Belfaux
Encyclopedia
Belfaux is a municipality
in the district of Sarine
in the canton
of Fribourg in Switzerland
. Its former German
name was Gumschen, but this is no longer in use.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 9.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.6%. Out of the forested land, 28.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 35.6% is used for growing crops and 16.6% is pastures, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.2% is in lakes and 0.3% is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Sarine district. It consists of the villages of Belfaux and Cutterwil.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Or a Beech Tree Vert Trunked and branched Maroon issuant from a Mount of 3 Coupeaux of the second.
Most of the population speaks French
(1,890 or 85.4%) as their first language, German
is the second most common (166 or 7.5%) and Mazedonisch is the third (34 or 1.5%). There are 15 people who speak Italian
.
, the population was 50.6% male and 49.4% female. The population was made up of 1,007 Swiss men (38.9% of the population) and 304 (11.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,031 Swiss women (39.8%) and 248 (9.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 572 or about 25.8% were born in Belfaux and lived there in 2000. There were 909 or 41.1% who were born in the same canton, while 327 or 14.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 332 or 15.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 27.3% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 61.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 10.9%.
, there were 972 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,075 married individuals, 84 widows or widowers and 83 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 836 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 212 households that consist of only one person and 85 households with five or more people. , a total of 793 apartments (91.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 51 apartments (5.9%) were seasonally occupied and 25 apartments (2.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 35.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.15%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
de Lanthen-Heid are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
the most popular party was the SPS
which received 37.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(26.1%), the SVP
(12.2%) and the FDP
(6.3%).
The SPS received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the 2007 Federal election
(37.1% in 2007 vs 37.9% in 2011). The CVP retained about the same popularity (26.9% in 2007), the SVP retained about the same popularity (13.9% in 2007) and the FDP retained about the same popularity (7.0% in 2007). A total of 877 votes were cast in this election, of which 15 or 1.7% were invalid.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 396. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 36, of which 27 were in agriculture, 8 were in forestry or lumber production and 1 was in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 161 of which 87 or (54.0%) were in manufacturing and 74 (46.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 199. In the tertiary sector; 67 or 33.7% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 5 or 2.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 20 or 10.1% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 1.0% were in the information industry, 10 or 5.0% were the insurance or financial industry, 15 or 7.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 17 or 8.5% were in education and 13 or 6.5% were in health care.
, there were 288 workers who commuted into the municipality and 889 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.1 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 17% used public transportation to get to work, and 66.4% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 52 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 2.35% of the population), and there were 48 individuals (or about 2.17% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 50 (or about 2.26% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 4 individuals who were Buddhist
and 4 individuals who belonged to another church. 114 (or about 5.15% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 98 individuals (or about 4.43% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 328 who completed tertiary schooling, 64.0% were Swiss men, 25.9% were Swiss women, 7.3% were non-Swiss men and 2.7% were non-Swiss women.
The Canton of Fribourg school system provides one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
, followed by six years of Primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower Secondary students may attend a three or four year optional upper Secondary school. The upper Secondary school is divided into gymnasium
(university preparatory) and vocational programs. After they finish the upper Secondary program, students may choose to attend a Tertiary school or continue their apprenticeship
.
During the 2010-11 school year, there were a total of 277 students attending 14 classes in Belfaux. A total of 547 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 2 kindergarten classes with a total of 45 students in the municipality. The municipality had 11 primary classes and 223 students. During the same year, there were no lower secondary classes in the municipality, but 118 students attended lower secondary school in a neighboring municipality. There were no upper Secondary classes or vocational classes, but there were 70 upper Secondary students and 81 upper Secondary vocational students who attended classes in another municipality. The municipality had one special Tertiary class, with 9 specialized Tertiary students.
, there were 63 students in Belfaux who came from another municipality, while 205 residents 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 Sarine
Sarine (district)
Sarine District is one of the seven districts of the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It is largely French-speaking, with a German-speaking minority. Its territory is drained by the Sarine river , and by its tributary, the Glâne...
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 Fribourg 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....
. Its former 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....
name was Gumschen, but this is no longer in use.
History
Belfaux is first mentioned in 12Jh as Bellofago. In 1229 it was mentioned as Bellfozen. The municipality was formerly known by its German name Gumschen, however, that name is no longer used.Geography
Belfaux has an area, , of 6.5 square kilometre. Of this area, 3.45 square kilometre or 53.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2 square kilometre or 31.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.94 square kilometre or 14.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.5% is either rivers or lakes and 0.01 km² (2.5 acre) or 0.2% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 9.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.6%. Out of the forested land, 28.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 35.6% is used for growing crops and 16.6% is pastures, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the water in the municipality, 0.2% is in lakes and 0.3% is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Sarine district. It consists of the villages of Belfaux and Cutterwil.
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 a Beech Tree Vert Trunked and branched Maroon issuant from a Mount of 3 Coupeaux of the second.
Demographics
Belfaux has a population of . , 20.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 18.1%. Migration accounted for 11.6%, while births and deaths accounted for 6.5%.Most of the population 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...
(1,890 or 85.4%) as their first language, 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....
is the second most common (166 or 7.5%) and Mazedonisch is the third (34 or 1.5%). There are 15 people who speak 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...
.
, the population was 50.6% male and 49.4% female. The population was made up of 1,007 Swiss men (38.9% of the population) and 304 (11.7%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,031 Swiss women (39.8%) and 248 (9.6%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 572 or about 25.8% were born in Belfaux and lived there in 2000. There were 909 or 41.1% who were born in the same canton, while 327 or 14.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 332 or 15.0% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 27.3% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 61.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 10.9%.
, there were 972 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,075 married individuals, 84 widows or widowers and 83 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 836 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 212 households that consist of only one person and 85 households with five or more people. , a total of 793 apartments (91.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 51 apartments (5.9%) were seasonally occupied and 25 apartments (2.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 35.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.15%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The Saint-Etienne Church and the mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
de Lanthen-Heid are listed as Swiss 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...
.
Politics
In the 2011 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2011
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 23 October 2011.All of the Federal Assembly were to be elected: all 200 seats in the National Council and all 46 seats in the Council of States....
the most popular party was the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 37.9% 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...
(26.1%), 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...
(12.2%) and 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....
(6.3%).
The SPS received about the same percentage of the vote as they did 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...
(37.1% in 2007 vs 37.9% in 2011). The CVP retained about the same popularity (26.9% in 2007), the SVP retained about the same popularity (13.9% in 2007) and the FDP retained about the same popularity (7.0% in 2007). A total of 877 votes were cast in this election, of which 15 or 1.7% were invalid.
Economy
, Belfaux had an unemployment rate of 3.5%. , there were 47 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 170 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 17 businesses in this sector. 281 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 52 businesses in this sector. There were 1,132 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.0% 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 396. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 36, of which 27 were in agriculture, 8 were in forestry or lumber production and 1 was in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 161 of which 87 or (54.0%) were in manufacturing and 74 (46.0%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 199. In the tertiary sector; 67 or 33.7% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 5 or 2.5% were in the movement and storage of goods, 20 or 10.1% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 1.0% were in the information industry, 10 or 5.0% were the insurance or financial industry, 15 or 7.5% were technical professionals or scientists, 17 or 8.5% were in education and 13 or 6.5% were in health care.
, there were 288 workers who commuted into the municipality and 889 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 3.1 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 17% used public transportation to get to work, and 66.4% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 1,706 or 77.1% were Roman Catholic, while 162 or 7.3% 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 52 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 2.35% of the population), and there were 48 individuals (or about 2.17% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 50 (or about 2.26% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 4 individuals who were Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and 4 individuals who belonged to another church. 114 (or about 5.15% 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...
, and 98 individuals (or about 4.43% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Belfaux about 745 or (33.6%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 328 or (14.8%) 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 328 who completed tertiary schooling, 64.0% were Swiss men, 25.9% were Swiss women, 7.3% were non-Swiss men and 2.7% were non-Swiss women.
The Canton of Fribourg school system provides one year of non-obligatory 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...
, followed by six years of Primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower Secondary students may attend a three or four year optional upper Secondary school. The upper Secondary school is divided into gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(university preparatory) and vocational programs. After they finish the upper Secondary program, students may choose to attend a Tertiary school or continue their apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
.
During the 2010-11 school year, there were a total of 277 students attending 14 classes in Belfaux. A total of 547 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 2 kindergarten classes with a total of 45 students in the municipality. The municipality had 11 primary classes and 223 students. During the same year, there were no lower secondary classes in the municipality, but 118 students attended lower secondary school in a neighboring municipality. There were no upper Secondary classes or vocational classes, but there were 70 upper Secondary students and 81 upper Secondary vocational students who attended classes in another municipality. The municipality had one special Tertiary class, with 9 specialized Tertiary students.
, there were 63 students in Belfaux who came from another municipality, while 205 residents attended schools outside the municipality.