Hérémence
Encyclopedia
Hérémence is a municipality
in the district of Hérens
in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located in the Hérens district, on the left side of the Borgne and the Dixence rivers. The village of Hérémence is at the confluence
of the two rivers. It includes the entire Dixence valley, which is one of the side valleys off the main Rhone
valley. It consists of the village of Hérémence and the hamlets
of Ayer, Euseigne, Mâche, Pralong, Riod and Cerise.
Most of the population speaks French
(1,262 or 97.5%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (18 or 1.4%) and Portuguese
is the third (7 or 0.5%). There are 4 people who speak Italian
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. The population was made up of 613 Swiss men (46.5% of the population) and 41 (3.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 629 Swiss women (47.7%) and 36 (2.7%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 228 or about 17.6% were born in Hérémence and lived there in 2000. There were 32 or 2.5% who were born in the same canton, while 14 or 1.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 27 or 2.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 20.6%.
, there were 548 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 644 married individuals, 83 widows or widowers and 19 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 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 86.9% 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 450 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 144 households that consist of only one person and 52 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 523 households that answered this question, 27.5% were households made up of just one person and there were 13 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 134 married couples without children, 126 married couples with children There were 20 single parents with a child or children. There were 13 households that were made up of unrelated people and 73 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 149 single family homes (or 42.3% of the total) out of a total of 352 inhabited buildings. There were 179 multi-family buildings (50.9%), along with 17 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (4.8%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.0%).
, a total of 450 apartments (63.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 161 apartments (22.8%) were seasonally occupied and 94 apartments (13.3%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 9.9 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.48%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Church, the aux Fées cave, and the La Grande Dixence dam are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance
. The village of Hérémence and the hamlet of Mâche / Mâchette are both part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 56.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(23.33%), the SP
(8.98%) and the FDP
(4.57%). In the federal election, a total of 802 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 71.3%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 754 votes were cast, of which 45 or about 6.0% were invalid. The voter participation was 68.2%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 794 votes were cast, of which 38 or about 4.8% were invalid. The voter participation was 72.6%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 323. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 24, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 182 of which 50 or (27.5%) were in manufacturing and 131 (72.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 117. In the tertiary sector; 12 or 10.3% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 15 or 12.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 29 or 24.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was the insurance or financial industry, 2 or 1.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 25 or 21.4% were in education and 8 or 6.8% were in health care.
, there were 89 workers who commuted into the municipality and 338 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 14.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.3% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church
, and there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. 4 (or about 0.31% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 9 individuals (or about 0.70% of the population) did not answer the question.
. The wettest month is June during which time Hérémence receives an average of 78 mm (3.1 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 10.1 days. The driest month of the year is April with an average of 51 mm (2 in) of precipitation over 7.7 days.
). Of the 6 who completed tertiary schooling, 66.7% were Swiss men, 33.3% were Swiss women.
, there were 146 students in Hérémence who came from another municipality, while 35 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Hérémence is home to the Bibliothèque communale et scolaire library. The library has 5,335 books or other media, and loaned out 2,156 items in the same year. It was open a total of 300 days with average of 7 hours per week during that year.
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 Hérens
Hérens (district)
The district of Hérens is a district in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:Except for the municipality of Ayent, which lies on the north bank of the Rhône, the municipalities of Hérens are located in the Val d'Hérens on the south bank of the...
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
Hérémence has an area, , of 107.6 square kilometre. Of this area, 18.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and 61.3% is unproductive land.The municipality is located in the Hérens district, on the left side of the Borgne and the Dixence rivers. The village of Hérémence is at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the two rivers. It includes the entire Dixence valley, which is one of the side valleys off the main Rhone
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
valley. It consists of the village of Hérémence 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 Ayer, Euseigne, Mâche, Pralong, Riod and Cerise.
Demographics
Hérémence has a population of . , 5.7% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -0.5%. It has changed at a rate of 7.4% due to migration and at a rate of -5.4% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks 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...
(1,262 or 97.5%) as their first language, 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....
is the second most common (18 or 1.4%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is the third (7 or 0.5%). There are 4 people who 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...
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. The population was made up of 613 Swiss men (46.5% of the population) and 41 (3.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 629 Swiss women (47.7%) and 36 (2.7%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 228 or about 17.6% were born in Hérémence and lived there in 2000. There were 32 or 2.5% who were born in the same canton, while 14 or 1.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 27 or 2.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 20.6%.
, there were 548 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 644 married individuals, 83 widows or widowers and 19 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.62 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 86.9% 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 450 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 144 households that consist of only one person and 52 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 523 households that answered this question, 27.5% were households made up of just one person and there were 13 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 134 married couples without children, 126 married couples with children There were 20 single parents with a child or children. There were 13 households that were made up of unrelated people and 73 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 149 single family homes (or 42.3% of the total) out of a total of 352 inhabited buildings. There were 179 multi-family buildings (50.9%), along with 17 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (4.8%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.0%).
, a total of 450 apartments (63.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 161 apartments (22.8%) were seasonally occupied and 94 apartments (13.3%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 9.9 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.48%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church, the aux Fées cave, and the La Grande Dixence dam are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss 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 village of Hérémence and the hamlet of Mâche / Mâchette are both 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:...
.
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 56.8% 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...
(23.33%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(8.98%) 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....
(4.57%). In the federal election, a total of 802 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 71.3%.
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 754 votes were cast, of which 45 or about 6.0% were invalid. The voter participation was 68.2%, 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 794 votes were cast, of which 38 or about 4.8% were invalid. The voter participation was 72.6%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Hérémence had an unemployment rate of 2.6%. , there were 50 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 29 businesses involved in this sector. 192 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 13 businesses in this sector. 164 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 39 businesses in this sector. There were 576 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.9% 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 323. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 24, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 182 of which 50 or (27.5%) were in manufacturing and 131 (72.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 117. In the tertiary sector; 12 or 10.3% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 15 or 12.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 29 or 24.8% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was the insurance or financial industry, 2 or 1.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 25 or 21.4% were in education and 8 or 6.8% were in health care.
, there were 89 workers who commuted into the municipality and 338 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 14.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.3% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,239 or 95.7% were Roman Catholic, while 40 or 3.1% 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, there was 1 member of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
, and there was 1 individual who belongs to another Christian church. 4 (or about 0.31% 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 9 individuals (or about 0.70% of the population) did not answer the question.
Weather
Hérémence has an average of 99.8 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 776 mm (30.6 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 June during which time Hérémence receives an average of 78 mm (3.1 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 10.1 days. The driest month of the year is April with an average of 51 mm (2 in) of precipitation over 7.7 days.
Education
In Hérémence about 6 or (0.5%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 6 or (0.5%) 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 146 students in Hérémence who came from another municipality, while 35 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Hérémence is home to the Bibliothèque communale et scolaire library. The library has 5,335 books or other media, and loaned out 2,156 items in the same year. It was open a total of 300 days with average of 7 hours per week during that year.