Oberwil im Simmental, Bern One Place Study

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Oberwil im Simmental, Bern One Place Study

This profile is part of the Oberwil im Simmental, Bern One Place Study.

• Official Website
• Wikidata: Item Q66778, de:Wikipedia | Wikidata: Item Q66778, en:Wikipedia
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Name

Oberwil is located in the middle of the Simmental, slightly elevated above the valley. It was first mentioned in 1278 as Oberwile, meaning upper hamlet.^[1]

Geography

Oberwil im Simmental

Continent: Europe

Country: Switzerland

Canton: Bern

GPS Coordinates: 46.65, 7.433333

Elevation: 887.9 m or 2913.2 feet

Geographical Location

Oberwil im Simmental is part of a string of villages along the alpine valley floor of the Simmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The Simmental comprises the municipalities of Lenk im Simmental, St. Stephan, Zweisimmen, Boltigen, Oberwil im Simmental, Därstetten, Erlenbach im Simmental, Diemtigen and Wimmis.^[2]

Neighboring Communities

Neighboring communities are (clockwise starting from the north): Guggisberg, Rüschegg, Därstetten, Diemtigen, Boltigen, and Sense.

Community Structure

The municipality has 4 parts (the settlement type is given in parenthesis):

• Bunschen (hamlet)
• Oberwil im Simmental (village)
• Pfaffenried (hamlet)
• Waldriedweideni (hamlet)

History

Population

Church

Oberwil im Simmental Reformed Church

According to the 2000 Census, the majority of the population of Oberwil im Simmental (about 86.2%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 1.7% were Roman Catholic. The remaining 12.1% practiced other religions, did not belong to a church, or declined to answer.

Cemeteries

The area of land used for cemeteries in Switzerland has remained the same for many years. There is no extra ground to expand them thus forcing them to cycle through their various plots. Many cemeteries have headstones that only date back 25 years, but varies according to location. Seldom will you find a headstone dating back more than 40 years unless it is a headstone of a pastor or very prominent citizen in their town. Even in smaller, more rural communities the headstones are not older than about 30 years.^[4]

Resources

• Canton of Bern Record Books
• Index of Record books available for Canton of Bern
• Register of Swiss Surnames
• Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
• State Archive of Bern

Sources

1. ↑ Oberwil im Simmental (https://oberwil-im-simmental.ch : accessed 1 January 2023). "Home".
2. ↑ Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simmental : accessed 1 January 2023). "Simmental".
3. ↑ Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberwil_im_Simmental : accessed 1 January 2023). "Oberwil im Simmental".
4. ↑ FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Switzerland_Cemeteries : 1 January 2023), "Switzerland Cemeteries".