Boswil
Encyclopedia
Boswil 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....

.

The village lies in the Bünztal valley at the foot of the Lindenberg mountain. The hamlet Wissenbach and Sentenhof (a former estate of the Benedictine 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...

) belong to the municipality.

History

During Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

 times, between 10000 and 8000 BCE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...

, settlements were first established near the fish-rich Bünzersee (a small lake). In 1930, a cemetery, dated to have been from between 350-325 BCE, was discovered north of Boswil, and is seen as evidence that the area was occupied by Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....

ic peoples during the same time period. Various wall remains of farm estates and mansions from Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 times lie nearby.

Boswil was first mentioned as Bozuuila in a document found in a Zürich
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...

 cathedral. Although this document is not dated, recent research places the document's origin between 874 and 887 CE.

Boswil and the surrounding regions were ruled by successions of counts and dukes of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

s up until 1379, when they began losing territories to the expanding Swiss Confederates. Herren von Hallwil, and his knights, maintained control over Boswil from 1380, until it was handed over to the ministrations of Muri Abbey in 1483. Meanwhile, the eight Old Cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....

 had unified and taken control in 1415, and jointly exercised power in all external affairs.

In 1649, a third of the village was destroyed in a fire.

After the Second War of Villmerger
Battles of Villmergen
The Battles of Villmergen were two battles between Reformed and Catholic Swiss cantons. They occurred on January 24, 1656 and July 24, 1712 at Villmergen, Canton of Aargau, Switzerland ....

 of 1712, the lands consisting of Zürich
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...

, Bern, Glarus
Glarus
Glarus is the capital of the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Glarus municipality since 1 January 2011 incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern....

, and the Freie Ämter
Freie Ämter
The Freiamt or Freie Ämter is a region in Switzerland and is located in the southeast of Canton of Aargau. It comprises the area between the Lindenberg and Heitersberg and from the terminal moraine at Othmarsingen to Reuss river in Dietwil. Today the area of the Bremgarten and Muri Districts are...

 were divided into two parts. One section of the new boundary line, extending west from the church in Oberlunkhofen
Oberlunkhofen
Oberlunkhofen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten, in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest signs of a settlement in Oberlunkhofen are scattered Bronze Age items. In Schalchmatthau there is the foundation of a rectangular Roman era farm with a portico and flanked by...

 to the Hochgericht
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 Fahrwangen
Fahrwangen
Fahrwangen is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Prehistorical finds from various Neolithic eras, Roman and Alamanni ruins all testify to a long history of human habitation around Fahrwangen. The modern municipality of Fahrwangen is first...

, passed directly through Boswil, with the northern section under French control, and the southern portion by the Swiss Confederacy. Because of its unique position under the domain of two separate jurisdictions, Boswil's development was constrained. Even with the formation of the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...

 in 1798, Boswil remained divided between the canton of Baden
Canton of Baden
The Canton of Baden was a canton of the Helvetic Republic . Its capital was the town of Baden....

 and the newly formed canton of Aargau, until the two cantons were merged in 1803 as the canton of Aargau. Since then, Boswil has been a part of the Muri district
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:...

.

Industrialization began in 1874, when Boswil became a stop on the Aargauische Südbahn line from Aarau
Aarau
Aarau is the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The city is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aar, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura...

 to Muri
Muri
Muri, Formerly known as Muri , is a municipality in southeastern Swiss Canton Aargau and is the capital of same district. The present municipality of Muri was created in 1816 from the merging of the four municipalities Langdorf, Egg, Hasli and Wey....

. From 1870, peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

 was dug from the Bünnzmoos swampland which had resulted from the silting-up of the Bünzersees. In the 1930s and the 1940s, several peat mining companies came into prominence, and an area comprising over 2 square kilometers was cleared, to a depth of 6 meters. As more factories were built, Boswil developed to an industrial site.

Geography

Boswil has an area, , of 11.77 square kilometres (4.5 sq mi). Of this area, 7.75 km² (3 sq mi) or 65.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.58 km² (0.99614356916874 sq mi) or 21.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.28 km² (0.494210762998445 sq mi) or 10.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.09 km² (22.2 acre) or 0.8% is either rivers or lakes and 0.05 km² (12.4 acre) or 0.4% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.2% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 5.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.7%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 48.3% is used for growing crops and 16.3% is pastures, while 1.2% 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 eastern slope of the Lindenberg in the Bünz river valley. It consists of the village of Boswil.

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 Azure a Moon Or increscent with human face.

Demographics

Boswil has a population of , 12.9% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 1.5%. Most of the population speaks German (92.2%), with Italian being second most common ( 2.2%) and Albanian being third ( 1.4%).

The age distribution, , in Boswil is; 213 children or 9.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 284 teenagers or 12.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 361 people or 15.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 310 people or 13.1% are between 30 and 39, 416 people or 17.5% are between 40 and 49, and 333 people or 14.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 223 people or 9.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 147 people or 6.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 70 people or 3.0% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 14 people or 0.6% who are 90 and older.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.55 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 53.6% 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 76 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 364 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 413 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 882 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 395 single family homes (or 38.5% of the total) out of a total of 1,027 homes and apartments. There were a total of 70 empty apartments for a 6.8% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 8.1 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 44.1% 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...

 (24.3%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 (10.6%) 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:...

 (7%).

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1765 709
1850 1,249
1900 1,246
1950 1,463
2000 2,308

Administration

Legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...

 is exercised by municipality meetings. Implementing this authority is the local council. Its term of office lasts four years, and then the majority choice candidate is selected by the people. The council leads and represents the town. In addition, it carries out the resolutions and tasks of the municipality meetings.

The 5 local councillors are:
  • Alois Huber
  • Ruedi Return
  • Othmar Stoeckli
  • Roger Wiesli
  • Elmar Mueller


Four levels of law exist, with the district court of Muri being locally responsible. A justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 is shared between the municipalities of Besenbueren, Bettwil
Bettwil
Bettwil is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The first traces of human settlement are some scattered, Roman era artifacts. The modern municipality of Bettwil is first mentioned in 924 as Petiwilare. The tithes of the village were split between...

, Bünzen
Bünzen, Switzerland
Bünzen is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Prehistoric items have been found scattered on the banks of the former moraine, as well as Roman era objects. The modern municipality of Bünzen is first mentioned in 1259 as Bunzina...

, Kallern
Kallern
Kallern is a municipality in the district of Muri District in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Kallern is first mentioned around 1303-08 as Kaltherren. During the Late Middle Ages, the major landowners in Kallern were Muri Abbey and Hilfikon. After 1415, the village belonged to Muri. ...

, Rottenschwil
Rottenschwil
Rottenschwil is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest trace of a human settlement in the area around Rottenschwil, is a Roman era farm. The modern municipality of Rottenschwil is first mentioned in 1281 as Rotolfswile...

 and Waltenschwil
Waltenschwil
Waltenschwil is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Waltenschwil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 56.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 20.8% is forested...

.

Heritage sites of national significance

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. Pankraz, the Säge Weissenbach at Weissenbach 301 and House Nr. 169 on Niesenbergstrasse 6 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 village of Boswil is 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:...

.

The former 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...

 church of St. Pankraz was built in the 17th Century around a late-gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

 tower. In the 18th Century the exterior and interior were redecorated. In 1913 the church was put to profane use
Profane use
Profane use is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer to closed parish churches that will no longer be used as churches. This is often done in preparation to sell the former church building to another party...

 and since 1953 has served as a concert hall."

Economy

, Boswil had an unemployment rate of 1.21%. , there were 145 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 43 businesses involved in this sector. 334 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 45 businesses in this sector. 497 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 77 businesses in this sector.

there were 1,260 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 875 or about 69.4% of the residents worked outside Boswil while 505 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 890 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 9.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 52% used a private car.

The municipality possesses a considerable number of industrial companies, which are particularly active in the construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

 and transportation industries. This is beside several trade and service enterprises.

Transportation

The main road of Lenzburg-Luzern passes through the middle of the village, and serves as a public traffic route. The SBB
SBB-CFF-FFS
Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...

 has a station, Boswil-Bünzen, on the railway line connecting Aarau
Aarau
Aarau is the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The city is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aar, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura...

 and Arth-Goldau.

Schools

Bosvil has a primary and secondary school. The district school is in Muri
Muri
Muri, Formerly known as Muri , is a municipality in southeastern Swiss Canton Aargau and is the capital of same district. The present municipality of Muri was created in 1816 from the merging of the four municipalities Langdorf, Egg, Hasli and Wey....

 and the Cantonal school is in Wohlen
Wohlen, Aargau
Wohlen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest known settlements in Wohlen date from the late Hallstatt era . This settlement left two clusters of burial mounds in Hohbühl and Häslerhau...

. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Boswil about 72.5% 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 147 students attending primary school, there are 126 students attending secondary school in the municipality.

Religion

From the , 1,609 or 69.7% were Roman Catholic, while 326 or 14.1% 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...

. 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.

Culture

At the end of the 1880s a new church was established, inaugurated on August 24, 1890. The old church, which had become too small, was later sold including the parsonage building. Since that time the old church has, at regular intervals, held cultural high level meetings, some of which received worldwide attention.

The old parsonage building served first as a home for elderly artists, then later as an area for creative art class participants.
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