Birr, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Birr is a municipality
in the Swiss
canton
of Aargau
and the capital of both the canton and Brugg (district)
. The village lies halfway between Lenzburg
and Brugg
. Birr has grown with its neighbour Lupfig
into a conurbation.
Birr is known as one of the places where the Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
established new standards in education. His gravesite in Birr is listed as a heritage site of national significance
.
and Alamanni
eras have been found in Birr, there was no known settlement. Birr is first mentioned in 1270 as Bire. Throughout the High Middle Ages
the village belonged to the Habsburgs. The rights to rule the village went to Königsfelden Abbey
at Windisch
in 1397 and 1411. After the secularization of the monastery in 1528 those rights transferred to Bern.
The chapel, which was a subsidiary of Windisch
, became a parish church
during the Reformation
. This parish includes; Lupfig
, Birrhard
, Scherz
, Schinznach-Bad
and Brunegg
. The current reformed
church was built in 1662 by Abraham Dünz.
In 1771, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi bought a piece of waste land called Neuhof (New Farm), where he attempted the cultivation of madder
. Pestalozzi knew nothing of business, and the plan failed. Before this he had opened his farm-house as a school, but that plan also met with failure. His later attempts at founding schools and education theory were more successful. However, following a 1815 rebellion among the teachers of his school, his last ten years were marred by weariness and sorrow. In 1825 he retired to Neuhof, the place of his youth, and after writing the adventures of his life, and his last work, the Swans Song, he died at Brugg
. Since 1914, Neuhof serves as a reform school.
After 1950 Birr changed from an agricultural to an industrial village. The arrival of BBC (a factory for the manufacture of rotating electrical machinery) in 1957-65 along with a 500 apartment housing development, resulted in a strong growth spurt. By 1990 most of the working population were commuters (73%), industrial workers (46%) and foreigners (44%). Only about 1% of the population worked in agriculture.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 7.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 11.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 4.0% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.6%. 34.9% of the total land area was heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 29.1% is used for growing crops and 4.2% is pastures, while 1.8% is used for orchards or vine crops.
The municipality is located on the western edge of the Birrfelds, and has grown together with the municipality of Lupfig
to the north. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Birr. The municipalities of Birr
and Birrhard
are considering a merger on 1 January 2014 into a new municipality which will be known as Birr.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure a Pear Or slipped and leaved Vert. This is an example of canting
because of the pear .
The age distribution, , in Birr is; 488 children or 12.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 524 teenagers or 12.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 592 people or 14.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 568 people or 14.0% are between 30 and 39, 639 people or 15.7% are between 40 and 49, and 556 people or 13.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 405 people or 10.0% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 212 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 73 people or 1.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 8 people or 0.2% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 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 38% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 101 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 709 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 496 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.60 individuals. there were 472 single family homes (or 27.7% of the total) out of a total of 1,702 homes and apartments. There were a total of 14 empty apartments for a 0.8% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.4 new units per 1000 residents.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 47.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(16.3%), the FDP
(11.8%) and the CVP
(9.1%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Birr about 61.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
). Of the school age population , there are 334 students attending primary school, there are 156 students attending secondary school in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
there was a total of 1,859 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,407 or about 75.7% of the residents worked outside Birr while 1,722 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,174 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 11% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.6% used a private car.
Birr's economy is dependent mainly on industry: among other businesses, ABB
, Alstom
and IC Interconnex can be found here. The regional airfield Birrfeld (Sport flying) with its restaurant and playarea is a popular destination.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 individual who belonged to the Christian Catholic
faith.
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 Swiss
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....
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:...
and the capital of both the canton and Brugg (district)
Brugg (district)
Brugg District is a district in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland, it is located south of the Aare and the Aargauer Jura covers the district. The capital of the district is the town of Brugg.-Geography:...
. The village lies halfway between Lenzburg
Lenzburg
Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neighbouring municipalities of Niederlenz and...
and Brugg
Brugg, Switzerland
Brugg is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau and is the seat of the district of the same name. The city is located at the confluence of the Reuss, Aare, and Limmat Rivers, with the Aare flowing through the city’s old town...
. Birr has grown with its neighbour Lupfig
Lupfig
Lupfig is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Near the modern village of Lupfig was the source of a Roman aqueduct leading to the camp of Vindonissa. Additionally, Alamanni graves have been discovered near the village...
into a conurbation.
Birr is known as one of the places where the Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach....
established new standards in education. His gravesite in Birr is listed as a heritage site 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...
.
History
While a few artifacts from the RomanSwitzerland 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...
and Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
eras have been found in Birr, there was no known settlement. Birr is first mentioned in 1270 as Bire. Throughout the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
the village belonged to the Habsburgs. The rights to rule the village went to Königsfelden Abbey
Königsfelden Abbey
Königsfelden Abbey is a former Franciscan monastery and former Clarisse convent in the municipality of Windisch in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It was founded in 1308 by the Habsburgs and during the Reformation in 1528 it was secularized. The complex was then the residence of the bailiffs...
at Windisch
Windisch
Windisch is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Windisch is situated at the site of the Roman legion camp Vindonissa. In 1064 the current municipality was mentioned as Vinse, and in 1175 as Vindisse. Until the 19th Century the official name was...
in 1397 and 1411. After the secularization of the monastery in 1528 those rights transferred to Bern.
The chapel, which was a subsidiary of Windisch
Windisch
Windisch is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Windisch is situated at the site of the Roman legion camp Vindonissa. In 1064 the current municipality was mentioned as Vinse, and in 1175 as Vindisse. Until the 19th Century the official name was...
, became a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
during the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. This parish includes; Lupfig
Lupfig
Lupfig is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Near the modern village of Lupfig was the source of a Roman aqueduct leading to the camp of Vindonissa. Additionally, Alamanni graves have been discovered near the village...
, Birrhard
Birrhard
Birrhard is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.It is located about south east of the town of Brugg.-History:...
, Scherz
Scherz
Scherz is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Scherz has an area, , of . Of this area, or 55.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 33.3% is forested...
, Schinznach-Bad
Schinznach-Bad
Schinznach-Bad is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Schinznach-Bad has an area, , of . Of this area, or 5.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 38.9% is forested...
and Brunegg
Brunegg
Brunegg is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Brunegg is first mentioned in first half of the 12th Century as Bruneco. In 1273 it was mentioned as Brunegge. Brunegg castle was built on a hill at the edge of the Jura mountains in the 13th...
. The current reformed
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...
church was built in 1662 by Abraham Dünz.
In 1771, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi bought a piece of waste land called Neuhof (New Farm), where he attempted the cultivation of madder
Madder
Rubia is a genus of the madder family Rubiaceae, which contains about 60 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and sub-shrubs native to the Old World, Africa, temperate Asia and America...
. Pestalozzi knew nothing of business, and the plan failed. Before this he had opened his farm-house as a school, but that plan also met with failure. His later attempts at founding schools and education theory were more successful. However, following a 1815 rebellion among the teachers of his school, his last ten years were marred by weariness and sorrow. In 1825 he retired to Neuhof, the place of his youth, and after writing the adventures of his life, and his last work, the Swans Song, he died at Brugg
Brugg
Brugg or Brügg may refer to the following places:* In Switzerland:** Brugg, Aargau, in the Canton of Aargau*** FC Brugg, a Swiss football club, from the town of Brugg in Canton Aargau...
. Since 1914, Neuhof serves as a reform school.
After 1950 Birr changed from an agricultural to an industrial village. The arrival of BBC (a factory for the manufacture of rotating electrical machinery) in 1957-65 along with a 500 apartment housing development, resulted in a strong growth spurt. By 1990 most of the working population were commuters (73%), industrial workers (46%) and foreigners (44%). Only about 1% of the population worked in agriculture.
Geography
Birr has an area, , of 5.05 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi). Of this area, 1.77 square kilometre (0.683400820708787 sq mi) or 35.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while1.76 square kilometre (0.679539799122862 sq mi) or 34.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.51 square kilometre (0.583014259474728 sq mi) or 29.9% is settled (buildings or roads).Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 7.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 11.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.1%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 4.0% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.6%. 34.9% of the total land area was heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 29.1% is used for growing crops and 4.2% is pastures, while 1.8% is used for orchards or vine crops.
The municipality is located on the western edge of the Birrfelds, and has grown together with the municipality of Lupfig
Lupfig
Lupfig is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Near the modern village of Lupfig was the source of a Roman aqueduct leading to the camp of Vindonissa. Additionally, Alamanni graves have been discovered near the village...
to the north. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Birr. The municipalities of Birr
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....
and Birrhard
Birrhard
Birrhard is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.It is located about south east of the town of Brugg.-History:...
are considering a merger on 1 January 2014 into a new municipality which will be known as Birr.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
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 Azure a Pear Or slipped and leaved Vert. This is an example of canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
because of the pear .
Demographics
Birr has a population of 44.5% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 18.7%. Most of the population speaks German (71.2%), with Italian being second most common ( 7.2%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 6.7%).The age distribution, , in Birr is; 488 children or 12.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 524 teenagers or 12.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 592 people or 14.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 568 people or 14.0% are between 30 and 39, 639 people or 15.7% are between 40 and 49, and 556 people or 13.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 405 people or 10.0% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 212 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 73 people or 1.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 8 people or 0.2% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 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 38% 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 101 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 709 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 496 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.60 individuals. there were 472 single family homes (or 27.7% of the total) out of a total of 1,702 homes and apartments. There were a total of 14 empty apartments for a 0.8% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.4 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 47.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(16.3%), 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....
(11.8%) and 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...
(9.1%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Birr about 61.6% 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 334 students attending primary school, there are 156 students attending secondary school in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 498 |
| 1900 | 448 |
| 1950 | 562 |
| 1975 | 2,749 |
| 1980 | 2,838 |
| 1990 | 3,324 |
| 2000 | 3,529 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The grave site of Heinrich Pestalozzi, at Pestalozzistrasse 2 is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.Economy
, Birr had an unemployment rate of 2.84%. , there were 23 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 6 businesses involved in this sector. 1,556 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 25 businesses in this sector. 566 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 58 businesses in this sector.there was a total of 1,859 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,407 or about 75.7% of the residents worked outside Birr while 1,722 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,174 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 11% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.6% used a private car.
Birr's economy is dependent mainly on industry: among other businesses, ABB
Asea Brown Boveri
ABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, and best known for its robotics. ABB operates mainly in the power and automation technology areas. It ranked 143rd in Forbes Ranking ....
, Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
and IC Interconnex can be found here. The regional airfield Birrfeld (Sport flying) with its restaurant and playarea is a popular destination.
Religion
From the , 1,243 or 35.2% were Roman Catholic, while 1,047 or 29.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss 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...
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 individual who belonged to the Christian Catholic
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
faith.