Oberkirch, Lucerne
Encyclopedia
Oberkirch is a municipality
in the district of Sursee in the canton
of Lucerne in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located southwest of Lake Sempach
(Sempachersee). It consists of the village of Oberkirch and the hamlets
of Dogelzwil, Oberhof, Unterhof and Zellhüsli.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the CVP
which received 31.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(28.4%), the SVP
(19.7%) and the Green Party
(10.4%).
The age distribution in Oberkirch is; 855 people or 25% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,071 people or 31.3% are 20–39 years old, and 1,139 people or 33.3% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 275 people or 8% are 65–79 years old, 68 or 2% are 80–89 years old and 14 people or 0.4% of the population are 90+ years old.
In Oberkirch about 76% 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 991 households, of which 281 households (or about 28.4%) contain only a single individual. 117 or about 11.8% are large households, with at least five members. there were 469 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 375 were built only as housing, and 94 were mixed use
buildings. There were 255 single family homes, 48 double family homes, and 72 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (196) or three (117) story structures. There were only 29 single story buildings and 33 four or more story buildings.
Oberkirch has an unemployment rate of 1.75%. , there were 201 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 59 businesses involved in this sector. 502 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 23 businesses in this sector. 581 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 65 businesses in this sector. 55.8% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 43% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Oberkirch was; 2,186 (82.1%) were Roman Catholic, and 223 (8.4%) were Protestant, with an additional 60 (2.25%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 42 individuals (1.58% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 5 (0.19%) individuals who belong to another religion (not listed), 74 (2.78%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 71 (2.67%) 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 Sursee 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
Oberkirch is first mentioned in 1036 as Ecclesia superior though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the earlier document. In 1052 it was mentioned as Obernkilch.Geography
Oberkirch has an area of 9.1 km² (3.5 sq mi). Of this area, 74.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 12.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). , 13.5% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 64.98% is used for farming or pastures, while 9.11% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 6.37% is covered with buildings, 0.99% is industrial, 0.44% is classed as special developments, 0.66% is parks or greenbelts and 3.62% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, and 0.33% is other unproductive land.The municipality is located southwest of Lake Sempach
Lake Sempach
Lake Sempach is a lake in the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Its area is about 14.5 km² and its maximum depth is 87 m.-External links:* *http://www.sempachersee.ch Information about the municipalites on the lake* at Sempach...
(Sempachersee). It consists of the village of Oberkirch 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 Dogelzwil, Oberhof, Unterhof and Zellhüsli.
Demographics
Oberkirch has a population of 3,317, of which 10.3% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 32.1%. Most of the population speaks German (92.7%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.6%) and Albanian being third ( 1.4%).In the 2007 election 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 31.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(28.4%), 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...
(19.7%) 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:...
(10.4%).
The age distribution in Oberkirch is; 855 people or 25% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,071 people or 31.3% are 20–39 years old, and 1,139 people or 33.3% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 275 people or 8% are 65–79 years old, 68 or 2% are 80–89 years old and 14 people or 0.4% of the population are 90+ years old.
In Oberkirch about 76% 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 991 households, of which 281 households (or about 28.4%) contain only a single individual. 117 or about 11.8% are large households, with at least five members. there were 469 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 375 were built only as housing, and 94 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 255 single family homes, 48 double family homes, and 72 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (196) or three (117) story structures. There were only 29 single story buildings and 33 four or more story buildings.
Oberkirch has an unemployment rate of 1.75%. , there were 201 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 59 businesses involved in this sector. 502 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 23 businesses in this sector. 581 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 65 businesses in this sector. 55.8% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 43% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Oberkirch was; 2,186 (82.1%) were Roman Catholic, and 223 (8.4%) were Protestant, with an additional 60 (2.25%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 42 individuals (1.58% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 5 (0.19%) individuals who belong to another religion (not listed), 74 (2.78%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 71 (2.67%) who did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| about 1695 | ca. 150 |
| 1850 | 1,141 |
| 1900 | 935 |
| 1950 | 1,166 |
| 2000 | 2,661 |