Nidau

Stedtlifest Nidau

Coat of arms

Nidau

Location of Nidau

Coordinates: 47°8′N 7°15′E / 47.133°N 7.250°ECoordinates: 47°8′N 7°15′E / 47.133°N 7.250°E

Country

Government

• Executive

Gemeinderat
with 7 members

• Mayor

Stadtpräsident
Sandra Hess FDP/PRD
(as of March 2014)

• Parliament

Stadtrat
with 30 members

Area

• Total

1.52 km² (0.59 sq mi)

Elevation

432 m (1,417 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

6,955

• Density

4,600/km² (12,000/sq mi)

Postal code

2560

SFOS number

0743

Surrounded by

Biel/Bienne, Ipsach, Port, Tüscherz-Alfermée

Twin towns

Schliengen (Germany)

Website

www.nidau.ch
SFSO statistics

Nidau is a municipality in the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Nidau is first mentioned in 1196 as Nidowe.

The remains of a number of stilt house settlements from the neolithic until the late Bronze Age have been found along the lake shore in Nidau. A La Tene artifact was discovered in the Thielle/Zihl canal. Several iron ingots which were probably from the Roman era were found in the old Thielle/Zihl river.

Along the river, a wooden castle was built in 1140. A second castle was built in 1180, which was replaced with the stone Nidau Castle in the early 13th century. The town was built south of the castle. It was either built or expanded just before the Battle of Laupen in 1338. The triangular town pointed toward the castle and had a main street that paralleled the river and ran north-south. Three cross streets ran west from the main street.

The last count of Nidau, Rudolf IV died in 1375 in a battle in the Gugler War. The next owner of the castle was the Prince-Bishop of Basel, Johann von Venningen. However, he was defeated in 1376 and the Counts of Kyburg acquired the castle. In 1379, Count Rudolf von Kyburg sold the castle and town to the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs then gave the castle as a fief to Enguerrand de Coucy, the former commander of the Guglers, in 1387. During the Sempach War, in May 1388, Swiss Confederation forces from Bern and Solothurn attacked and besieged the town and castle for seven weeks before taking Nidau. The castle was heavily damaged and the Swiss forces suffered heavy losses in the battle. Following the war, the town and castle were awarded to Bern in the peace settlement. Portions of the city were damaged or destroyed in fires in 1388, 1413, 1513 and 1743.

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Wikipedia