Gsteig bei Gstaad

Gsteig bei Gstaad
Country Switzerland Canton Bern District Obersimmental-Saanen 46°23′N 7°16′E / 46.383°N 7.267°E / 46.383; 7.267Coordinates: 46°23′N 7°16′E / 46.383°N 7.267°E / 46.383; 7.267
Population	977 (Dec 2012)[1]
- Density	16 /km2 (41 /sq mi)
Area	62.44 km2 (24.11 sq mi)[2]
Elevation	1,184 m (3,885 ft)
Postal code	3785
SFOS number	0841
Surrounded by	Château-d'Œx (VD), Lauenen, Ormont-Dessus (VD), Saanen, Savièse (VS)
Website	www.gsteig.ch SFSO statistics
Gsteig bei Gstaad
Location of Gsteig bei Gstaad

Gsteig bei Gstaad is a municipality in the Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Gsteig was formerly known by the French name of Châtelet.

History

Gsteig is first mentioned in 1312 as Chastelet. In 1453, it was mentioned as Steig.^[3]

Geography

Gsteig bei Gstaad has an area, as of 2009, of 62.44 km² (24.11 sq mi). Of this area, 23.16 km² (8.94 sq mi) or 37.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.6 km² (8.7 sq mi) or 36.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.86 km² (0.33 sq mi) or 1.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.78 km² (0.30 sq mi) or 1.2% is either rivers or lakes and 15.01 km² (5.80 sq mi) or 24.0% is unproductive land.^[4]

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.6%. 28.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 5.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.7% is pastures and 28.4% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 9.2% is unproductive vegetation, 14.6% is too rocky for vegetation.^[4]

The municipality lies in an upper valley of the river Saane in the Bernese Oberland and consists of the villages of Gsteig and Feutersoey, plus a number of outlying farms. The route to the Col du Pillon, an alpine pass, runs through both villages.

The reservoir Arnensee is located in the municipality.

Demographics

Gsteig has a population (as of 31 December 2012) of 977.^[1] As of 2007, 10.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 0.8%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (93.2%), with French being second most common (2.2%) and English being third ( 1.1%).

In the 2007 election, the most popular party was the SVP which received 70.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (7.8%), the FDP (6.2%) and the Green Party (6%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gsteig about 62.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Gsteig has an unemployment rate of 0.75%. As of 2005, there were 123 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 54 businesses involved in this sector. 71 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 15 businesses in this sector. 152 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 27 businesses in this sector.^[5] The historical population is given in the following table:^[3]

References

External links

• Official website (German)
• Gsteig bei Gstaad in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gsteig bei Gstaad.

v t e Municipalities in the Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district, Switzerland Boltigen Gsteig bei Gstaad Lauenen Lenk Saanen St. Stephan Zweisimmen Canton of Bern Districts of Canton Bern Municipalities of the canton of Bern