Mirchel
Mirchel is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Geography
Mirchel is located on 669 m above sea level. M., 3 km northeast and 16 km east-southeast of Konolfingen the cantonal capital of Bern (air line). The farming village extends into the broad valley floor of Chise, that makes the connection from the Aare Valley Emmental, in the pre-Alpine hills.
The area of 2.4 km ² large municipality area includes a portion of the pre-Alpine hills east of the Aare valley. The central part of the municipality is occupied by the valley of Chise, which has a width of 500 to 800 m here. To the north, the area extends to the Erlessenhubel ( 762 m above sea level. M. ), a lateral moraine of the glacial Aaregletschers. South of Chisetals extends the communal land on the steep slope of the Gmeiswaldes to the Appenberg that belongs to the ridge of the mountain and on the short 812 m above sea level. M. the highest elevation of Mirchel is achieved. The southeastern border is the Bärbach, a down -flowing from the short mountain brook right side of Chise. From the municipality surface 1997 10 % came from settlements, 10 % of forest and woody plants, 79 % in agriculture and somewhat less than 1% was unproductive land.
To Mirchel include the hamlet Gmeis ( 672 m above sea level. M. ) on the southern edge of the Chisetals and Appenberg ( 791 m above sea level. M. ) in Bärbachtälchen on the Northern Slope of the short hill and some farm groups and individual farms. Neighboring communities of Mirchel are Zäziwil, Oberhünigen, Niederhünigen, Konolfingen and Grosshöchstetten.
History
The first written mention of the village was carried out in 1320 under the name Mirchlon. Later, the names Mircheln ( 1325 ) and Mirchel published ( 1388 ). The etymology of the place name is unknown.
Since the Middle Ages Mirchel was at the limits of the dominions Hünigen and Signau which were under the suzerainty of the Counts of Kyburg. In 1406 the village came under Bernese rule and the district court Konolfingen been assigned. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798 ) Mirchel 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 591 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) Mirchel one of the small communities of the Canton of Bern. Of the residents 99.2 % are German, 0.4 % English speaking and 0.2 % speak French (as of 2000). The population of Mirchel amounted in 1850 to 421 residents in 1900 to 474 inhabitants. During the 20th century, the population increased by strong migration to 1970 by around 20 % to 376 persons. Since then, a significant increase in population was recorded again.
Policy
The voting shares of the parties at the national elections of 2011 were: SVP 45.3 %, 21.1% BDP, EDU 6.8%, EPP 5.6%, SP 5.6%, GPS 4.5%, FDP 3.4 %, glp 3.1%, CVP 1.1%, 1.0% PNOS.
Economy
Mirchel 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. In today Mirchel a feed mill, carpentry and mechanical repair shops are represented. 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 near the main street of Münsingen to Langnau in the Emmental. The municipal area is indeed crossed by the railway line from Bern to Luzern and from Burgdorf to tuna, but has Mirchel no direct connection to the public transport network. The nearest train stations are in Konolfingen, Grosshöchstetten and Zäziwil, each approximately 1.5 to 3 km from the center.
Attractions
In the center and in the hamlets numerous characteristic farmhouses of the Bernese country style from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved. The Riegbau the mill dates from 1803. Mirchel does not have its own church, it belongs to the parish Zäziwil.