Rüegsau is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern.

From the late 13th century until 1528 it was the location of Rüegsau Priory, a Benedictine nunnery.

The oldest trace of a settlement is a neolithic artifact discovered in Rüegsau village.

The first trace of a modern settlement is in the first half of the 12th century when Rüegsau Abbey was probably founded.

In 1528 the city of Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and in the same year secularized all monasteries including Rüegsau Abbey.

In 1763 a wooden, covered bridge was built over the Emme river connecting Hasle bei Burgdorf and Rüegsau.

The railroad combined with the expansion of the Emmental road in 1899, brought factories to the formerly rural village.

Today the services sector has surpassed industry, but agriculture and manufacturing are still an important part of the local economy.

Of rest of the municipality 1.29 km2 (0.50 sq mi) or 8.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.13 km2 (32 acres) or 0.9% is either rivers or lakes.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per pale Gules a Latin Cross pattee couped Argent and of the last a Bend wavy Azure.

[9] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (2,861 or 97.5%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (13 or 0.4%) and French is the third (12 or 0.4%).

In 2012, single family homes made up 41.2% of the total housing in the municipality.

[14] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][15][16] The headquarters of the company Blaser Swisslube AG, one of the leading manufacturers cooling agents and lubricants for industrial purposes, are located in the municipality of Rüegsau.

In the tertiary sector; 229 or 50.4% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 22 or 4.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 33 or 7.3% were in a hotel or restaurant, 10 or 2.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 22 or 4.8% were technical professionals or scientists, 39 or 8.6% were in education and 68 or 15.0% were in health care.

[21] The Holzbrücke (wooden bridge) is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The main attraction is the wooden bridge over the Emme between the municipalities of Hasle bei Burgdorf and Rüegsau.

With 58.5 meters (192 ft) length, it is probably the largest wooden arch bridge in Europe.

Rüegsau shares a train station with its neighboring village Hasle bei Burgdorf called Hasle-Rüegsau.

[23] From the 2000 census[update], 2,397 or 81.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 152 or 5.2% 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.