Beinwil am See
Encyclopedia
Beinwil am See 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 Kulm
Kulm (district)
Kulm District is a district in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It is located west of Lake Hallwil and covers parts of the Wyna and Suhre valleys. The principal town is Unterkulm; the largest municipality is Reinach. The district contains 17 municipalities, is 101.35 km² in area and has a...

 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 Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...

 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

There are traces of neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

, Hallstatt
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...

, Roman
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...

 and Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...

 settlements in or near Beinwil. However, Beinwil am See is first mentioned in 1036 as Beinwile. In 1045 it was mentioned as Peinuuilare. The noble von Beinwil family is first mentioned in 1153. This family was, in succession, vassel
Vassel
Vassel is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...

s to the Lenzburg
Lenzburg
Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neighbouring municipalities of Niederlenz and...

, Kyburg
House of Kyburg
The House of Kyburg was family of Grafen or counts from Zürich in Switzerland. The family was one of the three most powerful noble families in the Swiss plateau beside the Habsburg and the House of Savoy during the 11th and 12th Centuries...

 and Habsburgs before becoming extinct in the mid-14th Century. The family castle has disappeared. The power of Zwing und Bann
Zwing und Bann
Zwing und Bann is a Swiss feudal set of rules and regulations governing justice and punishment in a village or villages. Zwing and Twing are different spellings based on the local Swiss German dialect. The magistrate or Zwingherr had legally binding rules and regulations in the exercise of low...

(Manor rights
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...

 as well as low justice
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....

) over the village, were inherited in about 1300 by the Stewards of Wolhusen, then donated in 1501 to Beromünster
Beromünster
Beromünster is a municipality in the district of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009 Gunzwil became part of Beromünster.-History:...

, and sold in 1520 to Bern. The Counts of Hallwyl owned land on the lake (Dingstätte) to safeguard their maritime rights, which were first stipulated in 1419.

Starting with the conquest of the Aargau in 1415 by Bern, until the French conquest and creation of the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...

 in 1798, the rights to high and low justice
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....

 were held by the bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...

 in Lenzburg
Lenzburg
Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neighbouring municipalities of Niederlenz and...

. Following the collapse of the Helvetic Republic and the creation of the Canton of Aargau in the 1803 Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...

, Beinwil came to the newly formed Canton.

Religiously it originally belonging to the Pfeffikon
Pfeffikon
Pfeffikon is a municipality in the district of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.-History:Pfeffikon is first mentioned in 1045 as Faffinchouen though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the original document. In 1173 it was mentioned as Phafinchon.-Geography:Pfeffikon has an area of...

 parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

, though it had a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...

 that predates written records. This chapel was demolished in 1852. In 1528 the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

 entered the village and it joined the Reformed parish of Reinach
Reinach
- Places :*Reinach, Aargau , a municipality in Switzerland*Reinach, Basel-Country , a municipality in Switzerland- Surname :* Adolf Reinach , German philosopher...

. It has been a separate parish since 1932, and in 1935 the local parish church was consecrated. In 1964 the Roman Catholic Church of St. Martin was built in the municipality to service the growing diaspora community of Menziken
Menziken
Menziken is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Menziken is first mentioned in 1045 as Manzinchouen though that comes from a 14th Century copy of the original document. In 1295 it was mentioned as Menzchon. However, the current site of Menziken...

-Reinach
Reinach
- Places :*Reinach, Aargau , a municipality in Switzerland*Reinach, Basel-Country , a municipality in Switzerland- Surname :* Adolf Reinach , German philosopher...

.

Economically, the decline in the 18th Century of imported cotton processing was mitigated by the increasingly dominant tobacco industry (first factory in 1841). Today, the industrial focus of the municipality is the manufacture of cigars, candy, glass and mirrors, electric motors, electronics and technology for testing construction materials. In 1990 the secondary sector provided 42% of jobs, while the tertiary sector provided 53%. About 55% of the work force commuted into the municipality while 59% of the work force commuted away. Beinwil is a station on the Seetalbahn which runs from Lenzburg to Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...

 and also the Beinwil-Beromünster bus route.

Geography

Beinwil am See has an area, , of 3.84 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi). Of this area, 1.84 square kilometre (0.710427971810264 sq mi) or 47.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.76 square kilometre (0.293437640530327 sq mi) or 19.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.22 square kilometre (0.471044633482893 sq mi) or 31.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes and 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.5% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 20.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 6.8%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.6%. 17.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 20.3% is used for growing crops and 19.5% is pastures, while 8.1% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.

The municipality is located in the Kulm district, on the western edge of the Hallwilersee. Originally a farming village, it has grown into an industrial center.

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 Argent a Pile Azure in bend sinister issuant from base dexter.

Demographics

Beinwil am See has a population of , 9.7% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 6.1%. Most of the population speaks German (94.9%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.4%) and Italian being third ( 0.7%).

The age distribution, , in Beinwil am See is; 232 children or 8.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 329 teenagers or 11.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 288 people or 10.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 335 people or 12.2% are between 30 and 39, 485 people or 17.6% are between 40 and 49, and 413 people or 15.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 310 people or 11.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 184 people or 6.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 156 people or 5.7% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 24 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is less people per room than the cantonal average of 0.57 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 56.7% 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 84 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 463 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 501 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.34 individuals. , there were 1,069 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. there were 666 single family homes (or 49.9% of the total) out of a total of 1,334 homes and apartments. There were a total of 8 empty apartments for a 0.6% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 11.4 new units per 1000 residents.

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 37.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 (17.9%), 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....

 (15.3%) 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:...

 (10.6%).

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Beinwil am See about 79% 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...

). Of the school age population , there are 196 students attending primary school, there are 107 students attending secondary school in the municipality.

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1653 c. 240
1850 1,544
1900 1,831
1950 2,271
2000 2,581

Heritage sites of national significance

It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling
Stilt house
Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...

 (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps is a series of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands...

 UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Heritage Site. Ägelmoos, a Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 lake shore settlement, 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

, Beinwil am See had an unemployment rate of 1.36%. , there were 49 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 210 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 37 businesses in this sector. 460 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 97 businesses in this sector.

there were 1,251 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 894 or about 71.5% of the residents worked outside Beinwil am See while 421 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 778 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 10.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.4% used a private car.

Religion

From the , 548 or 21.2% were Roman Catholic, while 1,578 or 61.1% 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 individuals (or about 0.12% of the population) who belonged 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.

Transportation

Beinwil am See's rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 service to Beromuenster, via Reinach
Reinach
- Places :*Reinach, Aargau , a municipality in Switzerland*Reinach, Basel-Country , a municipality in Switzerland- Surname :* Adolf Reinach , German philosopher...

 and Menziken
Menziken
Menziken is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Menziken is first mentioned in 1045 as Manzinchouen though that comes from a 14th Century copy of the original document. In 1295 it was mentioned as Menzchon. However, the current site of Menziken...

, that was serviced by the Swiss Federal Railways
SBB-CFF-FFS
Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...

 (SBB) was replaced by a bus service. The SBB still runs rail service to Luzern (south) and Lenzburg
Lenzburg
Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neighbouring municipalities of Niederlenz and...

(north), which is becoming very popular once again.
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