Gächlingen
Encyclopedia
Gächlingen is a municipality
in the canton
of Schaffhausen in Switzerland
.
settlement dates to about 6000BC and is the first long-term, farming community in the borders of modern Switzerland.
Gächlingen is first mentioned in a 10th Century forgery as Câhtelinga. In 1049 it was mentioned as Gehtelinga.
The municipality is located in the Oberklettgau district. It is a wine producing
village on the south flank of the Randen
mountain.
settlement is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
. While the region that would become Switzerland had been occupied by nomadic hunter-gatherer
s the settlement at Goldäcker is the first long-term, farming settlement in Switzerland. About 6000 BC, a group of Linear Band Ceramic Culture farmers moved south over the Danube
river. They settled in a small hamlet
on the western border of modern Gächlingen. Their settlement included both houses and manufacturing buildings.
Additionally, the entire village of Gächlingen is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Gules a Sickle Argent ringed Or handled proper and a Ploughshare of the second.
, 6.8% are from Italy
, 13.6% are from Macedonia
, and 43.2% are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -5.5%. Most of the population speaks German (96.1%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.0%) and Italian being third ( 0.7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.6%.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 47.4% of the vote. The next two most popular parties were the SP
(29.6%), and the FDP
(23.1%) .
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gächlingen about 74.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). In Gächlingen, , 0.77% of the population attend kindergarten
or another pre-school, 7.35% attend a Primary School, 2.96% attend a lower level Secondary School, and 4.77% attend a higher level Secondary School.
, 11.5% of the population belonged to the Roman Catholic Church
and 74.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
.
The historical population is given in the following table:
the mid year average unemployment rate was 0.5%. There were 35 non-agrarian businesses in the municipality and 49.5% of the (non-agrarian) population was involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 50.5% were involved in the third. At the same time, 67.3% of the working population was employed full-time, and 32.7% was employed part-time. There were 101 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 30.7% of the workforce. there were 129 residents who worked in the municipality, while 277 residents worked outside Gächlingen and 93 people commuted into the municipality for work.
, there is 1 restaurant and the hospitality industry in Gächlingen employs 1 people.
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 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 Schaffhausen 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
An area near Gächlingen was the site of the first settlement in Switzerland. This Linear Band CeramicLinear Pottery culture
The Linear Pottery culture is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic, flourishing ca. 5500–4500 BC.It is abbreviated as LBK , is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Incised Ware culture, and falls within the Danubian I culture of V...
settlement dates to about 6000BC and is the first long-term, farming community in the borders of modern Switzerland.
Gächlingen is first mentioned in a 10th Century forgery as Câhtelinga. In 1049 it was mentioned as Gehtelinga.
Geography
Gächlingen has an area, , of 7.3 km² (2.8 sq mi). Of this area, 75.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.3%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality is located in the Oberklettgau district. It is a wine producing
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
village on the south flank of the Randen
Hagen (Randen)
The Hagen is the highest point of the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen.-References:* Swisstopo maps* to-urs.ch...
mountain.
Heritage sites of national significance
The Goldäcker, a NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
settlement is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss 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...
. While the region that would become Switzerland had been occupied by nomadic hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s the settlement at Goldäcker is the first long-term, farming settlement in Switzerland. About 6000 BC, a group of Linear Band Ceramic Culture farmers moved south over the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river. They settled in a small hamlet
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...
on the western border of modern Gächlingen. Their settlement included both houses and manufacturing buildings.
Additionally, the entire village of Gächlingen 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:...
.
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 Sickle Argent ringed Or handled proper and a Ploughshare of the second.
Demographics
Gächlingen has a population of 764, of which 5.5% are foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 36.4% 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...
, 6.8% 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...
, 13.6% are from Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, and 43.2% are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -5.5%. Most of the population speaks German (96.1%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.0%) and Italian being third ( 0.7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.6%.
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 47.4% of the vote. The next two 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....
(29.6%), 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....
(23.1%) .
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gächlingen about 74.6% 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...
). In Gächlingen, , 0.77% of the population attend 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...
or another pre-school, 7.35% attend a Primary School, 2.96% attend a lower level Secondary School, and 4.77% attend a higher level Secondary School.
, 11.5% of the population belonged to the Roman Catholic Church
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 74.3% belonged 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...
.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1531 | 24 Households |
| 1801 | 705 |
| 1850 | 1,194 |
| 1900 | 794 |
| 1950 | 682 |
| 1970 | 604 |
| 2000 | 872 |
Economy
Gächlingen has an unemployment rate of 1.03%. , there were 84 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 30 businesses involved in this sector. 46 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 48 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 18 businesses in this sector.the mid year average unemployment rate was 0.5%. There were 35 non-agrarian businesses in the municipality and 49.5% of the (non-agrarian) population was involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 50.5% were involved in the third. At the same time, 67.3% of the working population was employed full-time, and 32.7% was employed part-time. There were 101 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 30.7% of the workforce. there were 129 residents who worked in the municipality, while 277 residents worked outside Gächlingen and 93 people commuted into the municipality for work.
, there is 1 restaurant and the hospitality industry in Gächlingen employs 1 people.