Oberburg

Oberburg village church

Coat of arms

Oberburg

Location of Oberburg

Coordinates: 47°2′N 7°38′E / 47.033°N 7.633°ECoordinates: 47°2′N 7°38′E / 47.033°N 7.633°E

Country

Area

• Total

14.12 km² (5.45 sq mi)

Elevation

547 m (1,795 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

2,909

• Density

210/km² (530/sq mi)

Postal code

3414

SFOS number

0418

Surrounded by

Burgdorf, Hasle bei Burgdorf, Krauchthal, Lützelflüh, Mötschwil, Rüti bei Lyssach, Vechigen

Website

www.oberburg.ch
SFSO statistics

Oberburg is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Oberburg is first mentioned in 1240 as Obrunburc.

The oldest evidence of a settlement in the area are some Roman era coins which were found at Pfaugarten. Other traces of settlements include a fortification at Bachholen, a pass road from the Aare valley into the Emme valley and earthworks at Waldbrueder. While these three sides predate surviving records, their exact age is unknown. The village took its name from the upper castle (German: Oberburg) which stood on the Rothöchi. The castle probably got its name to distinguish it from the lower castle at Burgdorf. The castle was probably the seat of a ministerialis (unfree knights in the service of a feudal overlord) family in the service of the Counts of Kyburg. The ministerialis family might have been the Lords of Oberburg who were mentioned in the 13th century or the Lords of Rohrmoos, a family that existed from 1241 until 1402. By the 14th century, the village was directly owned by the Kyburgs. During the Burgdorf war of 1383-84, Bern captured the village from the Kyburgs and in 1408 integrated it into the Bernese district court of Ranflüh. By 1431, it was treated as an associated village of the town of Burgdorf and in 1525 Bern placed the village under the authority of the mayor of Burgdorf. In 1803 it became part of the district of Burgdorf.

The village church of Saint George was first mentioned in 1242. The current nave was built in 1497, while the choir dates from 1510. After Bern accepted the Protestant Reformation in 1528, the benefice right passed to the city of Bern. Originally, the church was a parish church over a large parish that included Burgdorf, Heimiswil and parts of Hasle. The town church of Burgdorf was originally a filial church of Oberburg, but in 1401 it broke away to form its own parish. During the Middle Ages, the hamlet of Tschamerii had the Chapel of St. Mary, but the building was later demolished and no trace remains.

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Wikipedia