Elfingen
Encyclopedia
Elfingen is a municipality
in the district of Brugg
in canton
of Aargau
in Switzerland
.
graves have been discovered in the municipality and it was the seat of a fief holder from Murbach Abbey
in the 7th Century, Elfingen is first mentioned in 1245 as Eolfingen. When the Abbey sold their holdings in Aargau to the Habsburg in 1291, Elfingen was included. It came under the authority of Bern starting in 1460 and was part of the bailiwick
Schenkenberg.
The Catholic
parish church
, was consecrated in 1323 to St. Leodegar. However the parish seat moved in the 16th Century to Bözen
. The new parish included Bözen, Effingen
, Zeihen
(until 1528), Linn
(to 1649) and Densbüren
(1528–1642). The parsonage remained in Elfingen until 1824, when it moved to Bözen. By 1720 the village had its own school.
Until the 19th century agriculture (especially livestock) dominated the local economy. In the 18th century small-scale home spinning of cotton added to the local economy. In 2000, one quarter of the working population worked in the first sector of the economy.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.8%. Of the agricultural land, 22.7% is used for growing crops and 17.0% is pastures, while 6.1% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Brugg district in a hollow of the Jura
plateau. It consists of the village of Elfingen and the hamlets
of Bez. Brugg. In einer Mulde des Tafeljuras gelegen. The municipalities of Bözen
, Effingen
, Elfingen, Hornussen
and Zeihen
are considering a merger some time in the future into a new municipality with an as yet undetermined name.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Gules a Patriarchal Cross patte Argent issuant from Coupeaux Vert. The cross is derived from the arms of Hungary, as the village was a possession of the Königsfelden Abbey
, which was founded by Queen Agnes of Hungary.
The age distribution, , in Elfingen is; 24 children or 9.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 23 teenagers or 8.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 30 people or 11.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 31 people or 11.7% are between 30 and 39, 60 people or 22.6% are between 40 and 49, and 40 people or 15.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 28 people or 10.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 6 people or 2.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 17 people or 6.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 6 people or 2.3% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.52 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 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 74.4% 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 5 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 32 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 53 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.52 individuals. there were 62 single family homes (or 48.4% of the total) out of a total of 128 homes and apartments. There were a total of 0 empty apartments for a 0.0% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 15.3 new units per 1000 residents.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 40.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(18.7%), the Green Party
(15.3%) and the CVP
(9.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Elfingen about 74% 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 17 students attending primary school in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
there was a total of 123 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 94 or about 76.4% of the residents worked outside Elfingen while 13 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 42 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 15.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 50.8% used a private car.
.
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 Brugg
Brugg (district)
Brugg District is a district in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland, it is located south of the Aare and the Aargauer Jura covers the district. The capital of the district is the town of Brugg.-Geography:...
in 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
While AlamanniAlamanni
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...
graves have been discovered in the municipality and it was the seat of a fief holder from 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 the 7th Century, Elfingen is first mentioned in 1245 as Eolfingen. When the Abbey sold their holdings in Aargau to the Habsburg in 1291, Elfingen was included. It came under the authority of Bern starting in 1460 and was part of the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
Schenkenberg.
The Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, was consecrated in 1323 to St. Leodegar. However the parish seat moved in the 16th Century to Bözen
Bözen
Bözen is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest evidence of people in Bözen are a neolithic stone ax, a Roman Estate and Alamanni graves. Bözen is first mentioned in 1284 as Boze. During the Middle Ages it was owned by Elfingen...
. The new parish included Bözen, Effingen
Effingen
Effingen is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Effingen is first mentioned in 1284 as Efingen though the area was settled earlier. The earliest evidence of a settlement is a High Middle Ages chapel with associated Alamanni graves.Effingen belonged...
, Zeihen
Zeihen
Zeihen is a municipality in the district of Laufenburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Zeihen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 50.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 40.7% is forested...
(until 1528), Linn
Linn
Linn is a first name for girls. This name is common in countries such as Sweden and Norway. Otherwise it can also be spelled "Lynn".Linn may refer to:-Linn :* George Ward Linn , philatelic publisher of Ohio...
(to 1649) and Densbüren
Densbüren
Densbüren is a municipality in the district of Aarau of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Densbüren is first mentioned in the 14 Century as Tensbuirron. In 1426 it was mentioned as Teinspuiren.-Geography:...
(1528–1642). The parsonage remained in Elfingen until 1824, when it moved to Bözen. By 1720 the village had its own school.
Until the 19th century agriculture (especially livestock) dominated the local economy. In the 18th century small-scale home spinning of cotton added to the local economy. In 2000, one quarter of the working population worked in the first sector of the economy.
Geography
Elfingen has an area, , of 4.23 square kilometres (1.6 sq mi). Of this area, 1.94 square kilometre (0.749038187669518 sq mi) or 45.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while2.09 square kilometre (0.806953511458398 sq mi) or 49.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.16 square kilometre (0.0617763453748056 sq mi) or 3.8% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km² (4.9 acre) or 0.5% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.8%. Of the agricultural land, 22.7% is used for growing crops and 17.0% is pastures, while 6.1% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams.
The municipality is located in the Brugg district in a hollow of the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
plateau. It consists of the village of Elfingen and the 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 Bez. Brugg. In einer Mulde des Tafeljuras gelegen. The municipalities of Bözen
Bözen
Bözen is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest evidence of people in Bözen are a neolithic stone ax, a Roman Estate and Alamanni graves. Bözen is first mentioned in 1284 as Boze. During the Middle Ages it was owned by Elfingen...
, Effingen
Effingen
Effingen is a municipality in the district of Brugg in canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Effingen is first mentioned in 1284 as Efingen though the area was settled earlier. The earliest evidence of a settlement is a High Middle Ages chapel with associated Alamanni graves.Effingen belonged...
, Elfingen, Hornussen
Hornussen
Hornussen is an indigenous Swiss sport. The sport gets its name from the puck which is known as a "Hornuss" or "Nouss". When hit, it can whizz through the air at up to 300 km/h and create a buzzing sound.-History:...
and Zeihen
Zeihen
Zeihen is a municipality in the district of Laufenburg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Zeihen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 50.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 40.7% is forested...
are considering a merger some time in the future into a new municipality with an as yet undetermined name.
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 Gules a Patriarchal Cross patte Argent issuant from Coupeaux Vert. The cross is derived from the arms of Hungary, as the village was a possession of the Königsfelden Abbey
Königsfelden Abbey
Königsfelden Abbey is a former Franciscan monastery and former Clarisse convent in the municipality of Windisch in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It was founded in 1308 by the Habsburgs and during the Reformation in 1528 it was secularized. The complex was then the residence of the bailiffs...
, which was founded by Queen Agnes of Hungary.
Demographics
Elfingen has a population of , 15.3% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 11%. Most of the population speaks German (94.2%), with Portuguese being second most common ( 1.7%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 1.3%).The age distribution, , in Elfingen is; 24 children or 9.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 23 teenagers or 8.7% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 30 people or 11.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 31 people or 11.7% are between 30 and 39, 60 people or 22.6% are between 40 and 49, and 40 people or 15.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 28 people or 10.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 6 people or 2.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 17 people or 6.4% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 6 people or 2.3% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.52 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 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 74.4% 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 5 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 32 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 53 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.52 individuals. there were 62 single family homes (or 48.4% of the total) out of a total of 128 homes and apartments. There were a total of 0 empty apartments for a 0.0% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 15.3 new units per 1000 residents.
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 40.4% 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....
(18.7%), 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:...
(15.3%) 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...
(9.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Elfingen about 74% 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 17 students attending primary school in the municipality.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 144 |
| 1850 | 265 |
| 1900 | 217 |
| 1950 | 199 |
| 1980 | 165 |
| 2000 | 240 |
Sights
The village of Elfingen is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage SitesInventory 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
, Elfingen had an unemployment rate of 0.91%. , there were 33 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 1 person is employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 36 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 12 businesses in this sector.there was a total of 123 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 94 or about 76.4% of the residents worked outside Elfingen while 13 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 42 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 15.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 50.8% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 51 or 21.3% were Roman Catholic, while 140 or 58.3% 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...
.