Niederwald, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Niederwald is a municipality
in the district of Goms in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located above the Fiesch valley and along the old highway which ran from Ernen over the Rhone
bridge to the right side of the valley. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Niederwald and the former hamlet
of Rottenbrigge.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Or, on Coupeaux Vert three Pine trees of the same trunked proper, a Chief Azure.
Most of the population speaks German
(65 or 92.9%) as their first language, French
is the second most common (3 or 4.3%) and Serbo-Croatian
is the third (2 or 2.9%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 212 Swiss men (44.1% of the population) and 27 (5.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 216 Swiss women (44.9%) and 26 (5.4%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 39 or about 55.7% were born in Niederwald and lived there in 2000. There were 19 or 27.1% who were born in the same canton, while 5 or 7.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 7 or 10.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 22.9%.
, there were 27 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 39 married individuals, 4 widows or widowers and individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is less people per room than 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 65.6% 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 33 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. There were 12 households that consist of only one person and 1 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 33 households that answered this question, 36.4% were households made up of just one person. Of the rest of the households, there are 11 married couples without children, 9 married couples with children There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people.
there were 30 single family homes (or 65.2% of the total) out of a total of 46 inhabited buildings. There were 5 multi-family buildings (10.9%), along with 7 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (15.2%) and 4 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (8.7%).
, a total of 32 apartments (54.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 24 apartments (40.7%) were seasonally occupied and 3 apartments (5.1%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 75.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(9.64%), the FDP
(8.43%) and the Green Party
(4.82%). In the federal election, a total of 24 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 53.3%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 22 votes were cast, of which or about 0.0% were invalid. The voter participation was 61.1%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 24 votes were cast, of which or about 0.0% were invalid. The voter participation was 58.5%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 27. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 2, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 22 of which 21 or (95.5%) were in manufacturing and 1 was in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 3. In the tertiary sector all 3 were in a hotel or restaurant.
, there were 39 workers who commuted into the municipality and 18 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 17.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 37.1% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 2 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 2.86% of the population). 3 (or about 4.29% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
.
). Of the 3 who completed tertiary schooling, 66.7% were Swiss men, 0.0% were Swiss women.
, there were 6 students from Niederwald who 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 Goms 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
Niederwald has an area, , of 4.7 square kilometre. Of this area, 34.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 43.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.0% is settled (buildings or roads) and 18.4% is unproductive land.The municipality is located above the Fiesch valley and along the old highway which ran from Ernen over the 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...
bridge to the right side of the valley. It consists of the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Niederwald and the former hamlet
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 Rottenbrigge.
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 Or, on Coupeaux Vert three Pine trees of the same trunked proper, a Chief Azure.
Demographics
Niederwald has a population of . , 6.8% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -47.5%. It has changed at a rate of -28.8% due to migration and at a rate of -10% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks 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....
(65 or 92.9%) as their first language, 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...
is the second most common (3 or 4.3%) and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
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...
is the third (2 or 2.9%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 212 Swiss men (44.1% of the population) and 27 (5.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 216 Swiss women (44.9%) and 26 (5.4%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 39 or about 55.7% were born in Niederwald and lived there in 2000. There were 19 or 27.1% who were born in the same canton, while 5 or 7.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 7 or 10.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 22.9%.
, there were 27 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 39 married individuals, 4 widows or widowers and individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is less people per room than 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 65.6% 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 33 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. There were 12 households that consist of only one person and 1 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 33 households that answered this question, 36.4% were households made up of just one person. Of the rest of the households, there are 11 married couples without children, 9 married couples with children There was 1 household that was made up of unrelated people.
there were 30 single family homes (or 65.2% of the total) out of a total of 46 inhabited buildings. There were 5 multi-family buildings (10.9%), along with 7 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (15.2%) and 4 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (8.7%).
, a total of 32 apartments (54.2% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 24 apartments (40.7%) were seasonally occupied and 3 apartments (5.1%) were empty.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Notable residents
It was home to famous hotelier César Ritz, who is buried in the local cemetery.Sights
The entire village of Niederwald is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage SitesInventory 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 75.3% 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....
(9.64%), 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....
(8.43%) 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:...
(4.82%). In the federal election, a total of 24 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 53.3%.
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 22 votes were cast, of which or about 0.0% were invalid. The voter participation was 61.1%, 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 24 votes were cast, of which or about 0.0% were invalid. The voter participation was 58.5%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Niederwald had an unemployment rate of 0.5%. , there were 2 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 1 business involved in this sector. 24 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 2 businesses in this sector. 3 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 1 business in this sector. There were 35 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 45.7% 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 27. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 2, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 22 of which 21 or (95.5%) were in manufacturing and 1 was in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 3. In the tertiary sector all 3 were in a hotel or restaurant.
, there were 39 workers who commuted into the municipality and 18 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 17.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 37.1% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 65 or 92.9% were Roman Catholic, while or 0.0% 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 2 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 2.86% of the population). 3 (or about 4.29% 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...
.
Education
In Niederwald about 28 or (40.0%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 3 or (4.3%) 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 3 who completed tertiary schooling, 66.7% were Swiss men, 0.0% were Swiss women.
, there were 6 students from Niederwald who attended schools outside the municipality.