Muri Bei Bern - History

History

Muri is first mentioned in 1180 as Mure while Gümligen appears in 1239 as Gumelingen or Gumlingin Archaeological finds at Schlosshügel, unearthed in 1832, show that Muri was already settled in the era of the Roman Empire. The earliest documentary evidence for the name was in 1180, when a clergyman named Burkhard made transactions with wealthy residents.

At that time Muri belonged to the dominion of Geristein, which in 1298 was conquered by the city of Bern. The holdings consisted of the four so-called parishes Bolligen, Muri, Stettlen, and Vechigen. As the emerging Bern conquered the territories, it left the municipalities untouched, beginning the long-standing tradition of municipal autonomy.

In the course of the centuries the residents of the municipality lived in relative stability, in which the major changes in European and Swiss history seemed to pass them by. Major structural and commercial changes began to take place in the beginning of the 20th century. It followed industrialization and the trains from the city to the countryside. In the decade between 1920 and 1930, the municipal population grew from 2435 to 3938, or 62%.