During the
Ancien Régime Bern acquired the rural
bailiwicks or counties of
Aarberg,
Büren an der Aare,
Erlach and
Nidau from the estates of the Lords of Aarberg-Valangin, Strassberg-Büren, Nidau and the Counts of Neuchâtel. Between 1595 and 1628 they were combined militarily into the so-called
Seefähnchen. However, they were politically separate. It was not until 1783-84 that Johann Friedrich von Ryhiner's administrative compendium of the Bernese State presented the four counties as a united region. The Bernese Seeland expanded in 1815 when the city of
Biel/Bienne and the surrounding lands of the
Prince-Bishop of Basel were given to the Canton of Bern. During the
Helvetic Republic (1798–1803), the borders of the Seeland shrunk to the
Amt of Erlach and portions of the Amts of Nidau and Aarberg. Between 1803 and 1815 it was a
Grand Council of Bern election district with the Amts of
Fraubrunnen and Wangen and portions of the Amts of Bern and Burgdorf. Between 1850 and 1918 it formed a
National Council of Switzerland constituency, made up of Laupen and Biel. From 1869 to 1921 it was again a Grand Council of Bern election district made up of the Amts of Biel, Aarberg, Laupen and the northern portion of Bern. In 2010, the Seeland region was created with the Districts of Biel and Seeland. The new Seeland district (
Verwaltungskreise) was made up of all or part of the former districts of
Aarberg,
Büren,
Erlach and
Nidau The Bernese Seeland consists of two differing landscapes. The lake shore areas were occupied as far back as the
Neolithic, such as the
UNESCO World Heritage Site pile dwellings at
Twann from about 3800 BC. The lake shore areas were easily settled and fishing dominated the local economies. During the
Middle Ages vineyards were added on the slopes of the
Jura Mountains above the lakes. In contrast, the plains and the
Grosses Moos swamp were crossed by meandering rivers like the Aare and
Thielle which frequently flooded making the land hostile to settlements. The villages on the edges of the swamp, used the swamp mainly for grazing. However, following the Jura water correction projects the bogs were drained and the formerly useless swamps became excellent farming land. ==Images==