Lotzwil

Lotzwil village main street

Coat of arms

Lotzwil

Location of Lotzwil

Coordinates: 47°11′N 7°47′E / 47.183°N 7.783°ECoordinates: 47°11′N 7°47′E / 47.183°N 7.783°E

Country

Area

• Total

6.21 km² (2.40 sq mi)

Elevation

504 m (1,654 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

2,514

• Density

400/km² (1,000/sq mi)

Postal code

4932

SFOS number

0331

Surrounded by

Bleienbach, Busswil bei Melchnau, Langenthal, Madiswil, Obersteckholz, Rütschelen

Twin towns

Vetrni (Czech Republic)

Website

www.lotzwil.ch
SFSO statistics

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

Lotzwil is first mentioned in 1194 as Locewillare.

During the Middle Ages the major landowners in Lotzwil included St. Urban's Abbey and the Thunstetten Commandery. The area was ruled by the Baron of Langenstein until the extinction of that family, followed by the Utzigen and Balm families, then after 1370 the Grünenberg and Aarburg. In 1431 Thüring von Aarburg sold the village to Burgdorf. Burgdorf combined Lotzwil, Gutenburg, Kleindietwil, Rütschelen, Thörigen and Bettenhausen together into the bailiwick of Lotzwil and made the bailiff a member of Burgdorf's town council. Following the 1798 French invasion, the bailiwick was dissolved and the village became part of the District of Langenthal. In 1803 it became part of the Aarwangen district.

The village church was first mentioned in 1194. The current church was built in 1682-83 on the foundations of earlier churches from the Early and Late Middle Ages. In 1259 the Barons of Balm and Grünenberg gave the church to the Thunstetten Commandery. After the Protestant Reformation in 1528 the church was under Bernese authority.

During the 18th century, the economic boom in nearby Langenthal spread to Lotzwil. Linen spinning and weaving started as a cottage industry in the village. By the 19th century there were small linen factories and other small businesses. The village continued to grow after the opening of the Langenthal-Huttwil-Wolhusen rail line in 1889. Several factories opened including a wooden shoe factory in 1875, a weaving machine factory in 1889, leather processing in 1930 and later a kitchen appliance factory. Today the only remaining old factory makes bricks. Starting in the 1960s Lotzwil became a commuter town for Langenthal and several new housing developments were built for the growing population. In 1988, a regional nursing home, serving ten surrounding municipalities, opened. In the 19th Century the community built a spa hotel, which was abandoned in the interwar period. Today it has been replaced by a renowned country inn.

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Wikipedia