Lüscherz

Lüscherz
Coat of arms
Lüscherz Show map of Switzerland Lüscherz Show map of Canton of Bern
Location of Lüscherz
Coordinates: 47°2′N 7°8′E / 47.033°N 7.133°E / 47.033; 7.133Coordinates: 47°2′N 7°8′E / 47.033°N 7.133°E / 47.033; 7.133
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Seeland
Area
• Total	5.46 km2 (2.11 sq mi)
Elevation	442 m (1,450 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	528
• Density	97/km2 (250/sq mi)
Postal code	2576
SFOS number	0497
Surrounded by	Brüttelen, Finsterhennen, Hagneck, Ins, Siselen, Twann, Vinelz
Website	www.luescherz.ch SFSO statistics

Lüscherz is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Lüscherz is first mentioned in 1271 as Luschiers, however the area has been settled since at least the Neolithic (ca. 3700 to 2700 BC). The municipality was formerly known by its French name Locras, however, that name is no longer used.

During the Neolithic era there were two villages pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements along the shore of Lake Biel. The two settlements are now part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The later of the two villages was the center of the neolithic Lüscherz culture. The two sites are partly under water, though the sites near the beach were excavated during the 19th and 20th century and many artifacts ended up in museums. In addition to the two neolithic sites, a single Bronze Age building was discovered along the shoreline in 2004. At Schaltenrain and Grossholz in the hills above the village several Hallstatt era burial mounds have also been discovered. Finally, a late Paleolithic settlement from around the 12th millennium BC was discovered on a ridge south of the village.

During the Late Middle Ages there was a thriving village at Gurzelen, which was first mentioned in 1335 as Gurtzellon villa and extensive agricultural terraces on the Feiberg. By 1635 Gurzelen only had five occupied houses and in 1730 it was down to three. The terraces were also gradually abandoned. Lüscherz village was part of the Herrschaft of Erlach, and came with the rest of the Herrschaft under Bernese control in 1474.