Eriz

Coat of arms

Eriz

Location of Eriz

Coordinates: 46°47′N 7°46′E / 46.783°N 7.767°ECoordinates: 46°47′N 7°46′E / 46.783°N 7.767°E

Country

Government

• Mayor

Daniel Jost

Area

• Total

21.77 km² (8.41 sq mi)

Elevation

1,005 m (3,297 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

487

• Density

22/km² (58/sq mi)

Postal code

3619

SFOS number

0924

Surrounded by

Beatenberg, Habkern, Horrenbach-Buchen, Oberlangenegg, Röthenbach im Emmental, Schangnau, Teuffenthal

Website

www.eriz.ch
SFSO statistics

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

Eriz is first mentioned in 1320 as Erarze.

The small alpine village was part of the Herrschaft of Heimberg during the Middle Ages. In the 14th century the extensive forests around Eriz were divided between the Counts of Kyburg and the city of Bern. By 1344 the Kyburg owned high forests in the Zulgtal had been illegally cleared. The first alpine meadows used for herding were mentioned in records in 1335. In 1384, Bern acquired the village and the Kyburg lands. They incorporated the village into the Steffisburg court of the Thun District. In 1834 a part of the municipality, on the left bank of the Eriz river, left Eriz and joined the Horrenbach-Buchen municipality.

Originally the village was part of the Steffisburg parish. In 1693 a parish church was built in Schwarzenegg and Eriz joined the new parish.

Traditionally the residents of the scattered farming villages raised cattle in seasonal alpine camps during the summer and brought them down to the valley floor for winter. In the 17th and 18th centuries, most of the high meadows and cattle herds were acquired by Bernese patricians. By in 1800 the local farmers had mostly regained rights to their herds and pastures. In 1848 a large road was built which linked Eriz to Schwarzenegg. In 1864 the government reforested much of the hillside and meadows on Honegg mountain. Today, while dairy farming and cheese production remain a part of the local economy, they have been supplemented by logging, small businesses and tourism.

There are two primary schools in Bieten and Bühl. Eriz is part of a secondary school district with Unterlangenegg and any secondary students attend classes in the nearby community.

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Wikipedia