Kirchenthurnen | ||
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Coordinates: 46°49′N 7°30′E / 46.817°N 7.500°ECoordinates: 46°49′N 7°30′E / 46.817°N 7.500°E | ||
Country | Switzerland | |
Canton | Bern | |
District | Bern-Mittelland | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Walter Wiedmer | |
Area | ||
• Total | 1.25 km2 (0.48 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 612 m (2,008 ft) | |
Population (Dec 2015) | ||
• Total | 279 | |
• Density | 220/km2 (580/sq mi) | |
Postal code | 3128 | |
SFOS number | 0873 | |
Surrounded by | Gelterfingen, Mühledorf, Mühlethurnen, Riggisberg, Rümligen | |
Website |
www SFSO statistics |
Kirchenthurnen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Kirchenthurnen is first mentioned in 1228 as Tornes. Until 1860 it was known as Thurnen. The name was changed to prevent confusion with the municipality of Mühlethurnen.
The oldest trace of a settlement in the area are several Hallstatt era graves discovered at the Ried gravel pit. By the 14th century the village was owned by the von Blankenburg family from Bern The village church was first mentioned in 1228. In 1343 the village, church and surrounding lands were donated by the Blankenburgs to Interlaken Abbey. In 1528 Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and forcefully secularized Interlaken Abbey. This brought Kirchenthurnen under Bernese rule and it became the center of the bailiwick of Thurnen, though in the 18th century it moved to Mühlethurnen.
In the 19th century the population began to grow for a while, though it dropped after 1880. In the 1960s it grew again as Bern expanded and commuters moved into more distant communities. By 2000, about two-thirds of the working population commute to jobs outside the municipality.
Kirchenthurnen has an area of 1.25 km2 (0.48 sq mi). As of 2012, a total of 0.97 km2 (0.37 sq mi) or 77.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.13 km2 (0.050 sq mi) or 10.4% is forested. The rest of the municipality is 0.15 km2 (37 acres) or 12.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km2 (2.5 acres) or 0.8% is either rivers or lakes.
During the same year, housing and buildings made up 8.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.2%. All of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 46.4% is used for growing crops and 30.4% is pasturage. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
It is located in the Gürbetal (Gürbe valley) on the eastern slope of the Längenberg. The parish of Kirchenthurnen includes Burgistein, Kaufdorf, Lohnstorf, Mühlethurnen and Rümligen.