Oberwangen. Foto/Photo: TES

Oberwangen, small village, interesting history

Centuries before and after the beginning of the Roman occupation (15-13 BC), a trade route already ran from the port of Morges-St.-Sulpice (on Lake Geneva) through the Wangental to Oberer Hauenstein.. This road through the Wangental and today’s Oberwangen (Canton Bern) was an important transport artery.

There were various manor houses in Roman times. The Burgundians , Alemans and romanised Celts inhabited the area in the 5th and 6th centuries. Oberwangen was first mentioned in a document in 1248. At that time, the name Wangen meant field or marshy hill.

Around 1200, the von Egerdon family, vasals of the Counts of Neuchâtel, owned large parts of the Wangen Valley. The family sold the entire area, including the castle, to the Teutonic Order in 1312. Bern subsequently acquired the valley and Oberwangen. The centuries-old chapel disappeared during the Reformation in 1528. It was not until 1911 that a new church was built in Oberwangen.

During the Battle of Neuenegg in 1798, French troops advanced as far as Oberwangen. However, they were thrown back to Neuegg. In vain, the surrender after the defeat at Grauholz sealed the end of the fighting and the downfall of Bern and the Ancien Regime.

(Source and further information: Gemeinde Könitz/ Oberwangen)