Kandersteg
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| Kandersteg | ||||||||||
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  Kandersteg
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| Population | 1,200 (2007[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 9 /km2 (23 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 133.9 km2 (51.7 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 1,174 m (3,852 ft) | |||||||||
| - Highest | 3698 m - Balmhorn | |||||||||
| - Lowest | 1150 m - Bühl | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3718 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0565 | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Adelboden, Blatten (Lötschen) (VS), Ferden (VS), Frutigen, Kandergrund, Kippel (VS), Lauterbrunnen, Leukerbad (VS), Reichenbach im Kandertal, Wiler (Lötschen) (VS) | |||||||||
| Website | www.kandersteg.ch SFSO statistics |
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Kandersteg is a municipality in the district of Frutigen in the canton of Berne in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mountain scenery and sylvan alpine landscapes. Tourism is a very significant part of its economic life today. It is a year round outdoors mecca for hiking trails and mountain climbing as well as downhill and cross-country skiing.
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[edit] History
It has been known since Roman times. In the 1860s it began to be developed as a tourist haven. Until 1909 Kandersteg was politically and religiously part of Kandergrund.
[edit] Geography
Kandersteg has an area of 134.5 km² (51.9 sq mi). Of this area, 13.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 11.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (74%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[1]
Kandersteg is located in the upper Kander Valley, Gastern Valley and Oeschinen Valley as well as part of the Blüemlisalp. It includes the villages of Kandersteg and Gastern.[2]
[edit] Demographics
Kandersteg has a population (as of 2007[update]) of 1,200, of which 17.0% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 6.3%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (89.9%), with Portugese being second most common ( 2.8%) and English being third ( 1.1%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 45.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (16.7%), the FDP (16.6%) and the Green Party (7.4%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 21.8% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Kandersteg about 75% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).
Kandersteg has an unemployment rate of 3.02%. As of 2005[update], there were 45 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 86 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 16 businesses in this sector. 543 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 82 businesses in this sector.[1] The historical population is given in the following table:[2]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1910 | 3,554 |
| 1920 | 727 |
| 1950 | 913 |
| 2000 | 1,134 |
[edit] Sights
The International Scout Centre is located at the edge of the village. More than 10,000 scouts from all over the world visit each year.
The Gemmi Pass is a mountain pass that connects Kandersteg with Leukerbad, Valais. Cable cars operate at each end (in Kandersteg [1] and Leukerbad [2] ) to lift walkers up to the pass.
Lake Oeschinen [3] is considered to be one of the most attractive in Switzerland and can be accessed by the Sesselbahn Kandersteg-Oeschinen chairlift from Kandersteg. Other attractions in the village include a 16th century parish church.
The Lötschberg Tunnel is part of a major railway line across the Alps. Kandersteg is located at the north entrance to the tunnel through which trains run for 15 kilometres to emerge at Goppenstein in eastern Valais. Road vehicles are carried through the tunnel to Goppenstein by open sided shuttle trains. [4]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Village of Kandersteg
Media related to Kandersteg at Wikimedia Commons- Scout Centre
- This website gives some suggested hikes from Kandersteg
[edit] References
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 11-Jun-2009
- ^ a b Kandersteg in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
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