Beromünster
Encyclopedia
Beromünster is a municipality
in the district of Sursee in the canton
of Lucerne in Switzerland
. On 1 January 2009 Gunzwil
became part of Beromünster.
The municipality is located in the upper Wynental
. It consists of two separate settlements, Flecken in a depression
and the church owned village of Beromünster on the western side of a hill. Flecken consists of three rows of houses, built following a fire in 1764, along the main and parallel side road. Since 1 January 2009 it has also included the municipality of Gunzwil. The merged municipality has an area of 29.35 km² (11.3 sq mi).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the CVP
which received 45.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(23%), the FDP
(19.1%) and the Green Party
(5.5%).
The age distribution in Beromünster is; 1,190 people or 26.8% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,067 people or 24.1% are 20–39 years old, and 1,514 people or 34.1% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 502 people or 11.3% are 65–79 years old, 138 or 3.1% are 80–89 years old and 25 people or 0.6% of the population are 90+ years old.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Beromünster about 71.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
there are 1,542 households, of which 400 households (or about 25.9%) contain only a single individual. 253 or about 16.4% are large households, with at least five members. there were 917 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 669 were built only as housing, and 248 were mixed use
buildings. There were 496 single family homes, 98 double family homes, and 75 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (398) or three (192) story structures. There were only 40 single story buildings and 39 four or more story buildings.
Beromünster has an unemployment rate of 1.18%. , there were 91 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 32 businesses involved in this sector. 308 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 38 businesses in this sector. 709 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 96 businesses in this sector. 50.5% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 40.5% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Beromünster was; 3,650 (82.1%) were Roman Catholic, and 330 (7.4%) were Protestant, with an additional 73 (1.64%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 2 individuals (0.04% of the population) who are Jewish. There are 165 individuals (3.71% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 1 (0.02%) individuals who belong to another religion, 113 (2.54%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 114 (2.56%) who did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
, a 150 m (492.1 ft) tall radio tower built in 1937. The castle at Beromünster was the site of one of the first printing presses in Switzerland, built in 1470.
. The wettest month is June during which time Beromünster receives an average of 150 mm (5.9 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.2 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 13.7, but with only 126 mm (5 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 74 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation over 13.2 days.
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 Sursee 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 Lucerne 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....
. On 1 January 2009 Gunzwil
Gunzwil
Gunzwil was a municipality within the district of Sursee, in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the municipality of Beromünster, becoming a village inside the new municipality of Beromünster.-History:...
became part of Beromünster.
History
Beromünster is first mentioned in 1223 as villa Beronensis. In 1333 it was mentioned as Münster in Ergöwe. Until 1934 it was known simply as Münster (LU).Geography
Beromünster has an area of 6.2 km² (2.4 sq mi). Of this area, 64.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 21.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 14.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). , 16.32% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 72.03% is used for farming or pastures, while 3.54% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 4.29% is covered with buildings, 0.24% is industrial, 0.68% is classed as special developments, 0.27% is parks or greenbelts and 2.49% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, 0.1% is unproductive flowing water (rivers) and 0.03% is other unproductive land.The municipality is located in the upper Wynental
Wynental
The Wynental is the Wyna River valley mostly in Canton Aargau, but also Canton Lucerne, Switzerland. Municipalities found in the Wynental include Beinwil am See, Beromünster, Burg, Gontenschwil, Leimbach, Menziken, Neudorf, Oberkulm, Pfeffikon, Reinach, Teufenthal, Unterkulm, and Zetzwil.The...
. It consists of two separate settlements, Flecken in a depression
Depression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
and the church owned village of Beromünster on the western side of a hill. Flecken consists of three rows of houses, built following a fire in 1764, along the main and parallel side road. Since 1 January 2009 it has also included the municipality of Gunzwil. The merged municipality has an area of 29.35 km² (11.3 sq mi).
Demographics
Beromünster has a population (as of ) of . , 13.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. The combined municipality has a population of 4,588 of which 10.1% are foreign. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 2.1%. Most of the population speaks German (90.1%), with Albanian being second most common ( 4.6%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 2.1%).In the 2007 election the most popular party was 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...
which received 45.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(23%), 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....
(19.1%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(5.5%).
The age distribution in Beromünster is; 1,190 people or 26.8% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,067 people or 24.1% are 20–39 years old, and 1,514 people or 34.1% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 502 people or 11.3% are 65–79 years old, 138 or 3.1% are 80–89 years old and 25 people or 0.6% of the population are 90+ years old.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Beromünster about 71.1% 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...
).
there are 1,542 households, of which 400 households (or about 25.9%) contain only a single individual. 253 or about 16.4% are large households, with at least five members. there were 917 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 669 were built only as housing, and 248 were mixed use
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
buildings. There were 496 single family homes, 98 double family homes, and 75 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (398) or three (192) story structures. There were only 40 single story buildings and 39 four or more story buildings.
Beromünster has an unemployment rate of 1.18%. , there were 91 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 32 businesses involved in this sector. 308 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 38 businesses in this sector. 709 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 96 businesses in this sector. 50.5% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 40.5% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Beromünster was; 3,650 (82.1%) were Roman Catholic, and 330 (7.4%) were Protestant, with an additional 73 (1.64%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 2 individuals (0.04% of the population) who are Jewish. There are 165 individuals (3.71% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 1 (0.02%) individuals who belong to another religion, 113 (2.54%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 114 (2.56%) who did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1695 | c. 890 |
| 1798 | 939 |
| 1837 | 1,071 |
| 1850 | 1,148 |
| 1860 | 1,198 |
| 1900 | 973 |
| 1950 | 1,434 |
| 2000 | 2,358 |
Sights
Beromünster is the site of the BlosenbergturmBlosenbergturm
The Blosenbergturm is a transmitting tower in Beromünster, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland, built in 1937 for the German language radio station DRS and radiating at an AM frequency of 531 kHz marking the bottom end of the official mediumwave broadcasting range. The Blosenbergturm has a height of...
, a 150 m (492.1 ft) tall radio tower built in 1937. The castle at Beromünster was the site of one of the first printing presses in Switzerland, built in 1470.
Weather
Beromünster has an average of 138.1 days of rain per year and on average receives 1223 mm (48.1 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is June during which time Beromünster receives an average of 150 mm (5.9 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.2 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 13.7, but with only 126 mm (5 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 74 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation over 13.2 days.