Buchs, St. Gallen
Encyclopedia
Buchs is a municipality
in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Werdenberg
in the canton
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
.
Buchs has an area, , of 16 km² (6.2 sq mi). Of this area, 39.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 25.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (7.5%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).
The municipality is located in the Werdenberg Wahlkreis. It is a shopping, industry and services center for the upper St. Gallen Rhine valley as well as the capital of the Wahlkreis. It consists of the village of Buchs and the large hamlets
of Räfis and Burgerau as well as scattered settlements on the Buchserberg.
It lies on the border with Liechtenstein
, next to the town of Schaan.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Vert on a Pale Argent a Altar Cloth Sable ringed and fringed Or.
, 412 are from Italy
, 1,199 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 189 are from Austria
, 168 are from Turkey
, and 470 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 5.4%. Most of the population speaks German (84.9%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 3.8%) and Albanian being third ( 2.9%). Of the Swiss national languages , 8,826 speak German
, 62 people speak French
, 282 people speak Italian
, and 39 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Buchs is; 1,165 children or 11.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,299 teenagers or 12.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,430 people or 13.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,713 people or 16.5% are between 30 and 39, 1,454 people or 14.0% are between 40 and 49, and 1,335 people or 12.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 969 people or 9.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 650 people or 6.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 330 people or 3.2% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 54 people or 0.5% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 1,687 persons (or 16.2% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 2,285 (or 22.0%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 5,070 (or 48.8%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 725 (or 7.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 70 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 36 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 147 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 379 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 36.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(23%), the FDP
(15.8%) and the CVP
(9.9%).
The historical population is given in the following table:
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Buchs about 65.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
). Out of the total population in Buchs, , the highest education level completed by 2,338 people (22.5% of the population) was Primary, while 3,871 (37.2%) have completed Secondary, 1,035 (10.0%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 505 (4.9%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
Buchs is home to the NTB Interstate University of Applied Sciences of Technology Buchs. The NTB is part of the Fachhochschule Ostschweiz, FHO which is a recognized University of Applied Sciences. NTB offers Bachelor of Science
and Master of Science
degrees in a few engineering subjects.
, is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
the average unemployment rate was 4.0%. There were 698 businesses in the municipality of which 116 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 550 were involved in the third.
there were 2,671 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,688 residents worked outside Buchs and 3,641 people commuted into the municipality for work.
. Of the rest of the population, there are 6 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
faith, there are 274 individuals (or about 2.63% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 304 individuals (or about 2.92% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 939 (or about 9.03% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 68 individuals (or about 0.65% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 671 (or about 6.45% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 326 individuals (or about 3.13% of the population) did not answer the question.
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 Wahlkreis (constituency) of Werdenberg
Werdenberg (Wahlkreis)
Werdenberg is a constituency in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Wahlkreis was established on June 10, 2001. The Wahlkreis has its name by the municipality Grabs-Werdenberg.-Demographics:...
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 St. Gallen 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....
.
Geography
The municipality is located in the Werdenberg Wahlkreis. It is a shopping, industry and services center for the upper St. Gallen Rhine valley as well as the capital of the Wahlkreis. It consists of the village of Buchs and the large hamlets
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 Räfis and Burgerau as well as scattered settlements on the Buchserberg.
It lies on the border with Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, next to the town of Schaan.
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 Vert on a Pale Argent a Altar Cloth Sable ringed and fringed Or.
Demographics
Buchs has a population (as of ) of . , about 30.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 181 are from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 412 are from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 1,199 are from ex-Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, 189 are from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, 168 are from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and 470 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 5.4%. Most of the population speaks German (84.9%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 3.8%) and Albanian being third ( 2.9%). Of the Swiss national languages , 8,826 speak 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....
, 62 people 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...
, 282 people 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...
, and 39 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Buchs is; 1,165 children or 11.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,299 teenagers or 12.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,430 people or 13.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,713 people or 16.5% are between 30 and 39, 1,454 people or 14.0% are between 40 and 49, and 1,335 people or 12.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 969 people or 9.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 650 people or 6.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 330 people or 3.2% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 54 people or 0.5% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 1,687 persons (or 16.2% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 2,285 (or 22.0%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 5,070 (or 48.8%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 725 (or 7.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 70 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 36 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 147 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 379 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
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 36.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(23%), 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....
(15.8%) and 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...
(9.9%).
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1831 | 1,781 |
| 1850 | 2,015 |
| 1900 | 3,851 |
| 1950 | 5,204 |
| 2000 | 10,399 |
Education
]The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Buchs about 65.8% 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...
). Out of the total population in Buchs, , the highest education level completed by 2,338 people (22.5% of the population) was Primary, while 3,871 (37.2%) have completed Secondary, 1,035 (10.0%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 505 (4.9%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
Buchs is home to the NTB Interstate University of Applied Sciences of Technology Buchs. The NTB is part of the Fachhochschule Ostschweiz, FHO which is a recognized University of Applied Sciences. NTB offers Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degrees in a few engineering subjects.
Sights
The region around Schloss Werdenberg, which is shared between Buchs and GrabsGrabs
Grabs is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Werdenberg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Grabs is first mentioned in 841 as Quaravedes. In 979 it was mentioned as Quadravedes, then in 1235 as Grabdis and in 1253 as Graps.-Geography:Grabs has an area, , of...
, is designated as 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:...
.
Economy
, Buchs had an unemployment rate of 1.8%. , there were 143 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 41 businesses involved in this sector. 1,624 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 112 businesses in this sector. 4,147 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 537 businesses in this sector.the average unemployment rate was 4.0%. There were 698 businesses in the municipality of which 116 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 550 were involved in the third.
there were 2,671 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,688 residents worked outside Buchs and 3,641 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
From the , 3,524 or 33.9% are Roman Catholic, while 4,287 or 41.2% 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 are 6 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who belong 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, there are 274 individuals (or about 2.63% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 304 individuals (or about 2.92% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 939 (or about 9.03% of the population) who are Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There are 68 individuals (or about 0.65% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 671 (or about 6.45% of the population) belong 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 326 individuals (or about 3.13% of the population) did not answer the question.
Notable residents
- Simon SchwendenerSimon SchwendenerSimon Schwendener was a Swiss botanist who was a native of Buchs in the Canton of St. Gallen.In 1856 he received his doctorate at the University of Zurich, where afterwards he was an assistant to Carl Wilhelm von Nägeli...
(1829–1919), Swiss Botanist and Professor - Gallus Berger (1903–1982 in Zürich), Social Democrat member of the National CouncilNational Council of SwitzerlandThe National Council of Switzerland is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. With 200 seats, it is the larger of the two houses....
- Heinrich RohrerHeinrich RohrerHeinrich Rohrer is a Swiss physicist who shared half of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics with Gerd Binnig for the design of the scanning tunneling microscope .-Biography:...
, (* 1933), Swiss PhysicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and NobelNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureate