Etzelkofen

Etzelkofen
Former municipality of Switzerland
Etzelkofen village entrance
Coat of arms
Etzelkofen Show map of Switzerland Etzelkofen Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Etzelkofen
Coordinates: 47°5′N 7°29′E / 47.083°N 7.483°E / 47.083; 7.483Coordinates: 47°5′N 7°29′E / 47.083°N 7.483°E / 47.083; 7.483
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Bern-Mittelland
Area
• Total	2.8 km2 (1.1 sq mi)
Elevation	529 m (1,736 ft)
Population (Dec 2011)
• Total	291
• Density	100/km2 (270/sq mi)
Postal code	3306
SFOS number	0537
Surrounded by	Brunnenthal (SO), Büren zum Hof, Fraubrunnen, Grafenried, Iffwil, Messen (SO), Mülchi, Scheunen
Website	SFSO statistics

Etzelkofen is a former municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Etzelkofen, Büren zum Hof, Grafenried, Limpach, Mülchi, Schalunen and Zauggenried merged into the municipality of Fraubrunnen.

Etzelkofen is first mentioned in 1302 as villa Ezenchoven.

During the Middle Ages, Etzelkofen village belonged to the Herrschaft of Messen. In the 14th century Fraubrunnen Abbey acquired the land rights over the village from Messen. In 1373, the Abbey attempted to expand their rights to include the Zwing und Bann right (the right to judge all court cases except capital crimes). Messen blocked the Abbey and was able to retain their jurisdiction over Etzelkofen. The high court for the village was in Zollikofen. In 1406 the entire area came under Bernese control. However, in 1410 the collegiate church of St. Ursen in Solothurn, citing a donation from 1278, claimed authority over the Herrschaft of Messen. Two years later Solothurn was able to claim jurisdiction over the village of Etzelkofen and incorporate it into the bailiwick of Bucheggberg. For over two centuries Etzelkofen remained part of Solothurn until the treaty of 1665 (the Wynigervertrag) between Solothurn and Bern transferred the village to Bern where it became part of the bailiwick of Fraubrunnen. The village remained part of the Solothurn parish of Messen. In 1833 the municipality (Einwohnergemeinde) of Bernisch-Messen was created with the mostly independent villages of Etzelkofen, Mülchi, Messen-Scheunen, Bangerten and Ruppoldsried. In 1921 it was renamed the Gemeindeverband Bernisch-Messen and in 1979 it became the Fürsorgeverband Etzelkofen und Umgebung (Welfare society of Etzelkofen and surroundings).