Fürstenau, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Fürstenau is a municipality
in the district of Hinterrhein
in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
and the smalles town to hold city rights
with a market right received from Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
in 1354.
tower house
s or guard towers and a bishop's
house in the area that became Fürstenau. The Bishop's summer residence is of course the reason for the city right.
Fürstenau has an area, , of 1.3 km² (0.501932806170296 sq mi). Of this area, 52.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 32.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (6.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
The municipality is located in the Domleschg sub-district of the Hinterrhein district. It consists of the village of Fürstenau and Fürstenaubruck, on the right side of the valley.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.4% male and 50.6% female. The age distribution, , in Fürstenau is; 29 people or 9.3% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 16 people or 5.1% are 10 to 14, and 13 people or 4.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 27 people or 8.7% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 51 people or 16.4% are 30 to 39, 36 people or 11.6% are 40 to 49, and 44 people or 14.1% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 25 people or 8.0% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 28 people or 9.0% are 70 to 79, there are 33 people or 10.6% who are 80 to 89, and there are 9 people or 2.9% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SPS
which received 32.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(30.4%), the FDP
(27.2%) and the CVP
(9.5%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Fürstenau about 81% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Fürstenau has an unemployment rate of 1.85%. , there were 11 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 2 people are employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 133 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector.
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 Hinterrhein
Hinterrhein (district)
Hinterrhein District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of .Hinterrhein District consists of five Kreise and twenty-eight municipalities...
in the Swiss
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....
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 Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
and the smalles town to hold city rights
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
with a market right received from Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
in 1354.
History
Fürstenau is first mentioned in 1257 as Fúrstenowo and Furstinowe. Originally there were two medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
tower house
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
s or guard towers and a bishop's
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
house in the area that became Fürstenau. The Bishop's summer residence is of course the reason for the city right.
Geography
The municipality is located in the Domleschg sub-district of the Hinterrhein district. It consists of the village of Fürstenau and Fürstenaubruck, on the right side of the valley.
Demographics
Fürstenau has a population (as of ) of . , 8.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 12.5%., the gender distribution of the population was 49.4% male and 50.6% female. The age distribution, , in Fürstenau is; 29 people or 9.3% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 16 people or 5.1% are 10 to 14, and 13 people or 4.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 27 people or 8.7% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 51 people or 16.4% are 30 to 39, 36 people or 11.6% are 40 to 49, and 44 people or 14.1% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 25 people or 8.0% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 28 people or 9.0% are 70 to 79, there are 33 people or 10.6% who are 80 to 89, and there are 9 people or 2.9% who are 90 to 99.
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 SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 32.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(30.4%), 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....
(27.2%) 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...
(9.5%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Fürstenau about 81% 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...
).
Fürstenau has an unemployment rate of 1.85%. , there were 11 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 2 people are employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 133 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1803 | 107 |
| 1850 | 304 |
| 1900 | 235 |
| 1950 | 253 |
| 1980 | 198 |
| 2000 | 311 |
Sights
Fürstenau has three Swiss Heritage Sites of National Significance.Heritage sites of national significance
The Haus Stoffel, Oberes Schloss (Upper Castle) and Unteres Schloss (Lower Castle, also known as the Bishop's Castle) are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significanceSwiss 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...
.
Languages
The municipality is predominantly German-speaking, with a small Romansh-speaking minority. , 92.3% speaks German, with Romansh being second most common ( 3.2%) and Italian being third ( 1.9%).| Languages in Fürstenau | ||||||
| Languages | Census 1980 | Census 1990 | Census 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| 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.... |
170 | 85.86 % | 243 | 89.66 % | 287 | 92.28 % |
| Romanish | 13 | 6.57 % | 15 | 5.54 % | 10 | 3.22 % |
| 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... |
10 | 5.05 % | 4 | 1.48 % | 6 | 1.93 % |
| Population | 198 | 100 % | 271 | 100 % | 311 | 100 % |