Kriechenwil

Kriechenwil
Coat of arms
Kriechenwil Show map of Switzerland Kriechenwil Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Kriechenwil
Coordinates: 46°54′N 7°13′E / 46.900°N 7.217°E / 46.900; 7.217Coordinates: 46°54′N 7°13′E / 46.900°N 7.217°E / 46.900; 7.217
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Bern-Mittelland
Area
• Total	4.75 km2 (1.83 sq mi)
Elevation	530 m (1,740 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	422
• Density	89/km2 (230/sq mi)
Postal code	3179
SFOS number	0666
Surrounded by	Bösingen (FR), Ferenbalm, Gurmels (FR), Kleinbösingen, Laupen, Ulmiz (FR)
Website	www.kriechenwil.ch SFSO statistics

Kriechenwil is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Kriechenwil is first mentioned in 1353 as Digki. Until 1959 the official name was Dicki.

Prehistoric traces of settlements in the area include a neolithic spearhead, a Hallstatt grave mound, a early medieval bridle and saddle and a cache of unknown coins. The land that is now the modern municipality was part of the medieval Herrschaft of Laupen. In 1324, the entire Herrschaft was acquired by Bern. The village may have existed before it became Bernese territory, but there are no records before 1353. A bridge was built over the Sarine river around 1400 as part of a medieval trade road to Bern.

The village was part of the parish of Neuenegg until the Protestant Reformation in 1528. After adopting the new faith, it became part of the parish of Laupen.

Today the municipality has its own primary school, while students travel to Laupen for secondary education. About two-thirds of the working population commutes to jobs in nearby towns.

Kriechenwil has an area of 4.75 km² (1.83 sq mi). As of 2012, a total of 2.59 km² (1.00 sq mi) or 54.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.9 km² (0.73 sq mi) or 40.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.26 km² (0.10 sq mi) or 5.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acres) or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes.

During the same year, housing and buildings made up 2.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.9%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 42.1% is used for growing crops and 10.7% is pastures, while 1.7% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.