It is situated in the upper Emmental between BernAzmeer House It has about 9,000 inhabitants and is the most important market place in the region.

The first mention of the name Langnau (German lange Au or Lanngnouw meaning long pasture/meadow) dates to 1139.

A Benedictine monastery was established in Trub in 1130, and it held ownership of large tracts of land.

After the Battle of Sempach in 1386, where the Swiss Confederation defeated the troops led by Duke Leopold III of Habsburg, the Bernese established their authority over the area.

In 1653, there was a farmers' insurrection due to the economic crisis after the end of the Thirty Years' War and the persecution of the Anabaptists (Mennonites).

[6] The widely spread municipality is located on both sides of the Ilfis river and stretches to Napf mountain.

It consists of the village of Langnau im Emmental and the hamlets that make up the seven parts of the Langnau parish; Langnau-Dorf, Frittenbach, Ilfis, Hühnerbach, Grossviertel (including Bärau), Rigenen and Gohl as well as about 20 alpine herding camps and meadows.

[7] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules three Fir Trees Vert trunked Or issuant from a Mount of 3 Coupeaux of the second.

[10] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (8,612 or 94.1%) as their first language, Albanian is the second most common (133 or 1.5%) and Italian is the third (80 or 0.9%).

[12] Of the population in the municipality, 3,765 or about 41.2% were born in Langnau im Emmental and lived there in 2000.

[15] The historical population is given in the following chart:[4][16][17] The farm house Dürsrüti, the Chüechli House and the Swiss Reformed church are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The entire urbanized village of Langnau im Emmental is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

[19] The economy of Langnau is broad-based, including manufacturing, trade, tourism, and agriculture, particularly dairy farming.

The commercial sector is characterized by agriculture and forestry, wood-processing companies, a factory for fresh, processed and fondue cheese production, a meat processing center with a modern slaughterhouse, as well as small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.

The number of jobs in the primary sector was 351, of which 349 were in agriculture and 2 were in forestry or lumber production.

In the tertiary sector; 666 or 26.1% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 125 or 4.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 135 or 5.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 46 or 1.8% were in the information industry, 76 or 3.0% were the insurance or financial industry, 131 or 5.1% were technical professionals or scientists, 104 or 4.1% were in education and 1,001 or 39.3% were in health care.

[25] From the 2000 census[update], 6,774 or 74.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 668 or 7.3% were Roman Catholic.

Langnau also is home to the oldest still worshiping evangelical church that is independent of the government.

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.

[26] During the 2011-12 school year, there were a total of 1,156 students attending classes in Langnau im Emmental.

A total of 2 students from Langnau im Emmental attended schools outside Switzerland.

[28] Langnau is known throughout Switzerland as a hockey town and is home to the SCL Tigers, which play in the National League (NL).