[3] The area around Gampelen was home to several mesolithic, neolithic and Bronze Age settlements.

One of the largest was a Late Bronze Age lake front settlement on Witzwil Island.

[3] During the Middle Ages and Early Modern era, Gampelen was surrounded by extensive vineyards.

Several residents grew wealthy from the vineyards and built large mansions or manor houses in the village.

The Jura water correction project of 1874-83 drained the marshy meadows around the village.

The railway allowed the village's agricultural products to reach distant markets.

The town of Gampelen has a long, thin shape, and has a railway station on the Bern-Neuenburg line of the BLS.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules a Bittern head erased Or.

[10] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (689 or 84.9%) as their first language, French is the second most common (93 or 11.5%) and Portuguese is the third (7 or 0.9%).

[12] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][13] The Rectory is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

In the federal election, a total of 238 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 42.2%.

[10] There were 402 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.0% of the workforce.

[10] From the 2000 census[update], 103 or 12.7% were Roman Catholic, while 556 or 68.5% 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.

[18] During the 2010–11 school year, there were a total of 60 students attending classes in Gampelen.

It is also the largest farm in Switzerland with a total agricultural land area of 612 hectares.