Osco
Encyclopedia
Osco is a municipality
in the district of Leventina
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
(6th century BC) graves have been discovered in Freggio and Brusgnano. Osco was one of the three Degagne of the Vicinanza
of Faido
. This organization was mentioned in the Statute (Statuti) of 1237, one of the oldest documents of its kind in the Alpine region, which involved the organization of pass traffic and maintenance of roads.
The Church of San Maurizio was first mentioned in 1171, but the church's present appearance dates back to 1673. Until 1602 it was under the authority of the parish church
of San Siro in Mairengo
. After that, Osco was an independent parish
.
The mule track over the Gotthard pass, led by the southern part of Osco and crossed the Monte Piottino gorge near the old Sust or storage house, which is now only ruins. After 1550, the Canton of Uri
built a new road. The Cantonal road of 1819 followed the old mule path and was replaced by a tunnel, completed in 1934.
The residents of Osco lived mostly off livestock and alpine pastures in the Bedretto valley (Alp Cruina) on the north side of the Lukmanier pass
. From the mid 19th Century onwards, the population decreases rapidly, because of emigration (mostly as cooks, assistants, farmers and hoteliers). With the construction of second homes, at the beginning of the 20th Century, the decline has been only partially stopped. In 2005, 62% of the population worked in agriculture.
In 2004 voters rejected a merger with Faido and other municipalities of the middle Levantine.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Out of the forested land, 46.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.3% is used for growing crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.9% is in lakes and 1.1% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 11.7% is unproductive vegetation and 10.1% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Leventina district, at en elevation of 1157 m (3,795.9 ft) on the left side of the Leventina valley. It is on a terrace above the Monte Piottino canyon. It consists of the village of Osco which is made up of the sections of Vigera, Brusgnano and Freggio.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure three bees one and two above a bee-hive all Or. The bees symbolize the activity of its people carrying goods over Gottard pass, which was very important in the economic life in that days, as reported by the statutes dated 1237.
Most of the population speaks Italian
(94.6%), with Serbo-Croatian
being second most common ( 2.4%) and German
being third (0.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 1 speaks German, 1 person speaks French
and 159 people speak Italian. The remainder (7 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 53.0% male and 47.0% female. The population was made up of 64 Swiss men (48.5% of the population), and 6 (4.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 60 Swiss women (45.5%), and 2 (1.5%) non-Swiss women. In there was 1 live birth and 2 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 2 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 1 people. This represents a population growth rate of -0.8%.
The age distribution, , in Osco is; 10 children or 7.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 7 teenagers or 5.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 11 people or 8.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 29 people or 22.0% are between 30 and 39, 9 people or 6.8% are between 40 and 49, and 12 people or 9.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 27 people or 20.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 9 people or 6.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 18 people or 13.6% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.48 which is less people per room than 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 72.1% 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 43 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2. persons per household. there were 167 single family homes (or 85.6% of the total) out of a total of 195 inhabited buildings. There were 18 two family buildings (9.2%) and 4 multi-family buildings (2.1%). 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 1.23%. there were 217 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 57. There were 17 single room apartments and 57 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 43 apartments (19.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 171 apartments (78.8%) were seasonally occupied and 3 apartments (1.4%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 7.9 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 33.28% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(26.52%), the Ticino League
(16.12%) and the SP
(12.31%). In the federal election, a total of 75 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 60.0%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 125 registered voters in Osco, of which 94 or 75.2% voted.1 null ballot was cast, leaving 93 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 27 or 29.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
+GenGiova (with 26 or 28.0%), the SSI (with 16 or 17.2%) and the LEGA
(with 10 or 10.8%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 1 blank ballot and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 91 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 25 or 27.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 25 or 27.5%), the SSI (with 17 or 18.7%) and the LEGA (with 13 or 14.3%).
, there were 96 workers who commuted away from the municipality. Of the working population, 2.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 13.9% used a private car.
, there was one hotel in Osco.
. There are 12 individuals (or about 7.14% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 4 individuals (or about 2.38% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Osco there were a total of 14 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Osco there were 2 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 5 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student attended 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 were 1 student in the two year middle school and 0 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 2 students were 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 were 0 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 3 who attend part-time.
, there were 7 students from Osco 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 Leventina
Leventina (district)
The district of Leventina is one of the eight districts of the largely Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The capital of the district is Faido but the largest town is Airolo at the beginning or at the end of the valley....
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....
.
History
Osco is first mentioned in 1171 as Hoscho. In 1237 it was mentioned as Osco. Golasecca cultureGolasecca culture
The Golasecca culture was a Celtic culture in northern Italy , whose type-site has been excavated at Golasecca in the province of Varese, Lombardy.-Archeological sources:...
(6th century BC) graves have been discovered in Freggio and Brusgnano. Osco was one of the three Degagne of the Vicinanza
Bürgergemeinde
The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...
of Faido
Faido
Faido is the capital of the district of Leventina in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in southern Switzerland.On 29 January 2006, Faido grew by incorporating the villages of Chiggiogna, Rossura, and Calonico.-History:...
. This organization was mentioned in the Statute (Statuti) of 1237, one of the oldest documents of its kind in the Alpine region, which involved the organization of pass traffic and maintenance of roads.
The Church of San Maurizio was first mentioned in 1171, but the church's present appearance dates back to 1673. Until 1602 it was under the authority of 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 San Siro in Mairengo
Mairengo
Mairengo is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Mairengo is first mentioned in 1201 as Mairencho. During the Middle Ages the village belonged to the Degagna of Tarnolgio, which was part of the Vicinanza of Faido...
. After that, Osco was an independent 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...
.
The mule track over the Gotthard pass, led by the southern part of Osco and crossed the Monte Piottino gorge near the old Sust or storage house, which is now only ruins. After 1550, the Canton of Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
built a new road. The Cantonal road of 1819 followed the old mule path and was replaced by a tunnel, completed in 1934.
The residents of Osco lived mostly off livestock and alpine pastures in the Bedretto valley (Alp Cruina) on the north side of the Lukmanier pass
Lukmanier Pass
Lukmanier Pass is a pass in the Swiss Alps.The road from Disentis/Mustér in the canton of Graubünden leads through the Val Medel across the pass to the Blenio valley and Biasca in the canton of Ticino.The Pass is kept opened during the winter.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe*...
. From the mid 19th Century onwards, the population decreases rapidly, because of emigration (mostly as cooks, assistants, farmers and hoteliers). With the construction of second homes, at the beginning of the 20th Century, the decline has been only partially stopped. In 2005, 62% of the population worked in agriculture.
In 2004 voters rejected a merger with Faido and other municipalities of the middle Levantine.
Geography
Osco has an area, , of 11.9 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi). Of this area, 0.57 km² (0.220078230397745 sq mi) or 4.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 6.37 km² (2.5 sq mi) or 53.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.31 km² (0.119691669163686 sq mi) or 2.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.24 km² (0.0926645180622084 sq mi) or 2.0% is either rivers or lakes and 2.59 km² (1 sq mi) or 21.8% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Out of the forested land, 46.4% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.3% is used for growing crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.9% is in lakes and 1.1% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 11.7% is unproductive vegetation and 10.1% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Leventina district, at en elevation of 1157 m (3,795.9 ft) on the left side of the Leventina valley. It is on a terrace above the Monte Piottino canyon. It consists of the village of Osco which is made up of the sections of Vigera, Brusgnano and Freggio.
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 Azure three bees one and two above a bee-hive all Or. The bees symbolize the activity of its people carrying goods over Gottard pass, which was very important in the economic life in that days, as reported by the statutes dated 1237.
Demographics
Osco has a population of . , 7.2% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -3.8%.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...
(94.6%), 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 ( 2.4%) 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 (0.6%). Of the Swiss national languages , 1 speaks German, 1 person speaks 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...
and 159 people speak Italian. The remainder (7 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 53.0% male and 47.0% female. The population was made up of 64 Swiss men (48.5% of the population), and 6 (4.5%) non-Swiss men. There were 60 Swiss women (45.5%), and 2 (1.5%) non-Swiss women. In there was 1 live birth and 2 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population remained the same. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 2 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 1 people. This represents a population growth rate of -0.8%.
The age distribution, , in Osco is; 10 children or 7.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 7 teenagers or 5.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 11 people or 8.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 29 people or 22.0% are between 30 and 39, 9 people or 6.8% are between 40 and 49, and 12 people or 9.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 27 people or 20.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 9 people or 6.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 18 people or 13.6% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.48 which is less people per room than 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 72.1% 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 43 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2. persons per household. there were 167 single family homes (or 85.6% of the total) out of a total of 195 inhabited buildings. There were 18 two family buildings (9.2%) and 4 multi-family buildings (2.1%). 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 1.23%. there were 217 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 5 room apartment of which there were 57. There were 17 single room apartments and 57 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 43 apartments (19.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 171 apartments (78.8%) were seasonally occupied and 3 apartments (1.4%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 7.9 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1237 | 59 Hearths |
| 1567 | 78 |
| 1745 | 366 |
| 1850 | 452 |
| 1900 | 285 |
| 1950 | 188 |
| 2000 | 168 |
Sights
The entire villages of Brusgnano-Freggio and Osco are 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 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....
which received 33.28% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(26.52%), 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...
(16.12%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(12.31%). In the federal election, a total of 75 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 60.0%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 125 registered voters in Osco, of which 94 or 75.2% voted.1 null ballot was cast, leaving 93 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was 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....
which received 27 or 29.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; 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 (with 26 or 28.0%), the SSI (with 16 or 17.2%) and 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 10 or 10.8%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 1 blank ballot and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 91 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 25 or 27.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 25 or 27.5%), the SSI (with 17 or 18.7%) and the LEGA (with 13 or 14.3%).
Economy
, Osco had an unemployment rate of 1.06%. , there were 16 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 7 businesses involved in this sector. people were employed in the secondary sector and there were businesses in this sector. 10 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 5 businesses in this sector. There were 115 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 7.8% of the workforce., there were 96 workers who commuted away from the municipality. Of the working population, 2.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 13.9% used a private car.
, there was one hotel in Osco.
Religion
From the , 149 or 88.7% were Roman Catholic, while 3 or 1.8% 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 12 individuals (or about 7.14% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 4 individuals (or about 2.38% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Osco about 53% 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 Osco there were a total of 14 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 Osco there were 2 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 5 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student attended 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 were 1 student in the two year middle school and 0 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 2 students were 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 were 0 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 3 who attend part-time.
, there were 7 students from Osco who attended schools outside the municipality.