Bilten
Encyclopedia
Bilten is a former municipality
in the canton
of Glarus in Switzerland
. Effective from 1 January 2011, Bilten is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord
.
Bilten was the most northerly municipality in the canton and is located on the southern end of the Linth
river. It consists of the linear village
of Bilten, with the village sections of Ober-, Unterbilten and Rufi, and the hamlet
of Ussbühl which is located on the border with the Canton of Schwyz
.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 47.2% of the vote. Most of the rest of the votes went to the SPS
with 43.7% of the vote.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bilten about 54.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Bilten has an unemployment rate of 1.66%. , there were 66 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 26 businesses involved in this sector. 509 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 30 businesses in this sector. 241 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 49 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Bilten is a stop of the S-Bahn Zürich on the line S2
. It is the penultimate stop on the S2 line southbound before Ziegelbrücke where the train terminates. In the other direction, the S2 heads towards Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Zürich Flughafen and finally Effretikon.
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 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 Glarus 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....
. Effective from 1 January 2011, Bilten is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord
Glarus Nord
Glarus Nord is one of three municipalities of the canton of Glarus, Switzerland .Effective from 1 January 2011, Glarus Nord incorporates the former municipalities of Bilten, Filzbach, Mollis, Mühlehorn, Näfels, Niederurnen, Oberurnen and Obstalden....
.
Geography
Bilten has an area, , of 15.9 km² (6.1 sq mi). Of this area, 37.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 50.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 8.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (3.8%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).Bilten was the most northerly municipality in the canton and is located on the southern end of 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. 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 Bilten, with the village sections of Ober-, Unterbilten and Rufi, and the hamlet
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 Ussbühl which is located on the border with the Canton of Schwyz
Canton of Schwyz
Schwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich in the north, centered around and named after the town of Schwyz....
.
Demographics
Bilten has a population (as of ) of . , 28.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 6.7%. Most of the population speaks German (79.4%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 5.5%) and Italian being third ( 3.9%).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 47.2% of the vote. Most of the rest of the votes went to the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
with 43.7% of the vote.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bilten about 54.9% 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...
).
Bilten has an unemployment rate of 1.66%. , there were 66 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 26 businesses involved in this sector. 509 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 30 businesses in this sector. 241 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 49 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 681 |
| 1900 | 555 |
| 1950 | 706 |
| 2000 | 1,882 |
Transportation
The municipality is located on the A3 motorway.Bilten is a stop of the S-Bahn Zürich on the line S2
S2 (ZVV)
The S2 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Zürich with Schwyz, Glarus and St...
. It is the penultimate stop on the S2 line southbound before Ziegelbrücke where the train terminates. In the other direction, the S2 heads towards Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Zürich Flughafen and finally Effretikon.