Riggisberg

History

Riggisberg is first mentioned in 1239 as Ricasperc. In 1270 it was mentioned as Riggesberg. The oldest trace of a settlement in the area are several Iron Age graves at Kreuzbühlhölzli. During the Roman era there was a settlement at Muriboden. During the Middle Ages the Fribourg noble family of Riggisberg was established with a seat in Riggisberg. However, the family soon lost or sold all their rights and land in the village and by the 13th century other nobles and monasteries owned parts of the village. It passed through several noble landowners until it was acquired by Petermann von Wichtrach when he married Agnes von Burgistein in 1354. In 1358 Rudolph of Neuchâtel-Nidau acquired the high court and rulership over the Herrschaft of Riggisberg that included the castle of Uf Gsteig, the village of Riggisberg, scattered farms and the courts of Riggisberg and Ruti. In 1387 the powerful Erlach family of Bern acquired the village and Herrschaft. In 1700 the Erlachs built a new and more comfortable castle near the old castle. Historically, Riggisberg and Rüti both belonged to the large parish of Thurnen. They split off to form their own parish in 1874 and became fully independent in 1935. The local St. Sebastian Chapel was probably built in the 12th century, but was first mentioned in 1343. The late-Romanesque choir tower was probably built during the second half of the 12th century. The current nave was built in 1687 but expanded in 1939 and again in 1977-79. The oldest trace of a settlement in the area is a cache of Early-Bronze Age axes. During the High Middle Ages the Freiherr von Rümligen owned a vast swathe of land between the Gürbe and Sense rivers. They donated some of their estates to found and support Rüeggisberg and Röthenbach Priories. In 1380 the…

Geography

Riggisberg has an area of . As of 2012, a total of or 43.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 51.1% is forested. The rest of the municipality is or 5.4% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.4% is either rivers or lakes and or 0.3% is unproductive land. During the same year, housing and buildings made up 3.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. A total of 49.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 11.9% is used for growing crops and 27.8% is pasturage and 2.6% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. The municipality is located in the valley between the Längenberg and the Gibelegg. It consists of the villages of Riggisberg and Rüti bei Riggisberg as well as scattered hamlets and farm houses. On 1 January 2009 the former municipality of Rüti bei Riggisberg merged into the municipality of Riggisberg. On 31 December 2009 Amtsbezirk Seftigen, the municipality's former district, was dissolved. On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Bern-Mittelland.

Most-observed species

• Meadow Brown

  Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  3,508
• Annual Fleabane

  Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. · Magnoliopsida
  3,049
• Southern Damselfly

  Coenagrion mercuriale (Charpentier, 1840) · Insecta
  3,032
• Common Toad

  Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Amphibia
  2,485
• European roe deer

  Capreolus capreolus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Mammalia
  2,467
• Ringlet

  Aphantopus hyperantus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  2,198
• Small Tortoiseshell

  Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  2,102
• Eurasian beaver

  Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758 · Mammalia
  1,961

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2025-07-21
  4 km E of Frutigen, Switzerland
• M 3.2 — 2024-05-09
  9 km SW of Evolène, Switzerland
• M 4.4 — 2023-03-22
  1 km NW of Pont-de-Roide, France
• M 2.7 — 2022-08-23
  4 km S of Turtmann, Switzerland
• M 4.1 — 2021-12-24
  2 km WSW of Blamont, France
• M 4.1 — 2021-10-05
  10 km SSW of Evolène, Switzerland