Isone
Encyclopedia
Isone is a municipality
in the district of Bellinzona
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
Isone is mainly known for being the location of the grenadier school (Grenadierschule) of the Swiss Army. The Grenadiers
are a corps of the infantry
and is being instructed in Isone since 1970. Before, the instruction had taken place in Losone.
to the former valley community of Carvina. The Comasker chapter
owned grazing rights in Isone by 1296. In 1501-03 Isone and the Medeglia Valley broke away from Lugano
to accept Bellinzona
's rule.
In 1466, the portions of Isone which belonged to the parish church
of Agno, broke away from the mother church of Bironico
and formed their own parish. Only the romanesque
clock tower and walls (probably from the 12th century) of the original Church of St. Lorenz are still visible in the present church building. The current church was built in the 17th Century and rebuilt and expanded in the 20th Century.
In past centuries, the economy was based mainly on livestock, and to a lesser extent on the timber trade. A lawsuit about borders and pastures with Capriasca
dragged on from 1430 to the first decades of the 20th Century. The local economy benefited with the opening of a firing range and Infantry Training School in 1973. An industrial company was founded in 1961, initially, as a watch factory and later doing electrical engineering work.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.0%. Out of the forested land, 53.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.4% is used for growing crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 9.4% is unproductive vegetation and 1.2% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Bellinzona district, in the upper Vedeggio Valley.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Vert St. Lawrence issuant from base haloed Or clead Gules and vested Argent holding in his dexter hand a gril and in his sinister a palm leaf both also Or. Saint Lawrence is the patron saint
of this municipality."
Most of the population speaks Italian
(89.2%), with Serbo-Croatian
being second most common ( 4.2%) and German
being third ( 2.3%). Of the Swiss national languages , 8 speak German, 7 people speak French
, 315 people speak Italian, The remainder (23 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 55.0% male and 45.0% female. The population was made up of 189 Swiss men (50.0% of the population), and 19 (5.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 153 Swiss women (40.5%), and 17 (4.5%) non-Swiss women. In there were 3 live births to Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 5 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there was 1 non-Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 8 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 3 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.3%.
The age distribution, , in Isone is; 28 children or 7.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 24 teenagers or 6.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 45 people or 11.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 50 people or 13.2% are between 30 and 39, 54 people or 14.3% are between 40 and 49, and 57 people or 15.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 63 people or 16.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 31 people or 8.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 26 people or 6.9% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.58 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 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 59.3% 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 147 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. there were 168 single family homes (or 86.6% of the total) out of a total of 194 inhabited buildings. There were 19 two family buildings (9.8%) and 1 multi-family buildings (.5%). There were also 6 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 211 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 68. There were 11 single room apartments and 49 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 140 apartments (66.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 70 apartments (33.2%) were seasonally occupied and 1 apartments (.5%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 57.92% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(14.39%), the SVP
(13.11%) and the Ticino League
(10.26%). In the federal election, a total of 222 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 70.9%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 314 registered voters in Isone, of which 256 or 81.5% voted. 2 blank ballots and 1 null ballot were cast, leaving 253 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD
+GenGiova which received 134 or 53.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT
(with 49 or 19.4%), the LEGA
(with 24 or 9.5%) and the SSI (with 18 or 7.1%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, there were 3 blank ballots and 1 null ballot, which left 252 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 127 or 50.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 42 or 16.7%), the PLRT (with 36 or 14.3%) and the SSI (with 22 or 8.7%).
There were 159 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 34.0% of the workforce. , there were 114 workers who commuted into the municipality and 96 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 35.1% of the workforce coming into Isone are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 9.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 62.3% used a private car.
, there were 2 hotels in Isone.
. There are 25 individuals (or about 7.08% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 15 individuals (or about 4.25% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Isone there are a total of 45 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Isone there are 6 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 16 students attend the standard primary schools and 1 students attend the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There are 12 students in the two year middle school and in their pre-apprenticeship, while 3 students are in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There are 3 vocational students who are attending school full-time and 4 who attend part-time.
, there were 11 students in Isone who came from another municipality, while 42 residents 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 Bellinzona
Bellinzona (district)
The district of Bellinzona is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:The district has an area, , of . Of this area, or 13.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 68.7% is forested...
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 Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
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....
.
Isone is mainly known for being the location of the grenadier school (Grenadierschule) of the Swiss Army. The Grenadiers
Swiss Grenadiers
The Swiss Grenadiers are an infantry corps of the Swiss Army specialised in rapid offensive operations, intel gathering and operations in urban areas, open fields and other difficult terrains, capable of acting on short notice...
are a corps of the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and is being instructed in Isone since 1970. Before, the instruction had taken place in Losone.
History
Isone is first mentioned in 1237 as Yxono. Isone probably belonged in the Early Middle AgesEarly Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
to the former valley community of Carvina. The Comasker chapter
Comacine masters
The early medieval Lombard Comacine masters were stonemasons working in a region of excellent building stone who gave to Lombardy its preeminence in the stone architecture that preceded Romanesque style.-Comacini:...
owned grazing rights in Isone by 1296. In 1501-03 Isone and the Medeglia Valley broke away from Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
to accept Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
's rule.
In 1466, the portions of Isone which belonged to the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Agno, broke away from the mother church of Bironico
Bironico
Bironico is a village in the northern end of the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.The municipalities of Medeglia, Bironico, Camignolo, Rivera and Sigirino merged on 21 November 2010 into the new municipality of Monteceneri.-History:...
and formed their own parish. Only the romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
clock tower and walls (probably from the 12th century) of the original Church of St. Lorenz are still visible in the present church building. The current church was built in the 17th Century and rebuilt and expanded in the 20th Century.
In past centuries, the economy was based mainly on livestock, and to a lesser extent on the timber trade. A lawsuit about borders and pastures with Capriasca
Capriasca
Capriasca is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.The municipality was created in 2001 by a merger of Cagiallo, Lopagno, Roveredo, Sala Capriasca, Tesserete and Vaglio.-History:...
dragged on from 1430 to the first decades of the 20th Century. The local economy benefited with the opening of a firing range and Infantry Training School in 1973. An industrial company was founded in 1961, initially, as a watch factory and later doing electrical engineering work.
Geography
Isone has an area, , of 12.82 square kilometres (4.9 sq mi). Of this area, 0.55 km² (0.212356187225894 sq mi) or 4.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 8.3 km² (3.2 sq mi) or 64.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.27 km² (0.104247582819984 sq mi) or 2.1% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.07 km² (17.3 acre) or 0.5% is either rivers or lakes and 1.36 km² (0.525098935685848 sq mi) or 10.6% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.0%. Out of the forested land, 53.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.4% is used for growing crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 9.4% is unproductive vegetation and 1.2% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Bellinzona district, in the upper Vedeggio Valley.
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 Vert St. Lawrence issuant from base haloed Or clead Gules and vested Argent holding in his dexter hand a gril and in his sinister a palm leaf both also Or. Saint Lawrence is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of this municipality."
Demographics
Isone has a population of . , 8.0% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -7.7%.Most of the population speaks 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...
(89.2%), with 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...
being second most common ( 4.2%) and 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....
being third ( 2.3%). Of the Swiss national languages , 8 speak German, 7 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...
, 315 people speak Italian, The remainder (23 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 55.0% male and 45.0% female. The population was made up of 189 Swiss men (50.0% of the population), and 19 (5.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 153 Swiss women (40.5%), and 17 (4.5%) non-Swiss women. In there were 3 live births to Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 5 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there was 1 non-Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 8 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 3 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.3%.
The age distribution, , in Isone is; 28 children or 7.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 24 teenagers or 6.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 45 people or 11.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 50 people or 13.2% are between 30 and 39, 54 people or 14.3% are between 40 and 49, and 57 people or 15.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 63 people or 16.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 31 people or 8.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 26 people or 6.9% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.58 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 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 59.3% 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 147 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. there were 168 single family homes (or 86.6% of the total) out of a total of 194 inhabited buildings. There were 19 two family buildings (9.8%) and 1 multi-family buildings (.5%). There were also 6 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 211 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 68. There were 11 single room apartments and 49 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 140 apartments (66.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 70 apartments (33.2%) were seasonally occupied and 1 apartments (.5%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1591 | 440 |
| 1709 | 617 |
| 1801 | 608 |
| 1850 | 789 |
| 1900 | 750 |
| 1950 | 682 |
| 1980 | 371 |
| 1990 | 383 |
| 2000 | 353 |
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 57.92% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(14.39%), 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...
(13.11%) and the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(10.26%). In the federal election, a total of 222 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 70.9%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 314 registered voters in Isone, of which 256 or 81.5% voted. 2 blank ballots and 1 null ballot were cast, leaving 253 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD
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...
+GenGiova which received 134 or 53.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT
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....
(with 49 or 19.4%), the LEGA
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(with 24 or 9.5%) and the SSI (with 18 or 7.1%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, there were 3 blank ballots and 1 null ballot, which left 252 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 127 or 50.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 42 or 16.7%), the PLRT (with 36 or 14.3%) and the SSI (with 22 or 8.7%).
Economy
, Isone had an unemployment rate of 1.12%. , there were 17 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 7 businesses involved in this sector. 49 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 58 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 9 businesses in this sector.There were 159 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 34.0% of the workforce. , there were 114 workers who commuted into the municipality and 96 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 35.1% of the workforce coming into Isone are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 9.4% used public transportation to get to work, and 62.3% used a private car.
, there were 2 hotels in Isone.
Religion
From the , 304 or 86.1% were Roman Catholic, while 9 or 2.5% 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...
. There are 25 individuals (or about 7.08% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 15 individuals (or about 4.25% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Isone about 56.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or 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...
).
In Isone there are a total of 45 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and in Isone there are 6 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 16 students attend the standard primary schools and 1 students attend the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There are 12 students in the two year middle school and in their pre-apprenticeship, while 3 students are in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There are 3 vocational students who are attending school full-time and 4 who attend part-time.
, there were 11 students in Isone who came from another municipality, while 42 residents attended schools outside the municipality.