[4] The earliest trace of humans in Büren are scattered neolithic and La Tene items.

The Roman era road between Aventicum and Salodurum (Solothurn) runs through the area that would become the municipality.

Roman ruins include part of the road and a milestone at Bürenmoos, a canal at Burgweg and what may have been a country estate on Kirchmatt.

In 1345, financial difficulties forced Imer of Strassberg to pledge some rights in the town to Solothurn.

After Imer's death the town was inherited by the Counts of Neu-Kyburg, who then sold it to Austria.

During the Sempach War, Büren was besieged and captured by Bern and in 1388 it was placed under joint Bern-Solothurn control.

In 1393, the captured land was finally divided and Büren became the capital of a new Bernese bailiwick.

In 1620-25 Büren Castle was built on the main street as the official residence of the Bernese bailiff.

[3] The oldest part of the town church of St. Catherine is the choir from the third quarter of the 13th century.

In 1478, the salt, iron, steel, wool and linen markets came under Bernese control.

The town had both a market square and docks on the Aare as well as inns and warehouses to encourage traders to come to Büren.

Starting in the 15th century, the town began operating mountain pastures, a dairy and a cheese-maker as a fief of the Prince-Bishop of Basel.

After the Act of Mediation and the Congress of Vienna the district remained as a part of the Canton of Bern.

No major railway line passes through it and water transportation had declined in importance.

The Nidau-Büren channel, built in 1868–75, helped protect the town from flooding and opened up new agricultural land.

During World War II it was the site of the largest refugee camp in Switzerland.

It consists of the town of Büren an der Aare, the surrounding agricultural villages of Scheuren, Gummen and Oberbüren, the new developments of Rütifeld and Ziegelei (Gewerbezone), scattered farm houses and since 1911 Reiben.

[8] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules a Bear paw Argent issuant from chief sinister.

[13][14] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (2,800 or 91.0%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (51 or 1.7%) and French is the third (38 or 1.2%).

[15] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][17] Büren Castle is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The entire old town of Büren an der Aare is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

In the tertiary sector; 122 or 21.8% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 41 or 7.3% were in the movement and storage of goods, 76 or 13.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 16 or 2.9% were the insurance or financial industry, 87 or 15.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 28 or 5.0% were in education and 84 or 15.0% were in health care.

[14] From the 2000 census[update], 419 or 13.6% were Roman Catholic, while 2,123 or 69.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude.

Following the lower Secondary students may attend additional schooling or they may enter an apprenticeship.

[24] During the 2009–10 school year, there were a total of 370 students attending classes in Büren an der Aare.

[26] In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the Swiss Criminal Code (running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Büren an der Aare was 47 per thousand residents.