Gnosca
Encyclopedia
Gnosca is a municipality
in the district of Bellinzona
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
and the cathedral of Milan
. While it is likely that there were earlier settlements, nothing is known about them. An arbitration document of 1202 granted the S. Giovanni church and the church of SS Maurizio e Carpoforo in Gnosca Castle to Como. The parish church
of St. Peter Martyr is on a list of churches in the diocese of Milan
in the 13th Century. In 1335 Gnosca is mentioned as a village in the county of Bellinzona
, although part of the population was assumed for some time by the cathedral of Milan. This led to a situation where the church was used for both the Ambrosian
and Roman Rite
s at the same time. The village is now on the edge of the agglomeration of Bellinzona. With the construction of many new homes it has lost, in recent decades, its rural character.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, 72.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.6% is used for growing crops, while 1.3% is used for orchards or vine crops and 2.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 2.4% is unproductive vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Bellinzona district, on the right bank of the Ticino river at the entrance to the Riviera.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per fess Argent an Eagle displayed Sable and Gules a Cross Argent.
(94.4%), with German
being second most common ( 1.8%) and French
being third ( 1.4%).
Of the Swiss national languages , 9 speak German
, 7 people speak French
, 485 people speak Italian
. The remainder (13 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 273 Swiss men (40.7% of the population), and 60 (9.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 306 Swiss women (45.7%), and 31 (4.6%) non-Swiss women. In there was 1 live birth to Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 7 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 6 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man and 1 non-Swiss man who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 3 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 4 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 7 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.7%.
The age distribution, , in Gnosca is; 93 children or 13.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 66 teenagers or 9.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 39 people or 5.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 113 people or 16.9% are between 30 and 39, 126 people or 18.8% are between 40 and 49, and 80 people or 11.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 83 people or 12.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 42 people or 6.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 28 people or 4.2% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 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 75.5% 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 202 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 177 single family homes (or 82.7% of the total) out of a total of 214 inhabited buildings. There were 29 two family buildings (13.6%) and 3 multi-family buildings (1.4%). There were also 5 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
co
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.34%. there were 249 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 100. There were 8 single room apartments and 76 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 200 apartments (80.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 47 apartments (18.9%) were seasonally occupied and 2 apartments (.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.2 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 38.93% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(24.04%), the SP
(18.59%) and the Ticino League
(10.78%). In the federal election, a total of 244 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 56.0%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 433 registered voters in Gnosca, of which 348 or 80.4% voted. 3 blank ballots and null ballots were cast, leaving 345 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD
+GenGiova which received 102 or 29.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 73 or 21.2%), the PLRT
(with 69 or 20.0%) and the PS
(with 56 or 16.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, there were 3 blank ballots and 1 null ballots, which left 344 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 103 or 29.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 66 or 19.2%), the PLRT (with 62 or 18.0%) and the SSI (with 60 or 17.4%).
There were 234 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 35.9% of the workforce. , there were 17 workers who commuted into the municipality and 178 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 10.5 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 4.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 66.7% used a private car. , there were 0 hotels in Gnosca.
. There are 29 individuals (or about 5.64% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 18 individuals (or about 3.50% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Gnosca there are a total of 133 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Gnosca there are 30 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 50 students attend the standard primary schools and 1 students attend the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There are 26 students in the two year middle school and in their pre-apprenticeship, while 12 students are in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There are 4 vocational students who are attending school full-time and 8 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There are 2 students in the professional program.
, there were 2 students in Gnosca who came from another municipality, while 52 residents 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 Bellinzona
Bellinzona (district)
The district of Bellinzona is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:The district has an area, , of . Of this area, or 13.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 68.7% is forested...
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 Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
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
Gnosca is first mentioned in 1198 as Niosca in the records of ComoComo
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
and the cathedral of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. While it is likely that there were earlier settlements, nothing is known about them. An arbitration document of 1202 granted the S. Giovanni church and the church of SS Maurizio e Carpoforo in Gnosca Castle to Como. The 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....
of St. Peter Martyr is on a list of churches in the diocese of Milan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan
The Archdiocese of Milan is a metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has long maintained its own rite: the Ambrosian rite. It is led by the Archbishop of Milan who serves as metropolitan to the dioceses of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Crema, Cremona, Lodi, Mantova, Pavia, and Vigevano.The...
in the 13th Century. In 1335 Gnosca is mentioned as a village in the county of Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
, although part of the population was assumed for some time by the cathedral of Milan. This led to a situation where the church was used for both the Ambrosian
Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
and Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
s at the same time. The village is now on the edge of the agglomeration of Bellinzona. With the construction of many new homes it has lost, in recent decades, its rural character.
Geography
Gnosca has an area, , of 7.45 square kilometres (2.9 sq mi). Of this area, 0.89 km² (0.343630921147356 sq mi) or 11.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 5.76 km² (2.2 sq mi) or 77.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.42 km² (0.162162906608865 sq mi) or 5.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.14 km² (34.6 acre) or 1.9% is either rivers or lakes and 0.23 km² (0.0888034964762831 sq mi) or 3.1% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, 72.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 8.6% is used for growing crops, while 1.3% is used for orchards or vine crops and 2.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 2.4% is unproductive vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Bellinzona district, on the right bank of the Ticino river at the entrance to the Riviera.
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 Per fess Argent an Eagle displayed Sable and Gules a Cross Argent.
Demographics
Gnosca has a population of . , 12.9% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 33.5%. Most of the population speaks ItalianItalian 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...
(94.4%), with 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....
being second most common ( 1.8%) and 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...
being third ( 1.4%).
Of the Swiss national languages , 9 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....
, 7 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...
, 485 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...
. The remainder (13 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 273 Swiss men (40.7% of the population), and 60 (9.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 306 Swiss women (45.7%), and 31 (4.6%) non-Swiss women. In there was 1 live birth to Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 7 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 6 while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man and 1 non-Swiss man who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 3 non-Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland to another country. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was an increase of 4 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 7 people. This represents a population growth rate of 1.7%.
The age distribution, , in Gnosca is; 93 children or 13.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 66 teenagers or 9.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 39 people or 5.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 113 people or 16.9% are between 30 and 39, 126 people or 18.8% are between 40 and 49, and 80 people or 11.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 83 people or 12.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 42 people or 6.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 28 people or 4.2% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.59 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 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 75.5% 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 202 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 177 single family homes (or 82.7% of the total) out of a total of 214 inhabited buildings. There were 29 two family buildings (13.6%) and 3 multi-family buildings (1.4%). There were also 5 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
co
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.34%. there were 249 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 100. There were 8 single room apartments and 76 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 200 apartments (80.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 47 apartments (18.9%) were seasonally occupied and 2 apartments (.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.2 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1602 | 240 |
| 1801 | 258 |
| 1850 | 195 |
| 1900 | 216 |
| 1950 | 280 |
| 2000 | 514 |
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 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...
which received 38.93% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(24.04%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(18.59%) and the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(10.78%). In the federal election, a total of 244 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 56.0%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 433 registered voters in Gnosca, of which 348 or 80.4% voted. 3 blank ballots and null ballots were cast, leaving 345 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD
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...
+GenGiova which received 102 or 29.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 73 or 21.2%), the PLRT
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....
(with 69 or 20.0%) and the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(with 56 or 16.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, there were 3 blank ballots and 1 null ballots, which left 344 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 103 or 29.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS (with 66 or 19.2%), the PLRT (with 62 or 18.0%) and the SSI (with 60 or 17.4%).
Economy
, Gnosca had an unemployment rate of 2.28%. , there were 11 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 7 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 32 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 11 businesses in this sector.There were 234 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 35.9% of the workforce. , there were 17 workers who commuted into the municipality and 178 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 10.5 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 4.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 66.7% used a private car. , there were 0 hotels in Gnosca.
Religion
From the , 447 or 87.0% were Roman Catholic, while 20 or 3.9% 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...
. There are 29 individuals (or about 5.64% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 18 individuals (or about 3.50% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gnosca about 75.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or 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...
).
In Gnosca there are a total of 133 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and in Gnosca there are 30 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 50 students attend the standard primary schools and 1 students attend the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two year middle school followed by a two year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four year program to prepare for higher education. There are 26 students in the two year middle school and in their pre-apprenticeship, while 12 students are in the four year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There are 4 vocational students who are attending school full-time and 8 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There are 2 students in the professional program.
, there were 2 students in Gnosca who came from another municipality, while 52 residents attended schools outside the municipality.