Elgg
Encyclopedia
Elgg is a municipality
in the district of Winterthur
in the canton
of Zürich in Switzerland.
Aschermittwoch-Gesellschaft has committed themselves to this tradition, was founded in 1914 and currently has around 650 members.
Every year on New Year's young and old gathered at the Ober Tor, where the boys of Elgg, age 5-16, select in a open vote the respective Äschlihauptmann and the entire company.
Starting the New Year until Ash Wednesday are then alternately held on Saturdays and Sundays exercises.
The municipality is located . It consists of the village of Elgg and the hamlets
of .
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 39.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(16.8%), the CSP
(12.8%) and the FDP
(11%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.7%. In Elgg about 79.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). There are 1502 households in Elgg.
Elgg has an unemployment rate of 1.98%. , there were 104 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 30 businesses involved in this sector. 471 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 46 businesses in this sector. 742 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 112 businesses in this sector. 48.8% of the working population were employed full-time, and 51.2% were employed part-time.
there were 825 Catholics
and 1959 Protestants
in Elgg. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 58.1% were some type of Protestant, with 54% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 4.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 22.5% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 6.9% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.5% did not give a religion, and 8.7% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Winterthur
Winterthur (district)
Winterthur District is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zürich, Switzerland. It has a population of . Its capital is the city of Winterthur.- Municipalities :Winterthur District contains a total of 21 municipalities:...
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 Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Elgg is first mentioned between 760 and 763 as Ailaghoga. In 1166 it was mentioned as Elgoue and in 1370 as Elggaw.Äschli (Ash Wednesday custom)
Äachli,or in English Ash Wednesday custom, is a 500 year old custom, which takes place on Ash Wednesday with the boys parade as its annual highlight. The origin lies in the pre-Reformation period, when musters were conducted for Elgg's Militia or mercenaries. The exact origin is unknown. However, it is mentioned in the 1628 parish priest Fasi book that the boys parade in Elgg is a very old custom.Aschermittwoch-Gesellschaft has committed themselves to this tradition, was founded in 1914 and currently has around 650 members.
Every year on New Year's young and old gathered at the Ober Tor, where the boys of Elgg, age 5-16, select in a open vote the respective Äschlihauptmann and the entire company.
Starting the New Year until Ash Wednesday are then alternately held on Saturdays and Sundays exercises.
Geography
Elgg has an area of 15.6 km² (6 sq mi). Of this area, 45.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 41.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 12.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 8% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (4.3%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.3% of the area. 7.9% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.The municipality is located . It consists of the village of Elgg 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 .
Demographics
Elgg has a population (as of ) of . , 12.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4.7%. Most of the population speaks German (90.8%), with Albanian being second most common ( 3.0%) and Italian being third ( 2.3%).In the 2007 election 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 39.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(16.8%), the CSP
Christian Social Party (Switzerland)
The Christian Social Party is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions...
(12.8%) and 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....
(11%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.7%. In Elgg about 79.1% 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...
). There are 1502 households in Elgg.
Elgg has an unemployment rate of 1.98%. , there were 104 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 30 businesses involved in this sector. 471 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 46 businesses in this sector. 742 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 112 businesses in this sector. 48.8% of the working population were employed full-time, and 51.2% were employed part-time.
there were 825 Catholics
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...
and 1959 Protestants
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Elgg. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 58.1% were some type of Protestant, with 54% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss 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...
and 4.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 22.5% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 6.9% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.5% did not give a religion, and 8.7% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1467 | c. 440 |
| 1634 | 1,018 |
| 1792 | 2,103 |
| 1836 | 1,038 |
| 1850 | 1,182 |
| 1900 | 1,420 |
| 1950 | 2,184 |
| 2000 | 3,593 |