Gempenach

Entrance of Gempenach

Gempenach (? French Champagny; Freiburg Patois Tsanpanyi / i ) is a municipality in the lake district (French: District du Lac ) of the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland.

Geography

Gempenach is located at 501 m above sea level. M., 6.5 km east of the district town of Murten (air line). The hamlet stands on a plateau on the western side of the Biberentals, at the height south of the Great Marsh, in the northern Fribourg plateau.

The area of ​​1.7 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the Molassehöhen between the Great Marsh in the north- west and the Saanen valley in the east. The eastern boundary runs partially along the Biberen which flows here in an approximately 10 to 20 m sunk into the plateau valley. A small part of the forest Wanner right of Biberen also belongs to Gempenach. In the south, forming a left side creek that Dorfbach of Lurtigen, the natural border. To the north extends the communal land on the plateau (Chile Field ) in the forests Stöckholz and Büchslenholz. The highest point of Gempenach is at 533 m above sea level. M. reached on the Wiesenhügel wide field. From the municipality surface 1997 7 % was attributable to settlements, 18% of forest and woody plants and 75 % to agriculture.

To Gempenach the northern part is the hamlet Chäppelimatt as well as some individual farms. Neighboring communities of Gempenach are Ulmiz, Murten and Ried bei Kerzers in the Canton of Fribourg and Ferenbalm in Canton Bern.

Population

With 291 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Gempenach one of the small communities of the Canton of Fribourg. Of the residents 97.5 % are German, 1.4 % and 0.7 % portugiesischsprachig speak French ( as of 2000). The population of Gempenach amounted in 1850 to 191 residents in 1900 to 213 inhabitants. During the 20th century, the population fluctuated in the range of 180-210 inhabitants. Only since 1980 (177 inhabitants) a significant population growth was recorded.

Economy

Gempenach was until the second half of the 20th century, mainly coined by farming village. Even today, the farming, fruit growing and cattle breeding have an important place in the economic structure of the population. More jobs are in small local manufacturing and services available, including companies in the transport industry and of wood construction. In recent decades, the village has developed into a residential community. Many workers are therefore commuters who work mainly in the regions of Murten and Kerzers and in the agglomeration of Bern.

Traffic

The community is conveniently comparatively quite well developed. It lies on the main road from Bern on 1 Payerne to Lausanne. The nearest links to the A1 ( Bern -Lausanne ) is located about 5 km from the center. Through a post bus line between Duedingen and Kerzers and by a bus the Transports publics Fribourgeois between Murten and Gümmenen Gempenach is connected to the public transport network.

History

The territory of Gempenach was settled very early. Thus, a large burial ground from the early and middle La Tène period was found on the forest mat. The rich grave goods (jewelery, Bronzefiebeln, weapons) can be seen today in the museums of Murten and Bern.

The first written mention of the village took place in 961 under the name Chempinnacho ( Well of Campanius ). Later, the ( partially French ) designations Champagniaco appeared Champagnie ( 1265 ) and Gampenach ( 1558 ).

Since the Middle Ages Gempenach was under the rule of Murten. 1475 reached the village as part of the bailiwick of Murten under the joint administration of the estates of Bern and Fribourg. After the collapse of the ancien régime (1798 ) Gempenach came to the Canton of Fribourg. During the Helvetic Republic and the subsequent time it belonged to the district of Murten, before it was incorporated in 1848 with the new cantonal constitution in the lake district.

Attractions

In the center of some old buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Gasthaus Zum Kantonsschild, which was built in the early 19th century. The village does not have its own church; it belongs to the cross-cantonal parish Ferenbalm.

Pictures

Chäppelimatt