Bellikon
Encyclopedia
Bellikon is a municipality
in the district of Baden
in the canton
of Aargau
in Switzerland
.
times. The Roman road
between Vindonissa (Windisch
) and Turicum (Zurich
) ran through here. In 1934, bricks were found which on examination proved to belong to a villa
, which was excavated and documented in 1941, and afterwards covered up again with the help of interned Polish
soldiers. Articles found on the site indicate a construction date at the end of the 1st century. In the middle of the 6th century, the Alamanni
settled here and cleared the forest, destroying the Roman settlement.
Bellikon was first documented on October 11, 1064, in the foundation charter of Muri Abbey
, though it was first individually mentioned in the 12th Century as Pellikon. Bellikon and Hausen at first paid tithe
s to Murbach Abbey
in Alsace
, but was later part of the Habsburg
territories. In 1415, the Aargau was conquered and thereafter Bellikon belonged to the village of Rohrdorf in the County of Baden. In 1798, Bellikon became part of the Canton of Baden
in the Helvetic Republic
. Bellikon was merged with Hausen in 1803 and became part of Aargau Canton.
At the beginning of the 20th century Bellikon was a farming village with a population of 377; fifty years later it reached 434. Bellikon's beautiful location was discovered and the village went through a rapid development. The number of inhabitants rose to over 1,400 in the early 21st century. In 1974, the SUVA
insurance agency and healthcare provider opened its premises here. In the same year, a new school was built. The 19th century church was replaced by a modern building in 1977.
It is located on the southwest slope of the Heitersberg, separated by the Reuss
and Limmat valley
s. It consists of the villages of Bellikon and Hausen.
The age distribution, , in Bellikon is; 153 children or 10.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 168 teenagers or 11.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 150 people or 9.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 184 people or 12.2% are between 30 and 39, 332 people or 21.9% are between 40 and 49, and 248 people or 16.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 176 people or 11.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 77 people or 5.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 21 people or 1.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 4 people or 0.3% who are 90 and older.
, there were 59 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 216 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 238 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.43 individuals. there were 328 single family homes (or 44.3% of the total) out of a total of 741 homes and apartments.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 42.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(15.4%), the FDP
(12.9%) and the SP
(10.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bellikon about 87.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
). Of the school age population , there are 120 students attending primary school in the municipality.
. Of the rest of the population, there is 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic
faith.
in the Breisgau
) (Or, a fess sable). Since 1827 the community has used arms depicting Schloss Bellikon. The present form was established in 1965.
and Zurich.
, Bellikon had an unemployment rate of 1.49%. , there were 37 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 23 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 496 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 34 businesses in this sector.
there were 769 total workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 589 or about 76.6% of the residents worked outside Bellikon while 321 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 501 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality.
Bellikon has a rehab hospital which has over 200 beds, a school, and a secondary school that also serves 3 other municipalities. Bellikon students attend a school in Oberrohrdorf
. The nearest Kantonsschulen are in Baden
and Wettingen
.
Passhoehe. Between these two municipalities, the Postautolinie operates. Baden is connected to the national express train network, the Swiss Federal Railways, at Mutschellen at the station named Berikon Widen on the Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn
.
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 Baden
Baden (district, Aargau)
Baden District is a district in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. The district capital is the town of Baden and the largest municipality is Wettingen, located in the Limmat Valley . The district has a total of 26 municipalities, an area of , and a population of about 129,000.-Geography:Baden...
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 Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...
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 area was settled during RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times. The Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
between Vindonissa (Windisch
Windisch
Windisch is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Windisch is situated at the site of the Roman legion camp Vindonissa. In 1064 the current municipality was mentioned as Vinse, and in 1175 as Vindisse. Until the 19th Century the official name was...
) and Turicum (Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
) ran through here. In 1934, bricks were found which on examination proved to belong to a villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
, which was excavated and documented in 1941, and afterwards covered up again with the help of interned Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
soldiers. Articles found on the site indicate a construction date at the end of the 1st century. In the middle of the 6th century, the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
settled here and cleared the forest, destroying the Roman settlement.
Bellikon was first documented on October 11, 1064, in the foundation charter of Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland...
, though it was first individually mentioned in the 12th Century as Pellikon. Bellikon and Hausen at first paid tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s to Murbach Abbey
Murbach Abbey
Murbach Abbey was a famous Benedictine monastery in Murbach, southern Alsace, in a valley at the foot of the Grand Ballon in the Vosges.The monastery was founded in 727 by Eberhard, Count of Alsace, and established as a Benedictine house by Saint Pirmin. Its territory once comprised 3 towns and 30...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, but was later part of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
territories. In 1415, the Aargau was conquered and thereafter Bellikon belonged to the village of Rohrdorf in the County of Baden. In 1798, Bellikon became part of the Canton of Baden
Canton of Baden
The Canton of Baden was a canton of the Helvetic Republic . Its capital was the town of Baden....
in the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
. Bellikon was merged with Hausen in 1803 and became part of Aargau Canton.
At the beginning of the 20th century Bellikon was a farming village with a population of 377; fifty years later it reached 434. Bellikon's beautiful location was discovered and the village went through a rapid development. The number of inhabitants rose to over 1,400 in the early 21st century. In 1974, the SUVA
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
insurance agency and healthcare provider opened its premises here. In the same year, a new school was built. The 19th century church was replaced by a modern building in 1977.
Geography
Bellikon has an area, , of 5 km² (1.9 sq mi). Of this area, 61.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 29.3% is forested. The rest of the land, (9.3%) is settled.It is located on the southwest slope of the Heitersberg, separated by the Reuss
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
and Limmat valley
Limmat Valley
The Limmat Valley is a river valley and a region in the cantons of Zürich and Aargau in Switzerland.- Geography :Limmat is the name of a long river located in the cantons of Zürich and Aargau...
s. It consists of the villages of Bellikon and Hausen.
Demographics
Bellikon has a population (as of ) of . , 11.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 17.5%. Most of the population speaks German (94.3%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.1%) and Italian being third ( 0.8%).The age distribution, , in Bellikon is; 153 children or 10.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 168 teenagers or 11.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 150 people or 9.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 184 people or 12.2% are between 30 and 39, 332 people or 21.9% are between 40 and 49, and 248 people or 16.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 176 people or 11.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 77 people or 5.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 21 people or 1.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 4 people or 0.3% who are 90 and older.
, there were 59 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 216 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 238 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.43 individuals. there were 328 single family homes (or 44.3% of the total) out of a total of 741 homes and apartments.
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 most popular party was 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...
which received 42.9% 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...
(15.4%), 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....
(12.9%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(10.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bellikon about 87.8% 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...
). Of the school age population , there are 120 students attending primary school in the municipality.
Historical Population
The historical population is given in the following table:| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1799 | 180 (Bellikon) /125 (Hausen) |
| 1850 | 440 |
| 1900 | 377 |
| 1950 | 434 |
| 2000 | 1,303 |
| 2003 | 1,436 |
Religion
From the , 642 or 49.3% are Roman Catholic, while 380 or 29.2% 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 is 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
faith.
Coat of arms
The arms are blasoned: Azure, a castle with a stepped gable and to the sinister a round tower with a roof, all argent. In a chronicle of 1548 and the map of the Canton of Zurich of 1667, the village is mistakenly assigned the arms of the lords of Bellikon (now Bad BellingenBad Bellingen
Bad Bellingen is a municipality in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is on the border with France to the west. It is in the German landkreis of Lörrach. The closest larger city is Müllheim which is about 10 km to the north....
in the Breisgau
Breisgau
Breisgau is the name of an area in southwest Germany, placed between the river Rhine and the foothills of the Black Forest around Freiburg im Breisgau in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, which partly consists of the Breisgau, is named after that area...
) (Or, a fess sable). Since 1827 the community has used arms depicting Schloss Bellikon. The present form was established in 1965.
Sites of interest
- Schloss Bellikon (Bellikon Castle), which features in the municipal coat of arms, is a small castle that was built in the 13th century by the Habsburgs and was known as Rotten Hus. From 1314 to 1640, the patrician Krieg family of Zurich owned the castle. It was later auctioned twice, most recently at the end of September 1999.
Administration
The community meeting of the enfranchised voters exercises legislative power. The implementing authority is the local council. The term of office is four years. It leads and represents the municipality. In addition it carries out the resolutions of the municipality meeting and the tasks assigned by the canton and the Swiss Federation.Economics
The largest business (and taxpayer) in the village is SUVA, which is a rehab clinic operating with over 200 beds. There are not many businesses, and the majority are small. Many of the residents are employed in the agglomerations of BadenBaden, Switzerland
Baden is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on the west bank of the river Limmat, located in the Limmat Valley , northwest of Zürich. It is the seat of the district of Baden...
and Zurich.
, Bellikon had an unemployment rate of 1.49%. , there were 37 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 13 businesses involved in this sector. 23 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 496 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 34 businesses in this sector.
there were 769 total workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 589 or about 76.6% of the residents worked outside Bellikon while 321 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 501 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality.
Bellikon has a rehab hospital which has over 200 beds, a school, and a secondary school that also serves 3 other municipalities. Bellikon students attend a school in Oberrohrdorf
Oberrohrdorf
Oberrohrdorf is a municipality in the district of Baden in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Oberrohrdorf is first mentioned in 1179 as Rordorf. Around 1303-08 it was mentioned as ze Oberen-Rordorf. The hamlet of Staretschwil was first mentioned in 1124 as Starchoswilare...
. The nearest Kantonsschulen are in Baden
Baden, Switzerland
Baden is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on the west bank of the river Limmat, located in the Limmat Valley , northwest of Zürich. It is the seat of the district of Baden...
and Wettingen
Wettingen
Wettingen is a residential community in the district of Baden in the Swiss canton of Aargau. With a population about 20,000, Wettingen is the largest municipality in the canton.-Geography:...
.
Transportation
Bellikon's busiest street is Hauptstrasse (Main Street) running between Baden and MutschellenMutschellen
Mutschellen is the name of a pass in the canton of Aargau in the district of Bremgarten near the border of canton Zurich. Three municipalities, Berikon, Widen, and Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, meet directly atop the pass.-Location and Development:...
Passhoehe. Between these two municipalities, the Postautolinie operates. Baden is connected to the national express train network, the Swiss Federal Railways, at Mutschellen at the station named Berikon Widen on the Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn
Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn
The Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn is a privately owned railway company in Switzerland. Its railway line connects Wohlen and Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau with Dietikon in the canton of Zurich. The line has been modernised and is part of the S-Bahn Zürich network...
.