Gampel-Bratsch
Encyclopedia
Gampel-Bratsch is a municipality
in the district of Leuk in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
. It was formed on January 1, 2009. The voters of the municipalities of Gampel
and Bratsch
decided to merge on January 20, 2008.
Most of the population speaks German
(93.4%) as their first language, Albanian
is the second most common (1.9%) and Serbo-Croatian
is the third (1.4%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. The population was made up of 810 Swiss men (43.6% of the population) and 111 (6.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 850 Swiss women (45.7%) and 87 (4.7%) non-Swiss women.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.2%.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.64 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 78.7% 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).
, the construction rate of new housing units was 3.8 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.29%.
Of the working population, 22.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.9% used a private car.
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 Leuk 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....
. It was formed on January 1, 2009. The voters of the municipalities of Gampel
Gampel
Gampel is a former municipality in the district of Leuk in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.It was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Bratsch to form Gampel-Bratsch.-Coat of arms:...
and Bratsch
Bratsch
Bratsch is a village in the municipality of Gampel-Bratsch in the district of Leuk of the canton of Valais in Switzerland.Bratsch was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Gampel to form Gampel-Bratsch.-History:...
decided to merge on January 20, 2008.
History
Bratsch is first mentioned in 1228 and 1242 as Praes. In 1309 it was mentioned as Prahcs, in 1322 as Praes, in 1357 as Prayes, in 1408 as Prages and in 1532 as Bratsch Gampel is first mentioned in 1238 as Champilz.Geography
Gampel-Bratsch has an area, , of 23.1 square kilometre. Of this area, 30.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 38.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 28.0% is unproductive land.Demographics
Gampel-Bratsch has a population of . , 10.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -1.5%. It has changed at a rate of 1.4% due to migration and at a rate of 0.3% 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....
(93.4%) as their first language, Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
is the second most common (1.9%) and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
is the third (1.4%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. The population was made up of 810 Swiss men (43.6% of the population) and 111 (6.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 850 Swiss women (45.7%) and 87 (4.7%) non-Swiss women.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.2%.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.64 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 78.7% 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).
, the construction rate of new housing units was 3.8 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.29%.
Economy
, Gampel-Bratsch had an unemployment rate of 1.9%. , there were 91 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 41 businesses involved in this sector. 210 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 23 businesses in this sector. 271 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 69 businesses in this sector. There were residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity. , there were workers who commuted away from the municipality.Of the working population, 22.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 49.9% used a private car.