Kirchberg is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

[3] Traces of prehistoric settlements in the area include Neolithic artifacts at Rüti, Bronze Age items at Emmenbett and La Tene era artifacts in Kirchberg village.

The village and its church are first mentioned in 994 when they were given to Selz Abbey in Alsace by the noble woman Adelheid, the grandmother of Emperor Otto III.

In 1278 Ulrich von Thornberg freed the Abbey's officials in Kirchberg from paying taxes and fortified the growing town.

[3] In 1398, Peter von Thornberg gave the town and surrounding bailiwick to the Carthusian Thorberg Chapterhouse.

[3] During the 18th century a number of entrepreneurs were driven out of Burgdorf and established factories in Kirchberg.

In 1765–68, the wealthy industrialist Johann Rudolf Tschiffelis built a manor house in Kirchberg.

The house was originally known as Duboisgut, but came to be called the Kleehof and is now a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The removal of these restrictions together with the creation of a trade association, a bank and the opening of the Kirchberg train station on the Burgdorf-Solothurn railroad in the 1870s created a booming economy.

A connection to the motorway fueled population growth, construction activity and new industries.

While Kirchberg has become an industrial and commercial town, the neighboring hamlet of Bütikofen has remained rural and agricultural with extensive forests.

It consists of the village of Kirchberg, a bridgehead on the banks of the Emme and the hamlet of Bütikofen.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Church Argent roofed Gules on a Mount of 3 Coupeaux Vert.

[10] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (4,769 or 90.9%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (159 or 3.0%) and Albanian is the third (61 or 1.2%).

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

The entire hamlet of Bütikofen is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

In the tertiary sector; 351 or 37.2% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 69 or 7.3% were in the movement and storage of goods, 34 or 3.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 70 or 7.4% were in the information industry, 22 or 2.3% were the insurance or financial industry, 119 or 12.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 59 or 6.3% were in education and 85 or 9.0% were in health care.

[10] From the 2000 census[update], 680 or 13.0% were Roman Catholic, while 3,681 or 70.2% 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.