Balgach
Encyclopedia
Balgach is a municipality
in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Rheintal in the canton
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per fess Or a Semi Lion rampant issuant Gules and Vert two Bars Argent.
The municipality was part of the former Unterrheintal district before the creation of the Rheintal Wahlkreis. It is located at the base of the Appenzell hill country and along the main road between St. Margrethen
and Altstätten
. It consists of the village of Balgach and a portion of the village of Heerbrugg.
, 96 are from Italy
, 374 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 104 are from Austria
, 102 are from Turkey
, and 130 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 3.7%. Most of the population speaks German (89.1%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 2.9%) and Albanian being third ( 1.8%). Of the Swiss national languages 3,584 speak German
, 15 people speak French
, 65 people speak Italian
, and 4 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Balgach is; 513 children or 12.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 528 teenagers or 13.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 457 people or 11.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 720 people or 17.9% are between 30 and 39, 539 people or 13.4% are between 40 and 49, and 439 people or 10.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 381 people or 9.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 279 people or 6.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 151 people or 3.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 17 people or 0.4% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 422 persons (or 10.5% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 940 (or 23.4%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 2,224 (or 55.3%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 199 (or 4.9%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 14 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 16 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 41 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 168 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 33% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(23.7%), the FDP
(17.9%) and the SP
(12%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Balgach about 72.8% 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 Balgach, , the highest education level completed by 804 people (20.0% of the population) was Primary, while 1,495 (37.2%) have completed Secondary, 495 (12.3%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 150 (3.7%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
Additionally, there are two regions which are designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
. The first is the Schlosslandschaft Ober/Unterrheintal, a concentration of castles that spans Altstätten
, Balgach, Berneck
and Marbach
. The second is the shared, urbanized village of Balgach/Herrbrugg, which is shared between Au (SG)
, Balgach and Berneck.
the average unemployment rate was 3.6%. There were 226 businesses in the municipality of which 75 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 128 were involved in the third.
there were 806 residents who worked in the municipality, while 1,225 residents worked outside Balgach and 2,123 people commuted into the municipality for work.
. Of the rest of the population, there are 3 individuals (or about 0.07% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
faith, there are 62 individuals (or about 1.54% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 92 individuals (or about 2.29% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There is 1 individual who is Jewish
, and 292 (or about 7.26% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 5 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 204 (or about 5.07% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 90 individuals (or about 2.24% 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 Rheintal 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....
.
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 Or a Semi Lion rampant issuant Gules and Vert two Bars Argent.
Geography
Balgach has an area, , of 6.5 km² (2.5 sq mi). Of this area, 56.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 19.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 23.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.9%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality was part of the former Unterrheintal district before the creation of the Rheintal Wahlkreis. It is located at the base of the Appenzell hill country and along the main road between St. Margrethen
St. Margrethen
St. Margrethen is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:...
and Altstätten
Altstätten
Altstätten is a town in the district Rhine Valley, in the canton of St. Gall in Switzerland.- Overview :The town consists of the following tracts: Alter Zoll, Altstätten, Bächis, Baumert, Bieser, Büeberg, Bühl, Bühl , Bühl bei Hinterforst, Burgfeld, Bürglen, Burst, Domishäuser, Fidern, Gätziberg,...
. It consists of the village of Balgach and a portion of the village of Heerbrugg.
Demographics
Balgach has a population (as of ) of . , about 21.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 77 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...
, 96 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...
, 374 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....
, 104 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...
, 102 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 130 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 3.7%. Most of the population speaks German (89.1%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 2.9%) and Albanian being third ( 1.8%). Of the Swiss national languages 3,584 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....
, 15 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...
, 65 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 4 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Balgach is; 513 children or 12.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 528 teenagers or 13.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 457 people or 11.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 720 people or 17.9% are between 30 and 39, 539 people or 13.4% are between 40 and 49, and 439 people or 10.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 381 people or 9.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 279 people or 6.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 151 people or 3.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 17 people or 0.4% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 422 persons (or 10.5% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 940 (or 23.4%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 2,224 (or 55.3%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 199 (or 4.9%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 14 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 16 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 41 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 168 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 33% 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...
(23.7%), 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....
(17.9%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(12%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Balgach about 72.8% 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 Balgach, , the highest education level completed by 804 people (20.0% of the population) was Primary, while 1,495 (37.2%) have completed Secondary, 495 (12.3%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 150 (3.7%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,435 |
| 1900 | 1,733 |
| 1910 | 2,200 |
| 1950 | 2,644 |
| 1990 | 3,538 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) at Steigstrasse 17 is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss 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...
.
Additionally, there are two regions which are 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 first is the Schlosslandschaft Ober/Unterrheintal, a concentration of castles that spans Altstätten
Altstätten
Altstätten is a town in the district Rhine Valley, in the canton of St. Gall in Switzerland.- Overview :The town consists of the following tracts: Alter Zoll, Altstätten, Bächis, Baumert, Bieser, Büeberg, Bühl, Bühl , Bühl bei Hinterforst, Burgfeld, Bürglen, Burst, Domishäuser, Fidern, Gätziberg,...
, Balgach, 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...
. The second is the shared, urbanized village of Balgach/Herrbrugg, which is shared between Au (SG)
Au, St. Gallen
Au 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 Azure a Crescent Or in bend issuant behind a Cliff Argent.-Geography:...
, Balgach and Berneck.
Economy
, Balgach had an unemployment rate of 1.83%. , there were 82 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 26 businesses involved in this sector. 2,350 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 70 businesses in this sector. 919 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 115 businesses in this sector.the average unemployment rate was 3.6%. There were 226 businesses in the municipality of which 75 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 128 were involved in the third.
there were 806 residents who worked in the municipality, while 1,225 residents worked outside Balgach and 2,123 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
From the , 1,953 or 48.5% are Roman Catholic, while 1,322 or 32.9% 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 3 individuals (or about 0.07% 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 62 individuals (or about 1.54% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 92 individuals (or about 2.29% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There is 1 individual who is Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 292 (or about 7.26% 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 5 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 204 (or about 5.07% 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 90 individuals (or about 2.24% of the population) did not answer the question.
External links
- Balgach Online Official website