The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the

canton of Bern The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers

Emme Emme may refer to: People: * Ivan Fyodorovich Emme (1763–1839), Russian lieutenant general in the Napoleonic Wars * Otto J. Emme, American politician and World War I veteran * Emme Gerhard (1872–1946), American photographer * Emme Rylan, Am ...

and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dairy farming. The principal settlements are the town of Burgdorf and the village of Langnau. Comprising Burgdorf, Trachselwald, and Signau

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s in the canton of Bern, the Emmental became part of the Emmental-Oberaargau administrative region on 1 January 2010. The district of

Fraubrunnen Fraubrunnen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Büren zum Hof, Etzelkofen, Grafenried, Limpach, Mülchi, Schalunen and Zaug ...

is divided between Emmental and Bern-Mittelland.

Geography

The region comprises relatively low mountains on the right bank of the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about , during which distance it descend ...

. It includes the basins of the Emme and the Ilfis between Burgdorf and the boundary with the canton of Solothurn. Its principal elevation is the

Napf The Napf is a mountain on the border between the Swiss cantons of Bern and Lucerne. With an altitude of , it is the summit of the Napfgebiet (Napf region), the hilly region lying between Bern and Lucerne. It is counted geologically as part of th ...

, a mountain massif dominating the northwestern part of the

Emmental Alps The Emmental Alps (german: Emmentaler Alpen) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. They are located north-west of the Brünig Pass, mainly in the cantons of Lucerne, Bern, and Obwalden, with a small portion in ...

. The landscape is dominated by meadows and pastureland, with forest interspersed.

Economy

The original Emmental cheese is produced there, and the dairy industry still dominates the local economy. Pottery from the region is also prized, and the ceramics of the region have endured practically unchanged since the 17th century. Tourism has had less impact on the region than on other parts of Switzerland.

Culture

The novelist Jeremias Gotthelf (1797–1854) was a pastor in the Emmental and wrote about the region. The Emmental also played a dominant role in the history of the Mennonites.

Architecture

The typical Emmental farmhouse has a steep roof with a large overhang that almost reaches the ground.

References

External links