Eggerberg
Encyclopedia
Eggerberg is a municipality
in the district of Brig in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located on the slopes above the northern Rhone valley, near Visp. It consists of the village of Eggerberg and the hamlets
of Mühlackern, Wirmschland, Berg, Eggen and summer only settlement of Finnen.
The proposed merger of the municipalities of Eggerberg, Ausserberg
, Bürchen
, Baltschieder
, Visp
and Visperterminen
was rejected by the residents.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure, issuant from Coupeaux Vert a Latin Cross Argent between in chief dexter a Moon Or and sinister a Sun of the Same.
Most of the population speaks German
(378 or 99.0%) as their first language, French
is the second most common (2 or 0.5%) and Italian
is the third (1 or 0.3%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.8% male and 52.2% female. The population was made up of 157 Swiss men (45.8% of the population) and 7 (2.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 172 Swiss women (50.1%) and 7 (2.0%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 269 or about 70.4% were born in Eggerberg and lived there in 2000. There were 83 or 21.7% who were born in the same canton, while 16 or 4.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 5 or 1.3% were born outside of Switzerland. The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.4%.
, there were 159 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 193 married individuals, 25 widows or widowers and 5 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.66 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.63 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 85.2% 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 135 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. There were 35 households that consist of only one person and 17 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 147 households that answered this question, 23.8% were households made up of just one person and there were 4 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 26 married couples without children, 61 married couples with children There were 6 single parents with a child or children. There were 3 households that were made up of unrelated people and 12 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 131 single family homes (or 68.6% of the total) out of a total of 191 inhabited buildings. There were 41 multi-family buildings (21.5%), along with 13 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (6.8%) and 6 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (3.1%).
, a total of 115 apartments (48.5% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 105 apartments (44.3%) were seasonally occupied and 17 apartments (7.2%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 66.73% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(16.87%), the SP
(13.66%) and the FDP
(1.71%). In the federal election, a total of 216 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 74.7%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 172 votes were cast, of which 6 or about 3.5% were invalid. The voter participation was 60.6%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 212 votes were cast, of which 3 or about 1.4% were invalid. The voter participation was 73.4%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 52. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 8, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 5, all of which were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 39. In the tertiary sector; 1 was in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 21 or 53.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 5 or 12.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was the insurance or financial industry, 2 or 5.1% were technical professionals or scientists, 2 or 5.1% were in education.
, there were 17 workers who commuted into the municipality and 159 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 9.4 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 35.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 51.6% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic Church
, and there were 22 individuals (or about 5.76% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. 3 (or about 0.79% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 7 individuals (or about 1.83% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 11 who completed tertiary schooling, 90.9% were Swiss men, 9.1% were Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 10 students in the Eggerberg school system. The education system
in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
. During that school year, there were no kindergarten classes (KG1 or KG2) and there were no kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Eggerberg there was one class and 10 students in the primary school. The secondary school
program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower secondary students from Eggerberg attend their school in a neighboring municipality. All the upper secondary students attended school in another municipality.
, there was one student in Eggerberg who came from another municipality, while 15 residents 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 Brig 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 Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
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
Eggerberg has an area, , of 6 square kilometre. Of this area, 15.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 56.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 5.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 22.9% is unproductive land.The municipality is located on the slopes above the northern Rhone valley, near Visp. It consists of the village of Eggerberg 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 Mühlackern, Wirmschland, Berg, Eggen and summer only settlement of Finnen.
The proposed merger of the municipalities of Eggerberg, Ausserberg
Ausserberg
Ausserberg is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Ausserberg is first mentioned in 1378 as Leucrun. In 1401 it was mentioned as mons episcopi and in 1523 it was mons exterior.-Geography:...
, Bürchen
Bürchen
Bürchen is a municipality in the district of Raron in the German speaking part of the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:...
, Baltschieder
Baltschieder
Baltschieder is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Baltschieder is first mentioned in 1224 as Ponczirrum. In 1286 it was mentioned as Balschyedro.-Geography:...
, Visp
Visp
Visp is the capital of the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-Geography:Visp has an area, , of . Of this area, 17.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 59.7% is forested...
and Visperterminen
Visperterminen
Visperterminen is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Visperterminen is first mentioned in the 11th Century as Termenum. In 1221 it was mentioned as Terminum.-Geography:...
was rejected by the residents.
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 Azure, issuant from Coupeaux Vert a Latin Cross Argent between in chief dexter a Moon Or and sinister a Sun of the Same.
Demographics
Eggerberg has a population of . , 1.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -13.6%. It has changed at a rate of -7.1% due to migration and at a rate of -3.3% 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....
(378 or 99.0%) as their first language, 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...
is the second most common (2 or 0.5%) and 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...
is the third (1 or 0.3%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.8% male and 52.2% female. The population was made up of 157 Swiss men (45.8% of the population) and 7 (2.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 172 Swiss women (50.1%) and 7 (2.0%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 269 or about 70.4% were born in Eggerberg and lived there in 2000. There were 83 or 21.7% who were born in the same canton, while 16 or 4.2% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 5 or 1.3% were born outside of Switzerland. The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 27.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 14.4%.
, there were 159 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 193 married individuals, 25 widows or widowers and 5 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.66 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.63 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 85.2% 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 135 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. There were 35 households that consist of only one person and 17 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 147 households that answered this question, 23.8% were households made up of just one person and there were 4 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 26 married couples without children, 61 married couples with children There were 6 single parents with a child or children. There were 3 households that were made up of unrelated people and 12 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 131 single family homes (or 68.6% of the total) out of a total of 191 inhabited buildings. There were 41 multi-family buildings (21.5%), along with 13 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (6.8%) and 6 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (3.1%).
, a total of 115 apartments (48.5% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 105 apartments (44.3%) were seasonally occupied and 17 apartments (7.2%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
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 66.73% 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...
(16.87%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(13.66%) 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....
(1.71%). In the federal election, a total of 216 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 74.7%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
election a total of 172 votes were cast, of which 6 or about 3.5% were invalid. The voter participation was 60.6%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
Swiss Council of States election, 2007
Elections were held to the Council of States of Switzerland in October and November 2007 as part of the 2007 federal election. All 46 members of the Council of States were elected from all cantons of Switzerland. The first round was held on 21 October...
election a total of 212 votes were cast, of which 3 or about 1.4% were invalid. The voter participation was 73.4%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Eggerberg had an unemployment rate of 0.7%. , there were 32 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 5 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 2 businesses in this sector. 45 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 10 businesses in this sector. There were 192 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 41.1% 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 52. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 8, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 5, all of which were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 39. In the tertiary sector; 1 was in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 21 or 53.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 5 or 12.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was the insurance or financial industry, 2 or 5.1% were technical professionals or scientists, 2 or 5.1% were in education.
, there were 17 workers who commuted into the municipality and 159 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 9.4 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 35.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 51.6% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 354 or 92.7% were Roman Catholic, while 6 or 1.6% 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 was 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic Church
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...
, and there were 22 individuals (or about 5.76% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. 3 (or about 0.79% 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 7 individuals (or about 1.83% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Eggerberg about 134 or (35.1%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 11 or (2.9%) 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 11 who completed tertiary schooling, 90.9% were Swiss men, 9.1% were Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 10 students in the Eggerberg 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 Valais allows young children to attend one year 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 no kindergarten classes (KG1 or KG2) and there were no kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Eggerberg there was one class and 10 students in the 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 (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower secondary students from Eggerberg attend their school in a neighboring municipality. All the upper secondary students attended school in another municipality.
, there was one student in Eggerberg who came from another municipality, while 15 residents attended schools outside the municipality.