Worben facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Worben
Coat of arms
Worben Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Worben Location in Canton of Bern Show map of Canton of Bern
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Seeland
Area
• Total	2.76 km2 (1.07 sq mi)
Elevation	438 m (1,437 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	2,404
• Density	871.0/km2 (2,256/sq mi)
Postal code	3252
Surrounded by	Busswil bei Büren, Jens, Kappelen, Lyss, Studen

Worben is a small town, also called a municipality, located in the Seeland area of Switzerland. It's part of the Bern canton, which is like a state or region in Switzerland.

Worben's Past: A Look at Its History

Worben was first mentioned in old records in the year 1228. Back then, it was called Worbun.

Ancient Times in Worben

The very first signs of people living here come from the Stone Age, specifically the New Stone Age. A special tool from this time was found when the Binnen Canal was being built. Worben was also home to part of a Roman-era station called Petinesca. A Roman road also passed through the area.

Worben in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, Worben was made up of two villages: Oberworben and Unterworben. Powerful families called the Counts of Neuchâtel-Nidau ruled these villages. Monasteries, which were like religious communities, owned most of the land. In 1398, the city of Bern took control of the entire Inselgau district, including Worben. Even though they had separate fields, the two villages were always managed as one town.

Changes Over Time

By 1463, a tiny village called Worbenbad was also part of the municipality. In 1783, all three settlements had only 26 houses in total. The Aare river often flooded both villages. But between 1868 and 1891, big projects called the Jura water corrections stopped the floods. A bridge was built in 1886-87, replacing an old ferry on the road to Lyss.

In 1890, a plant nursery called Seeland Baumschulen opened in Worben. Worben was part of the Bürglen church area until 1952. Then, it became the main center for its own church area.

Worben Grows Up

In the 1960s, Worben's population grew a lot. This happened as nearby cities like Biel, Lyss, Bern, and Aarberg became busy industrial places. Many new houses, schools, and sports fields were built for the increasing number of people. In 1991, a special home and workshop for people with disabilities opened.

Worbenbad also had a home for people in need, which opened in 1876. This place later became a nursing home for the region. By 2011, it cared for about 400 people.

Worben's Location and Land

Worben covers an area of about 2.8 square kilometers.

How Worben's Land is Used

• About 62.1% of Worben's land is used for farming.
• About 7.5% is covered by forests.
• About 29.3% has buildings or roads.
• A tiny part, 0.7%, is rivers or lakes.

Looking closer at the settled areas:

• 2.5% has industrial buildings.
• 18.6% has houses and other buildings.
• 5.4% is used for roads and transportation.
• 2.1% is parks, green areas, and sports fields.

For farming land:

• 47.5% is used for growing crops.
• 10.4% is used for pastures where animals graze.
• 4.3% has orchards or small groups of trees.

Worben is located at the northern end of a large wetland area called the Grosses Moos. It sits between the Jensberg mountain and the old path of the Aare river.

Changes in Administration

On December 31, 2009, Worben's old district, Amtsbezirk Nidau, was closed down. The very next day, January 1, 2010, Worben became part of a new administrative area called Verwaltungskreis Seeland.

Worben's Coat of Arms

The official description of Worben's coat of arms is: "A blue shield with a golden bundle of wheat that has three black spikes." This means the shield is blue, and it shows a yellow bundle of wheat with three black parts sticking up.

Who Lives in Worben?

Worben has a population of about 2,283 people as of December 2011.

Population Details

• In 2010, about 8.9% of the people living in Worben were from other countries.
• Over ten years (2001-2011), Worben's population grew by 1%.
• Most people (91.4%) in Worben speak German as their main language.
• French is the second most common language (2.4%), followed by Turkish (1.8%).

Age Groups

• Children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 20.1% of the population.
• Adults (20-64 years old) make up 62.3%.
• Seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.6%.

Family Life

In 2000, many people in Worben were single (never married). There were also many married people, widows or widowers, and divorced individuals.

In 2010, there were 264 homes where only one person lived. There were also 39 homes with five or more people.

The chart below shows how Worben's population has changed over many years:

Worben's Economy: How People Work

In 2011, Worben had a low unemployment rate of 1.78%. This means very few people who wanted to work couldn't find a job.

Jobs in Worben

In 2008, 805 people worked in Worben. These jobs were in different areas:

• Primary Sector: 106 people worked in farming and related businesses. There were about 12 businesses in this area.
• Secondary Sector: 143 people worked in manufacturing (making things) and construction (building things). There were 14 businesses in this area.
• Tertiary Sector: 556 people worked in services, like shops, healthcare, or education. There were 42 businesses in this area.

Many people who live in Worben also work there. In 2000, 253 people both lived and worked in the municipality. However, more people left Worben to work elsewhere than came into Worben for work.

Getting to Work

• About 14.1% of workers used public transportation (like buses or trains) to get to their jobs.
• Most people, 60.5%, used a private car to get to work.

Taxes and Help

In 2011, the average tax rate for a married person with two children in Worben was 12.6%. For a single person, it was 18.6%. These rates were a bit lower than the average for the whole canton of Bern.

In 2011, a small number of people (3.3%) in Worben received financial help from the government.

Religion in Worben

According to a 2000 survey:

• Most people (69%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
• About 14.1% were Roman Catholic.
• Smaller groups included Orthodox Christians, other Christian churches, and Muslims.
• About 7.09% of the population said they didn't belong to any church or were agnostic or atheist.

Learning in Worben: Education

Many adults in Worben have completed higher education. About 55.7% have finished upper secondary education (like high school), and 17.4% have gone on to university or a specialized college.

School System in Bern

The Canton of Bern has a specific school system:

• One year of optional 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 education or start an apprenticeship (learning a trade on the job).

Worben Schools Today

During the 2011-2012 school year, 190 students attended schools in Worben.

• There were 2 kindergarten classes with 41 students. Some of these students were from other countries or spoke a different language at home.
• There were 7 primary classes with 140 students. Again, some students were from other countries or had different home languages.
• There was 1 lower secondary class with 9 students. Some of these students also had different backgrounds.

In 2000, most students (187) who went to school in Worben also lived there. Only 8 students came from other towns. At the same time, 99 Worben residents went to schools outside the municipality.

See also

In Spanish: Worben para niños