Mühleberg

Mühleberg is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Mühleberg is first mentioned in 1011–16 as Mulinberg. There are several Hallstatt era grave mounds around Mühleberg; the most important is the so-called Unghürhubel (monster hill). At Unghürhubel in 1869, an ornamented choker made of heavy gold plate and a gold bracelet or strip with four rows with half-moon shapes were discovered. A number of other less valuable artifacts and metal items were probably destroyed during the excavation. The church and village of Mühleberg belonged to a cadet branch of the von Buch family starting in 1387. It was then owned by the Brüggler family (starting in 1440) and the Herren family (in 1579), who sold it to Bern in 1599. It was combined with several other small estates and placed under the bailiwick of Laupen. St. Martin's Church was first mentioned in 1224, though it was originally a romanesque aisleless church from the 11th century. The church tower was from the 12th century. It was expanded in 1523–24 with a new choir and became the parish church of a large parish. After the Protestant Reformation, the parish included Frauenkappelen. The hydroelectric plant was built in 1917–21, which created Lake Wohlen. The Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant was built in 1967–71. Both plants provide power to Bern. Following the Chernobyl disaster, public opinion swung against the power plant. In 1992, a public referendum in the canton of Bern rejected granting an unlimited operating license to the power plant, with 51% voting against. In 2003, 68% of the population rejected the initiative named Strom ohne Atom, that proposed that the plant should be shut down in 2005 to be replaced by non-nuclear power generation. A similar proposal at cantonal level had already been rejected in 2000 by 64% of voters. The two power plants remain the largest employers in the municipality. Gümmenen was the site of a medieval castle and village on the banks of the Saane river.