Merenschwand
Encyclopedia
Merenschwand is a municipality
in the district of Muri
in the canton
of Aargau
in Switzerland
.
. The lake has since silted up and is now part of the Rütiweid meadow. The modern municipality of Merenschwand is first mentioned in the 12th Century as Meriswanden, though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the original. In 1263 it was mentioned as Meriswandon. There are indications of a knightly family and a castle near Merenschwand, but no definitive evidence has been found. Merenschwand was under the authority of the Homberg
family until 1293, and then under the authority of the Lords of Hünenberg
. In 1393 Merenschwand bought its independence with the help of a loan from Lucerne
. As many of the former residents of the village had become citizens of Lucerne, in 1394 the village formally became part of the city of Lucerne and the residents were granted Lucerne citizenship. Merenschwand thus became the center of the bailiwick
of Merenschwand. They chose their own vogt
from among the patricians of Lucerne. In 1810 and 1813 the municipalities of Mühlau
and Benzenschwil
joined the bailiwick. Until 1798, the municipality enjoyed a relatively autonomous administration under a local bailiff. The gasthof (combination hotel and restaurant) Zum Schwanen (from the 17th Century) served as a court and community center.
The municipality was, in 1802, temporarily part of the Canton of Zug
, and then in 1803 it became part of the Canton of Aargau. In 1830, the Zum Schwanen innkeeper, Johann Heinrich Fischer led some 6,000 men in the so-called Freiämtersturm
to Aarau and forced the assembly to accept a new, democratic cantonal constitution
.
The village church of St. Vitus is first mentioned in 1245. Initially it was a family church for the Homberg and later the Hünenberg families. It later became the parish church
for the district. The modern church was built in 1897-99, and incorporated the late gothic
choir
. The municipality of Benzenschwil is still part of the parish
while Mühlau now is part of the Sins
parish. The church tax rights were sold in 1389 to Kappel Abbey
in Kappel am Albis
. In 1531 they went to the Hof
monastery in Lucerne. Then, in 1856 those rights came to the Canton of Aargau.
The Hünenberg family donated the Marienkaplanei (St. Mary
chapel) in 1332. The parish donated the Antoniuskaplanei (St. Anthony
chapel) in 1483 and the landowners in Hagnau donated the local chapel of St. Wendelin
in 1600. In 1868 the Kapelle Maria-Hilf (Chapel of Mary's Help
) was built in Unterrüti.
In the 19th and 20th Centuries, a major source of income in Merenschwand was the home straw plaiting for the Wohler trading houses and silk weaving for Zurich
businessmen. In the last quarter of the 20th Century, Merenschwand developed into a bedroom community
for Zurich and Zug, leading to a corresponding increase in construction.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 5.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.1%. Out of the forested land, 10.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 57.7% is used for growing crops and 9.9% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.1% is unproductive vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Muri district, on the edge of the Reuss valley. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Merenschwand and the hamlets
of Unterrüti, Rickenbach and Hagnau.
The municipalities of Benzenschwil and Merenschwand are seeking approval from the Canton to merge on on 1 January 2012 into a new municipality which will be known as Merenschwand.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure a Swan proper standing of a Mount Vert and two Bulrush issuant. The swan makes it partly an example of canting
.
(90.4%), with Albanian
being second most common ( 4.6%) and Serbo-Croatian
being third ( 1.9%).
The age distribution, , in Merenschwand is; 294 children or 11.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 396 teenagers or 16.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 283 people or 11.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 332 people or 13.4% are between 30 and 39, 494 people or 19.9% are between 40 and 49, and 273 people or 11.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 226 people or 9.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 121 people or 4.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 59 people or 2.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 2 people or 0.1% 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 56.3% 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 63 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 271 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 425 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 787 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. there were 416 single family homes (or 44.2% of the total) out of a total of 941 homes and apartments. There were a total of 13 empty apartments for a 1.4% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.4 new units per 1000 residents.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 32.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(31.7%), the SP
(11.1%) and the FDP
(10.4%).
The historical population is given in the following table:
parish church of Merenschwand are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
. The entire village of Merenschwand is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
there were 1,134 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 775 or about 68.3% of the residents worked outside Merenschwand while 481 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 840 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 11.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 54.5% used a private car.
.
). Of the school age population , there are 263 students attending primary school, there are 219 students attending secondary school in the municipality. Merenschwand is home to the Schul-u.Gde.Bibliothek Merenschwand (school and municipal library of Merenschwand).
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 is a lake side village from the Late Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. The lake has since silted up and is now part of the Rütiweid meadow. The modern municipality of Merenschwand is first mentioned in the 12th Century as Meriswanden, though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the original. In 1263 it was mentioned as Meriswandon. There are indications of a knightly family and a castle near Merenschwand, but no definitive evidence has been found. Merenschwand was under the authority of the Homberg
Homberg, Switzerland
Homberg is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Homberg has an area, , of . Of this area, or 63.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 32.0% is forested...
family until 1293, and then under the authority of the Lords of Hünenberg
Hünenberg
Hünenberg is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.-History:Hünenberg is first mentioned in 1173 as de Hunberg, though this document is considered a forgery. In 1185 it was mentioned as de Hunoberg and in 1239 as de Hunaberc....
. In 1393 Merenschwand bought its independence with the help of a loan from 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...
. As many of the former residents of the village had become citizens of Lucerne, in 1394 the village formally became part of the city of Lucerne and the residents were granted Lucerne citizenship. Merenschwand thus became the center of the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Merenschwand. They chose their own vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
from among the patricians of Lucerne. In 1810 and 1813 the municipalities of Mühlau
Mühlau
For the town in Germany, see Mühlau, Germany.Mühlau is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:...
and Benzenschwil
Benzenschwil
Benzenschwil is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Benzenschwil is first mentioned in 1189 as Penziswile. In the Middle Ages, the major landholders included the Lords of Hünenberg and the Frauenthal and Muri monasteries...
joined the bailiwick. Until 1798, the municipality enjoyed a relatively autonomous administration under a local bailiff. The gasthof (combination hotel and restaurant) Zum Schwanen (from the 17th Century) served as a court and community center.
The municipality was, in 1802, temporarily part of the Canton of Zug
Canton of Zug
The Canton of Zug is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. It is located in central Switzerland and its capital is Zug. With 239 km² the canton is one of the smallest of the cantons in terms of area. It is not subdivided into districts.- History :The earlier history of the canton is...
, and then in 1803 it became part of the Canton of Aargau. In 1830, the Zum Schwanen innkeeper, Johann Heinrich Fischer led some 6,000 men in the so-called Freiämtersturm
Freiämtersturm
The Freiämtersturm in December 1830 was a bloodless revolution in the Swiss canton of Aargau. The dissatisfied rural population of the Freie Ämter region in Aargau marched on the cantonal capital of Aarau to demand changes in the cantonal constitution...
to Aarau and forced the assembly to accept a new, democratic cantonal constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
.
The village church of St. Vitus is first mentioned in 1245. Initially it was a family church for the Homberg and later the Hünenberg families. It later became the 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....
for the district. The modern church was built in 1897-99, and incorporated the 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....
choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. The municipality of Benzenschwil is still part 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...
while Mühlau now is part of the Sins
Sins, Switzerland
Sins is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Sins has an area, , of . Of this area, or 72.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 17.4% is forested...
parish. The church tax rights were sold in 1389 to 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:...
. In 1531 they went to the Hof
Church of St. Leodegar (Lucerne)
The Church of St. Leodegar is the most important church and a landmark in the city of Lucerne, Switzerland. It was built in parts from 1633 to 1639 on the foundation of the Roman basilica which had burnt in 1633...
monastery in Lucerne. Then, in 1856 those rights came to the Canton of Aargau.
The Hünenberg family donated the Marienkaplanei (St. Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
chapel) in 1332. The parish donated the Antoniuskaplanei (St. Anthony
Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great or Antony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...
chapel) in 1483 and the landowners in Hagnau donated the local chapel of St. Wendelin
Wendelin of Trier
Saint Wendelin or Wendelin of Trier was a hermit and abbot.-Life:There is very little definite information about this saint. His earliest biographies , did not appear until after 1417. The story as told there is that Wendelin was the son of a Scottish king...
in 1600. In 1868 the Kapelle Maria-Hilf (Chapel of Mary's Help
Mary Help of Christians
Mary Help of Christians , is a Roman Catholic Marian devotion with a feast day celebrated on May 24. John Chrysostom was the first person to use this title in 345 as a devotion to the Virgin Mary....
) was built in Unterrüti.
In the 19th and 20th Centuries, a major source of income in Merenschwand was the home straw plaiting for the Wohler trading houses and silk weaving for 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...
businessmen. In the last quarter of the 20th Century, Merenschwand developed into a bedroom community
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
for Zurich and Zug, leading to a corresponding increase in construction.
Geography
Merenschwand has an area, , of 11.05 square kilometres (4.3 sq mi). Of this area, 7.55 km² (2.9 sq mi) or 68.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.26 km² (0.486488719826594 sq mi) or 11.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.25 km² (0.482627698240669 sq mi) or 11.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.5 km² (0.193051079296268 sq mi) or 4.5% is either rivers or lakes and 0.58 km² (0.22393925198367 sq mi) or 5.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 5.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.1%. Out of the forested land, 10.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 57.7% is used for growing crops and 9.9% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.1% is unproductive vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Muri district, on the edge of the Reuss valley. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Merenschwand 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 Unterrüti, Rickenbach and Hagnau.
The municipalities of Benzenschwil and Merenschwand are seeking approval from the Canton to merge on on 1 January 2012 into a new municipality which will be known as Merenschwand.
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 Swan proper standing of a Mount Vert and two Bulrush issuant. The swan makes it partly 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 –...
.
Demographics
Merenschwand has a population of , 16.0% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 27.8%. Most of the population speaks GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
(90.4%), with Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
being second most common ( 4.6%) and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
being third ( 1.9%).
The age distribution, , in Merenschwand is; 294 children or 11.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 396 teenagers or 16.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 283 people or 11.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 332 people or 13.4% are between 30 and 39, 494 people or 19.9% are between 40 and 49, and 273 people or 11.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 226 people or 9.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 121 people or 4.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 59 people or 2.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 2 people or 0.1% 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 56.3% 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 63 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 271 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 425 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 787 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. there were 416 single family homes (or 44.2% of the total) out of a total of 941 homes and apartments. There were a total of 13 empty apartments for a 1.4% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.4 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 32.5% 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...
(31.7%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(11.1%) and 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....
(10.4%).
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1798 | 618 |
| 1850 | 1,212 |
| 1900 | 1,230 |
| 1950 | 1,196 |
| 1970 | 1,351 |
| 2000 | 2,171 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The Gasthof (combination hotel and restaurant) Zum Schwanen at Bremgartenstrasse 2 and the CatholicRoman 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...
parish church of Merenschwand 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 Merenschwand 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:...
.
Economy
, Merenschwand had an unemployment rate of 1.56%. , there were 125 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 624 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 47 businesses in this sector. 280 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 59 businesses in this sector.there were 1,134 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 775 or about 68.3% of the residents worked outside Merenschwand while 481 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 840 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 11.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 54.5% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,342 or 61.8% were Roman Catholic, while 416 or 19.2% 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...
.
Education
In Merenschwand about 76.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
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 263 students attending primary school, there are 219 students attending secondary school in the municipality. Merenschwand is home to the Schul-u.Gde.Bibliothek Merenschwand (school and municipal library of Merenschwand).