Oberthal is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

[3] The oldest trace of a settlement in the area is the ruins of a castle on the Chnubel spur.

The scattered villages and farms had a number of landlords including the Counts of Kyburg and the Herrschaft of Signau.

In 1529, Bern gained control over the entire valley and made it part of the new district of Signau.

Additionally, over half of all residents commute to jobs in Bern or surrounding towns.

[5] The municipality lacks a central village, instead it is made up of scattered settlements and farm houses on the Blasenfluh above the Kiesental (Kiesen Valley).

On the following day, 1 January 2010, it joined the newly created Verwaltungskreis Bern-Mittelland.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Argent seven Mullets of Five, three and four, and a Mount of 3 Coupeaux Vert.

[9] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (795 or 99.4%) as their first language, French is the second most common (2 or 0.3%) and English is the third (2 or 0.3%).

[9] There were 437 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 37.3% of the workforce.

[9] From the 2000 census[update], 692 or 86.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 25 or 3.1% were Roman Catholic.

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.

[17] During the 2010–11 school year, there were a total of 70 students attending classes in Oberthal.