Müntschemier

Sister cities

• Hardheim

History

Müntschemier is first mentioned in 1185 as Munchimur. The earliest traces of a settlement in the area are some Mesolithic flint tools which were found at Baholz-Oberfeld. Other prehistoric traces include a Bronze Age grave or ruins of a settlement at Müntschemier marsh and a Roman era burial site at Gugleracker. In 1185 the Abbey of St. Johannsen began ruling over the village. In 1474 the entire Herrschaft of Erlach, including Müntschemier, was acquired by Bern. It became part of the Bernese court of Ins in the bailiwick of Erlach. In addition to belonging to the court, Müntschemier has always been part of the parish of Ins. In 1827, part of the village was destroyed in a fire. It was rebuilt in the following years. The cost of the 1874-83 Jura water correction project forced the Bürgergemeinde to sell the common fields or Allmend. In 1876, the Bürgergemeinde no longer had a purpose and was dissolved. The Jura water correction helped drain the Grand Marais marsh and allowed the village to spread into the rich farmland left behind. In 1858-63 a major highway through le Grand Marais connected the village with the rest of the country. In 1902 the Bern–Neuchâtel railway provided another route into the village. The easy transportation links led to population growth. In 1956 a freight yard and warehouses turned Müntschemier into a center for vegetable production and shipping in Switzerland.

Geography

Müntschemier has an area of . Of this area, or 77.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 1.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 18.6% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.6% is either rivers or lakes and or 1.0% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 3.3% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 5.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.4%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.2% of the area. Out of the forested land, 0.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.2% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 70.9% is used for growing crops and 4.5% is pastures, while 2.5% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.2% is in lakes and 0.4% is in rivers and streams.