Aarberg () is a historic town and a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Aarberg lies from Bern above the river Aare. With an area of , Aarberg borders Bargen, Kappelen, Lyss, Radelfingen and Seedorf.

Aarberg is not to be confused with Aarburg in Aargau or with Aarbergen in Germany.

The town was once located on an island with the Aare and Little Aare () flowing around it. The old town grew up around the edge of the island with a large open plaza in the middle. In addition to the old town, Aarberg also includes the new outer quarter, and the villages of Spins, Mühletal and Grafenmoos.

The official language of Aarberg is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.

History

thumb|left|Bridge over the Aare, built in 1568

Where Aarberg now stands was once an island surrounded by the Aare and the Little Aare. By 1138 there was a small pilgrim home and hospital with a bridge, the Bargenbrügg, over the Aare. This bridge was a key river crossing from Bern to Büren an der Aare.

The town itself was founded between 1220 and 1225 by count Ulrich III of Neuchâtel. The count had recently acquired the rulership over this region and needed a central location from which to rule. The island and the key bridge was a natural location for a town. Aarberg is first mentioned in 1236 as Arberc. In 1267 it was mentioned as de Arberch. In 1414, the toll on the bridges over the Aar as well as the expensive construction and repair on the bridges, was given to Bern. The bridges were rebuilt following floods in 1414, 1443, 1490, 1557 and the current bridge dates from 1567–68.

thumb|Copperplate engraving of Aarberg, by [[Johann Ludwig Nöthiger, 1744]]

The church at Aarberg, which is on the western border of the Bishopric of Constance, was built in 1484. The church was rebuilt in 1575 on the site of the former castle of Aarberg. The tower of the church, built in 1526, is from stone salvaged from the demolished Pilgrim Hospital Church. The cemetery was located next to the new church. In 1418, Bern placed the church under the patronage of the Münster of Bern, however following the Protestant Reformation (1528) the patronage was withdrawn.

The government of the town was a mayor or Schultheiß and a 24-member council (12 nobles and 12 citizens) under a vogt who lived in the Amthaus (built in 1608-10) and had the rights of high justice.

Aarberg has always been in a unique position for trade. Its location over the Aar and near major trade roads made the business of the town revolve around trade. The large central market plaza in the town was one of the largest trans-shipment centers in Switzerland. Many transport companies and inns, including the Tavernen Krone (Crown) and Tavernen Falken (Falcon), grew up around the plaza. The yearly market (1271 mentioned, 1507 two per year, 1681 three per year, 1759 quarterly), by 1478 was an important market that drew salt, iron, steel and cloth merchants from the entire region.

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 5.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 10.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.4%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.1% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.1%. Out of the forested land, 27.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 36.3% is used for growing crops and 6.7% is pastures, while 1.4% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.

Demographics

Aarberg has a population () of . , 10.8% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 7.9%. Migration accounted for 5.9%, while births and deaths accounted for 2.6%.

Most of the population () speaks German (3,442 or 90.5%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (52 or 1.4%) and Turkish is the third (52 or 1.4%). There are 44 people who speak French and 1 person who speaks Romansh. Of the population in the municipality, 1,060 or about 27.9% were born in Aarberg and lived there in 2000. There were 1,610 or 42.3% who were born in the same canton, while 516 or 13.6% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 499 or 13.1% were born outside of Switzerland.

, there were 1,599 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. , the construction rate of new housing units was 10 new units per 1000 residents.

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bar:1970 from:start till:3122 text:"3,122"

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Heritage sites of national significance

The covered wooden bridge and the Liechti house are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance. The entire old town of Aarberg is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

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File:AarbergAare.jpg|Covered Wooden Bridge

File:Aarberg, Liechtihus3.jpg|Liechti House

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Plaza in the Old Town

The large round plaza in Aarberg is used for numerous markets, light shows and open-air theatre. One of the most famous markets is the Puce or flea market. It is described as "one of the greatest and most atmospheric flea-markets in Switzerland." Started in 1977, the Puce now has about 250 vendors selling a variety of products. The Puce takes place on the last weekend in April and August.

Schloss Aarberg

thumb|Magistrate's house (Castle) and Reformed Church

Schloss Aarberg was first built in 1220 with the town. From 1358 (when Aarberg was sold) until 1830 around 100 Vögte occupied the castle. Today it is the town hall, Bezirk (county) seat as well as the police station for the Cantonal police. The Hotel Krone is located on the left side of the castle.

Church

The late Gothic church was built in 1526 and promptly burned down. It was rebuilt in 1576 and is used by the Swiss Reformed Church. The bell tower is one of the tallest buildings in Aarberg. The church is built on a single nave plan with a choir. Both the pulpit and the organ are worth seeing.

Politics

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 35.87% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (21.85%), the FDP (18.41%) and the Green Party (8.79%). In the federal election, a total of 1,334 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 46.7%.

Economy

thumb|Aarberg sugar factory

thumb|Hydroelectric dam in Aarberg

, Aarberg had an unemployment rate of 1.9%. , there were 73 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 21 businesses involved in this sector. 847 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 51 businesses in this sector. 1,509 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 180 businesses in this sector.

, there were 1,692 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,181 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.4 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 13.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 51% used a private car.

Education

In Aarberg about 1,622 or (42.7%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 477 or (12.5%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Of the 477 who completed tertiary schooling, 71.3% were Swiss men, 22.2% were Swiss women, 3.6% were non-Swiss men and 2.9% were non-Swiss women.

During the 2009–10 school year, there were a total of 685 students attending classes in Aarberg. There were 4 kindergarten classes with a total of 73 students in the municipality. Of the kindergarten students, 15.1% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 19.2% have a different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality had 17 primary classes and 271 students. Of the primary students, 14.4% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 15.1% have a different mother language than the classroom language. During the same year, there were 18 lower secondary classes with a total of 341 students. There were 10.6% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 12.6% have a different mother language than the classroom language. , there were 249 students in Aarberg who came from another municipality, while 118 residents attended schools outside the municipality.

Transportation

The municipality has a railway station, , on the Palézieux–Lyss railway line. It has regular service to and . On top of that it has multiple busses to the nearest bigger towns:

- Nr. 86 to Biel/Bienne

- Nr. 100 to Berne

- Nr. 365 to Seedorf (Connection onto the Nr. 105 to Berne/Lyss)

- Nr. 361 to Lyss.

Notable people

  • Theodor Gohl (1844 in Aarberg - 1910) a Swiss architect
  • Kurt Wüthrich (born 1938 in Aarberg) a Swiss chemist/biophysicist and Nobel Chemistry laureate, known for developing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods
  • Andreas Fuhrer (born 1959) a retired Swiss sidecarcross rider and four times World Champion 1993–1996, lives in Aarberg
  • Thomas Bickel (born 1963 in Aarberg) a retired Swiss football midfielder
  • Martin Laciga (born 1975 in Aarberg) a retired beach volleyball player

References

  • Official website
  • de: Schloss Aarberg
  • Aarberg Tourism (limited English Content)