- Disambiguation: for the animated television series, see The Amazing Spiez!.
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| Population | 12,475 (Dec 2010)[1] | |||||||||
| - Density | 743 /km2 (1,926 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 16.69 km2 (6.44 sq mi)[2] | |||||||||
| Elevation | 607 m (1,991 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3700 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0768 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Franz Arnold | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Aeschi bei Spiez, Hilterfingen, Krattigen, Oberhofen am Thunersee, Reutigen, Sigriswil, Thun, Wimmis, Zwieselberg | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Prachatice (Czech Republic) | |||||||||
| Website | www.spiez.ch SFSO statistics |
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 Spiez
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Map of Spiez
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Spiez is a city in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
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Geography
Spiez has an area of 16.8 km2 (6.5 sq mi). Of this area, 38.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 29.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 29.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (3.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[3]
It is located at the south bank of Lake Thun. It comprises five villages (Bäuerte): Spiez, Einigen, Hondrich, Faulensee and Spiezwiler (formerly Wyler).
Demographics
Spiez has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 12,475.[1] As of 2007[update], 7.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 6.8%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (94.0%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common (1.1%) and French being third (0.8%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 32.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (21%), the Green Party (12.9%) and the FDP (11.8%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.3%. In Spiez about 77.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).
Spiez has an unemployment rate of 2.43%. As of 2005[update], there were 251 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 62 businesses involved in this sector. 856 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 98 businesses in this sector. 3572 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 412 businesses in this sector.[3]
Sights
The medieval castle in the town dates from the 15th and 16th Centuries. Visitors can visit the grand halls within the castle, including the Baroque Banquet Hall built in 1614.
The Hotel Belvédère in Spiez accommodated the German national football team during the 1954 World Cup (soccer) held in Switzerland. "The Spirit of Spiez", developed there among the players, is regarded as important factor that helped the German team to win the world championship.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Spiez |
- Spiez travel guide from Wikitravel
- Official web page of the municipality Spiez
- SPIEZ LABORATORY, the Swiss NBC-defence institute
- Spiez: Map and Photos
References
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB, online database – Datenwürfel für Thema 01.2 - Bevölkerungsstand und -bewegung (German) accessed 29 September
- ^ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 10-Jul-2009
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Spiez.
