Altstätten
Encyclopedia
Altstätten is a town
in the district Rhine Valley
, in the canton
of St. Gall in Switzerland
.
Altstätten is situated between the town of St. Margrethen and the town of Buchs/SG, near to the border of Austria, at the foot of the Alpstein-Mountains. In Altstätten starts the rack-and-pinion railway line of the Appenzeller Trams to Gais
.
After the disestablishment of the Rhine Valley tramway, Altstätten operates a well-embellished bus transport network (RTB).
Supra-regional popularity got Altstätten by its long and upscale Shrove-Tuesday tradition (carnival). Each January and February performances are hold by the Röllelibutzen-club, founded in 1919, as well as the many of the town's and region's Youth Music Societies. A highlight is the international parade, which attracts over 30'000 spectators from whole Switzerland.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Or a bear passant Sable langued, armed and in his virility Gules and in chief a Mullet of Five of the last.
The municipality is the capital of the Rheintal
Wahlkreis and formerly the capital of the Oberrheintal district. The traditional farming city is located on the western side of the Rhine river between the Appenzell hill country.
, 228 are from Italy
, 1108 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 143 are from Austria
, 82 are from Turkey
, and 316 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 3.5%. Most of the population speaks German (89.0%), with Albanian being second most common ( 3.1%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 2.7%). Of the Swiss national languages , 9,243 speak German
, 17 people speak French
, 172 people speak Italian
, and 22 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Altstätten is; 1,296 children or 12.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,438 teenagers or 13.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,337 people or 12.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,614 people or 15.5% are between 30 and 39, 1,410 people or 13.6% are between 40 and 49, and 1,300 people or 12.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 884 people or 8.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 689 people or 6.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 350 people or 3.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 62 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99, and 1 person who is 100 or more.
there were 1,323 persons (or 12.7% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 2,162 (or 20.8%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 5,673 (or 54.6%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 575 (or 5.5%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 68 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 37 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 49 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 494 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 41.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(28%), the SP
(9.9%) and the FDP
(9.4%).
In Altstätten about 64.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
). Out of the total population in Altstätten, , the highest education level completed by 2,532 people (24.4% of the population) was Primary, while 3,579 (34.5%) have completed Secondary, 905 (8.7%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 488 (4.7%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
. Of the rest of the population, there are 12 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
faith, there are 310 individuals (or about 2.99% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 152 individuals (or about 1.46% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 3 individuals (or about 0.03% of the population) who are Jewish
, and 762 (or about 7.34% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 74 individuals (or about 0.71% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 468 (or about 4.51% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 334 individuals (or about 3.22% of the population) did not answer the question.
the average unemployment rate was 4.0%. There were 726 businesses in the municipality of which 148 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 443 were involved in the third.
there were 3,302 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,025 residents worked outside Altstätten and 3,269 people commuted into the municipality for work.
, Berneck
and Marbach
, is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
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 Rhine Valley
Rheintal
Rheintal is a Wahlkreis of the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, formed under the new constitution of the canton on 10 June 2001...
, 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 St. Gall 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....
.
Overview
The town consists of the following tracts: Alter Zoll, Altstätten, Bächis, Baumert, Bieser, Büeberg, Bühl, Bühl (Gätziberg), Bühl bei Hinterforst, Burgfeld, Bürglen, Burst, Domishäuser, Fidern, Gätziberg, Gfell, Hoher Kasten, Hub, Kornberg, Krans, Kreuzstrasse, Lithen, Lienz (exclave), Lüchingen, Mariahilf (monastery), Oberbüchel, Plona, Riet, Rosenhaus, Ruppen, Strick, Unterlitten, Warmesberg, Weidest und Ziel.Altstätten is situated between the town of St. Margrethen and the town of Buchs/SG, near to the border of Austria, at the foot of the Alpstein-Mountains. In Altstätten starts the rack-and-pinion railway line of the Appenzeller Trams to Gais
Gais
Gais is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. The area of Gais is .In 1977 Gais received the Wakker Prize for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage...
.
After the disestablishment of the Rhine Valley tramway, Altstätten operates a well-embellished bus transport network (RTB).
Supra-regional popularity got Altstätten by its long and upscale Shrove-Tuesday tradition (carnival). Each January and February performances are hold by the Röllelibutzen-club, founded in 1919, as well as the many of the town's and region's Youth Music Societies. A highlight is the international parade, which attracts over 30'000 spectators from whole Switzerland.
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 Or a bear passant Sable langued, armed and in his virility Gules and in chief a Mullet of Five of the last.
Geography
Altstätten has an area, , of 39.5 km² (15.3 sq mi). Of this area, 63.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 21.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 12.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.9%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality is the capital of the Rheintal
Rheintal
Rheintal is a Wahlkreis of the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, formed under the new constitution of the canton on 10 June 2001...
Wahlkreis and formerly the capital of the Oberrheintal district. The traditional farming city is located on the western side of the Rhine river between the Appenzell hill country.
Demographics
Altstätten has a population (as of ) of . , about 21.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 175 are from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 228 are from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 1108 are from ex-Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, 143 are from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, 82 are from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and 316 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 3.5%. Most of the population speaks German (89.0%), with Albanian being second most common ( 3.1%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 2.7%). Of the Swiss national languages , 9,243 speak German
German 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....
, 17 people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, 172 people speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and 22 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Altstätten is; 1,296 children or 12.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,438 teenagers or 13.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,337 people or 12.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,614 people or 15.5% are between 30 and 39, 1,410 people or 13.6% are between 40 and 49, and 1,300 people or 12.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 884 people or 8.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 689 people or 6.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 350 people or 3.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 62 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99, and 1 person who is 100 or more.
there were 1,323 persons (or 12.7% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 2,162 (or 20.8%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 5,673 (or 54.6%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 575 (or 5.5%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 68 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 37 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 49 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 494 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
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 41.5% 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...
(28%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(9.9%) 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....
(9.4%).
In Altstätten about 64.4% 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...
). Out of the total population in Altstätten, , the highest education level completed by 2,532 people (24.4% of the population) was Primary, while 3,579 (34.5%) have completed Secondary, 905 (8.7%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 488 (4.7%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1800 | ca. 4,900 |
| 1850 | 6,492 |
| 1900 | 8,724 |
| 1950 | 8,603 |
| 2000 | 10,381 |
Religion
From the , 6,216 or 59.9% are Roman Catholic, while 2,050 or 19.7% 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 are 12 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who belong 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, there are 310 individuals (or about 2.99% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 152 individuals (or about 1.46% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 3 individuals (or about 0.03% of the population) who are Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 762 (or about 7.34% of the population) who are Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There are 74 individuals (or about 0.71% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 468 (or about 4.51% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 334 individuals (or about 3.22% of the population) did not answer the question.
Economy
, Altstätten had an unemployment rate of 2.17%. , there were 399 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 147 businesses involved in this sector. 2,675 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 152 businesses in this sector. 3,313 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 426 businesses in this sector.the average unemployment rate was 4.0%. There were 726 businesses in the municipality of which 148 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 443 were involved in the third.
there were 3,302 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,025 residents worked outside Altstätten and 3,269 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Sights
The village of Altstätten as well as a concentration of castles, which is known as the Schlosslandschaft Ober/Unterrheintal and spans Altstätten, BalgachBalgach
Balgach is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Coat of arms:The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess Or a Semi Lion rampant issuant Gules and Vert two Bars Argent....
, Berneck
Berneck
Berneck is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Berneck is first mentioned in 892 as Farniwang...
and Marbach
Marbach, St. Gallen
Marbach is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Marbach has an area, , of . Of this area, 75.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 6.3% is forested...
, 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:...
.
Sport
In the 1970s, Altstätten's football club, FC Altstätten founded in 1945, was at national league B level, and played in the premiership. Today the club plays in the 2. Liga Interregional2. Liga Interregional
2. Liga Interregional is the fourth tier of the Swiss Football League. The division is split into 6 groups of 14 teams, by geographical region.- Group 1 :- Group 2 :- Group 3 :- Group 4 :- Group 5 :- Group 6 :- External links :*...
Historic personalities
- Wilhelm Matthias NaeffWilhelm Matthias NaeffWilhelm Matthias Naeff was a Swiss politician and one of the seven initial members of the Swiss Federal Council ....
(* February 19, 1802; † January 21, 1881), Swiss politician (FPD) (liberal democrats/radicals), one of the seven drafters of the national constitution after the Napoleonic occupation era (the constitution of 1848, which still is the current constitution), Vice-President in 1852, Federal president in 1853, 1848-1852: postal-and construction minister, 1853: interior minister, 1854: Tariff- and Trade minister, 1855-1859: postal- and construction minister, 1860-1866: postal services minister, 1867-1872: Finance- and tariff minister, 1873: Finance- and tariff department, 1873: railway and trade minister, 1874-1875: Finance- and tariff minister - Jakob Laurenz Custer (* March 16, 1755; † January 24, 1828), St. Gallian city council, alderman from 1803 to 1817, short-term finance minister of the Helvetic Republic, while the Napoleonic occupation era
- Johann Ludwig Ambühl (1750–1800), educationalist and knight of the pen; Promoter and patron of Ulrich Bräker (famous deserter); write of the drama Der Schweizerbund ("The Swiss Confederation"), which Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller used for his "Tell"-saga, which became THE Swiss national legend; Vice-Proconsul of the Rhine valley while Napoleonic occupation; home-tutor of Jakob Laurenz Custer
- Johann Jakob Haltiner (* 1728; † 1800), church architect
Sons and daughters of the town
- Paul BaumgartnerPaul BaumgartnerPaul Baumgartner was a Swiss pianist.Born in Altstätten, Switzerland, he studied piano and composition with Walter Braunfels in the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and with Eduard Erdmann in Köln where he subsequently taught...
, Swiss Pianist - Myriam CasanovaMyriam CasanovaMyriam Casanova is a professional female tennis player from Switzerland.She has been ranked as high as No.45 on the WTA Tour and has won one WTA singles titles in her career.-Singles :...
, Swiss tennis player, world rank 45 at best times, won price money of USD 462'551 - Josef Ebnöther, painter
- Jakob Feurer, founder of the Swiss Construction Order
- Jakob Freund, central president of association for Swiss folk-music, 1995–2003 member of the national council
- Ferdinand GehrFerdinand GehrFerdinand Gehr was a Swiss painter.-References:*This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia....
, painter - Joseph(us) Hasler, Roman Catholic bishop in the diocese of St. Gall
- Ivo HeubergerIvo HeubergerIvo Heuberger is a retired tennis player who represented Switzerland at the Davis Cup.-Early life:Ivo Heuberger was born in the small town of Altstätten, Switzerland on February 19, 1976. He began his tennis career after moving to the French part of Switzerland to attend the National Training Center...
, Swiss tennis player, world rank 102 at best times, won price money of USD 914'488 - Gardi Hutter, actress and authoress
- Carl Eugen KeelCarl Eugen KeelCarl Eugen Keel was a Swiss painter. He is principally known for his woodcuts, usually portraying town life, and often hand-coloured. Less well known are his oil paintings, watercolours, wood carvings and wrought iron sculptures.-References:...
, expressionistic painter - Stefan FreiStefan FreiStefan Frei is a Swiss footballer who currently plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.-Youth and college:...
, goalkeeper for Toronto FCToronto FCToronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....