Map - Kirchberg, Bern (Kirchberg (BE))

Kirchberg is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Kirchberg is first mentioned in 994 and again in 1182 as Chilcberc. In 1704 the village of Guetisberg (now part of Heimiswil) separated from Kirchberg. In 1911 Bickigen separated from Kirchberg and became part of Wynigen. In 1953 Rumendingen separated from Kirchberg.

Traces of prehistoric settlements in the area include Neolithic artifacts at Rüti, Bronze Age items at Emmenbett and La Tene era artifacts in Kirchberg village. No prehistoric villages have been found in the municipality. The village and its church are first mentioned in 994 when they were given to Selz Abbey in Alsace by the noble woman Adelheid, the grandmother of Emperor Otto III. In the 13th century the Barons of Thornberg were the vogts over the bailiwick of Kirchberg. In 1278 Ulrich von Thornberg freed the Abbey's officials in Kirchberg from paying taxes and fortified the growing town. Five years later, in 1283, he got King Rudolph I to grant Kirchberg a town charter based on Bern's charter and to allow the town to hold a weekly market. Ulrich was also able to get complete jurisdiction over the town from the King. However, the new town remained small and never produced the hoped for money.

In 1398, Peter von Thornberg gave the town and surrounding bailiwick to the Carthusian Thorberg Chapterhouse. The Carthusians, in turn, gave the town back to Selz Abbey in 1406. In 1429 the Abbey sold the bailiwick to Bern and in 1481 Bern acquired the rest of Selz Abbey's possessions in the area, including Kirchberg town. In 1471, the town was placed under the authority of the office of the Schultheiss of Burgdorf.

The village church appears to have been part of the gift in 994, but was first mentioned by name in 1208. The church had widespread tithing rights and managed a large parish. The current church building was built in 1506-7.

During the 18th century a number of entrepreneurs were driven out of Burgdorf and established factories in Kirchberg. A bleaching plant opened in 1765, followed by an Indienne textile printing plant in 1784. A wholesale business opened in the town before 1750. In 1765-68, the wealthy industrialist Johann Rudolf Tschiffelis built a manor house in Kirchberg. The house was originally known as Duboisgut, but came to be called the Kleehof and is now a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Between 1816 and 1843, Burgdorf actively prevented Birchberg from holding markets. The removal of these restrictions together with the creation of a trade association, a bank and the opening of the Kirchberg train station on the Burgdorf-Solothurn railroad in the 1870s created a booming economy. A textile mill opened in 1871, followed by a consumer coop in 1872 and in 1890 an aluminum rolling mill and a weaving factory in Wydenhof. In 1945 a plan to build an airport in the town was finally abandoned. Twenty years later the A1 motorway was built near the town. A connection to the motorway fueled population growth, construction activity and new industries. While Kirchberg has become an industrial and commercial town, the neighboring hamlet of Bütikofen has remained rural and agricultural with extensive forests.