Beinwil, Solothurn
Encyclopedia
Beinwil is a 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 Thierstein
Thierstein (district)
Thierstein District is one of the ten districts of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland, situated to the north of the canton. Together with the Dorneck District, it forms the Amtei of Dorneck-Thierstein...

 in Canton of Solothurn
Canton of Solothurn
Solothurn is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the northwest of Switzerland. The capital is Solothurn.-History:The territory of the canton comprises land acquired by the capital...

 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

Beinwil is first mentioned in 1147 as Benwilre. In 1156 it was mentioned as Beinwilare.

Geography

Beinwil has an area, , of 22.66 square kilometres (8.7 sq mi). Of this area, 9.88 km² (3.8 sq mi) or 43.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.26 km² (4.7 sq mi) or 54.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.43 km² (0.16602392819479 sq mi) or 1.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.08 km² (19.8 acre) or 0.4% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.2%. Out of the forested land, 50.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.4% is used for growing crops and 26.3% is pastures and 16.2% is used for alpine pastures.

The municipality is located in the Thierstein district. It consists of scattered farm houses and small settlement clusters without a village center. It is divided into the regions of Unterbeinwil and Oberbeinwil.

Coat of arms

The blazon
Blazon
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 Sable two Bones Argent in bend sinister.

Demographics

Beinwil has a population of . , 2.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -4.7%. It has changed at a rate of -5.7% due to migration and at a rate of 3.5% due to births and deaths.

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....

 (303 or 97.4%), with 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 second most common (3 or 1.0%) and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
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 (3 or 1.0%).

, the gender distribution of the population was 52.2% male and 47.8% female. The population was made up of 153 Swiss men (49.0% of the population) and 10 (3.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 143 Swiss women (45.8%) and 6 (1.9%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 171 or about 55.0% were born in Beinwil and lived there in 2000. There were 53 or 17.0% who were born in the same canton, while 72 or 23.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 13 or 4.2% were born outside of Switzerland.

In there were 3 live births to Swiss citizens and were 2 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased 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 was 1 non-Swiss man who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 3 and the non-Swiss population decreased by 4 people. This represents a population growth rate of -2.3%.

The age distribution, , in Beinwil is; 25 children or 8.0% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 61 teenagers or 19.6% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 19 people or 6.1% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 86 people or 27.7% are between 25 and 44, and 87 people or 28.0% are between 45 and 64. The senior population distribution is 24 people or 7.7% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 9 people or 2.9% who are over 80.

, there were 149 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 135 married individuals, 21 widows or widowers and 6 individuals who are divorced.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 which is more people per room than 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 67% 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 101 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.9 persons per household. There were 21 households that consist of only one person and 15 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 105 households that answered this question, 20.0% were households made up of just one person and there were 1 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 19 married couples without children, 49 married couples with children There were 8 single parents with a child or children. There were 3 households that were made up of unrelated people and 4 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.

there were 34 single family homes (or 35.4% of the total) out of a total of 96 inhabited buildings. There were 7 multi-family buildings (7.3%), along with 46 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (47.9%) and 9 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (9.4%). Of the single family homes 7 were built before 1919, while 3 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (10) were built between 1961 and 1970.

there were 115 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 36. There were 2 single room apartments and 52 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 100 apartments (87.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 8 apartments (7.0%) were seasonally occupied and 7 apartments (6.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%.

The historical population is given in the following chart:

Heritage sites of national significance

The Former Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...

 Beinwil Abbey
Beinwil Abbey
Beinwil Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Beinwil in the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.-History:It was founded in 1085, probably by the local nobility. After conflicts arising from the territorial claims of the towns of Solothurn and Basle against the Counts of Thierstein, who acted as the...

 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...

. The entire site of Beinwil Abbey is 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:...

 are

The abbey was founded around 1100, probably by the local nobility. It was first mentioned in 1147. After conflicts arising from the territorial claims of the towns of Solothurn
Solothurn
The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:...

 and Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

 against the Counts of Thierstein, who acted as the abbey's Vögte (lords protectors), it was burnt down in 1445. After Beinwil had been taken over by Solothurn in 1519, the town authorities impounded much of the abbey's possessions.

By the 16th century only a few monks were left in the abbey, and it was formally dissolved in 1554. A small community remained, the care of which was assumed firstly by Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...

, in 1589, and then, from 1622, by Rheinau Abbey
Rheinau Abbey
Rheinau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Rheinau in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland, founded in about 778 and suppressed in 1862.-History:...

. As no monastic revival could be achieved due to the remote location, it was decided to re-settle the community at Mariastein Abbey
Mariastein Abbey
Mariastein Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Metzerlen-Mariastein in the Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland.Mariastein, after Einsiedeln, is the second most important place of pilgrimage in Switzerland. Over the Chapel of Grace now stands a late Gothic three-aisled basilica...

, a new foundation in a pilgrimage center, which took place in 1648. In anticipation of this, Mariastein became a member of the Swiss Congregation
Swiss Congregation
The Swiss Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation is a grouping of Benedictine monasteries in Switzerland or with significant historical Swiss connections.-Foundation:...

, now part of the Benedictine Confederation
Benedictine Confederation
The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.-Origin:...

. From Mariastein, at the end of the 18th century, it was at length possible to revive Beinwil, and at that time the church and the monastic premises were rebuilt.

The abbey was however suppressed in 1874 by plebiscite during the Kulturkampf
Kulturkampf
The German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...

, and the community of Mariastein went into exile.

The abbey church, dedicated to Saint Vincent of Saragossa
Vincent of Saragossa
Saint Vincent of Saragossa, also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon, is the patron saint of Lisbon. His feast day is 22 January in the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and 11 November in the Eastern Orthodox Churches...

 was destroyed by fire in 1978. It has now been comprehensively restored and a high altar has been installed, dated about 1700, from Bellwald
Bellwald
Bellwald is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Bellwald was first used to refer to the nearby mountain Bellwald is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Bellwald was first used to refer to the...

. Today the former abbey is used as an ecumenical
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...

 conference and retreat center.

Politics

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 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....

 which received 48.03% 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...

 (29.38%), 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...

 (13.51%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...

 (6.08%). In the federal election, a total of 185 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 79.1%.

Economy

, Beinwil had an unemployment rate of 0.9%. , there were 100 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 9 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 3 businesses in this sector. 31 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 10 businesses in this sector. There were 153 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 38.6% 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 98. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 70, of which 66 were in agriculture and 5 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 8 of which 7 or (87.5%) were in manufacturing and 1 was in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 20. In the tertiary sector; 2 or 10.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 4 or 20.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 3 or 15.0% were in education and 6 or 30.0% were in health care.

, there were 15 workers who commuted into the municipality and 76 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 5.1 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 9.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 41.8% used a private car.

Religion

From the , 218 or 70.1% were Roman Catholic, while 65 or 20.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss 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 3 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 0.96% of the population). There were There was 1 individual who belonged to another church. 19 (or about 6.11% 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 5 individuals (or about 1.61% of the population) did not answer the question.

Education

In Beinwil about 104 or (33.4%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 25 or (8.0%) have completed 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...

). Of the 25 who completed tertiary schooling, 68.0% were Swiss men, 24.0% were Swiss women.

During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 38 students in the Beinwil school system. The education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...

 in the Canton of Solothurn allows young children to attend two years of non-obligatory Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

. During that school year, there were 6 children in kindergarten. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school, with some of the children attending smaller, specialized classes. In the municipality there were 32 students in primary school. The secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling, followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower secondary students from Beinwil attend their school in a neighboring municipality.

, there were 33 students from Beinwil who attended schools outside the municipality.

External links

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