Oberaargau
The Oberaargau is the region that encompasses the upper watershed of the Aar River in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On the north, lie the Jura Mountains, and on the south the hills leading to the Emmental.
Administratively, the Oberaargau forms a district within the region Emmental-Oberaargau of the canton of Bern.
Historically, the Oberaargau comprised the two administrative districts of Wangen and Aarwangen.
Geography
It lies in the extreme northeast corner of the canton and includes the districts of Aarwangen and Wangen, and part of the district of Trachselwald. It is surrounded by the cantons of Solothurn, Aargau, and Lucerne. It is connected to the rest of the canton of Bern only in the south, where it borders on the Emmenthal.The Oberaargau lies on the Swiss Plateau between the large population centers of Bern and Zürich and has therefore become a major thoroughfare for traffic running both east and west and north and south. The Aar River traverses it from west to east, and the primary motorway of Switzerland and the main Bern-Zürich railway run through it, making it a central transport region.
The primary city is Langenthal, and the towns of Herzogenbuchsee, Wangen, and Aarwangen are important transportation centers. Since the building of the motorway, the primary economic development has taken place in the north, at the foot of the Jura Mountains, particularly in the towns of Wiedlisbach and Niederbipp.
The highest point in the Oberaargaus is the Höllchöpfli in the municipality of Rumisberg, at 1231 meters, and the lowest point is on the Aare at Wynau, at 405 meters.
Administrative district
The Oberaargau District in the Canton of Bern was created on January 1, 2010. It is part of the Emmental-Oberaargau administrative region and includes 45 municipalities over an area. As of, its population is.| Border | Name | Population | Area in km2 |
| Image:CHE Aarwangen COA.svg|35px|Aarwangen | Aarwangen | ||
| Image:CHE Attiswil COA.svg|35px|Attiswil | Attiswil | ||
| Image:CHE Auswil COA.svg|35px|Auswil | Auswil | ||
| Image:CHE Bannwil COA.svg|35px|Bannwil | Bannwil | ||
| Image:CHE Berken COA.svg|35px|Berken | Berken | ||
| Image:CHE Bettenhausen COA.svg|35px|Bettenhausen | Bettenhausen | ||
| Image:CHE Bleienbach COA.svg|35px|Bleienbach | Bleienbach | ||
| Image:CHE Busswil bei Melchnau COA.svg|35px|Busswil bei Melchnau | Busswil bei Melchnau | ||
| Image:CHE Eriswil COA.svg|35px|Eriswil | Eriswil | ||
| Image:CHE Farnern COA.svg|35px|Farnern | Farnern | ||
| Image:CHE Gondiswil COA.svg|35px|Gondiswil | Gondiswil | ||
| Image:CHE Graben BE COA.svg|35px|Graben | Graben | ||
| Image:CHE Heimenhausen COA.svg|35px|Heimenhausen | Heimenhausen | ||
| Image:CHE Herzogenbuchsee COA.svg|35px|Herzogenbuchsee | Herzogenbuchsee | ||
| Image:CHE Huttwil COA.svg|35px|Huttwil | Huttwil | ||
| Image:CHE Inkwil COA.svg|35px|Inkwil | Inkwil | ||
| Image:CHE Langenthal COA.svg|35px|Langenthal | Langenthal | ||
| Image:CHE Lotzwil COA.svg|35px|Lotzwil | Lotzwil | ||
| Image:CHE Madiswil COA.svg|35px|Madiswil | Madiswil | ||
| Image:CHE Melchnau COA.svg|35px|Melchnau | Melchnau | ||
| Image:CHE Niederbipp COA.svg|35px|Niederbipp | Niederbipp | ||
| Image:CHE Niederönz COA.svg|35px|Niederönz | Niederönz | ||
| Image:CHE Oberbipp COA.svg|35px|Oberbipp | Oberbipp | ||
| Image:CHE Ochlenberg COA.svg|35px|Ochlenberg | Ochlenberg | ||
| Image:CHE Oeschenbach COA.svg|35px|Oeschenbach | Oeschenbach | ||
| Image:CHE Reisiswil COA.svg|35px|Reisiswil | Reisiswil | ||
| Image:CHE Roggwil BE COA.svg|35px|Roggwil | Roggwil | ||
| Image:CHE Rohrbach COA.svg|35px|Rohrbach | Rohrbach | ||
| Image:CHE Rohrbachgraben COA.svg|35px|Rohrbachgraben | Rohrbachgraben | ||
| Image:CHE Rumisberg COA.svg|35px|Rumisberg | Rumisberg | ||
| Image:CHE Rütschelen COA.svg|35px|Rütschelen | Rütschelen | ||
| Image:CHE Schwarzhäusern COA.svg|35px|Schwarzhäusern | Schwarzhäusern | ||
| Image:CHE Seeberg COA.svg|35px|Seeberg | Seeberg | ||
| Image:CHE Thörigen COA.svg|35px|Thörigen | Thörigen | ||
| Image:CHE Thunstetten COA.svg|35px|Thunstetten | Thunstetten | ||
| Image:CHE Ursenbach COA.svg|35px|Ursenbach | Ursenbach | ||
| Image:CHE Walliswil bei Niederbipp COA.svg|35px|Walliswil bei Niederbipp | Walliswil bei Niederbipp | ||
| Image:CHE Walliswil bei Wangen COA.svg|35px|Walliswil bei Wangen | Walliswil bei Wangen | ||
| Image:CHE Walterswil BE COA.svg|35px|Walterswil | Walterswil | ||
| Image:CHE Wangen an der Aare COA.svg|35px|Wangen an der Aare | Wangen an der Aare | ||
| Image:CHE Wiedlisbach COA.svg|35px|Wiedlisbach | Wiedlisbach | ||
| Image:CHE Wynau COA.svg|35px|Wynau | Wynau | ||
| Image:CHE Wyssachen COA.svg|35px|Wyssachen | Wyssachen | ||
| Total |
Mergers
- On 1 January 2021 the former municipality of Obersteckholz merged into Langenthal.
- On 1 January 2024 the former municipality of Wangenried merged into Wangen an der Aare.
History
In the High Middle Ages, the area was divided among the counts of Froburg, Aarwangen, Zähringen.
As the political influence of the city of Bern increased in the late Middle Ages, the Oberaargau came more and more into its sphere of influence. In the 15th century, Bern conquered both the Oberaargau and the Unteraargau and ruled them as one.
When Bern lost its old power in 1798, the Unteraargau became the modern canton of Aargau. The boundary between the Oberaargau and Unteraargau was fixed in 1798 along the Wigger River. In 1802, however, it was shifted west to Murg river. This action was confirmed by the Act of Mediation of Napoleon in 1803 and the Congress of Vienna in 1815.