Aeschi bei Spiez
Country Switzerland Canton Berne District Frutigen 46°39′N 7°41′E / 46.65°N 7.683°E / 46.65; 7.683Coordinates: 46°39′N 7°41′E / 46.65°N 7.683°E / 46.65; 7.683
Population	1,964 (February 2005[update])
- Density	64 /km2 (165 /sq mi)
Area	30.9 km2 (11.9 sq mi)
Elevation	860 m (2,822 ft)
- Highest	1400 m -
- Lowest	850 m -
Postal code	3703
SFOS number	0562
Mayor	Kurt von Känel
Surrounded by (view map)	Krattigen, Lauterbrunnen, Leissigen, Reichenbach im Kandertal, Saxeten, Spiez, Wimmis
Website	www.aeschi.ch SFSO statistics
Aeschi bei Spiez [zoom]

Aeschi bei Spiez is a municipality in the district of Frutigen in the canton of Berne in Switzerland.

Views of the 17.5 km long Lake Thun are obtained from a little above Aeschi. Its Protestant church with the refectory and two neighbouring houses is a heritage site of national significance.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 External links 5 References

[edit] History

Aeschi bei Spiez is first mentioned in 1228 as Asshes. In 1269 it was mentioned as (villa) Esche..^[2]

[edit] Geography

Aeschi bei Spiez has an area of 30.9 square kilometers (11.9 sq mi). Of this area, 46.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (21.9%) is non-productive (rivers or glaciers).^[3]

Aeschi bei Spiez is located along a ridge between the Kander valley and Lake Thun. The municipality includes Aeschi bei Spiez and Aeschiried, Heustrich-Emdtal, Mülenen and Alpen im hinteren Suldtal. The parish church serves both Aeschi and Krattigen.

[edit] Demographics

Aeschi bei Spiez has a population (as of 2007^[update]) of 1,957, of which 5.5% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 2%. Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks German (95.2%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.2%) and Albanian being third ( 0.9%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 44.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (12.5%), the CSP (11.1%) and the SPS (10.6%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000^[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 30.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 54.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.6%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Aeschi bei Spiez about 76.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).

Aeschi bei Spiez has an unemployment rate of 1.62%. As of 2005^[update], there were 177 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 77 businesses involved in this sector. 118 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 20 businesses in this sector. 562 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 82 businesses in this sector.^[3]

The historical population is given in the following table:^[2]

year	population
1764	804
1850	1,251
1888	1,195
1950	1,364
1990	1,847

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aeschi bei Spiez

• Aeschi bei Spiez in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

[edit] References

v • d • e Municipalities in the district of Frutigen, Switzerland Adelboden | Aeschi bei Spiez | Frutigen | Kandergrund | Kandersteg | Krattigen | Reichenbach im Kandertal Canton of Bern | Districts of Canton Bern | Municipalities of the canton of Bern