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66-456: The Langenthal-Jura Railway, which was based in Langenthal (BE), opened its metre-gauge line, mostly located in the canton of Bern , from Langenthal via Niederbipp to Oensingen Schulhaus in the canton of Solothurn on 26 October 1907. It has been electrified at 1200 Volt DC since its opening. It operated class LJB CFe 4/4 railcars, among others. Langenthal was also the starting point of

132-471: A certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in municipal politics. As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality. Municipalities are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax ), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton (see Taxation in Switzerland ). As among the cantons, there

198-531: A few dozen people ( Kammersrohr , Bister ), and their territory between 0.32 km² ( Rivaz ) and 439 km² ( Scuol ). The beginnings of the modern municipality system date back to the Helvetic Republic . Under the Old Swiss Confederacy , citizenship was granted by each town and village to only residents. These citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under

264-674: A fortified house in Langenthal to the Freiherr of Grünenberg to hold as a fief. By the end of the 14th century, the Abbey had regained power and was able to bring the village fully under their control. Starting in 1313 the Kyburgs held the high court right for the village. When that family died out in 1406, Bern inherited the right to hold the high court. Over the next few years Bern's power expanded in Langenthal. In 1415, Langenthal became incorporated into

330-564: A major interchange, with regular service to Zürich Hauptbahnhof , Bern , Solothurn , Baden , Lucerne , and Olten . Langenthal Süd is located south of Langenthal on the way to Lucerne. The latter two are narrow-gauge stations on the various lines operated by Aare Seeland mobil . The city is home to the SC Langenthal which plays in the Swiss League . Their home arena is the Schoren which has

396-707: A metre-gauge railway was opened in Niederbipp. The SNB also sought contact with the LJB and entered into an operating contract, adopted the electrification system of the Langenthal-Jura Railway and ran individual trains to Oensingen. The Langenthal-Jura Railway connected with the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) at the stations of Langenthal, Niederbipp and Oensingen SBB. On the Niederbipp–Oensingen section, it

462-598: A result, a new cooperation agreement was signed in 1959 with the SNB. With the contract, the LJB/OJB workshop in Langenthal also became a workshop for the SNB, which could abandon its own rolling stock maintenance. Since the timetable change in December 2012, the line to Oensingen station has been served again. The new line runs parallel to the SBB line between Niederbipp and Oensingen, and also has

528-761: A seating capacity of 4,500. Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities ( German : Gemeinden , Einwohnergemeinden or politische Gemeinden ; French : communes ; Italian : comuni ; Romansh : vischnancas ) are the lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality is part of one of the Swiss cantons , which form the Swiss Confederation . In most cantons, municipalities are also part of districts or other sub-cantonal administrative divisions. There are 2,131 municipalities as of January 2024 . Their populations range between several hundred thousand ( Zürich ), and

594-406: A single school district. After the merger, Langenthal has an area of 21.13 km (8.16 sq mi). Of this area, 3.43 km (1.32 sq mi) or 23.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 6 km (2.3 sq mi) or 41.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4.96 km (1.92 sq mi) or 34.4% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.04 km (9.9 acres) or 0.3%

660-494: A station to serve the industrial area there. This line is not identical to the original line between Niederbipp and Oensingen. The LJB opened the first transporter wagon yard for the transport of standard-gauge freight wagons on a metre-gauge line in Switzerland in Langenthal on 29 December 1909. The delivery points, which initially ended at Aarwangen, were extended to Bannwil on 7 March 1913. The LMB carried transporter wagons to Melchnau from its opening in 1917. Since

726-409: A suffix in toponyms). The re-interpretation of the name as including the element -tal "valley" dates to c. the 15th century, during which the name is on record as either Langaten or Langental (the same process can be observed in the case of Murgenthal , earlier Murgatun ). In the 12th century Langenthal (now known as Langaton ) belonged to the territory of the lords of Langenstein . In 1194

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792-455: A total of 10,745 people employed in the municipality. Of these, there were 76 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 21 businesses involved in this sector. 3,619 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 149 businesses in this sector. 7,050 people were employed in the tertiary sector , with 658 businesses in this sector. In 2008 there were a total of 9,065 full-time equivalent jobs. The number of jobs in

858-437: A total of 6,080 apartments (91.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 327 apartments (4.9%) were seasonally occupied and 261 apartments (3.9%) were empty. As of 2010 , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2011 , was 1.2%. The historical population is given in the following chart: The old Kaufhaus (market building), Old Mill, and

924-460: A town ( Stadt ) since 1997. In 2001, Langenthal was twinned with the town of Neviano in southern Italy and with Brig-Glis in the upper Valais . In 2010, the municipality of Untersteckholz was incorporated into Langenthal. Obersteckholz is first mentioned in 1255 as Stechcholz . Obersteckholz was the property of the Baron of Langenstein . In 1194, he founded St. Urban's Abbey and granted

990-452: A warehouse (dated 1748). The market street was paved in 1730 and the Langete was partially covered with stone bridges and new houses. In 1785 a brewery opened in town. A small elite of merchants, lawyers, physicians and pharmacists emerged and turned Langenthal into a center of the liberal and nationalist thought during the early modern era. Langenthal had been a subject territory of Berne within

1056-517: Is a net importer of workers, with about 2.1 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 16.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 43.5% used a private car. From the 2000 census , 2,610 or 18.5% were Roman Catholic , while 8,338 or 59.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church . Of the rest of the population, 281 (2.00%) were members of an Orthodox church , 14 individuals (0.10%) who belonged to

1122-449: Is a tax transfer among the municipalities to balance various levels of tax income. Switzerland has a relatively high number of small municipalities, with a population of 1,000 or less, especially in rural areas. Because of the increasing difficulty in providing professional government services and in finding volunteers for political offices in small municipalities, the cantons tend to encourage voluntary mergers of municipalities. This led to

1188-419: Is either rivers or lakes. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 5.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 17.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 8.0%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.9%. Out of the forested land, 40.5% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 16.6%

1254-413: Is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship . During the 2009–10 school year, there were a total of 1,917 students attending classes in Langenthal. There were 12 kindergarten classes with a total of 241 students in

1320-472: Is home to the Regionalbibliothek Langenthal library. The library has (as of 2008 ) 35,496 books or other media, and loaned out 267,662 items in the same year. It was open a total of 304 days with average of 35 hours per week during that year. The municipality has four railway stations: Langenthal , Langenthal Süd , Langenthal Gaswerk , and Langenthal Industrie Nord . The first of these is

1386-399: Is settled (buildings or roads). Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.2%. 17.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 56.5% is used for growing crops and 14.1% is pastures, while 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. The municipality

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1452-469: Is the largest settlement in the Langetental (Langeten Valley) and since 1997 it has been considered a city. It consists of the old village of Langenthal, numerous expansions of the village core, the village of Schoren and since 2010, Untersteckholz. The blazon for the municipal coat of arms is bendy wavy Or and Azure . Langenthal has a population (as of December 2020 ) of 15,544. As of 2010 , 19.9% of

1518-415: Is used for growing crops and 6.2% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Untersteckholz had an area, as of 2009 , of 2.83 km (1.09 sq mi). Of this area, 2.09 km (0.81 sq mi) or 73.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.59 km (0.23 sq mi) or 20.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.16 km (0.062 sq mi) or 5.7%

1584-684: The Bürgergemeinde /bourgeoisie. During the Mediation era (1803–1814), and especially during the Restoration era (1814–1830), many of the gains toward uniform citizenship were lost. Many political municipalities were abolished and limits were placed on the exercise of political rights for everyone except the members of the Bürgergemeinde . In the Regeneration era (1830–1848), the liberal revolutions of

1650-495: The Bürgergemeinde in the population was reduced as a result of increasing emigration to the cities. This led to the Bürgergemeinde losing its former importance to a large extent. However, the Bürgergemeinde has remained, and it includes all individuals who are citizens of the Bürgergemeinde , usually by having inherited the Bürgerrecht (citizenship), regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live. Instead of

1716-473: The Christian Catholic Church , and 919 individuals (6.53%) adhered to some other Christian church; 847 individuals (6.02%) were Muslim 158 individuals were Hindu , 66 individuals were Buddhist and 2 individuals (0.01%) were Jewish . 8 individuals adhered to some other non-Christian religious group. 794 (or about 5.64% of the population) were non-religious, and 494 individuals (or about 3.51% of

1782-451: The Old Swiss Confederacy since 1415, and tended to support uprisings against the central authorities; during the Swiss peasant war of 1653 Langenthal had supported the peasant uprising, as well as the 1798 French invasion and the liberal Helvetic Republic . The current municipal coat of arms, three wavy bands in blue on yellow ( Or three Bends wavy Azure ), has been in use since c. 1870, replacing an earlier design in red and silver, but

1848-632: The place of birth , Swiss legal documents, e.g. passports, contain the Bürgerort (place of citizenship, or place of origin ). The Bürgergemeinde also often holds and administers the common property in the village for the members of the community. Each canton determines the powers and responsibilities of its municipalities. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. The federal constitution protects

1914-412: The 16th century a number of craftsmen and small businesses moved into the growing town. In 1571 Bern granted the right for the town to hold two yearly markets. However, the supply of goods for sale quickly exceeded the capacity of the two yearly markets. In 1613 they built a Kaufhaus or market building and started holding weekly markets. The Kaufhaus was rebuilt in 1808 and from 1894 until 1992 served as

1980-540: The 18th century gave Langenthal a further boost, which encouraged to Bern to tighten supervision. Beginning in 1758 the Bernese government started inspecting cloth for quality and controlling who was allowed to sell. The success of the linen trade helped the town to grow. Even though the Aargau cantonal road bypassed the Langenthal, by 1756 it had grown to a total of 189 households, three taverns, various administrative buildings and

2046-566: The Freiherr founded the Abbey of St. Urban and endowed the Abbey with lands in Langenthal. Formerly part of Thunstetten parish, Langenthal was granted its own parish church in 1197. After the extinction of the Langenstein family in 1212, the Abbey inherited additional lands in the area. The establishment of the Abbey brought agricultural improvements, especially the introduction of an irrigation system to

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2112-452: The LMB's opening, deliveries to Melchnau have also been possible. The SNB, which was opened on 9 January 1918, included another transporter wagon yard, located in Niederbipp, which was also used by the LJB. It served delivery points as far as Bannwil from Niederbipp. The whole LJB line has been served from Niederbipp since 1943. Langenthal Langenthal is a town and a municipality in

2178-664: The Langenthal area. A Hallstatt necropolis with twelve grave mounds has been found at Unterhard. Remnants of two Roman villae have also been identified. Langenthal is first mentioned in 861, as marcha in Langatun , referring to farming estates scattered along the Langete (a tributary of the Murg ). The Old High German name Langatun is presumably composed of a hydronym langa- and the Gaulish element dunum "fort" (which had become productive as

2244-506: The Langenthal-Jura Railway or from 1918 by the SNB; Klus itself has been served since 1899 by the standard gauge Oensingen—Balsthal railway ( Oensingen-Balsthal-Bahn , OeBB). As the SBB strongly expanded regional services on the Olten–Oensingen–Solothurn line in the following years, passenger numbers collapsed; the SNB service to Solothurn was no longer able to compete with the SBB over the entire line and concentrated on serving

2310-474: The administration and profit from the property were totally held by the Bürgergemeinden , leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money and use of the property. It was not until the political municipality acquired rights over property that served the public (such as schools, fire stations, etc.) and taxes, that they obtained full independence. For example, in the city of Bern, it

2376-481: The almost two and a half kilometers long Niederbipp – Oensingen section. This had long since become rundown and unprofitable as a result of competition with the SBB, it had been relocated on state roads, it had fallen into a poor condition due to a lack of maintenance and it also had the political disadvantage of running to another canton. Thus on 9 May 1943 operations stopped and the tracks were dismantled immediately—iron and copper were sought-after raw materials in

2442-660: The archeological site at Unterhard are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance . The old village of Langenthal and the hamlet of Chlyrot are part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites . In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the SPS which received 22.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (22.5%), the FDP (16.7%) and the BDP Party (12.1%). In

2508-463: The area. However, the Abbey often came into conflict with the Kyburg Ministerialis (unfree knights in the service of a feudal overlord) family of Luternau. The Luternau family fought the growing power of the Abbey, until 1273-76 when they were obligated to sell their interest in Langenthal to the Abbey. Just a few years later, in 1279, the Abbey, in turn, was forced to give the low court and

2574-403: The autonomy of municipalities within the framework set out by cantonal law. Municipalities are generally governed by an executive council headed by a president or mayor . Legislative authority is exercised by a town meeting of all citizens, or by a municipal parliament, depending on the size of the municipality, and on cantonal and municipal law. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for

2640-501: The common people helped to restore some rights again in a few cantons. In other cantons, the Bürgergemeinden were able to maintain power as political communities. In the city of Zürich it was not until the Municipal Act of 1866 that the political municipality came back into existence. The relationship between the political municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latter's ownership of community property. Often

2706-472: The district of Oberaargau in the canton of Bern in Switzerland . On 1 January 2010 the municipality of Untersteckholz merged into the Langenthal. On 1 January 2021 the former municipality of Obersteckholz merged into Langenthal. Langenthal is an educational, cultural, and economic center for the region of Oberaargau . Archeological evidence suggests that early settlements existed around 4000 B.C. in

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2772-458: The federal election, a total of 4,833 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 47.1%. Langenthal is an economic and industrial center of regional importance, and the seat of companies including Ammann Group (construction vehicles), Motorex Bucher (lubricants), KADI AG (food), a Ruckstuhl (textile flooring), Lantal Textiles, Création Baumann (textiles). As of  2011 , Langenthal had an unemployment rate of 2.52%. As of 2008 , there were

2838-527: The issue in 2012. In Langenthal about 5,541 or (39.4%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education , and 1,733 or (12.3%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). Of the 1,733 who completed tertiary schooling, 66.2% were Swiss men, 22.0% were Swiss women, 7.4% were non-Swiss men and 4.4% were non-Swiss women. The Canton of Bern school system provides one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten , followed by six years of Primary school. This

2904-460: The law. Additionally, the urban towns and the rural villages had differing rights and laws. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of the old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with the "new citizens", who were generally poor. The compromise solution, which

2970-628: The metre-gauge Langenthal–Melchnau-Bahn, which opened on 6 October 1917. Its line to Melchnau began at Gaswerk station as a branch of the Langenthal–Jura-Bahn Railway. Cooperation was planned from the very beginning, so LMB not only selected the same electrification system, but also contracted all operations to the Langenthal-Jura Railway. With the opening of the Solothurn-Niederbipp Railway ( Solothurn-Niederbipp-Bahn , SNB) on 9 January 1918, another connection to

3036-660: The minaret ban (on purely technical grounds of construction laws). For some time, it seemed as if the Langenthal minaret would be the first case where the new minaret ban would be taken to court, the Langenthal Muslim community announcing to the press that they were going to appeal to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland and if necessary further to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg , but they dropped

3102-430: The movement and storage of goods, 259 or 4.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 152 or 2.7% were in the information industry, 303 or 5.4% were the insurance or financial industry, 453 or 8.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 317 or 5.6% were in education and 1,170 or 20.8% were in health care. In 2000 , there were 6,627 workers who commuted into the municipality and 3,101 workers who commuted away. The municipality

3168-462: The municipalities under cantonal or federal law. Municipalities are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see Community Identification Number#Switzerland ). One or more postal codes (PLZ/NPA) can by assigned to a municipality or shared with other municipalities. Between 2011 and 2021 nine of the smallest municipalities merged into others as part of the effort to eliminate

3234-429: The municipality. Of the kindergarten students, 26.6% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 39.8% have a different mother language than the classroom language. The municipality had 44 primary classes and 789 students. Of the primary students, 28.6% were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 39.9% have a different mother language than the classroom language. During

3300-436: The number of municipalities dropping by 384 between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2019. Some municipalities designate themselves as "city" ( ville or Stadt ) or as "village" ( Dorf ). These designations result from tradition or local preference – for example, several small municipalities designated as cities held city rights in medieval times – and normally do not impact the legal or political rights or obligations of

3366-489: The population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 5.3%. Migration accounted for 8%, while births and deaths accounted for -0.7%. Most of the population (as of 2000 ) speaks German (11,994 or 85.2%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (484 or 3.4%) and Serbo-Croatian is the third (297 or 2.1%). There are 108 people who speak French and 5 people who speak Romansh . As of 2008 ,

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3432-581: The population was 48.6% male and 51.4% female. The population was made up of 5,672 Swiss men (38.0% of the population) and 1,583 (10.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 6,299 Swiss women (42.2%) and 1,384 (9.3%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 4,139 or about 29.4% were born in Langenthal and lived there in 2000. There were 4,236 or 30.1% who were born in the same canton, while 2,618 or 18.6% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 2,674 or 19.0% were born outside of Switzerland. As of 2010 , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.7% of

3498-529: The population) refused to state their religious adherence. The local Muslim community was at the time in the process of planning a minaret for their "cultural centre" in 2009. This was one of the cases that fuelled the Minaret controversy in Switzerland which resulted in a successful vote on a proposed ban of minarets in November 2009. In 2012, a local court ruled against the construction plans on reasons unrelated to

3564-432: The population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.7%. As of 2000 , there were 5,805 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 6,633 married individuals, 941 widows or widowers and 699 individuals who are divorced. As of 2000 , there were 2,277 households that consist of only one person and 365 households with five or more people. In 2000 ,

3630-421: The primary sector was 32, of which 28 were in agriculture and 4 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 3,398 of which 2,412 or (71.0%) were in manufacturing and 829 (24.4%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 5,635. In the tertiary sector; 2,119 or 37.6% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 317 or 5.6% were in

3696-412: The same year, there were 38 lower secondary classes with a total of 654 students. There were 19.1% who were permanent or temporary residents of Switzerland (not citizens) and 25.8% have a different mother language than the classroom language. As of 2000 , there were 1,031 students in Langenthal who came from another municipality, while 172 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Langenthal

3762-453: The territory of the Republic of Bern, but it remained under the landlordship and the low court of the monastery. Over the following centuries, the Bernese court slowly eliminated many of the Abbey's powers. The Protestant Reformation of 1528 weakened the power of the Abbey slightly, but it continued to collect tithes and appoint the village priest until Bern bought those rights in 1808. During

3828-513: The town hall. By 1616 Langenthal had a series of laws and regulations governing the booming markets and trade in the town. In 1640 Langenthal and Langnau became centers of linen canvas production and export to France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1704 Langenthal became the seat of the Oberaargau canvas dealer's guild, which brought together weavers, shopkeepers and traders to protect their interests. The decline of eastern Switzerland's linen industry in

3894-507: The traffic between Solothurn and Niederbipp. Due to a lack of passengers, the LJB closed the most unprofitable section, the about one and a half kilometre-long Oensingen SBB – Oensingen Schulhaus section on 14 May 1928 and subsequently dismantled it. During the Second World War, the Langenthal-Jura Railway ran into financial hardship and asked the authorities for financial aid. The Canton of Berne essentially approved support for

3960-475: The use of a flag with a similar design, "yellow and blue with a triple rivulet" ( Sie führen einen Fahnen ist gälb und blaw / In dreyfachen Bach darinnen ) is recorded in a song of c. 1700. Langenthal's location on the road from Bern to Zurich (completed in 1760) and on the Swiss Central Railway line (inaugurated in 1857) spurred industrial development, led by textiles and machines. Municipal water supply

4026-616: The village to the Abbey as part of its endowment. It was part of the Abbey's court of Langenthal until 1406 when it became part of the Bernese bailiwick of Wangen . Following the 1798 French invasion it became part of the district of Langenthal under the Helvetic Republic . In 1803, after the collapse of the Republic, it became part of the Aarwangen District . The village became an independent municipality in 1831. Until 1790 and again after 1975 Obersteckholz and Untersteckholz shared

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4092-424: The war years and the company needed the additional income. Niederbipp became a terminal station for the LJB and the SNB, with a remnant of the line used as a siding. The 40-year cooperation between the Langenthal-Jura Railway and the LMB was eventually followed by a legal merger: on 1 January 1958 the Langenthal-Jura Railway and the LMB merged to form Oberaargau-Jura Railways ( Oberaargau-Jura-Bahnen , OJB). As

4158-478: Was in direct competition with the SBB and initially did well. Although it had a longer travel time, due to its poorer routing as a tramway, it offered a much better timetable than the SBB then operated for regional traffic. The route also allowed somewhat more connections from Oensingen and more services for the workforce of the companies in the Balsthal industrial district of Klus (including Von Roll ) to be provided by

4224-487: Was introduced in 1894 and an electric utility began operating in 1896. In 1898, the formerly neighboring municipality of Schoren was incorporated into Langenthal. Langenthal had a population of 1,327 in 1764; population grew to 2,738 by 1850, and to 4,799 by 1900. In the 20th century, Langenthal became known for its porcelain manufacture. Langenthal reached a population of 10,000 in 1957, further growing to 13,000 by 1970. The municipality has been officially referring to itself as

4290-480: Was not until after the property division of 1852 that the political municipality had the right to levy taxes. It was not until the Federal Constitution of 1874 that all Swiss citizens were granted equal political rights on local and Federal levels. This revised constitution finally removed all the political voting and electoral body rights from the Bürgergemeinde . In the cities, the percentage of members in

4356-481: Was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created. The first, the so-called municipality, was a political community formed by election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with the former local citizens who were gathered together into

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