Schwanden bei Brienz

Schwanden bei Brienz village on the Brienzersee

Coat of arms

Schwanden bei Brienz

Location of Schwanden bei Brienz

Coordinates: 46°45′N 8°3′E / 46.750°N 8.050°ECoordinates: 46°45′N 8°3′E / 46.750°N 8.050°E

Country

Government

• Mayor

Xaver Pfyl

Area

• Total

7.02 km² (2.71 sq mi)

Elevation

659 m (2,162 ft)

Population (Dec 2015)

• Total

589

• Density

84/km² (220/sq mi)

Postal code

3855

SFOS number

0592

Surrounded by

Giswil, Hofstetten bei Brienz, Brienz and Flühli

Website

http://www.schwandenbrienz.ch
SFSO statistics

Schwanden bei Brienz (until 1911 officially named Schwanden) is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per Pile Or and Gules three Pales wavy Argent.

Schwanden is a name of a clearing, that was applied to the settlement built there. The name goes back to the Swiss German Schwand- ("clearing"). The added "bei Brienz" was added in 1911 to ease distinction with the municipality Schwanden in the canton of Glarus, and numerous villages across Switzerland. The first historical appearance of the place was in 1524.

During the Middle Ages it was part of the Herrschaft of Ringgenberg. It was first mentioned in 1374 as Swanden when the Lords of Kien sold it to the von Scharnachtal family from Bern. The von Scharnachtal family held it until 1568, then sold it to the city of Bern. The village has always been part of the parish of Brienz.

The local economy traditionally relied mostly on seasonal alpine herding. Beginning in the 19th century, small wood carving shops provided another source of income. Today, agriculture is a sideline business or hobby and many of the residents work in wood carving, carpentry or at a violin bow factory. Other residents commute to jobs in Interlaken or at the Ballenberg Open Air Museum.

The village and fields were often damaged when the Schwander and Lammbach rivers flooded. Beginning in the 1890s flood control projects protected the village from the rivers.

Schwanden bei Brienz lies in the Bernese Oberland south of the Emmental Alps, which form the natural border between the Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland. The northern border of the municipality is formed by the peaks of the Brienzer Rothorn and Arnihaaggen. The three streams Glyssibach, Schwanderbach, and Lammbach flow off the slopes of these mountains through the town and lead soon thereafter to Lake Brienz. In the past the streams were dangerous, as they were prone to sudden onrushes of water. In order to reduce the danger, walls have been built to contain it in certain areas.

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Wikipedia