Herzogenbuchsee

Herzogenbuchsee
Herzogenbuchsee town center
Coat of arms
Herzogenbuchsee Show map of Switzerland Herzogenbuchsee Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Herzogenbuchsee
Coordinates: 47°11′N 7°42′E / 47.183°N 7.700°E / 47.183; 7.700Coordinates: 47°11′N 7°42′E / 47.183°N 7.700°E / 47.183; 7.700
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Oberaargau
Area
• Total	9.83 km2 (3.80 sq mi)
Elevation	458 m (1,503 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	6,994
• Density	710/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Postal code	3360
SFOS number	0979
Surrounded by	Bettenhausen, Graben, Heimenhausen, Niederönz, Oberönz, Thörigen, Thunstetten, Wanzwil
Twin towns	Senica (Slovakia)
Website	www.herzogenbuchsee.ch SFSO statistics

Herzogenbuchsee is a municipality in the Oberaargau administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

The population is 7055 (2011), counting the villages in the Oberaargau. The traditional name was Buchsi.

Herzogenbuchsee is built on a moraine of the Rhone Glacier. The area has been settled for at least 10,000 years, with ancient settlements around the Inkwilersee and Burgäschisee. There is also evidence of Roman buildings from approximately 200 CE near the current Reformed Church.

The first documented use of the name puhsa (pronounced Buchsa, in Latin buxum, meaning "box") is found in the writings of Saint Gallus in 886 CE. In 1220 it was mentioned as Buchse and to distinguish it from Münchenbuchsee, in 1301 it was first mentioned as Herzogenbuchze.

It was ruled by Burgundy, the Zähringer, the Kyburger, and finally, brought under the Altberni sovereignty.

On January 1, 2008, the municipality of Oberönz became part of the municipality of Herzogenbuchsee.

Before the merger, Herzogenbuchsee had an area of 6.8 km² (2.6 sq mi). Of this area, 35.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 35% is forested. The rest of the land, (29.9%) is settled.

Following the merger of Oberönz into Herzogenbuchsee, the new municipality has an area, as of 2009^[update], of 9.83 km² (3.80 sq mi). Of this area, 3.7 km² (1.4 sq mi) or 37.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.38 km² (1.31 sq mi) or 34.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.66 km² (1.03 sq mi) or 27.1% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km² (4.9 acres) or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.06 km² (15 acres) or 0.6% is unproductive land.