Zwieselberg

Zwieselberg
Coat of arms
Zwieselberg Show map of Switzerland Zwieselberg Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Zwieselberg
Coordinates: 46°42′N 7°37′E / 46.700°N 7.617°E / 46.700; 7.617Coordinates: 46°42′N 7°37′E / 46.700°N 7.617°E / 46.700; 7.617
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Thun
Government
• Mayor	Ulrich Zurbuchen
Area
• Total	2.45 km2 (0.95 sq mi)
Elevation	660 m (2,170 ft)
Population (Dec 2016)
• Total	319
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Postal code	3645
SFOS number	0947
Surrounded by	Amsoldingen, Höfen, Reutigen, Spiez, Thun
Website	www.zwieselberg.ch SFSO statistics

Zwieselberg is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Zwieselberg is first mentioned in 1345 as der Zwiselberg.

The oldest trace of a settlement in the area are a Bronze Age ruin at Bürgli and a grave at Bühl. A small Roman settlement was built on the ruin at Bürgli. The Romans also built a lime kiln at Chalchmädere. During the Middle Ages the region was part of the Herrschaft of Strättligen. In 1466 the Bernese Lords of Bubenberg acquired the Strättligen lands, including Zwieselberg. Toward the end of the 15th century, the Bubenbergs sold or gave Zwieselberg and the surrounding lands to the city of Bern. Under Bernese rule it was part of the bailiwick of Wimmis, the military levy of Seftigen and the religious parish of Amsoldingen. Following the 1798 French invasion and 1803 Act of Mediation it joined the newly created Thun District.

In 1815 the Simmentalstrasse connected the old horse stations of Hani and Glütsch in Zwieselberg to the rest of the canton. The municipality has remained rural and generally agrarian. Today about half of the local jobs are in agriculture, though nearly three-quarters of the working population commutes to jobs in or around Bern and Thun.

In 2008 Zwieselberg, Reutigen, Oberstocken and Niederstocken formed the Stockental School District.

Zwieselberg has an area of 2.45 km² (0.95 sq mi). As of the 2004 survey, a total of 1.54 km² (0.59 sq mi) or 62.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.64 km² (0.25 sq mi) or 26.1% is forested. Of rest of the municipality 0.24 km² (0.093 sq mi) or 9.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acres) or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes. Between the 1981 and 2004 surveys the settled area increased from 0.17 km² (0.066 sq mi) to 0.24 km² (0.093 sq mi), an increase of 41.18%.