Ins is first mentioned in 1009 as
Anestre. In 1179 it was mentioned as
Anes. The area around Ins has been inhabited since at least the
Iron Age. On Schaltenrain hill, individual graves and groups of
grave mounds have been found stretching over of the hill. At least four different sites have been discovered. The first excavation was carried out under the direction of Gustav von Bonstetten in 1848, who placed his discoveries in the
Historical Museum of Berne. In the following year, Emanuel F. Müller excavated other sites on the hill. The third large excavation was in 1908-09 under Jakob Heierli, who placed his finds in the Museum Schwab in
Bienne. Due to the number and variety of artifacts, smaller sites and individual items continue to be discovered. Bonstetten's excavations discovered a minimum of ten grave mounds, in height, arraigned in a line. The sixth mound contained two
Hallstatt "wagon graves" (graves containing wagons or parts of a wagon) from the 7th century BC. Golden objects found in this mound and other nearby mounds show an
Etruscan influence or were produced on the Italian peninsula and traded. In addition to gold and the wagons, jewelry made from glass, amber, lignite, pearls and bronze were found. An early
La Tène iron sword from the 5th century BC was also found. The richness of the finds and the relatively long settlement duration indicates that this was a wealthy and successful settlement that traded with the
Mediterranean. During the
Roman era there was a wide band of settlements that stretched from the
Grosses Moos marsh up into the
vineyard covered hills. A
Roman road ran through the march and connected the settlements with the Roman towns of the
Swiss Plateau. During the
Middle Ages Fenis Castle, the seat of the Counts of Fenis, was built on the Hasenburg which is now part of the municipality of Ins. During the
Late Middle Ages the village was part of the
Herrschaft of Erlach. During the
Burgundian Wars, the village along with the Herrschaft of Erlach was annexed by
Bern. Under the new Bernese
Bailiwick of Erlach, Ins remained an important regional administration center. The former village church of St. Mary was first mentioned as a
romanesque building in 1228. However, since it was located close to an early medieval cemetery, it was probably built over or near an earlier church. It was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries. The church's
patronage rights were held by the
Cathedral of Bern until the
Protestant Reformation ended it in the 16th century. Historically the village was surrounded by extensive
vineyards. The nearby Grosses Moos marsh was a source of
peat from the 18th until the early 20th century. The village was a regional administration and financial center. The old
Rathaus was used as the seat of the
low court until it burned down in 1848. The village
Landgerichtsplatz held the stone
Landstuhl for the
Landvogt and benches for his court. A
tithe barn was built in 1680 for the
parish. During the 17th and 18th century wealthy landowners built elegant manor houses in the village, including the Schlössli, Lilienhof, Altes Spital and Wagnerhaus. ==Geography==