On 1 January 2010, the 26 districts (German : Amtsbezirke , French : districts) were combined into 10 new precincts (German : Verwaltungskreise, French : arrondissement administratif): [1]
They are grouped into five regions (German : Verwaltungsregionen).
The existence of the 26 districts remains through the laws and Constitution of the Canton of Berne (Art.3 al.2 Cst) and coexists with the new 10 precincts (German : Verwaltungskreise, French : arrondissement administratif).
As of 2022 [update] there were 338 municipalities of the canton of Bern.
New district (Verwaltungskreis) | Capital | Region | Former district(s) (Amtsbezirk) |
---|---|---|---|
Bern-Mittelland | Ostermundigen | Bern-Mittelland | Bern, Fraubrunnen, Konolfingen, Laupen, Schwarzenburg and Seftigen |
Biel/Bienne | Biel/Bienne | Seeland | Biel and about half of Nidau |
Emmental | Langnau im Emmental | Emmental-Oberaargau | Burgdorf, Signau and Trachselwald |
Frutigen-Niedersimmental | Frutigen | Bernese Oberland | Frutigen and Niedersimmental |
Interlaken-Oberhasli | Interlaken | Bernese Oberland | Interlaken and Oberhasli |
Jura bernois | Courtelary | Jura Bernois Region | Courtelary, Moutier and La Neuveville |
Oberaargau | Wangen an der Aare | Emmental-Oberaargau | Aarwangen and Wangen |
Obersimmental-Saanen | Saanen | Bernese Oberland | Obersimmental and Saanen |
Seeland | Aarberg | Seeland | Aarberg, Büren, Erlach and about half of Nidau |
Thun | Thun | Bernese Oberland | Thun |
The canton of Bern is also subdivided into 26 districts (German : Amtsbezirke; French : districts), which have no more administrative or political significance since the introduction of the new larger administrative subdivisions listed above.
The districts are:
The Aare or Aar is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland.
The canton of Bern or Berne is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the de facto capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the canton, displayed on a red-yellow background.
On 26 June 1964, Swiss Post introduced postal codes as the third country after Germany (1941) and the United States (1963).
There are 337 municipalities in the canton of Bern, Switzerland.
Aarwangen District was a district in the northeast corner of the canton of Bern in Switzerland, with its seat at Aarwangen. It was disbanded on 31 December 2009. Its municipalities became part of the administrative region Emmental-Oberaargau.
The Emmental is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dairy farming. The principal settlements are the town of Burgdorf and the village of Langnau.
Districts of Switzerland are a political subdivision for cantons. In the federally constituted Switzerland, each canton is completely free to decide its own internal organisation. Therefore, there exists a variety of structures and terminology for the subnational entities between canton and municipality, loosely termed districts. Most cantons are divided into Bezirke. They are also termed Ämter, Amtsbezirke, district or distretto. The Bezirke generally provide only administration and court organization. However, for historical reasons districts in cantons Graubünden and Schwyz are their own legal entities with jurisdiction over tax and often have their own Landsgemeinde.
The Bernese Oberland, the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions. It constitutes the Alpine region of the canton and the northern side of the Bernese Alps, including many of its highest peaks, among which the Finsteraarhorn, the highest in both range and canton.
Bernese Jura is the name for the French-speaking area of the Swiss canton of Bern, and from 2010 one of ten administrative divisions of the canton.
La Neuveville District was one of three French-speaking districts of the Bernese Jura in the canton of Bern with the seat being La Neuveville, the other two being Courtelary and Moutier. It had a population of about 6,083 in 2004. The three districts were merged on 1 January 2010 to form the new district of Jura Bernois with the capital at Courtelary.
Moutier District was one of the three French-speaking districts of the Bernese Jura in the canton of Bern with the seat being Moutier, the other two being Courtelary and La Neuveville. It had a population of about 23,098 in 2004. The three districts were merged on 1 January 2010 to form the new district of Jura Bernois with the capital at Courtelary.
Oberland was the name of a canton of the Helvetic Republic (1798–1803), corresponding to the area of the Bernese Oberland, with its capital at Thun.
Seeland is a region in Switzerland, at the south-eastern foot of the mountain range of the Jura Mountains containing the 3 Lakes of Morat, Neuchâtel, and Bienne (Biel). In previous eras, it was the floodplain of the Aare and was thus swampy. After the huge hydrological works Jura water correction, the area drained out and could support more cultivation. Seeland is one of the most important regions in Switzerland for growing vegetables, particularly in the Grand Marais.
BLS AG is a Swiss railway company created by the 2006 merger of BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG. It is 55.8% owned by the canton of Berne, and 21.7% by the Swiss Confederation. It has two main business fields: passenger traffic and infrastructure.
Seeland District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Seeland administrative region. It contains 42 municipalities with an area of 334.14 km2 (129.01 sq mi) and a population of 76,052.
The Bern S-Bahn is an S-Bahn commuter rail network focused on Bern, the capital city of Switzerland. The network is roughly coterminous with Bern's urban agglomeration.
The Lake Thun railway line is a railway line in the Swiss canton of Bern. It links the towns of Thun, Spiez and Interlaken, running principally along the southern shore of Lake Thun. The line was opened in 1893 by the Lake Thun Railway company, but incorporates much of the earlier Bödeli Railway dating back to 1872.
Thun is a railway station in the town of Thun, in the Swiss canton of Bern. At the station, the Swiss Federal Railways owned Bern to Thun main line makes a junction with the other lines, all owned by the BLS AG. These lines are the Gürbetal line from Bern via Belp, the Burgdorf to Thun line from Burgdorf via Konolfingen, and the Lake Thun line to Spiez and Interlaken.
The Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton Bern-Jura-Solothurn is a Reformed state church in three cantons of Switzerland. It is located within the Canton of Bern, Canton of Jura, and Canton of Solothurn.