Gänsbrunnen
Encyclopedia
Gänsbrunnen is a municipality
in the district of Thal
in the canton
of Solothurn in Switzerland
. The French name for Gänsbrunnen is Saint-Joseph.
Gänsbrunnen is one of the smallest municipalities in Solothurn.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.0%. Out of the forested land, 63.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.0% is used for growing crops and 14.6% is pastures and 13.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Thal district, south of ancient Balsthal-Moutier road.
Most of the population speaks German
(80 or 95.2%) with the rest speaking French
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.5% male and 51.5% female. The population was made up of 44 Swiss men (45.4% of the population) and 3 (3.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 48 Swiss women (49.5%) and 2 (2.1%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 25 or about 29.8% were born in Gänsbrunnen and lived there in 2000. There were 23 or 27.4% who were born in the same canton, while 30 or 35.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 5 or 6.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there was 1 live birth to Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 non-Swiss man who immigrated from another country to Switzerland and 1 non-Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 4 and the non-Swiss population remained the same. This represents a population growth rate of 4.1%.
The age distribution, , in Gänsbrunnen is; 5 children or 6.0% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 17 teenagers or 20.2% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 6 people or 7.1% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 25 people or 29.8% are between 25 and 44, and 18 people or 21.4% are between 45 and 64. The senior population distribution is 9 people or 10.7% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 4 people or 4.8% who are over 80.
, there were 38 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 36 married individuals, 6 widows or widowers and 4 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 41.9% 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 31 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. There were 8 households that consist of only one person and 3 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 33 households that answered this question, 24.2% were households made up of just one person and there were 3 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 8 married couples without children, 10 married couples with children There were 2 single parents with a child or children.
there were 12 single family homes (or 36.4% of the total) out of a total of 33 inhabited buildings. There were 1 multi-family buildings (3.0%), along with 14 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (42.4%) and 6 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (18.2%). Of the single family homes 4 were built before 1919, while none were built between 1990 and 2000.
there were 42 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 15. There were 1 single room apartments and 15 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 31 apartments (73.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 10 apartments (23.8%) were seasonally occupied and 1 apartments (2.4%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 48.05% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(26.84%), the EVP Party
(12.55%) and the CVP
(12.12%). In the federal election, a total of 33 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 50.8%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 25. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 17, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 2, both in mining. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 6, all in a hotel or restaurant.
, there were 5 workers who commuted into the municipality and 25 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 5.0 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 21.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 29.4% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population,, and there were 12 individuals (or about 14.29% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. 11 (or about 13.10% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 1 individuals (or about 1.19% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 6 who completed tertiary schooling, 66.7% were Swiss men, 33.3% were Swiss women.
, there were 12 students from Gänsbrunnen who 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 Thal
Thal (district)
Thal District is one of the ten districts of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland, situated in the centre of the canton. Together with the Gäu District, it forms the Amtei of Thal-Gäu...
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 Solothurn 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....
. The French name for Gänsbrunnen is Saint-Joseph.
Gänsbrunnen is one of the smallest municipalities in Solothurn.
Geography
Gänsbrunnen has an area, , of 11.44 square kilometres (4.4 sq mi). Of this area, 3.37 km² (1.3 sq mi) or 29.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 7.61 km² (2.9 sq mi) or 66.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.37 km² (0.142857798679238 sq mi) or 3.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.0%. Out of the forested land, 63.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.0% is used for growing crops and 14.6% is pastures and 13.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Thal district, south of ancient Balsthal-Moutier road.
Demographics
Gänsbrunnen has a population of . , 1.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -1.1%.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....
(80 or 95.2%) with the rest speaking 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...
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.5% male and 51.5% female. The population was made up of 44 Swiss men (45.4% of the population) and 3 (3.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 48 Swiss women (49.5%) and 2 (2.1%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 25 or about 29.8% were born in Gänsbrunnen and lived there in 2000. There were 23 or 27.4% who were born in the same canton, while 30 or 35.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 5 or 6.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there was 1 live birth to Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 non-Swiss man who immigrated from another country to Switzerland and 1 non-Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 4 and the non-Swiss population remained the same. This represents a population growth rate of 4.1%.
The age distribution, , in Gänsbrunnen is; 5 children or 6.0% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 17 teenagers or 20.2% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 6 people or 7.1% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 25 people or 29.8% are between 25 and 44, and 18 people or 21.4% are between 45 and 64. The senior population distribution is 9 people or 10.7% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 4 people or 4.8% who are over 80.
, there were 38 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 36 married individuals, 6 widows or widowers and 4 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 41.9% 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 31 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. There were 8 households that consist of only one person and 3 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 33 households that answered this question, 24.2% were households made up of just one person and there were 3 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 8 married couples without children, 10 married couples with children There were 2 single parents with a child or children.
there were 12 single family homes (or 36.4% of the total) out of a total of 33 inhabited buildings. There were 1 multi-family buildings (3.0%), along with 14 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (42.4%) and 6 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (18.2%). Of the single family homes 4 were built before 1919, while none were built between 1990 and 2000.
there were 42 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 15. There were 1 single room apartments and 15 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 31 apartments (73.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 10 apartments (23.8%) were seasonally occupied and 1 apartments (2.4%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%.
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 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....
which received 48.05% 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...
(26.84%), the EVP Party
Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland
The Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland is a political party in Switzerland.In questions of redistribution, education, environmentalism, immigration policy, the EVP stands rather center-left. In questions of euthanasia, abortion, and registered partnership and other typically Christian...
(12.55%) and 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...
(12.12%). In the federal election, a total of 33 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 50.8%.
Economy
, Gänsbrunnen had an unemployment rate of 4.4%. , there were 23 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 8 businesses involved in this sector. 2 people were employed in the secondary sector and there was 1 business in this sector. 10 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 2 businesses in this sector. There were 51 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 45.1% 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 25. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 17, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 2, both in mining. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 6, all in a hotel or restaurant.
, there were 5 workers who commuted into the municipality and 25 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 5.0 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 21.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 29.4% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 28 or 33.3% were Roman Catholic, while 32 or 38.1% 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,, and there were 12 individuals (or about 14.29% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. 11 (or about 13.10% 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 1 individuals (or about 1.19% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Gänsbrunnen about 37 or (44.0%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 6 or (7.1%) 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 6 who completed tertiary schooling, 66.7% were Swiss men, 33.3% were Swiss women.
, there were 12 students from Gänsbrunnen who attended schools outside the municipality.