Nidau

Nidau
Stedtlifest Nidau
Country Switzerland Canton Bern District Biel/Bienne 47°8′N 7°15′E / 47.133°N 7.25°E / 47.133; 7.25Coordinates: 47°8′N 7°15′E / 47.133°N 7.25°E / 47.133; 7.25
Population	6,782 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density	4,521 /km2 (11,710 /sq mi)
Area	1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi)
Elevation	432 m (1,417 ft)
Postal code	2560
SFOS number	0743
Mayor	Bernhard Stähli (as of 2008) FDP/PRD
Surrounded by	Biel/Bienne, Ipsach, Port, Tüscherz-Alfermée
Twin towns	Schliengen (Germany)
Website	www.nidau.ch SFSO statistics
Nidau
View map of Nidau

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

Population

Nidau, located at the language boundary, although the official language is German, a high minority of French speakers (20%) live in the city, which has since long been offering them the right to send their children to the French speaking schools of it sister city Biel/Bienne, the city of Nidau supporting the whole financial charge with its fiscal income.

Nidau has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 6,782.^[1] As of 2007^[update], 18.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1%. Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (73.9%), with French being second most common (15.8%) and Italian being third (2.7%).

Demographics

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SPS which received 30.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (20.9%), the SVP (20.7%) and the Green Party (15%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000^[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 17.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 22%. In Nidau about 71.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Nidau has an unemployment rate of 1.87%. As of 2005^[update], there were 0 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 0 businesses involved in this sector. 858 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 56 businesses in this sector. 1438 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 219 businesses in this sector.^[2] The historical population is given in the following table:^[3]

year	population
1764	350
1850	614
1900	1,578
1950	2,800
1970	7,964
2000	6,798

Geography

The city is located at the city limits of Biel/Bienne and both cities have grown intertwined. Since the Jura water correction, the medieval centre and a good portion of the city of Nidau are now actually located on an island, created by the Nidau-Büren Aare canal, the river Thielle in French or Zihl in German, and the Lake Biel's shore.

Nidau has an area, as of 2009^[update], of 1.52 square kilometers (0.59 sq mi). Of this area, 0.06 km² (0.023 sq mi) or 3.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.28 km² (0.49 sq mi) or 84.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.18 km² (0.069 sq mi) or 11.8% is either rivers or lakes.^[4]

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 6.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 46.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 17.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 11.8%. Out of the forested land, 2.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.^[4]

Personalities

• Friedrich Fiala (1817–1888), bishop in the Bishopric of Basel was born in Nidau.
• Samuel Frisching 1605-1683, Schultheiss of the city and Republic Bern was also born in Nidau.
• Ulrich Ochsenbein (1811–1890), Federal Minister
• Georg Simon Ohm (1789–1854), physicist, taught at the monastery Gottstatt in office Nidau
• Eduard Müller (1848–1919), Federal Minister
• Hernan Ponce(1990–), Footballer, Goalkeeper

Government

Legislative

Nidau’s legislative is a city council, which consists of 30 members.

Executive

The executive council is formed with seven members:

• Stähli Bernhard, President
• Erna Miglierina, Vice-President
• Christian Bachmann
• Elisabeth Brauen
• Annabelle Galley
• Adrian Kneubühler
• Dominik Weibel

(Status 2006)

Transportation

Nidau is by public transport operates as follows:

Verkehrsbetriebe Biel (VB):

• Line 4 (trolley) Nidau - Biel / Löhr
• Line 7 (bus) Biel / gold mine - Brügg
• Line 8 (bus) Nidau - Port - Biel / fox Ried

PostBus Switzerland:

• Line 386 Biel - Aarberg
• Line 387 Biel - Jens

Aare Seeland mobil (ASM), line of the former [pictures: Biel-Täuffelen-Ins-Bahn(BTI): Täuffelen Ins

Bielersee shipping: Aare boat cruise Biel - Solothurn

Art, Culture, History

Nidau is known in the local alternative multi-lingual culture cross.

Nidau landmark is the Nidau Castle,^[5] in which all the offices of the cantonal administration (including the prefecture) and the Castle Museum. The museum has an interesting exhibit on the Jura water correction.

The presence of the Nidau castle is first evidenced by a deed dated 30 August 1196, issued by Count Ulrich III. of Neuchâtel. In the document Nidau was mentioned as Nidowe.^[3]

We owe Rudolf III, the most powerful member of the Nidau county, the extension to an actual burgade, i.e. to a location with trenches, ring walls, towers and gates. An avid follower of Austria, he lived nevertheless on a good foot with Bern. However, subsequently he became greatly influenced by his friends from the Austrian nobility and joined ranks with enemies of "his" city: 1339, in the Battle of Laupen, city founder died.

Nowadays, only one corner tower and some remnants of the wall are the only witnesses of the ancient city fortification. 1375, the death of Rudolf IV ended the powerful grafship dynasty of Nidau. Upon a turbulent period, the henceforth transition to Bern in 1388 meant the dawn of a quieter era for Nidau. The most important rights for urban life, which had already been established at the time of the grafship, were confirmed and upheld by the Bernese. Until 1831, the castle welcomed 86 Bernese prefects.

In war as in times of peace, Nidau’s location was strategically important. Nidau was more important than any of the Bernese communities established along the Aare River. Nidau controlled the important traffic from the Bernese area to the Jura area, and thus to Burgundy, the Free County of Basel and the Alsace.

Moreover Nidau stood at one of the major east-west trade routes, from the south of France and Savoy via Geneva and Lausanne, across cantons Aargau and Zurich, leading to the Rhine. The Nidau ports on lake Biel and Thielle / Zihl river remained of great importance for the fluvial traffic until the 19th Century. Nidau's Custom’s officers and Seamen kept a good watch on the traffic and let no due income escape. Nidau area developed itself to a large stacking space.

During the French occupation of Biel in the year 1798, Nidau became the Costums’ border with France.

"Stedtlifescht"

Annually, on the last Saturday in May, the local Springtime festival "Stedtlifescht Nidau" takes place.

For this purpose the main road through Nidau is closed for any traffic. Over 120 market stalls line up on this day on each of the street of the medieval town. The young and old visitors come from the nearby Biel and from all around the Seeland.

International relations

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

Twin towns — Sister cities

Nidau maintains a partnership with the German municipality, Schliengen in southern Baden-Württemberg (D).

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. ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 09-Jul-2009
3. ^ ^{a b} Nidau in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
4. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics 2009 data (German) accessed 25 March 2010
5. ^ see

External links

• Official Website of the City Nidau
• photos of the castle
• Schlossmuseum Nidau
• Evangelical Reformed Church Nidau
• Nidau-Biel/Bienne-Seeland Tourism