Balm bei Günsberg
Encyclopedia
Balm bei Günsberg is a municipality
in the district of Lebern
in the canton
of Solothurn in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.6%. Out of the forested land, 58.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.6% is used for growing crops and 10.2% is pastures and 18.4% is used for alpine pastures.
The municipality is located in the Lebern district. It consists of several scattered groups of houses at the base of the Balmberg in the Jura Mountains
.
Most of the population speaks German
(188 or 95.9%), with English
being second most common (6 or 3.1%) and French
being third (1 or 0.5%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 56.5% male and 43.5% female. The population was made up of 95 Swiss men (49.7% of the population) and 13 (6.8%) non-Swiss men. There were 78 Swiss women (40.8%) and 5 (2.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 58 or about 29.6% were born in Balm bei Günsberg and lived there in 2000. There were 66 or 33.7% who were born in the same canton, while 50 or 25.5% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 18 or 9.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there was 1 death of a Swiss citizen. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man who immigrated back to Switzerland and 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 2 non-Swiss men who immigrated from another country to Switzerland and 1 non-Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 11 and the non-Swiss population increased by 3 people. This represents a population growth rate of -4.0%.
The age distribution, , in Balm bei Günsberg is; 18 children or 9.2% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 31 teenagers or 15.8% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 8 people or 4.1% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 65 people or 33.2% are between 25 and 44, and 57 people or 29.1% are between 45 and 64. The senior population distribution is 11 people or 5.6% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 6 people or 3.1% who are over 80.
, there were 79 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 102 married individuals, 6 widows or widowers and 9 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 76.7% 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 75 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 12 households that consist of only one person and 3 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 75 households that answered this question, 16.0% were households made up of just one person. Of the rest of the households, there are 29 married couples without children, 28 married couples with children There were 4 single parents with a child or children. There were 2 households that were made up of unrelated people.
there were 55 single family homes (or 74.3% of the total) out of a total of 74 inhabited buildings. There were 2 multi-family buildings (2.7%), along with 12 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (16.2%) and 5 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.8%). Of the single family homes 1 were built before 1919, while 10 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (28) were built between 1981 and 1990.
there were 77 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 5 rooms of which there were 23. There were 2 single room apartments and 45 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 73 apartments (94.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 2 apartments (2.6%) were seasonally occupied and 2 apartments (2.6%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 5.5 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.22%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
are listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 25.82% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(21.98%), the SP
(20.33%) and the FDP
(19.23%). In the federal election, a total of 78 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 51.3%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 53. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 11, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 2, all of which were in manufacturing. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 40. In the tertiary sector; 2 or 5.0% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 5 or 12.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 11 or 27.5% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in education.
, there were 10 workers who commuted into the municipality and 92 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 9.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 5.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 65.8% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 2 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 1.02% of the population), and there were 7 individuals (or about 3.57% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 2.04% of the population) who were Islam
ic. 29 (or about 14.80% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 2 individuals (or about 1.02% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 40 who completed tertiary schooling, 75.0% were Swiss men, 17.5% were Swiss women.
, there were 26 students from Balm bei Günsberg who attended schools outside the 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 Lebern
Lebern (district)
Lebern District is one of the ten districts of the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, situated to the west of the canton. Together with the city of Solothurn, it forms the Amtei of Solothurn-Lebern...
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 Solothurn 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....
.
Geography
Balm bei Günsberg has an area, , of 5.48 square kilometres (2.1 sq mi). Of this area, 1.77 km² (0.683400820708787 sq mi) or 32.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.4 km² (1.3 sq mi) or 62.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.17 km² (0.065637366960731 sq mi) or 3.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.12 km² (29.7 acre) or 2.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.6%. Out of the forested land, 58.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.6% is used for growing crops and 10.2% is pastures and 18.4% is used for alpine pastures.
The municipality is located in the Lebern district. It consists of several scattered groups of houses at the base of the Balmberg in the Jura Mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
.
Demographics
Balm bei Günsberg has a population of . , 6.8% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -11.2%.Most of the population speaks 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....
(188 or 95.9%), with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
being second most common (6 or 3.1%) and 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...
being third (1 or 0.5%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 56.5% male and 43.5% female. The population was made up of 95 Swiss men (49.7% of the population) and 13 (6.8%) non-Swiss men. There were 78 Swiss women (40.8%) and 5 (2.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 58 or about 29.6% were born in Balm bei Günsberg and lived there in 2000. There were 66 or 33.7% who were born in the same canton, while 50 or 25.5% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 18 or 9.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there was 1 death of a Swiss citizen. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man who immigrated back to Switzerland and 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 2 non-Swiss men who immigrated from another country to Switzerland and 1 non-Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 11 and the non-Swiss population increased by 3 people. This represents a population growth rate of -4.0%.
The age distribution, , in Balm bei Günsberg is; 18 children or 9.2% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 31 teenagers or 15.8% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 8 people or 4.1% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 65 people or 33.2% are between 25 and 44, and 57 people or 29.1% are between 45 and 64. The senior population distribution is 11 people or 5.6% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 6 people or 3.1% who are over 80.
, there were 79 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 102 married individuals, 6 widows or widowers and 9 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 76.7% 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 75 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 12 households that consist of only one person and 3 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 75 households that answered this question, 16.0% were households made up of just one person. Of the rest of the households, there are 29 married couples without children, 28 married couples with children There were 4 single parents with a child or children. There were 2 households that were made up of unrelated people.
there were 55 single family homes (or 74.3% of the total) out of a total of 74 inhabited buildings. There were 2 multi-family buildings (2.7%), along with 12 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (16.2%) and 5 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.8%). Of the single family homes 1 were built before 1919, while 10 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (28) were built between 1981 and 1990.
there were 77 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 5 rooms of which there were 23. There were 2 single room apartments and 45 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 73 apartments (94.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 2 apartments (2.6%) were seasonally occupied and 2 apartments (2.6%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 5.5 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.22%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The ruins of Balmfluh CastleBalmfluh Castle
Balmfluh Castle is a castle in the municipality of Balm bei Günsberg of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-References:...
are 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...
.
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss 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 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...
which received 25.82% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(21.98%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(20.33%) and the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(19.23%). In the federal election, a total of 78 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 51.3%.
Economy
, Balm bei Günsberg had an unemployment rate of 0.4%. , there were 16 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 9 businesses involved in this sector. 2 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 2 businesses in this sector. 59 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 11 businesses in this sector. There were 120 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.5% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 53. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 11, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 2, all of which were in manufacturing. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 40. In the tertiary sector; 2 or 5.0% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 5 or 12.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 11 or 27.5% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in education.
, there were 10 workers who commuted into the municipality and 92 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 9.2 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 5.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 65.8% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 78 or 39.8% were Roman Catholic, while 74 or 37.8% 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 were 2 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 1.02% of the population), and there were 7 individuals (or about 3.57% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 2.04% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. 29 (or about 14.80% of the population) belonged 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 2 individuals (or about 1.02% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Balm bei Günsberg about 81 or (41.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 40 or (20.4%) have completed 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 40 who completed tertiary schooling, 75.0% were Swiss men, 17.5% were Swiss women.
, there were 26 students from Balm bei Günsberg who attended schools outside the municipality.