Beinwil (Freiamt)
Encyclopedia
Beinwil is a municipality
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...

 in the district of Muri
Muri (district)
Muri District is a district in the Swiss Canton of Aargau with the administrative capital of Muri. It covers the central and southern part of Freiamt and has a population of .-Geography:...

 in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...

 of Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...

 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

History

The earliest evidence of human settlement are scattered Roman era
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...

 items. The modern municipality of Beinwil is first mentioned in 1153 as Beinwilare. Until 1950 it was known as Beinwil bei Muri. Originally, much of the property in the village was owned by Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland...

. In 1239 Hartmann Visilere granted all his possessions and rights in Beinwil to the Cistercian Kappel Abbey
Kappel Abbey
Kappel Abbey is a former Cistercian monks monastery located in Kappel am Albis in the Swiss canton of Zurich.-Foundation of the abbey:Kappel Abbey is first mentioned in 1185 by Bishop Hermann II of Constance. The abbey was founded by the Freiherr of Eschenbach. The name was derived from a chapel...

 in Kappel am Albis
Kappel am Albis
Kappel am Albis is a municipality in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.Its name of Kappel is specified by "on the Albis" to distinguish it from two other villages called Kappel in Switzerland.-History:...

. This property went to the city of Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

 in 1415. In 1527, Zurich also acquired the rights to the low courts
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....

 in the municipality. In 1586 these rights went to the family of Holder Meyer in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...

, who sold them in 1614 to Muri Abbey. The Vogtei
Vogtei
Vogtei could be:* The residenz or domain of a Vogt* Vogtei , a municipal association in the Unstrut-Hainich district of Thuringia, Germany....

 of Wiggwil was held by a Habsburg vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...

, the Ministerialis
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...

 (unfree knights) family of Gessler, until 1412.

The history of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 is inextricably linked to the pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

 to the grave of St. Burkard of Beinwil, who died 18 May 1192(?) Burkard was the first pastor in Beinwil. His cult is documented by the 13th Century and he was canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...

 in 1817. The Church of Saint Peter and Paul is first mentioned in 1239. It was totally rebuilt in 1619-21. Since 1808 it has also been the Church of St. Burkhard. The Chapel of St. Lawrence, in the hamlet of Wallenschwil, was part of the Muri parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 until 1856.

Economically, village life has always been dominated by agriculture. In 1990, 46% of the workers in the village were involved in agriculture.

Geography

Beinwil (Freiamt) has an area, , of 11.28 square kilometres (4.4 sq mi). Of this area, 8.53 km² (3.3 sq mi) or 75.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.02 km² (0.779926360356921 sq mi) or 17.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.75 km² (0.289576618944401 sq mi) or 6.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.4%. Out of the forested land, 16.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 40.4% is used for growing crops and 32.9% is pastures, while 2.3% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.

The municipality is located in the Muri district on the east slope of the Lindenberg. It consists of the village of Beinwil and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 of Wiggwil, Brunnwil, Winterschwil and Wallenschwil, as well as Schloss Horben and the chapel in Horben.

Coat of arms

The blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

 of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 is Or a Linden-tree eradicated Vert.

Demographics

Beinwil (Freiamt) has a population of , 8.8% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 3.5%. Most of the population speaks German (98.4%), with Albanian being second most common ( 0.5%) and Italian being third ( 0.2%).

The age distribution, , in Beinwil (Freiamt) is; 132 children or 12.8% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 144 teenagers or 14.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 152 people or 14.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 134 people or 13.0% are between 30 and 39, 162 people or 15.7% are between 40 and 49, and 138 people or 13.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 91 people or 8.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 42 people or 4.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 29 people or 2.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 5 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.58 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 55.8% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...

 or a rent-to-own agreement).

, there were 28 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 126 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 163 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 324 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.9 persons per household. there were 140 single family homes (or 34.3% of the total) out of a total of 408 homes and apartments. There were a total of 1 empty apartments for a 0.2% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 29.6 new units per 1000 residents.

In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...

 the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...

 which received 41.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...

 (31%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....

 (10.1%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 (6.3%).

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1850 871
1900 701
1950 759
2000 942

Heritage sites of national significance

The farm house at Winterschwil 8, the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 church of St. Burkard in the Unterdorf and Horban Castle are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...

. The entire hamlets of Wiggwil and Winterschwil are designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...

.

Economy

, Beinwil (Freiamt) had an unemployment rate of 1.29%. , there were 141 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 47 businesses involved in this sector. 103 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 17 businesses in this sector. 82 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 24 businesses in this sector.

there were 518 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 359 or about 69.3% of the residents worked outside Beinwil (Freiamt) while 58 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 217 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 6% used public transportation to get to work, and 53.4% used a private car.

Religion

From the , 774 or 82.2% were Roman Catholic, while 94 or 10.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...

.

Education

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Beinwil (Freiamt) about 80% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...

). Of the school age population , there are 107 students attending primary school in the municipality.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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