Flawil
Encyclopedia
Flawil is a municipality
in the canton
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
with somewhat short of 10,000 inhabitants.
It is the regional centre of Untertoggenburg
, but belongs to the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Wil
.
The municipality is located in the Wil Wahlkreis. It was the capital of the earlier Bezirk. To the north-east it is bordered by the Wissbach valley and the Glatt
river. It consists of the extended linear village
of Flawil and the hamlets
of Botsberg, Alterswil, Grobenentschwil, Langenentschwil, Raschberg, Egg, Oberglatt and Burgau as well as scattered farm houses.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Chequy Argent and Gules and a Chief Or.
, 516 are from Italy
, 964 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 64 are from Austria
, 138 are from Turkey
, and 516 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4.2%. Most of the population speaks German (84.5%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.4%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 3.4%). Of the Swiss national languages , 7,872 speak German
, 27 people speak French
, 313 people speak Italian
, and 10 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Flawil is; 1,216 children or 13.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,248 teenagers or 13.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,209 people or 13.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,514 people or 16.2% are between 30 and 39, 1,279 people or 13.7% are between 40 and 49, and 1,127 people or 12.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 790 people or 8.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 548 people or 5.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 333 people or 3.6% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 56 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 1,198 persons (or 12.9% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 1,951 (or 20.9%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 5,350 (or 57.4%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 491 (or 5.3%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 55 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 43 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 51 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 181 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 31.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(19.9%), the CVP
(16.6%) and the SP
(15%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Flawil about 64.7% 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 Flawil, , the highest education level completed by 2,070 people (22.2% of the population) was Primary, while 3,308 (35.5%) have completed Secondary, 854 (9.2%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 520 (5.6%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
and St.Gallen. The ride takes exactly one hour to Zurich and 15 minutes to St.Gallen (as of 2008). Additionally, there are local commuter trains.
The next access to the A1
national motorway are located in neighbouring towns Gossau
and Uzwil
.
The hamlets of Burgau, Raaschberg and Oberglatt are designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
, in particular the Maestrani, Munz and Minor brands. Further industrial firms include FLAWA AG, producing cotton wool products and bandage material, SFS intec AG, specialised in deep drawing and impact extrusion, and BÜCHI Laboratory Equipment.
, Flawil had an unemployment rate of 2.69%. , there were 113 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 44 businesses involved in this sector. 1,705 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 104 businesses in this sector. 1,896 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 276 businesses in this sector.
the average unemployment rate was 4.7%. There were 428 businesses in the municipality of which 111 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 278 were involved in the third.
there were 2,199 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,571 residents worked outside Flawil and 1,648 people commuted into the municipality for work.
St.Laurentius and the Protestant church. Additionally there are numerous smaller churches, including a Methodist community.
From the , 4,295 or 46.1% are Roman Catholic, while 2,755 or 29.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
. Of the rest of the population, there is 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic
faith, there are 420 individuals (or about 4.51% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 190 individuals (or about 2.04% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 4 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who are Jewish
, and 666 (or about 7.15% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 168 individuals (or about 1.80% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 506 (or about 5.43% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 315 individuals (or about 3.38% of the population) did not answer the question.
. The wettest month is August during which time Flawil receives an average of 149 mm (5.9 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.3 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 14.2, but with only 136 mm (5.4 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 76 mm (3 in) of precipitation over 13.3 days.
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 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....
with somewhat short of 10,000 inhabitants.
It is the regional centre of Untertoggenburg
Toggenburg
Toggenburg is the name given to the upper valley of the Thur River, in the Swiss Canton of St. Gallen. Currently, it is one of the eight constituencies into which the canton is divided....
, but belongs to the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Wil
Wil (Wahlkreis)
Wil is a district of the canton of St.Gallen, Switzerland. It is named after the regional centre Wil, which is the largest city of the district.However, the district capital is Jonschwil.-Demographics:District Wil has a population of...
.
History
Flawil is first mentioned in 858 as Flawilare marcho. Several of the surrounding hamlets were also mentioned in about the same era. Alterswil was first mentioned in 858 as Altiricheswilae, Oberglatt in 731 as villa Clata and in 1316 as Obren Glat and Burgau in 964 as Purchouva.Geography
Flawil has an area, , of 11.5 km² (4.4 sq mi). Of this area, 53.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 23% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.3%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality is located in the Wil Wahlkreis. It was the capital of the earlier Bezirk. To the north-east it is bordered by the Wissbach valley and the Glatt
Glatt (Rhine)
Glatt is the name of a lesser affluent to the High Rhine in the Unterland of the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. It is long and flows out from the Greifensee thru the Glatt Valley, discharging into the Rhine by Glattfelden...
river. It consists of the extended 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 Flawil 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 Botsberg, Alterswil, Grobenentschwil, Langenentschwil, Raschberg, Egg, Oberglatt and Burgau as well as scattered farm houses.
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 Chequy Argent and Gules and a Chief Or.
Demographics
Flawil has a population (as of ) of . , about 26.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 138 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...
, 516 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...
, 964 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,...
, 64 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...
, 138 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 516 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4.2%. Most of the population speaks German (84.5%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.4%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 3.4%). Of the Swiss national languages , 7,872 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....
, 27 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...
, 313 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 10 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Flawil is; 1,216 children or 13.0% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,248 teenagers or 13.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,209 people or 13.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,514 people or 16.2% are between 30 and 39, 1,279 people or 13.7% are between 40 and 49, and 1,127 people or 12.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 790 people or 8.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 548 people or 5.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 333 people or 3.6% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 56 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 1,198 persons (or 12.9% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 1,951 (or 20.9%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 5,350 (or 57.4%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 491 (or 5.3%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 55 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 43 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 51 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 181 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 31.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(19.9%), 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...
(16.6%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(15%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Flawil about 64.7% 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 Flawil, , the highest education level completed by 2,070 people (22.2% of the population) was Primary, while 3,308 (35.5%) have completed Secondary, 854 (9.2%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 520 (5.6%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1837 | 2,233 |
| 1850 | 2,664 |
| 1890 | 4,878 |
| 1900 | 4,873 |
| 1950 | 6,502 |
| 2000 | 9,320 |
Transportation
Flawil has a train station, with hourly long-distance train stops in direction ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and St.Gallen. The ride takes exactly one hour to Zurich and 15 minutes to St.Gallen (as of 2008). Additionally, there are local commuter trains.
The next access to the A1
A1 (Switzerland)
The A1 is a motorway in Switzerland. It follows Switzerland's main east-west axis, from St. Margrethen in northeastern Switzerland's canton of St. Gallen through to Geneva in southwestern Switzerland...
national motorway are located in neighbouring towns Gossau
Gossau, St. Gallen
Gossau is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of St. Gallen in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Gossau has an area, , of . Of this area, 63% is used for agricultural purposes, while 16.3% is forested...
and Uzwil
Uzwil
Uzwil is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Uzwil was first mentioned in 819 as Uzzinwilare. The village of Henau was first mentioned 754 as Villa Aninauva at the Monastery of St. Gallen in the "Henau document" .-Geography:Uzwil has an area,...
Heritage sites of national significance
The Old Town Council building in Burgau and the Hotel-Restaurant Hirschen in Oberglatt are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significanceSwiss 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 hamlets of Burgau, Raaschberg and Oberglatt are designated as 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:...
.
Economy
The local economy used to be strongly based on industry, which has been declining, however. It is particularly known for the production of Swiss chocolateSwiss chocolate
Switzerland's chocolates have earned an international reputation for high quality.The famous Toblerone came from Switzerland; a man named Jean Tobler started the business in 1867.-History:The 17th century saw the start of chocolate processed in Switzerland...
, in particular the Maestrani, Munz and Minor brands. Further industrial firms include FLAWA AG, producing cotton wool products and bandage material, SFS intec AG, specialised in deep drawing and impact extrusion, and BÜCHI Laboratory Equipment.
, Flawil had an unemployment rate of 2.69%. , there were 113 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 44 businesses involved in this sector. 1,705 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 104 businesses in this sector. 1,896 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 276 businesses in this sector.
the average unemployment rate was 4.7%. There were 428 businesses in the municipality of which 111 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 278 were involved in the third.
there were 2,199 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,571 residents worked outside Flawil and 1,648 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
Major religious activity is found in the Roman-Catholic parishParish
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...
St.Laurentius and the Protestant church. Additionally there are numerous smaller churches, including a Methodist community.
From the , 4,295 or 46.1% are Roman Catholic, while 2,755 or 29.6% 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 is 1 individual who belongs 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 420 individuals (or about 4.51% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 190 individuals (or about 2.04% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 4 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who are Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 666 (or about 7.15% 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 168 individuals (or about 1.80% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 506 (or about 5.43% 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 315 individuals (or about 3.38% of the population) did not answer the question.
Weather
Flawil has an average of 146.8 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 1280 mm (50.4 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is August during which time Flawil receives an average of 149 mm (5.9 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.3 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 14.2, but with only 136 mm (5.4 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 76 mm (3 in) of precipitation over 13.3 days.