Bennwil
Encyclopedia
Bennwil is a municipality
in the district of Waldenburg
in the canton
of Basel-Country
in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. Out of the forested land, 37.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 18.0% is used for growing crops and 28.4% is pastures, while 5.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 1.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Waldenburg district, in the Bennwilerbach or Walibach valley. It consists of the linear village
of Bennwil and about 24 individual farm houses.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure, a Paschal lamb Argent, hoofed and haloed Or, holding a flag Argent a Cross Gules.
Most of the population speaks German
(580 or 96.2%), with Serbo-Croatian
being second most common (9 or 1.5%) and English
being third (6 or 1.0%). There are 3 people who speak French
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 53.2% male and 46.8% female. The population was made up of 597 Swiss citizens (94.2% of the population), and 37 non-Swiss residents (5.8%) Of the population in the municipality 237 or about 39.3% were born in Bennwil and lived there in 2000. There were 179 or 29.7% who were born in the same canton, while 139 or 23.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 37 or 6.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 6 live births to Swiss citizens and were 6 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens remained the same while the foreign population remained the same. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 5 and the non-Swiss population decreased by 6 people. This represents a population growth rate of -1.8%.
The age distribution, , in Bennwil is; 67 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 86 teenagers or 13.6% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 68 people or 10.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 94 people or 14.8% are between 30 and 39, 100 people or 15.8% are between 40 and 49, and 138 people or 21.8% are between 50 and 64. The senior population distribution is 57 people or 9.0% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 24 people or 3.8% who are over 80.
, there were 267 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 297 married individuals, 17 widows or widowers and 22 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 66.8% 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 215 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. There were 43 households that consist of only one person and 26 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 218 households that answered this question, 19.7% were households made up of just one person and 1 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 72 married couples without children, 92 married couples with children There were 5 single parents with a child or children. There were 2 households that were made up unrelated people and 3 households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 114 single family homes (or 63.3% of the total) out of a total of 180 inhabited buildings. There were 25 multi-family buildings (13.9%), along with 34 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (18.9%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (3.9%). Of the single family homes 27 were built before 1919, while 17 were built between 1990 and 2000.
there were 230 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 73. There were 1 single room apartments and 97 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 208 apartments (90.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 18 apartments (7.8%) were seasonally occupied and 4 apartments (1.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 8 new units per 1000 residents. the average price to rent a three room apartment was about 1280.00 CHF (US$1020, £580, €820) and a four room apartment cost an average of 1429.00 CHF (US$1140, £640, €910). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.78%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
settlement at Ötschberg is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
. The entire village of Bennwil is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 47.27% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Green Party
(15.94%), the FDP
(15.58%) and the SP
(11.7%). In the federal election, a total of 240 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 52.1%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 142. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 44, of which 36 were in agriculture and 8 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 76, of which 63 or (82.9%) were in manufacturing and 13 (17.1%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 22. In the tertiary sector; 1 or 4.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 3 or 13.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 9.1% were in the information industry, 3 or 13.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 5 or 22.7% were in education.
, there were 89 workers who commuted into the municipality and 243 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.7 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 7.9% of the workforce coming into Bennwil are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 13.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 62.2% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 9 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 1.49% of the population), there were 2 individuals (or about 0.33% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
, and there were 16 individuals (or about 2.65% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. 52 (or about 8.62% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 14 individuals (or about 2.32% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 77 who completed tertiary schooling, 64.9% were Swiss men, 26.0% were Swiss women.
, there were 60 students from Bennwil 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 Waldenburg
Waldenburg (district)
Waldenburg District is one of the five districts of the largely German-speaking canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. The district lies to the south of Basel-Country, bordering the canton of Solothurn. Its capital is the town of Waldenburg. It has a population of . In average 150 persons live in...
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 Basel-Country
Basel-Country
Basel-Landschaft , is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. The capital is Liestal...
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
Bennwil is first mentioned in 1218 as Bendewilere. A mention of the village that claimed to be from 1189 is believed to be a fake.Geography
Bennwil has an area, , of 6.51 square kilometres (2.5 sq mi). Of this area, 3.47 km² (1.3 sq mi) or 53.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 2.66 km² (1 sq mi) or 40.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.36 km² (0.138996777093313 sq mi) or 5.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.5% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.1%. Out of the forested land, 37.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 18.0% is used for growing crops and 28.4% is pastures, while 5.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 1.7% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Waldenburg district, in the Bennwilerbach or Walibach valley. It consists of the linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
of Bennwil and about 24 individual farm houses.
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, a Paschal lamb Argent, hoofed and haloed Or, holding a flag Argent a Cross Gules.
Demographics
Bennwil has a population of . , 4.4% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 2.5%.Most of the population speaks 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....
(580 or 96.2%), with Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
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 (9 or 1.5%) and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
being third (6 or 1.0%). There are 3 people who speak 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...
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 53.2% male and 46.8% female. The population was made up of 597 Swiss citizens (94.2% of the population), and 37 non-Swiss residents (5.8%) Of the population in the municipality 237 or about 39.3% were born in Bennwil and lived there in 2000. There were 179 or 29.7% who were born in the same canton, while 139 or 23.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 37 or 6.1% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 6 live births to Swiss citizens and were 6 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens remained the same while the foreign population remained the same. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was a decrease of 5 and the non-Swiss population decreased by 6 people. This represents a population growth rate of -1.8%.
The age distribution, , in Bennwil is; 67 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 86 teenagers or 13.6% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 68 people or 10.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 94 people or 14.8% are between 30 and 39, 100 people or 15.8% are between 40 and 49, and 138 people or 21.8% are between 50 and 64. The senior population distribution is 57 people or 9.0% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 24 people or 3.8% who are over 80.
, there were 267 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 297 married individuals, 17 widows or widowers and 22 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 66.8% 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 215 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.7 persons per household. There were 43 households that consist of only one person and 26 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 218 households that answered this question, 19.7% were households made up of just one person and 1 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 72 married couples without children, 92 married couples with children There were 5 single parents with a child or children. There were 2 households that were made up unrelated people and 3 households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 114 single family homes (or 63.3% of the total) out of a total of 180 inhabited buildings. There were 25 multi-family buildings (13.9%), along with 34 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (18.9%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (3.9%). Of the single family homes 27 were built before 1919, while 17 were built between 1990 and 2000.
there were 230 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 73. There were 1 single room apartments and 97 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 208 apartments (90.4% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 18 apartments (7.8%) were seasonally occupied and 4 apartments (1.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 8 new units per 1000 residents. the average price to rent a three room apartment was about 1280.00 CHF (US$1020, £580, €820) and a four room apartment cost an average of 1429.00 CHF (US$1140, £640, €910). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.78%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The neolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
settlement at Ötschberg is listed as a 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...
. The entire village of Bennwil is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory 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 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 47.27% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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:...
(15.94%), 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....
(15.58%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(11.7%). In the federal election, a total of 240 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 52.1%.
Economy
, Bennwil had an unemployment rate of 2.6%. , there were 65 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 23 businesses involved in this sector. 82 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 9 businesses in this sector. 34 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 12 businesses in this sector. There were 331 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.0% 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 142. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 44, of which 36 were in agriculture and 8 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 76, of which 63 or (82.9%) were in manufacturing and 13 (17.1%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 22. In the tertiary sector; 1 or 4.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 3 or 13.6% were in a hotel or restaurant, 2 or 9.1% were in the information industry, 3 or 13.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 5 or 22.7% were in education.
, there were 89 workers who commuted into the municipality and 243 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.7 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 7.9% of the workforce coming into Bennwil are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 13.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 62.2% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 69 or 11.4% were Roman Catholic, while 441 or 73.1% 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 9 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 1.49% of the population), there were 2 individuals (or about 0.33% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
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...
, and there were 16 individuals (or about 2.65% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. 52 (or about 8.62% 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 14 individuals (or about 2.32% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Bennwil about 236 or (39.1%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 77 or (12.8%) 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 77 who completed tertiary schooling, 64.9% were Swiss men, 26.0% were Swiss women.
, there were 60 students from Bennwil who attended schools outside the municipality.