Wimmis

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Wimmis: a small Swiss municipality in Bern

Where it is
- Wimmis is a municipality in the canton of Bern, Switzerland.
- It sits at the entrance to the Simmental valley, between the Simmenfluh and Burgfluh rivers, near the town of Spiez.
- The area covers about 22.3 square kilometers and includes the village of Wimmis plus small settlements such as Oberdorf, Brodhüsi, Hasli and Burgholz.
- The landscape has forests, farmland, and some built areas. The Niesen mountain is nearby.

History in brief
- Wimmis was first mentioned in the year 994 as Windemis.
- A castle, Wimmis Castle, was built in the Middle Ages and changed hands several times. Bern bought the castle and district in 1449.
- The castle town burned in 1708 and was rebuilt; the castle remains a local landmark.
- The castle church of St. Martin dates back to the 10th century and became Protestant in 1527.
- In the 19th and 20th centuries, the railway and industry helped Wimmis grow. A gunpowder factory opened in 1919 and later became Nitrochemie Wimmis, a major deacidification facility.
- During the Cold War, Switzerland stored uranium in Wimmis as part of its defense program.

Geography and nature
- Wimmis lies at the entrance to the Simmental and reaches up toward the Niesen mountain (up to 2,362 meters).
- The municipality is about 629 meters above sea level.
- It includes forests (about 43% of the land), agricultural land, and a small amount of settled area.

People and language
- Population: about 2,600 people (as of 2020).
- Most residents speak German.
- A small number are foreign-born.

Heritage and sights
- The village church, the Letzi Spissi fortifications, and Wimmis Castle are listed as national heritage sites.
- The entire village is part of the Swiss Heritage Sites.
- The area is known for its historic church and castle, as well as scenic countryside.

Economy and transport
- Wimmis has a very low unemployment rate (around 1.9% in the early 2010s).
- Many people work outside the village; local jobs are in manufacturing, agriculture, and services.
- The Spiez–Zweisimmen railway line serves Wimmis with two stations: Wimmis and Eifeld, making it easy to travel to nearby towns.

Education and culture
- The local school system follows the Canton of Bern structure: Kindergarten, Primary, and Lower Secondary.
- In the 2011–2012 school year, about 309 students attended classes in Wimmis.
- Dorfbibliothek Wimmis is the village library, with thousands of books and items loaned each year.

Climate
- From 1981 to 2010, Wimmis averaged about 1,400 mm of precipitation each year, with roughly 139 days of rain or snow.
- July is the wettest month; February is typically the driest.

Notes
- Wimmis is a quiet, historic municipality with a strong connection to its castle, church, and railway past, set in a scenic Bernese landscape.