Kandersteg: Difference between revisions
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===Area=== |
===Area=== |
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Kandersteg has an area of {{km2 to mi2|134. |
Kandersteg has an area, {{as of|2009|lc=on}}, of {{km2 to mi2|134.56|abbr=on}}. Of this area, {{km2 to mi2|17.84|abbr=on}} or 13.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while {{km2 to mi2|15.86|abbr=on}} or 11.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, {{km2 to mi2|1.33|abbr=on}} or 1.0% is settled (buildings or roads), {{km2 to mi2|2.5|abbr=on}} or 1.9% is either rivers or lakes and {{km2 to mi2|96.96|abbr=on}} or 72.1% is unproductive land.<ref name=BFS_land>[http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/02/03/blank/data/gemeindedaten.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics] 2009 data {{de icon}} accessed 25 March 2010</ref> |
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Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.4%. 8.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.2% is pastures and 12.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 10.4% is unproductive vegetation, 43.1% is too rocky for vegetation and 18.6% of the land is covered by glaciers.<ref name=BFS_land/> |
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==Demographics== |
==Demographics== |
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Revision as of 00:41, 5 May 2010
Kandersteg | |
|---|---|
 Kandersteg from the Kander river | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Kandersteg  | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Bern |
| District | Frutigen-Niedersimmental |
| Area | |
| • Total | 134.5 km2 (51.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,174 m (3,852 ft) |
| Highest elevation (Balmhorn) | 3,698 m (12,133 ft) |
| Lowest elevation (Bühl) | 1,150 m (3,770 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2018)[2] | |
| • Total | 1,298 |
| • Density | 9.7/km2 (25/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 3718 |
| SFOS number | 0565 |
| ISO 3166 code | CH-BE |
| Surrounded by | Adelboden, Blatten (Lötschen) (VS), Ferden (VS), Frutigen, Kandergrund, Kippel (VS), Lauterbrunnen, Leukerbad (VS), Reichenbach im Kandertal, Wiler (Lötschen) (VS) |
| Website | www SFSO statistics |
Kandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mountain scenery and sylvan alpine landscapes. Tourism is a very significant part of its economic life today. It is a year round outdoors mecca for hiking trails and mountain climbing as well as downhill and cross-country skiing.
History
It has been known since Roman times. In the 1860s it began to be developed as a tourist haven. Until 1909 Kandersteg was politically and religiously part of Kandergrund.
Geography
Kandersteg is located on the northern side of the Bernese Alps at an altitude of 1200 metres above sea level at the foot of the Lötschen and Gemmi Passes. The village, consisting of 1200 inhabitants, lies in the upper Kander Valley. The municipality extends on a territory encompassing the valleys of Gastern (upper Kander Valley) and Oeschinen. It includes the villages of Kandersteg and Gastern.[3].
Kandersteg is surrounded by high mountains. The Balmhorn (3,698 metres), bordering the canton of Valais on the south, is the highest in the valley; it is followed by the Blüemlisalp (3,663 metres), east of the village. The Gross Lohner (3,049 metres) is the highest summit between the Kander Valley and the valley of Adelboden on the west. The Hohtürli pass (2,778 metres) on the east connects Kandersteg to Griesalp in the Kiental valley.
The largest lake in the valley is lake Oeschinen. It is located at 1,578 metres east of Kandersteg, at the foot of the Blüemlisalp massif. The Gastern Valley is an almost closed off valley. At the upper end of the valley lies the Kander Glacier, the source of the 44 km (27 mi) long Kander river. The Gastern Valley is on the way to the 2,700 metres high Lötschen Pass.
Part of the municipality is located within the Jungrau-Aletsch area, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and extended in 2007. The area comprises Lake Oeschinen and the Gastern Valley.
Area
Kandersteg has an area, as of 2009[update], of Template:Km2 to mi2. Of this area, Template:Km2 to mi2 or 13.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while Template:Km2 to mi2 or 11.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, Template:Km2 to mi2 or 1.0% is settled (buildings or roads), Template:Km2 to mi2 or 1.9% is either rivers or lakes and Template:Km2 to mi2 or 72.1% is unproductive land.[4]
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.4%. 8.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.2% is pastures and 12.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 10.4% is unproductive vegetation, 43.1% is too rocky for vegetation and 18.6% of the land is covered by glaciers.[4]
Demographics
Kandersteg has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 1,288.[5] As of 2007[update], 17.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 6.3%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (89.9%), with Portugese being second most common ( 2.8%) and English being third ( 1.1%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 45.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (16.7%), the FDP (16.6%) and the Green Party (7.4%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 21.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Kandersteg about 75% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).
Kandersteg has an unemployment rate of 3.02%. As of 2005[update], there were 45 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 86 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 16 businesses in this sector. 543 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 82 businesses in this sector.[6] The historical population is given in the following table:[3]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1910 | 3,554 |
| 1920 | 727 |
| 1950 | 913 |
| 2000 | 1,134 |
Tourism
A broad spectrum of accommodation characterises the village: from 5-star hotel to holiday apartments and camping sites. The International Scout Centre is located at the edge of the village. More than 10,000 scouts from all over the world visit each year. Several mountain huts belonging to the Swiss Alpine Club are located in the valley.
The Kander Valley boasts an extensive network of hiking trail from the valley floor to the mountaintops and passes. The most famous routes lead to the canton of Valais, across the Gemmi Pass straight to Leukerbad (with cable cars operating at each end) or through the wild Gastern valley across the higher Lötschen Pass to the Lötschental.
Lake Oeschinen[7] is considered to be one of the most attractive in Switzerland and can be accessed by the Sesselbahn Kandersteg-Oeschinen chairlift from Kandersteg. Other cable cars serve the areas of Sunnbüel and Allmenalp.
In winter over 50 kilometres of cross-country skiing tracked trails (classic and skating) are available in the valley floor and higher. Small ski areas (downhill) are located near Lake Oeschinen and Sunnbüel. A winter trail network connects the village to Blausee and to the Gemmi Pass. Other winter activities include skating, curling, ice climbing and ice fishing.
Near Kandersteg is located the Ricola Alpine garden.[8] Other attractions in the village include a 16th century parish church.
Transport
Kandersteg owes its development into a tourist destination to its good transport links at the northern entrance to the Lötschberg Tunnel, which is part of the Lötschberg line, a major railway line across the Alps. The village is located at the north entrance to the tunnel through which trains run for 15 kilometres to emerge at Goppenstein in eastern Valais. Road vehicles can be carried through the tunnel to Goppenstein by open sided shuttle trains.[9]
Since 2007 the new Lötschberg Base Tunnel between Frutigen and Raron is operated, as a result the old Lötschberg line is used much less intensively. Nowadays hourly regional express trains between Bern and Spiez to Brig and freight trains continue to run on the mountain railway.
See also
External links
- Village of Kandersteg
Media related to Kandersteg at Wikimedia Commons- Scout Centre
- This website gives some suggested hikes from Kandersteg
References
- ^ a b "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ . Federal Statistical Office https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/de/. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b Kandersteg in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics 2009 data Template:De icon accessed 25 March 2010
- ^ "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 11-Jun-2009
- ^ oeschinensee.ch
- ^ The Ricola herb garden in Kandersteg ricola.com
- ^ Autoverlad bls.ch
Municipalities in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district, Switzerland | ||
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