880 m (2,890 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2012)
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| • Total | 255 | |
| • Density | 171.1/km2 (443.3/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
3624
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| Surrounded by | Homberg, Steffisburg, Thun | |
Schwendibach was once a small town, or municipality, in Switzerland. It was located in the Thun area, within the Bern region. On January 1, 2020, Schwendibach joined with the nearby town of Steffisburg. So, it is no longer a separate municipality.
Contents
History of Schwendibach
Schwendibach was first mentioned in old records in the year 1388. Back then, it was called Swendibach.
Early Settlements and Land Ownership
Over time, small farms began to appear in the area. Farmers cleared the land during the Late Middle Ages. The land originally belonged to the Counts of Kyburg.
Changes in Ownership and Local Life
In 1384, the city of Bern took over the Kyburg lands. This happened after the Kyburgs, who were supported by Austria, lost a war called the Burgdorferkrieg. For a long time, Schwendibach was part of a church area with Goldiwil. This area belonged to the main church in Thun.
People in Schwendibach traditionally worked as farmers. They also raised dairy cows, made cheese, or cut down trees for wood. Today, most people (about two-thirds) travel to nearby cities for work. The rest usually work on small farms.
Schools and Administration
By 2004, Schwendibach no longer had its own school. The kindergarten moved to Buchen, and the primary school went to Homberg. After 2004, the town's offices moved into the empty school building.
Geography of Schwendibach
Schwendibach covers an area of about 1.49 square kilometers (0.57 square miles).
Land Use
Based on a 2004 study:
- About 69.3% of the land is used for farming.
- About 20.7% is covered by forests.
- About 10.7% has buildings or roads.
Most of the forest land is dense, thick woods. For farming, 10% is used for growing crops. About 56.7% is used for pastures where animals graze. A small part, 2.7%, is used for fruit trees or grapevines.
Location and Landscape
The town is located on the northern side of a mountain called Grüsisberg. Schwendibach itself is a small village. Around it, you can find scattered small groups of houses, called hamlets, and individual farmhouses.
Administrative Changes
On December 31, 2009, the old district of Amtsbezirk Thun was closed. The next day, January 1, 2010, Schwendibach became part of the new Verwaltungskreis Thun area.
Schwendibach's Coat of Arms
The blazon (official description) of Schwendibach's coat of arms is: Argent a Bend sinister wavy Azure between a Mullet of seven Gules and a Stump eradicated Sable flambant of the third.
This means the shield is silver (Argent). It has a wavy blue stripe (Bend sinister wavy Azure) going from the top right to the bottom left. On one side of the stripe is a red seven-pointed star (Mullet of seven Gules). On the other side is a black tree stump with flames (Stump eradicated Sable flambant of the third).
Population and People of Schwendibach
As of 2012, Schwendibach had 255 people living there. About 2.0% of these people were not Swiss citizens.
Population Changes
Between 2010 and 2012, the population decreased by about 4.1%. This was mainly because more people moved out than moved in, and more people died than were born.
Languages Spoken
In 2000, most people (98.5%) in Schwendibach spoke German as their main language. A few people spoke French (0.8%) or Italian (0.4%).
Gender and Birthplace
In 2008, 53.8% of the population were men, and 46.2% were women. Most people were Swiss citizens. In 2000, about 34% of the people were born in Schwendibach. About 51.1% were born in the same region (canton).
Age Groups
In 2012, the population was divided into age groups:
- Children and teenagers (0–19 years old) made up 20.4%.
- Adults (20–64 years old) made up 63.5%.
- Seniors (over 64 years old) made up 16.1%.
Marital Status
In 2000, 116 people in Schwendibach were single. 124 people were married. There were also 13 widows or widowers and 9 divorced people.
Homes and Housing
In 2010, there were 21 homes with only one person living in them. There were also 9 homes with five or more people. In 2012, about 26.9% of all homes in Schwendibach were single-family houses.
Historical Population Growth
The chart below shows how the population of Schwendibach has changed over many years: <timeline> Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width: auto height:200 barincrement:45 PlotArea = top:20 left:40 bottom:20 right:35 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:270 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:10 start:0 PlotData= color:yellowgreen width: 35 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1764 from:start till:60 text:"60" bar:1850 from:start till:136 text:"136" bar:1860 from:start till:129 text:"129" bar:1870 from:start till:143 text:"143" bar:1880 from:start till:144 text:"144" bar:1888 from:start till:139 text:"139" bar:1900 from:start till:121 text:"121" bar:1910 from:start till:135 text:"135" bar:1920 from:start till:173 text:"173" bar:1930 from:start till:188 text:"188" bar:1941 from:start till:188 text:"188" bar:1950 from:start till:203 text:"203" bar:1960 from:start till:171 text:"171" bar:1970 from:start till:201 text:"201" bar:1980 from:start till:198 text:"198" bar:1990 from:start till:238 text:"238" bar:2000 from:start till:262 text:"262" bar:2010 from:start till:262 text:"262" timeline>
Economy and Jobs in Schwendibach
In 2011, Schwendibach had a very low unemployment rate of 0.86%. This means almost everyone who wanted a job had one.
Employment Sectors
In 2011, 57 people worked in the municipality.
- 21 people worked in the primary sector, which includes farming. There were 9 businesses in this area.
- 3 people worked in the secondary sector, which includes manufacturing and construction. There were 2 businesses here.
- 33 people worked in the tertiary sector, which includes services. There were 9 businesses in this sector.
About 40.8% of the people working in Schwendibach were women.
Types of Jobs
In 2008, there were 29 full-time equivalent jobs.
- 13 jobs were in agriculture.
- 5 jobs were in the secondary sector, with 3 in manufacturing and 2 in construction.
- 11 jobs were in the tertiary sector. These included jobs in sales, transportation, science, and education.
Commuting and Transportation
In 2000, 19 workers came into Schwendibach for their jobs. However, 114 workers left Schwendibach to work somewhere else. This means many more people left the town for work than came in. About 66.7% of the workers in Schwendibach also lived there.
For getting to work, 7.9% of people used public transportation. A larger number, 60.5%, used a private car.
Taxes and Income
Schwendibach had one of the lowest local and regional tax rates in its canton. In 2012, a married person with two children earning 150,000 CHF paid about 12.1% in taxes. An unmarried person paid about 18%.
In 2010, there were 111 taxpayers in Schwendibach. The average income for those earning over 75,000 CHF was 101,254 CHF.
Government Assistance
In 2011, a small number of people, about 1.5% of the population, received financial help from the government.
Religion in Schwendibach
Based on the 2000 census:
- About 72.5% of the people belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
- About 3.4% were Roman Catholic.
- About 12.6% belonged to other Christian churches.
- About 6.1% did not belong to any church, or were agnostic or atheist.
- About 5.3% did not answer the question about their religion.
Education in Schwendibach
In Schwendibach, about 61.6% of the people had finished high school (non-mandatory upper secondary education). About 14.4% had gone on to higher education, like a university.
Students and Schools
In 2000, 23 students attended school within Schwendibach. All of these students also lived in the municipality. However, 12 students from Schwendibach went to schools outside the municipality.
See also
In Spanish: Schwendibach para niños
