Benken, St. Gallen
Encyclopedia
Benken is a municipality
in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster
in the canton
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located in the See-Gaster Wahlkreis along the Linth
river. The topography
of the land has changed drastically in the past centuries. During the Middle Ages
the village was along the swampy, winding river. Following the Linth river control project in 1807-23 and the Melioration project of 1941-64, the village is now surrounded by rich farmland. It consists of the linear village
of Benken along the Linth and the hamlets
of Giessen, Sand, Rötli, Dorf, Räbli, Halden, Starrberg, Unterhalden, Schmittenäcker, Schmitten as well as scattered farmhouses in the valley and on the Büchel hill.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Or a Lion rampant Gules holding in dexter a Key downwards to sinister Sable.
, 21 are from Italy
, 103 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 7 are from Austria
, 4 are from Turkey
, and 82 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.4%. Most of the population speaks German (93.2%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.9%) and Italian being third ( 0.9%). Of the Swiss national languages , 2,077 speak German
, 2 people speak French
, 19 people speak Italian
, and 5 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Benken is; 318 children or 14.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 391 teenagers or 17.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 244 people or 11.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 367 people or 16.5% are between 30 and 39, 325 people or 14.6% are between 40 and 49, and 240 people or 10.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 156 people or 7.0% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 120 people or 5.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 54 people or 2.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 11 people or 0.5% who are between 90 and 99, and 2 people or 0.1% who are 100 or more.
there were 179 persons (or 8.0% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 380 (or 17.1%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 1,483 (or 66.6%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 113 (or 5.1%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 13 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 11 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 12 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 37 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 42.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(24.8%), the FDP
(10.7%) and the SP
(8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Benken about 63.2% 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 Benken, , the highest education level completed by 564 people (25.3% of the population) was Primary, while 713 (32.0%) have completed Secondary, 170 (7.6%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 91 (4.1%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the average unemployment rate was 1.8%. There were 191 businesses in the municipality of which 35 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 76 were involved in the third.
there were 475 residents who worked in the municipality, while 682 residents worked outside Benken and 384 people commuted into the municipality for work.
. Of the rest of the population, there are 2 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
faith, there are 24 individuals (or about 1.08% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 19 individuals (or about 0.85% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 40 (or about 1.80% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 48 individuals (or about 2.15% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 71 (or about 3.19% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 70 individuals (or about 3.14% 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....
.
Geography
Benken has an area, , of 16.4 km² (6.3 sq mi). Of this area, 72.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (5.5%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality is located in the See-Gaster Wahlkreis along the Linth
Linth
The Linth is a Swiss river starting above Linthal the mountains of Glarus near the Klausen Pass and flowing from there north through the Glarus valley passing Schwanden, where it is joined by its main tributary Sernft, Ennenda, the town of Glarus, Netstal, and Näfels, from where it is channeled to...
river. The topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of the land has changed drastically in the past centuries. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the village was along the swampy, winding river. Following the Linth river control project in 1807-23 and the Melioration project of 1941-64, the village is now surrounded by rich farmland. It consists of the linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
of Benken along the Linth 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 Giessen, Sand, Rötli, Dorf, Räbli, Halden, Starrberg, Unterhalden, Schmittenäcker, Schmitten as well as scattered farmhouses in the valley and on the Büchel hill.
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 Or a Lion rampant Gules holding in dexter a Key downwards to sinister Sable.
Demographics
Benken has a population (as of ) of . , about 11.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 15 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...
, 21 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...
, 103 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,...
, 7 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...
, 4 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 82 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.4%. Most of the population speaks German (93.2%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.9%) and Italian being third ( 0.9%). Of the Swiss national languages , 2,077 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....
, 2 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...
, 19 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 5 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Benken is; 318 children or 14.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 391 teenagers or 17.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 244 people or 11.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 367 people or 16.5% are between 30 and 39, 325 people or 14.6% are between 40 and 49, and 240 people or 10.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 156 people or 7.0% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 120 people or 5.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 54 people or 2.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 11 people or 0.5% who are between 90 and 99, and 2 people or 0.1% who are 100 or more.
there were 179 persons (or 8.0% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 380 (or 17.1%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 1,483 (or 66.6%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 113 (or 5.1%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 13 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 11 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 12 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 37 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 42.8% 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...
(24.8%), 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....
(10.7%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Benken about 63.2% 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 Benken, , the highest education level completed by 564 people (25.3% of the population) was Primary, while 713 (32.0%) have completed Secondary, 170 (7.6%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 91 (4.1%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1770 | 730 |
| 1850 | 1,242 |
| 1900 | 1,341 |
| 1950 | 1,741 |
| 2000 | 2,228 |
Economy
, Benken had an unemployment rate of 1.1%. , there were 231 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 88 businesses involved in this sector. 432 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 29 businesses in this sector. 336 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 67 businesses in this sector.the average unemployment rate was 1.8%. There were 191 businesses in the municipality of which 35 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 76 were involved in the third.
there were 475 residents who worked in the municipality, while 682 residents worked outside Benken and 384 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
From the , 1,769 or 79.4% are Roman Catholic, while 185 or 8.3% 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 2 individuals (or about 0.09% 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 24 individuals (or about 1.08% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 19 individuals (or about 0.85% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 40 (or about 1.80% 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 48 individuals (or about 2.15% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 71 (or about 3.19% 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 70 individuals (or about 3.14% of the population) did not answer the question.