| Bätterkinden | ||||||||||
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| Population | 3,144 (Dec 2010)[1] | |||||||||
| - Density | 309 /km2 (799 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 10.17 km2 (3.93 sq mi)[2] | |||||||||
| Elevation | 473 m (1,552 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3315 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0533 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Rosmarie Habegger-Scheidegger (as of 2009) SVP/UDC | |||||||||
| Localities | Bätterkinden, Kräiligen, Alp, Holzhäusern, Berchtoldshof, Buuchi, Studenacher, Löffelhof, Neumatt, Niedermatt, Rütti | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Aefligen, Fraubrunnen, Limpach, Schalunen, Utzenstorf, Wiler bei Utzenstorf, and Zielebach (Canton of Bern); Aetingen, Biberist, Gerlafingen, Küttigkofen, Kyburg-Buchegg, Lohn-Ammannsegg, and Lüterkofen (Canton of Solothurn) | |||||||||
| Website | www.baetterkinden.ch SFSO statistics |
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Bätterkinden
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Map of Bätterkinden
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Bätterkinden is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is about 20 km north of Bern.
Bätterkinden lies in the lower section of the Fraubrunnen district, west of the Emme and Urtenen, and on the Limpach. It consists of the settlement areas of Bätterkinden and Kräiligen, the Weilern Alp, Holzhäusern Berchtoldshof, Aussenhöfen Berchtoldshof, Buuchi, Studenacher, upper and lower Löffelhof, Neumatt, Niedermatt and Rütti. The municipality is runs about 7.4 km (4.6 mi) north to south.
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The first historical mention of the town was in 1261 as Beturchingen.
The municipal assembly, which consists of all Swiss residents aged 18 and older living in the municipality for at least 3 months, forms the legislature.
The municipal council is the executive, and consists of seven members chosen by proportional representation. In the current term (2004–2007), there are three members from the Swiss People's Party (SVP), three from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS), and one from the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP). The mayor, Rosmarie Habegger-Scheidegger, is in the SVP.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the Swiss People's Party (SVP) which received 32.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SPS) (26.3%), the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP) (13.8%) and the Green Party (12.4%).
Bätterkinden has an area, as of 2009[update], of 10.17 km2 (3.93 sq mi). Of this area, 5.88 km2 (2.27 sq mi) or 57.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.45 km2 (0.95 sq mi) or 24.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.57 km2 (0.61 sq mi) or 15.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.21 km2 (0.081 sq mi) or 2.1% is either rivers or lakes.[3]
Of the built up area, industrial buildings make up 1.7% of the total area while housing and buildings make up 7.6% and transportation infrastructure make up 2.8%, while parks, green belts and sports fields make up 2.9%. 24.0% of the total land area is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 50.7% is used for growing crops and 6.4% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.[3]
Bätterkinden has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 3,144.[1] As of 2007[update], 5.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 9%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (94.9%), with Albanian being second most common ( 0.8%) and Italian being third ( 0.6%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.5%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bätterkinden about 77.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).
Bätterkinden has an unemployment rate of 0.95%. As of 2005[update], there were 81 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 28 businesses involved in this sector. 209 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 29 businesses in this sector. 445 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 64 businesses in this sector.[4]
The historical population is given in the following table:[5]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 598 |
| 1850 | 1,216 |
| 1900 | 1,401 |
| 1950 | 1,782 |
| 2000 | 2,700 |
The city is a stop on the Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn (RBS), which runs on a synchronized timetable, generally every half-hour. The time required to reach Solothurn is 12 minutes and Bern 26. There are also bus connections.
In Bätterkinden two canton roads cross, the T12 Solothurn-Bern (north-south) and the Lyss-Utzenstorf-Koppigen/Burgdorf road (east-west). There is also the canton road which connects Bätterkinden to Bucheggberg via Kyburg.
The A1 entrances Kirchberg (in the direction of Bern) and Kriegstetten (in the direction of Basel and Zurich) can each be reached in about a 10 minutes' drive.