Menziken
Encyclopedia
Menziken is a municipality
in the district of Kulm
in the canton
of Aargau
in Switzerland
.
ruins and Alamanni
graves have been discovered in the municipality. During the High Middle Ages
it was owned by the counts of Lenzburg
. In 1173 it passed over to the Kyburgs
and following the extinction of the Kyburg line, in 1273 it passed to the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs held the rights to high justice
while their vassals, the Lords of Reinach, held the rights to low justice. From the conquest of Aargau in 1415 until the creation of the Helvetic Republic
in 1798, the village was under Bernese domination. At that time, Menziken belonged to the district of Lenzburg. With the creation of the Canton of Aargau through the Act of Mediation
in 1803, Menziken became a municipality in the new canton.
During the Middle Ages
Menziken was part of the Catholic
parish
of Pfeffikon. Following the introduction of the Protestant Reformation
in 1528, it was initially part of Gontenschwil parish and then of the parish of Reinach. It became the independent parish of Menziken-Burg in 1889-90, with the construction of its own church. The Catholic Menziken-Reinach Diaspora parish was created in 1906-07 when St Anne's Church was built in the municipality.
In 1729 a cotton factory was built in the municipality. This factory was followed by numerous weavers, spinners and dyers, which until the 19th Century provided a major source of income. In 1838 Samuel Weber opened a cigar factory in the village which lead to the cigar industry dominating the entire upper Wynental. The cigar companies represented a major employer until the second half of the 20th Century. Major employers in the early 21st Century include the Schlör AG (which had developed from the brewery founded in 1888 and today produce soft drinks, fruit and apple juice) and Alu Menziken, which produces metal goods. Since 1904 Menziken has been the terminus of the Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn
.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 2.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 17.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.4%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.7% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.3%. 21.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 29.9% is used for growing crops and 16.6% is pastures, while 1.1% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Kulm district. Menziken, together with Reinach
Burg
and Pfeffikon
in the Canton of Lucerne
, forms an agglomeration in the upper Wynental
(Wyna River valley).
of the municipal coat of arms
is Gules a Soldier Armoured and with Helmet Argent looking to sinister standing on Coupeaux Vert holding in dexter a Spear Or topped of the second and in sinister a Mullet of Five of the fourth.
The age distribution, , in Menziken is; 568 children or 10.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 780 teenagers or 14.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 658 people or 12.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 710 people or 13.0% are between 30 and 39, 911 people or 16.7% are between 40 and 49, and 671 people or 12.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 560 people or 10.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 356 people or 6.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 220 people or 4.0% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 27 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 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 43.8% 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 211 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 1,099 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 745 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.50 individuals. , there were 2,111 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 986 single family homes (or 40.4% of the total) out of a total of 2,442 homes and apartments. There were a total of 142 empty apartments for a 5.8% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.2 new units per 1000 residents.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 42.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(17.7%), the FDP
(16.8%) and the CVP
(6.1%).
In Menziken about 60.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). Of the school age population , there are 436 students attending primary school, there are 219 students attending secondary school, there are 95 students attending tertiary or university level schooling in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
there were 2,728 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,816 or about 66.6% of the residents worked outside Menziken while 1,296 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,208 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 7.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.1% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 5 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic
faith and a small congregation of Moravian Brethren.
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 Kulm
Kulm (district)
Kulm District is a district in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It is located west of Lake Hallwil and covers parts of the Wyna and Suhre valleys. The principal town is Unterkulm; the largest municipality is Reinach. The district contains 17 municipalities, is 101.35 km² in area and has a...
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....
.
History
Menziken is first mentioned in 1045 as Manzinchouen though that comes from a 14th Century copy of the original document. In 1295 it was mentioned as Menzchon. However, the current site of Menziken was settled earlier. Both Roman eraSwitzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...
ruins and Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
graves have been discovered in the municipality. During the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
it was owned by the counts of Lenzburg
Schloss Lenzburg
Lenzburg Castle is a castle located above the old part of the town of Lenzburg in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It ranks among the oldest and most important of Switzerland. The castle stands on the almost circular castle hill , which rises approximately 100 m over the surrounding plain...
. In 1173 it passed over to the Kyburgs
House of Kyburg
The House of Kyburg was family of Grafen or counts from Zürich in Switzerland. The family was one of the three most powerful noble families in the Swiss plateau beside the Habsburg and the House of Savoy during the 11th and 12th Centuries...
and following the extinction of the Kyburg line, in 1273 it passed to the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs held the 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....
while their vassals, the Lords of Reinach, held the rights to low justice. From the conquest of Aargau in 1415 until the creation of the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
in 1798, the village was under Bernese domination. At that time, Menziken belonged to the district of Lenzburg. With the creation of the Canton of Aargau through the Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...
in 1803, Menziken became a municipality in the new canton.
During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Menziken was part of the Catholic
Roman 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...
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...
of Pfeffikon. Following the introduction of 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...
in 1528, it was initially part of Gontenschwil parish and then of the parish of Reinach. It became the independent parish of Menziken-Burg in 1889-90, with the construction of its own church. The Catholic Menziken-Reinach Diaspora parish was created in 1906-07 when St Anne's Church was built in the municipality.
In 1729 a cotton factory was built in the municipality. This factory was followed by numerous weavers, spinners and dyers, which until the 19th Century provided a major source of income. In 1838 Samuel Weber opened a cigar factory in the village which lead to the cigar industry dominating the entire upper Wynental. The cigar companies represented a major employer until the second half of the 20th Century. Major employers in the early 21st Century include the Schlör AG (which had developed from the brewery founded in 1888 and today produce soft drinks, fruit and apple juice) and Alu Menziken, which produces metal goods. Since 1904 Menziken has been the terminus of the Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn
Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn
The Wyna Valley and Suhre Walley Railway is a privately owned narrow gauge railway company in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It operates under the brand AAR bus+bahn, together with the Busbetrieb Aarau...
.
Geography
Menziken has an area, , of 6.39 square kilometres (2.5 sq mi). Of this area, 3.04 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) or 47.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.49 square kilometre (0.575292216302877 sq mi) or 23.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.87 square kilometre (0.72201103656804 sq mi) or 29.3% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 2.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 17.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.4%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.7% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 2.3%. 21.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 29.9% is used for growing crops and 16.6% is pastures, while 1.1% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Kulm district. Menziken, together with Reinach
Reinach, Aargau
Reinach is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Scattered neolithic items indicated that the area around Reinach has been occupied since at least that time. Several Hallstatt era tumuli , Roman era buildings and Alamanni graves confirm the early...
Burg
Burg, Aargau
Burg is a municipality in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Unter-Rinach Castle, which the village name references, was probably built in the 12th Century. It was the family seat of the lords of Rinach, who were vassals of the Habsburgs...
and Pfeffikon
Pfeffikon
Pfeffikon is a municipality in the district of Sursee in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.-History:Pfeffikon is first mentioned in 1045 as Faffinchouen though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the original document. In 1173 it was mentioned as Phafinchon.-Geography:Pfeffikon has an area of...
in the Canton of Lucerne
Canton of Lucerne
Lucerne is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population of the canton is . , the population included 57,268 foreigners, or about 15.8% of the total population. The cantonal capital is Lucerne.-History:...
, forms an agglomeration in the upper Wynental
Wynental
The Wynental is the Wyna River valley mostly in Canton Aargau, but also Canton Lucerne, Switzerland. Municipalities found in the Wynental include Beinwil am See, Beromünster, Burg, Gontenschwil, Leimbach, Menziken, Neudorf, Oberkulm, Pfeffikon, Reinach, Teufenthal, Unterkulm, and Zetzwil.The...
(Wyna River 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 Gules a Soldier Armoured and with Helmet Argent looking to sinister standing on Coupeaux Vert holding in dexter a Spear Or topped of the second and in sinister a Mullet of Five of the fourth.
Demographics
Menziken has a population of , 34.4% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 1.8%. Most of the population speaks German (81.3%), with Albanian being second most common ( 5.0%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 4.1%).The age distribution, , in Menziken is; 568 children or 10.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 780 teenagers or 14.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 658 people or 12.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 710 people or 13.0% are between 30 and 39, 911 people or 16.7% are between 40 and 49, and 671 people or 12.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 560 people or 10.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 356 people or 6.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 220 people or 4.0% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 27 people or 0.5% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 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 43.8% 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 211 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 1,099 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 745 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.50 individuals. , there were 2,111 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 986 single family homes (or 40.4% of the total) out of a total of 2,442 homes and apartments. There were a total of 142 empty apartments for a 5.8% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 4.2 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 42.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(17.7%), 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....
(16.8%) 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...
(6.1%).
In Menziken about 60.5% 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 436 students attending primary school, there are 219 students attending secondary school, there are 95 students attending tertiary or university level schooling in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1558 | 30 fireplaces |
| 1589 | 36 fireplaces |
| 1764 | 864 |
| 1850 | 1,921 |
| 1900 | 2,333 |
| 1950 | 3,377 |
| 2000 | 5,511 |
Heritage sites of national significance
The Villa Mathys at Hofmattpark 1A is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss 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...
.
Economy
, Menziken had an unemployment rate of 2.69%. , there were 28 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 11 businesses involved in this sector. 660 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 50 businesses in this sector. 1,077 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 139 businesses in this sector.there were 2,728 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 1,816 or about 66.6% of the residents worked outside Menziken while 1,296 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 2,208 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 7.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 52.1% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,673 or 30.4% were Roman Catholic, while 2,181 or 39.6% 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 were 5 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
faith and a small congregation of Moravian Brethren.