Amden
Encyclopedia
Amden is a municipality
in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster
, in the canton
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
. Amden is famous for its special geographic location "behind the mountains".
The municipality is located in the See-Gaster Wahlkreis. It is located on a terrace above the north shore of the Walensee. The municipality is a mixture of tourist and alpine pasture
villages. It consists of the village of Amden (908 m (2,979 ft)) and the hamlets
of Fli and Betlis (419 m (1,374.7 ft)) as well as the vacation village of Arfenbühl (1259 m (4,130.6 ft)).
The middle of the three Seerenbach Falls is the highest waterfall
in Switzerland (302 m (990.8 ft)).
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per fess Argent a Lion passant Gules and Azure a Crown Or.
, 5 are from Italy
, 59 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 6 are from Austria
, 9 are from Turkey
, and 66 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 5.6%. Most of the population speaks German (93.0%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.3%) and Albanian being third ( 0.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 1,482 speak German
, 9 people speak French
, 8 people speak Italian
,
The age distribution, , in Amden is; 205 children or 12.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 199 teenagers or 12.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 170 people or 10.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 263 people or 16.5% are between 30 and 39, 189 people or 11.9% are between 40 and 49, and 187 people or 11.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 177 people or 11.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 130 people or 8.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 64 people or 4.0% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 9 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 174 persons (or 10.9% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 367 (or 23.0%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 793 (or 49.8%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 75 (or 4.7%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 4 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 6 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 9 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 165 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 41.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(31.5%), the SP
(7.6%) and the FDP
(6.2%).
In Amden about 65.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
). Out of the total population in Amden, , the highest education level completed by 334 people (21.0% of the population) was Primary, while 541 (34.0%) have completed Secondary, 164 (10.3%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 56 (3.5%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
watch tower at Betlis-Stralegg is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
the average unemployment rate was 1.9%. There were 130 businesses in the municipality of which 17 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 56 were involved in the third.
there were 377 residents who worked in the municipality, while 406 residents worked outside Amden and 30 people commuted into the municipality for work.
. Of the rest of the population, there are 19 individuals (or about 1.19% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 10 individuals (or about 0.63% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 2 individuals (or about 0.13% of the population) who are Jewish
, and 55 (or about 3.45% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 12 individuals (or about 0.75% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 70 (or about 4.39% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 81 individuals (or about 5.08% of the population) did not answer the question.
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 Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster
See-Gaster (Wahlkreis)
See-Gaster is a constituency in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Wahlkreis has been established on June 10, 2001 with an area of .It was formed from See District and Gaster District.-Demographics:...
, 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. Gallen 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....
. Amden is famous for its special geographic location "behind the mountains".
History
Amden is first mentioned in 1178 as Andimo monte Voraden. In 1230 it was mentioned as Andimin, in 1282 as in montibus Andinen and later as Ammon.Geography
Amden has an area, , of 43 km² (16.6 sq mi). Of this area, 38.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 48.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (10.3%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality is located in the See-Gaster Wahlkreis. It is located on a terrace above the north shore of the Walensee. The municipality is a mixture of tourist and alpine pasture
Transhumance in the Alps
Transhumance in the Alps, or seasonal migration between valley and high pastures is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2000 m would be forests.While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal...
villages. It consists of the village of Amden (908 m (2,979 ft)) 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 Fli and Betlis (419 m (1,374.7 ft)) as well as the vacation village of Arfenbühl (1259 m (4,130.6 ft)).
The middle of the three Seerenbach Falls is the highest waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
in Switzerland (302 m (990.8 ft)).
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 Per fess Argent a Lion passant Gules and Azure a Crown Or.
Demographics
Amden has a population (as of ) of . , about 8.3% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 34 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...
, 5 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...
, 59 are from ex-Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, 6 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...
, 9 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 66 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 5.6%. Most of the population speaks German (93.0%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.3%) and Albanian being third ( 0.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 1,482 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....
, 9 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...
, 8 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...
,
The age distribution, , in Amden is; 205 children or 12.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 199 teenagers or 12.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 170 people or 10.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 263 people or 16.5% are between 30 and 39, 189 people or 11.9% are between 40 and 49, and 187 people or 11.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 177 people or 11.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 130 people or 8.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 64 people or 4.0% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 9 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 174 persons (or 10.9% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 367 (or 23.0%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 793 (or 49.8%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 75 (or 4.7%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 4 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 6 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 9 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 165 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 41.8% 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...
(31.5%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(7.6%) 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....
(6.2%).
In Amden about 65.5% 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...
). Out of the total population in Amden, , the highest education level completed by 334 people (21.0% of the population) was Primary, while 541 (34.0%) have completed Secondary, 164 (10.3%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 56 (3.5%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| c. 1800 | 1,350 |
| 1834 | 1,644 |
| 1850 | 1,524 |
| 1900 | 1,229 |
| 1950 | 1,372 |
| 2000 | 1,593 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The ruined romanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
watch tower at Betlis-Stralegg is listed as a Swiss 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...
.
Economy
, Amden had an unemployment rate of 0.77%. , there were 151 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 61 businesses involved in this sector. 56 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 17 businesses in this sector. 319 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 58 businesses in this sector.the average unemployment rate was 1.9%. There were 130 businesses in the municipality of which 17 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 56 were involved in the third.
there were 377 residents who worked in the municipality, while 406 residents worked outside Amden and 30 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
From the , 1,007 or 63.2% are Roman Catholic, while 337 or 21.2% 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...
. Of the rest of the population, there are 19 individuals (or about 1.19% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 10 individuals (or about 0.63% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 2 individuals (or about 0.13% of the population) who are Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 55 (or about 3.45% 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 12 individuals (or about 0.75% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 70 (or about 4.39% 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 81 individuals (or about 5.08% of the population) did not answer the question.