Müntschemier

Müntschemier
Country Switzerland Canton Bern District Seeland 46°59′N 7°8′E / 46.983°N 7.133°E / 46.983; 7.133Coordinates: 46°59′N 7°8′E / 46.983°N 7.133°E / 46.983; 7.133
Population	1,288 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density	263 /km2 (681 /sq mi)
Area	4.88 km2 (1.88 sq mi)[2]
Elevation	438 m (1,437 ft)
Postal code	3225
SFOS number	0498
Mayor	Jakob Jampen
Surrounded by	Brüttelen, Treiten, Kerzers, Ried bei Kerzers, Murten, Bas-Vully, Ins
Twin towns	Hardheim (Germany)
Website	www.muentschemier.ch SFSO statistics
Müntschemier
Map of Müntschemier

Station at Müntschemier

Müntschemier (French: Monsmier) is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

History

Müntschemier is first mentioned in 1185 as Munchimur.^[3]

Geography

Müntschemier has an area of 4.9 km² (1.9 sq mi). Of this area, 80.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 17% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.4%) is non-productive (rivers or glaciers).^[4]

Müntschemier lies in the Grosses Moos, a particularly productive area with nearly black soil in the Bernese Seeland.

Müntschemier lies on the railroad line between Neuchâtel and Bern. The S5 stops there.

Demographics

Müntschemier has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 1,288.^[1] As of 2007^[update], 24.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 16.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (81.7%), with Portuguese being second most common (9.6%) and French being third (3.3%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 56.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (12.5%), the CSP (10.4%) and the SPS (9.3%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000^[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15%. In Müntschemier about 62.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Müntschemier has an unemployment rate of 1.9%. As of 2005^[update], there were 138 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 35 businesses involved in this sector. 203 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 17 businesses in this sector. 537 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 36 businesses in this sector.^[4]

The historical population is given in the following table:^[3]

year	population
1764	335
1850	470
1900	489
1950	794
2000	1,107

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Switzerland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Müntschemier is twinned with: Hardheim, Germany

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB, online database – Datenwürfel für Thema 01.2 - Bevölkerungsstand und -bewegung (German) accessed 29 September
2. ^ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
3. ^ ^{a b} Müntschemier in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
4. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 08-Jun-2009