| Hofstetten bei Brienz | ||||||||||
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| Population | 569 (Dec 2010)[1] | |||||||||
| - Density | 65 /km2 (169 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 8.76 km2 (3.38 sq mi)[2] | |||||||||
| Elevation | 646 m (2,119 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3858 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0580 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Simon Ernst | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Giswil, Lungern, Brienzwiler, Brienz and Schwanden bei Brienz | |||||||||
| Website | www.hofstetten-ballenberg.ch SFSO statistics |
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Hofstetten bei Brienz
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Map of Hofstetten bei Brienz
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Hofstetten bei Brienz is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
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Hofstetten (Swiss German "Hostet") comes from the Old High German hovastat, meaning "place where a building will be started."
Hofstetten bei Brienz is first mentioned in 1359 as Hofstetten.[3]
Hofstetten bei Brienz lies in the Bernese Oberland in the Alps. The southern edge of the municipality is formed by the Aare River. Also in the south, but somewhat higher is the small Lake Wyssen.
Although the town in the southern part of the municipality lies at an altitude of 580 m (1,900 ft), the municipality inclines smoothly into its northern area, to the peaks Arnihaggen (2,207 m (7,241 ft)) and Höch Gumme (2,205 m (7,234 ft)). The area beneath these peaks is known as Gummenalp. It includes the settlements of Dorf, Schried, Beim Tor and Talgut.
Hofstetten bei Brienz has an area, as of 2009[update], of 8.76 km2 (3.38 sq mi). Of this area, 2.58 km2 (1.00 sq mi) or 29.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.8 km2 (1.5 sq mi) or 43.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.39 km2 (0.15 sq mi) or 4.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.14 km2 (35 acres) or 1.6% is either rivers or lakes and 1.79 km2 (0.69 sq mi) or 20.4% is unproductive land.[4]
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. 38.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.1% is used for growing crops and 9.7% is pastures and 18.3% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 11.9% is unproductive vegetation and 8.6% is too rocky for vegetation.[4]
Hofstetten bei Brienz has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 569.[1] As of 2007[update], 5.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -2.2%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (95.8%), with Italian being second most common ( 1.3%) and Portuguese being third ( 1.1%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 38.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (25.2%), the SPS (11%) and the Green Party (8%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 55.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Hofstetten bei Brienz about 74.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).
Hofstetten bei Brienz has an unemployment rate of 1.08%. As of 2005[update], there were 39 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 74 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 13 businesses in this sector. 208 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 businesses in this sector.[5] The historical population is given in the following table:[3]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 190 |
| 1850 | 300 |
| 1900 | 426 |
| 1950 | 463 |
| 2000 | 551 |
The famous open-area museum Ballenberg lies within the municipality.