Stein, Appenzell
Encyclopedia
Stein is a 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 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 Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Ausserrhoden is a canton of Switzerland. The seat of the government and parliament is Herisau, judicial authorities are in Trogen. Appenzell Ausserrhoden is located in the north east of Switzerland, bordering the cantons of St...

 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

The municipality separated from Hundwil
Hundwil
Hundwil is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland.-Geography:Hundwil has an area, , of . Of this area, 58.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 31.2% is forested...

 in 1749 and was named after the Uf Stein section of the neighbouring river.

Geography

Stein has an area, , of 9.4 km² (3.6 sq mi). Of this area, 68.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 8.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

Demographics

Stein has a population of 1,332, of which about 4.9% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -1.8%. Most of the population speaks German (97.3%), with Spanish being second most common ( 0.5%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 0.4%).

, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The age distribution, , in Stein is; 126 people or 9.3% of the population are between 0–6 years old. 182 people or 13.4% are 6-15, and 80 people or 5.9% are 16-19. Of the adult population, 67 people or 4.9% of the population are between 20–24 years old. 383 people or 28.3% are 25-44, and 313 people or 23.1% are 45-64. The senior population distribution is 161 people or 11.9% of the population are between 65–79 years old, and 43 people or 3.2% are over 80.

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 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....

 received 71.4% of the vote.

In Stein about 75% 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...

).

Stein has an unemployment rate of 0.73%. , there were 119 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 51 businesses involved in this sector. 77 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 21 businesses in this sector. 186 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 42 businesses in this sector.

The historical population is given in the following table:
year population
1980 1,198
1990 1,314
2000 1,371
2005 1,330
2007 1,336

Sights

Stein is home to the Appenzell Folklore Museum, which is listed as a heritage site of national significance
Swiss 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...

. The museum is devoted to Appenzell culture and handicrafts such as beltmaking, cowbells and carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....

. There is also an extensive display of traditional folk art, such as furniture decorated with scenes from daily scenes. The most prolific of these uncelebrated artists is Johannes Müller
Johannes Müller
Johannes Müller, Johann Müller or Hans Müller may refer to:* Johannes Müller von Königsberg , known as Regiomontanus, German mathematician and astronomer* Johannes von Müller , Swiss historian...

 who also worked as a clockmaker.

Stein is also home to a show dairy. The various processes of cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

making can be watched from a gallery above the churns and vats.

The village center was built in the 18th Century and includes the village church. The church was built in 1749 by Jakob and Hans Ulrich Grubenmann, and renovated in 1832/1833 by Gebhard Moosbrugger.

Between the 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 Störgel and the Haggen section of St. Gallen, is the highest foot bridge in Europe. The Ganggelibrugg (wacky bridge) stretches over the 355 m (1,164.7 ft) wide Sitter river canyon and is 99 m (324.8 ft) above the river. This bridge is the most used bridge in Switzerland for suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

.

Heritage sites of national significance

The Appenzeller Volkskunde-Museum, Eisensteg Zweibruggen (shared with St Gallen), Gmündertobel Bridge (with Teufen
Teufen
There are two municipalities of Switzerland named Teufen:*Teufen AR in Appenzell Ausserrhoden*Teufen ZH in the Canton of Zurich...

), Urnäschbrücke im Kubel (bridge shared with Herisau
Herisau
Herisau is a municipality of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated in Trogen....

) and the Wattbach Bridge (shared with Teufen and St Gallen) are listed as heritage sites of national significance
Swiss 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...

.
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