Habkern is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

The municipality includes the settlements of Bohlseiten, Bort, Schwendi and Mittelbäuert.

The name Habkern comes from the Old High German word habuh (“hawk”) and the ending -arra, indicating that something is in large numbers.

It was held briefly by the Habsburg family in Austria before they granted it to Interlaken Monastery.

In 1528, the city of Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and began imposing it on the Bernese Oberland.

By 1538, a traveling pastor preached one sermon a month in the filial church in Habkern.

[3] Traditionally, the village economy relied on farming on the valley floors and seasonal alpine herding in the mountain meadows.

The scattered farms combined into four Bäuerten (“farmers’ collectives”) to manage alpine meadows.

As mechanization allowed farms to operate with fewer workers, many residents were forced to move to the cities of the Swiss Plateau or emigrate to Germany or the United States.

By the 20th century, there was some tourism in the municipality, and two hotels, several vacation homes and a ski lift were built.

Habkern lies in the Bernese Oberland at the edge of the Emmental, which flows from the Hohngant massif.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Argent on a rock Azure an Accipiter statant proper.

[10] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (616 or 98.7%) as their first language, French is the second most common (1 or 0.2%) and English is the third (1 or 0.2%).

In the tertiary sector, nine or 23.7% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, seven or 18.4% were in the movement and storage of goods, 10 or 26.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, eight or 21.1% were in education.

[10] From the 2000 census[update], 17 or 2.7% were Roman Catholic, while 535 or 85.7% 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.