Niederhünigen

Niederhünigen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Geography

Niederhünigen is located on 685 m above sea level. M., 1.5 km east and 16 km east-southeast of Konolfingen the cantonal capital of Bern (air line). The farming village extends on the alluvial fan of the Hünigenbachs on the eastern edge of the wide valley floor of Chise, on the northwestern foot of Short Mountain.

The area of ​​5.4 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the pre-Alpine hills east of the Aare valley. The northern boundary runs along the Chise, which here flows in a more than 1 km wide valley and channeled respectively is straightened. From Chise the communal land extends to the southeast across the Konolfingermoos and the flat alluvial fan of Hünigenbachs. The southeastern part of municipality comprises the catchment area of ​​Hünigenbachs, which rises in the vast Hohwald on the short hill and over time an erosion valley has formed in the slope of this ridge. The municipal boundary along the crest of the short hill to the heights of Barschwandhubel ( 1,116 m above sea level. M. ), Chnubel ( with 1'162 m above sea level. M. the highest point of Niederhünigen ) and dance floor ( 1,089 m above sea level. M. ). From the municipality surface 1997 accounted for 5% on settlements, 43 % of forest and shrubs and 52% to agriculture.

To Niederhünigen include the hamlet Geiss Rütti (701 m above sea level. M. ) on Hünigenbach and wood ( 884 m above sea level. M. ) on a Verebnungsfläche the top of the Hünigenbachtals as well as some farm groups and individual farms. Neighboring communities of Niederhünigen are Konolfingen, Mirchel, Oberhünigen, Linden and Freimettigen.

History

The first written mention of the village was carried out in 1148 under the name Huningen inferiori; From 1367 the name Niderhunigen is preserved. The name goes back to the Old High German personal name Huno and accordingly is with the people of Huno.

In the Middle Ages Niederhünigen part of the rule Hünigen, which was under the suzerainty of the Counts of Kyburg. The castle of the lords of Hünigen was located at the edge of Chisetals burned from 1588 and was not subsequently rebuilt. In 1406 the village came under Bernese rule and the district court Konolfingen been assigned. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798 ) Niederhünigen belonged during the Helvetic Republic to the district Höchstetten and from 1803 to Oberamt Konolfingen, which was given the status of an office district with the new cantonal constitution of 1831.

Population

With 626 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Niederhünigen one of the smaller municipalities in the canton of Bern. Of the residents 95.9 % are German, 2.1 % and 0.5 % albanischsprachig speak French ( as of 2000). The population of Niederhünigen amounted in 1850 to 635 inhabitants, in 1900 only 484 inhabitants. During the 20th century, the population fluctuated always in the range 440-570 people. Since 1980 (444 inhabitants) a significant increase in population was recorded again.

Policy

The voting shares of the parties at the national elections of 2011 were: SVP 31.9%, 16.4% BDP, SP 15.0 %, 8.6% EPP, GPS 7.6%, FDP 6.2%, 4.7 glp %, EDU 4.7%, CVP 1.7%.

Economy

Niederhünigen was until the second half of the 20th century, mainly coined by farming village. Even today, the farming, fruit growing and dairy farming and livestock have an important place in the economic structure of the population. More jobs are in small local manufacturing and services available, including a carpenter and in a company in the electrical industry. In recent decades, the village has developed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who work mainly in the larger towns in the area and in the agglomeration of Bern.

Traffic

The community is located off of the larger passage axes, but is easily accessible from Konolfingen. Niederhünigen has no connection to the public transport network. The Konolfingen station ( junction of the lines of Bern -Lucerne and Burgdorf- Thun) is located about 1.5 km from the center.

Attractions

In the center numerous characteristic farmhouses of the Bernese country style from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved. Niederhünigen does not have its own church, it belongs to the parish Konolfingen.