Homberg, Bern

Homberg (Swiss Standard German pronunciation: [ˈhɔmbɛrɡ] ) is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Originally the small farming villages that make up Homberg were part of the Herrschaft of Heimberg under the House of Kyburg. After a failed raid on Solothurn on 11 November 1382 and the resulting Burgdorferkrieg, the Kyburgs lost most of their lands, including Homberg, to Bern in 1384. Under Bernese rule it was part of the Steffisburg court under the Thun District. Religiously it was part of the parish of Steffisburg until 1936 when it joined the Buchen parish. Traditionally the farmers of the villages practiced seasonal alpine herding with limited farming on the high valley floor. During the 18th and 19th centuries there was a small pottery industry in the municipality. In the late 20th and into the 21st centuries many of the residents commuted to jobs in Thun, while many of the remainder worked in tourism. The municipality has both a primary and secondary school which are located in three school houses. Homberg has an area of 6.51 km (2.51 sq mi).