Stettlen

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Stettlen is a small municipality in the Bern-Mittelland district of the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It covers about 3.5 square kilometers and sits in the Worblen valley between the Bantiger and Dentenberg mountains. The population was around 3,160 people in 2020, and most residents speak German.

Stettlen has a long history. It was first mentioned in 1146 as Stetelon. Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric settlements nearby, including La Tène graves near Bleichestrasse and a Roman site at Deisswil. In the Middle Ages there was a small castle at Schwandiholz. Stettlen was the smallest parish serving Bern and remained tied to Bern until 1798.

The village church of St. Blaise dates back to the 9th century, with the current church built in 1729-30. Over time, Stettlen shifted from farming to industry and housing, becoming part of Bern’s urban area. In the 18th century, Deisswilgut manor and mill were built, and along the Worblen river factories for fulling, bleaching and dyeing appeared from 1757. A blasting cap factory opened in 1846, followed by a large cardboard factory in 1876 (Karton Deisswil AG). This factory grew to be Switzerland’s largest cardboard producer for a time.

In the late 20th century the area moved toward housing and industry, and farms declined. By 2003 only eleven farms remained. Today Stettlen has two schools for primary and secondary students. The municipality includes the village of Stettlen, the Deisswil industrial park, and the small hamlet of Utzlenberg. About half of the land is used for farming, about a quarter is forest, and the rest is settled areas with buildings and roads. The rivers in the area are flowing water, with no lakes.

Stettlen joined the Bern-Mittelland district in 2010 after the old district was dissolved. The coat of arms shows a gold field with a red ploughshare. In the 2011 federal election, the most popular party was the BDP, followed by the SVP, SPS and FDP. Many residents commute to Bern for work.