Schinznach Dorf

History

While various Roman era bricks and coins have been discovered, the first record of Oberflachs is in 1342 as Obreflaht. Beginning in the Middle Ages Kasteln Castle ruled over the village and held the local low court. Initially the high court was held by the bailiwick of Schenkenberg. However, in 1460, the high court was acquired by the city of Bern. By 1607, the village is identified as a semi-independent municipality. In 1732, the village came fully under Bern's authority when Bern bought the Kasteln Castle and acquired the low court. Oberflachs was, like the whole Schenkenberger valley in the 18th century, a very poor municipality. Grain and vineyard cultivation were the major economic sources in the 17th century. However, in 1850, wine production collapsed because of phylloxera. The poverty and collapse of the wine industry forced many residents to emigrate overseas. Eventually, treatments were developed for vineyards and they began to recover. By 1990, vineyards covered a total of 22 hectares in the municipality. In 1960, the number of commuters exceeded the number of locals that worked in the municipality. However, the population continued to grow and in the 1970s several new housing districts were built. In 2005, agriculture provided 28% of the jobs in the community. A merger of Oberflachs with four municipalities failed in 2009 because Veltheim voters rejected the proposal. In addition to a Mesolithic shelter, a Neolithic settlement and two Roman villas indicate that the area was anciently inhabited. The city of Bern gained the rights to the low court in the village in 1460. Politically, the villagers gradually gained rights from their Zwingherr, and by 1547 they had a town charter. A village school opened in the 1600s. In 1654, a sulfur hot spring was…

Geography

The former municipalities that now make up Schinznach have a total combined area of .

Most-observed species

• Meadow Brown

  Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  15,023
• Annual Fleabane

  Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. · Magnoliopsida
  10,461
• Common Blue

  Polyommatus icarus (von Rottemburg, 1775) · Insecta
  8,750
• European roe deer

  Capreolus capreolus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Mammalia
  8,603
• Marbled White

  Melanargia galathea Linnaeus, 1758 · Insecta
  7,002
• Small Heath

  Coenonympha pamphilus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  5,876
• bow-winged grasshopper

  Chorthippus biguttulus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  4,781
• Meadow Grasshopper

  Pseudochorthippus parallelus (Zetterstedt, 1821) · Insecta
  3,793

Most recent

• M 3.7 — 2026-04-26
  4 km N of Quarten, Switzerland
• M 3.5 — 2024-06-27
  1 km SSW of Todtmoos, Germany
• M 4.2 — 2024-06-04
  2 km NNW of Unteriberg, Switzerland
• M 3.9 — 2022-09-10
  1 km WSW of Zimmersheim, France
• M 4.1 — 2021-12-24
  2 km WSW of Blamont, France
• M 4 — 2020-10-25
  5 km ESE of Ennenda, Switzerland