Meggen
Encyclopedia
Meggen is a municipality
in the district of Lucerne
in the canton
of Lucerne in Switzerland
.
Meggen has an area of 7.3 km² (2.8 sq mi). Of this area, 47.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 28.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). , 23.69% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 41.6% is used for farming or pastures, while 6.06% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 20.25% is covered with buildings, 0.41% is industrial, 0.69% is classed as special developments, 1.79% is parks or greenbelts and 5.37% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, and 0.14% is other unproductive land.
The municipality is located on the Küssnacht arm of the Lake of Lucerne. In 1897 it was the end station of the Gotthardbahn
.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the FDP
which received 33.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(24.8%), the CVP
(21.8%) and the SPS
(10.3%).
The age distribution in Meggen is; 1,300 people or 20.1% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,304 people or 20.1% are 20–39 years old, and 2,561 people or 39.6% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 935 people or 14.4% are 65–79 years old, 312 or 4.8% are 80–89 years old and 61 people or 0.9% of the population are 90+ years old.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Meggen about 86.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
there are 2,479 households, of which 752 households (or about 30.3%) contain only a single individual. 136 or about 5.5% are large households, with at least five members. there were 1,149 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 974 were built only as housing, and 175 were mixed use
buildings. There were 643 single family homes, 118 double family homes, and 213 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (473) or three (337) story structures. There were only 67 single story buildings and 97 four or more story buildings.
Meggen has an unemployment rate of 1.4%. , there were 153 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 199 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 40 businesses in this sector. 1219 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 238 businesses in this sector. 50.9% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 43.6% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Meggen was; 3,841 (64.8%) were Roman Catholic, and 1,203 (20.3%) were Protestant, with an additional 51 (0.86%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 3 individuals (0.05% of the population) who are Jewish. There are 32 individuals (0.54% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 29 (0.49%) individuals who belong to another religion, 598 (10.1%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 166 (2.8%) who did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Lucerne
Lucerne (district)
Lucerne District is an Amt of the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. It has a population of and consists of 18 municipalities, of which the city of Lucerne is the largest and the district capital:-Mergers:...
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 Lucerne 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....
.
History
Meggen is first mentioned in 1226 as Meken, though a 14th Century copy of an older document mentions in Acta Murensia around 1160.Geography
The municipality is located on the Küssnacht arm of the Lake of Lucerne. In 1897 it was the end station of the Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn
Gotthardbahn was the name of a private Swiss railway company which operated the railway line from Immensee to Chiasso . Nowadays this term usually does not refer to that company, but to the railway line itself...
.
Demographics
Meggen has a population (as of ) of . , 10.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10.4%. Most of the population speaks German (93.3%), with English being second most common ( 1.6%) and Italian being third ( 1.0%).In the 2007 election the most popular party was 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....
which received 33.1% 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...
(24.8%), 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...
(21.8%) and the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(10.3%).
The age distribution in Meggen is; 1,300 people or 20.1% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,304 people or 20.1% are 20–39 years old, and 2,561 people or 39.6% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 935 people or 14.4% are 65–79 years old, 312 or 4.8% are 80–89 years old and 61 people or 0.9% of the population are 90+ years old.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Meggen about 86.3% 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...
).
there are 2,479 households, of which 752 households (or about 30.3%) contain only a single individual. 136 or about 5.5% are large households, with at least five members. there were 1,149 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 974 were built only as housing, and 175 were mixed use
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
buildings. There were 643 single family homes, 118 double family homes, and 213 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (473) or three (337) story structures. There were only 67 single story buildings and 97 four or more story buildings.
Meggen has an unemployment rate of 1.4%. , there were 153 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 199 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 40 businesses in this sector. 1219 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 238 businesses in this sector. 50.9% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 43.6% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Meggen was; 3,841 (64.8%) were Roman Catholic, and 1,203 (20.3%) were Protestant, with an additional 51 (0.86%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 3 individuals (0.05% of the population) who are Jewish. There are 32 individuals (0.54% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 29 (0.49%) individuals who belong to another religion, 598 (10.1%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 166 (2.8%) who did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| about 1465 | c. 160 |
| about 1695 | c. 460 |
| 1798 | 585 |
| 1850 | 874 |
| 1900 | 1,130 |
| 1950 | 2,165 |
| 2000 | 5,923 |
Notable residents and local celebrities
- James GalwayJames Galway- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...
, Irish flutist - Ariella KaeslinAriella KaeslinAriella Kaeslin is a Swiss artistic gymnast. Kaeslin swept all five gold medals at the 2007 Swiss National Championships. She has also represented Switzerland at the World Championships in 2007, 2006 and 2005 and is a medalist on the World Cup circuit...
, Swiss artistic gymnast - Marc RichMarc RichMarc Rich is an international commodities trader and entrepreneur. He is best known for founding the commodities company Glencore. He was indicted in the United States on federal charges of illegally making oil deals with Iran during the late 1970s-early 1980s Iran hostage crisis and tax evasion...
, commodities trader