View source for Emmental

{{Short description|Valley in Switzerland}}
{{For-multi|the cheese made in the region|Emmental cheese|the administrative district| Emmental (administrative district)}}
[[File:Emmentaler Bauernhof.jpg|300px|thumb|A farmhouse in the Emmental]]

The '''Emmental''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɛməntaːl|-|De-Emmental.ogg}}, {{langx|en|Emme Valley}})<ref>{{cite book |last1=Umlauft |first1=Friedrich |title=The Alps |date=1889 |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench & Co. |location=London |page=202}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ehrstine |first1=Glenn |title=Theater, Culture, and Community in Reformation Bern: 1523–1555 |date=2002 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |page=73}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Teller |first1=Matthew |title=The Rough Guide to Switzerland |date=2003 |publisher=Rough Guides |location=London |page=262}}</ref> is a valley in west-central [[Switzerland]], forming part of the [[canton of Bern]]. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers [[Emme (river)|Emme]] and [[Ilfis (river)|Ilfis]]. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dairy farming. The principal settlements are the town of [[Burgdorf, Switzerland|Burgdorf]] and the village of [[Langnau im Emmental|Langnau]].

Comprising [[Burgdorf District|Burgdorf]], [[Trachselwald (district)|Trachselwald]], and [[Signau (district)|Signau]] [[districts of Switzerland|district]]s in the canton of Bern, the Emmental became part of the [[Emmental-Oberaargau]] administrative region on 1 January 2010. The district of [[Fraubrunnen (district)|Fraubrunnen]] is divided between Emmental and [[Bern-Mittelland]].

==Geography==
{{Further|Bernese Mittelland|Swiss Plateau}}
The region comprises relatively low mountains on the right bank of the [[Aare]]. It includes the basins of the Emme and the Ilfis between Burgdorf and the boundary with the canton of [[Solothurn (canton)|Solothurn]]. Its principal elevation is the [[Napf]], a mountain massif dominating the northwestern part of the [[Emmental Alps]].

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==
[[File:BauernhausEmmental.jpg|thumb|Emmental farmhouse]]

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 (architecture)|overhang]] that almost reaches the ground.

==See also==
*[[Napfgebiet]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Emmental, Switzerland}}
*{{HDS|8495}}
*[http://www.emmental.ch/ Homepage Emmental Tourism]

{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|46.98494|N|7.76321|E|region:CH-BE_source:placeopedia|display=title}}

[[Category:Valleys of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Valleys of the Alps]]
[[Category:Landforms of the canton of Bern]]


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