Hallwil
Encyclopedia
Hallwil is a 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 Lenzburg
Lenzburg (district)
Lenzburg District is a district of the Canton of Aargau in Switzerland, lying at the center of the canton. The district capital is the town of Lenzburg. It has a population of .-Geography:...

 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 Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...

 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 Castle of Hallwyl is located in the neighboring municipality Seengen
Seengen
Seengen is a municipality in the district of Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Seengen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 51.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 32.3% is forested...

.

History

Hallwil is first mentioned in 1167 as de Allewilare. Between 1566-1950 it was, legally, known as Niederhallwil. The high court and rights to high justice
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....

 of the Hapsburgs in Hallwil ended in 1415 with the conquest of the Aargau by Bern. The rights to low justice were held by the Lords of Rinach and Hallwyl before they went into the possession of Bern, as part of the court district of Trostberg. The tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...

s, originally collected by Säckingen Abbey
Säckingen Abbey
Säckingen Abbey is a former Roman Catholic abbey located in Bad Säckingen, Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The Abbey was founded in the 6th or 7th Century by Fridolin of Säckingen, an Irish monk...

, later went to the Lords of Hallwyl who then gave them as a gift to the church of Seengen. In 1528 Bern converted to the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

 and Hallwil became part of the Seengen parish
Parish
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...

.

Agriculture was the major economic activity until the 18th Century. In the 18th Century, the straw plaiting, silk ribbon and linen weaving industries became important. Between 1864-1971 the cigar industry dominated. In 1883 the Swiss Federal Railways station at Hallwyl-Dürrenäsch connected the village and the Federal Railway to the Seetalbahn
Seetalbahn
The Seetalbahn is a railway of the Swiss Federal Railways between Lenzburg and Lucerne in Switzerland. The track, when created, was originally named the Swiss Lake Valley Railway Company and was owned by British investors. The passengers included tourists from Lucerne doing sightseeing tours to...

 railway. At the end of the 20th Century small companies in the service sector and apparatus dominated.

Geography

Hallwil has an area, , of 2.19 square kilometre (0.845563727317652 sq mi). Of this area, 1.52 km² (0.586875281060653 sq mi) or 69.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.28 km² (0.10810860440591 sq mi) or 12.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.43 km² (0.16602392819479 sq mi) or 19.6% is settled (buildings or roads).

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 2.7% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 11.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 5.5%. Out of the forested land, 11.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 47.5% is used for growing crops and 18.3% is pastures, while 3.7% is used for orchards or vine crops.

The municipality is located in the Lenzburg district, on the left side of the Seetal. It is about 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) north-west of Hallwyl castle. 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 Hallwil.

Coat of arms

The blazon
Blazon
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 Gules a Palm tree Vert fructed Or issuant from Coupeaux of the second.

Demographics

Hallwil has a population of , 14.1% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 1.6%. Most of the population speaks German (89.5%), with Albanian being second most common ( 3.5%) and Italian being third ( 3.2%).

The age distribution, , in Hallwil is; 65 children or 8.8% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 81 teenagers or 10.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 85 people or 11.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 115 people or 15.5% are between 30 and 39, 144 people or 19.5% are between 40 and 49, and 109 people or 14.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 82 people or 11.1% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 35 people or 4.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 21 people or 2.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 3 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older.

the average number of residents per living room was 0.53 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 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 51% 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 23 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 152 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 123 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 311 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.3 persons per household. there were 149 single family homes (or 41.4% of the total) out of a total of 360 homes and apartments. There were a total of 7 empty apartments for a 1.9% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 14.7 new units per 1000 residents.

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 50.6% 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....

 (10.8%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 (10.3%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...

 (7.4%).

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1798 396
1850 428
1900 387
1950 508
2000 721

Festivals

The municipality has several midwinter-festivals or customs that were once celebrated throughout the Seetal, but now mostly only happen in Hallwil. These festivals include the Chlauschlöpfen, Klausjagen
Klausjagen
The Klausjagen festival takes place in the Swiss town of Küssnacht on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. The festival, attended each year by about 20,000 people, consists of a parade of around 1,000 participants, and lasts far into the night....

, Wienechtschind, Silvestertrösche and Bärzeli. The Chlauschlöpfen involves cracking a whip to wake the sleeping Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...

. Klausjagen originally involved chasing wild spirits, but now is a parade that chases Saint Nicholas. The Wienechtschind occurs on December 24 and consists of 7 girls (Christmas children) who travel throughout the town singing at each house. Silvestertrösche occurs on New Years Eve when a large Silvester
Silvester
Silvester is used in some countries as a name for New Year's Eve, including Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Slovenia.The origin of the name is Saint Sylvester's Day in the Roman Catholic Church, named...

 bonfire is lit on a hill near Hallwil. The final custom, the Bärzeli occurs on Berchtoldstag
Berchtoldstag
Berchtoldstag is an Alemannic holiday, known in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Alsace. It is near New Year's Day, during the Rauhnächte, in Switzerland always on January 2, with the status of a public holiday in a number of cantons...

 (2 January) when 15 Bärzeli (specifically costumed figures) march though the village streets granting luck to all they meet.

Economy

, Hallwil had an unemployment rate of 1.75%. , there were 23 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 9 businesses involved in this sector. 136 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 20 businesses in this sector. 107 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 41 businesses in this sector.

there were 409 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 310 or about 75.8% of the residents worked outside Hallwil while 187 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 286 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 9.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 57.9% used a private car.

Religion

From the , 169 or 23.4% were Roman Catholic, while 391 or 54.2% 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...

.

Education

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Hallwil about 73.7% 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...

). Of the school age population , there are 45 students attending primary school in the municipality. Hallwil is home to the Gemeindebibliotheken und Schulbibliotheken library. The library has 3,455 books or other media. The library was open a total of 120 days with average of 4 hours per week during that year.
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