Göschenen
Encyclopedia
Göschenen a village
in the canton
of Uri
in Switzerland
.
Göschenen and its railway station
are located at the northern end of the St. Gotthard Tunnel
and the Gotthard Rail Tunnel
. The town grew up around a bridge over the Reuss river
. The Schöllenen
Gorge in the Reuss Valley
between Andermatt
and Göschenen is the location of the infamous Devil's Bridge
. A very short metre gauge
railway line, the Schöllenenbahn, connects Göschenen railway station with Andermatt railway station
, via the Schöllenen Gorge.
Until 1875 it was part of the municipality of Wassen
. It consists of the village of Göschenen and the hamlets
of Abfrutt and the Göscheneralp.
Göschenen has a population (as of ) of . , 4.2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -26.9%. Most of the population speaks German (94.9%), with Portuguese being second most common ( 2.0%) and Spanish being third ( 1.2%). the gender distribution of the population was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
In the 2007 federal election
the FDP
party received 90.4% of the vote.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Göschenen about 58.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Göschenen has an unemployment rate of 0.81%. , there were 34 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 10 businesses involved in this sector. 75 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 96 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 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 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 Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
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
Göschenen is first mentioned in 1280 as Geschenden. In 1290 it was mentioned as Gescheldun, then in 1294 as Geschenen and in 1429 as ze Gestinen.Geography
Göschenen has an area, , of 104.1 km² (40.2 sq mi). Of this area, 7.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 11.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (80.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). , 5.1% of the total land area was heavily forested, while 5.5% is covered in small trees and shrubbery. Of the agricultural land, 0.0% is used for farming or pastures, while 0.7% is used for orchards or vine crops and 6.6% is used for alpine pastures. Of the settled areas, 0.1% is covered with buildings, 0.3% is classed as special developments, and 0.5% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, 1.3% is unproductive standing water (ponds or lakes), 0.9% is unproductive flowing water (rivers), 62.8% is too rocky for vegatation, and 15.4% is other unproductive land.Göschenen and its railway station
Göschenen railway station
Göschenen railway station, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland, is an important railway junction on the Gotthardbahn railway line, at the northern end of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel....
are located at the northern end of the St. Gotthard Tunnel
Gotthard Road Tunnel
The St. Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Göschenen in the Canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is just under in length below the St. Gotthard Pass...
and the Gotthard Rail Tunnel
Gotthard Rail Tunnel
The Gotthard Rail Tunnel, is a 15-kilometre long railway tunnel and forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Gotthard massif...
. The town grew up around a bridge over the Reuss river
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
. The Schöllenen
Schöllenen Gorge
Schöllenen Gorge is a gorge located in the Swiss canton of Uri between the towns of Göschenen to the north and Andermatt to the south. It is 5 km long along the Reuss River in central Switzerland, and provides access to the St...
Gorge in the Reuss Valley
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
between Andermatt
Andermatt
Andermatt is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.With Realp and Hospental, it is located in the Urseren valley, south of Altdorf.-Geography:...
and Göschenen is the location of the infamous Devil's Bridge
Devil's Bridge
Devil’s Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement...
. A very short metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
railway line, the Schöllenenbahn, connects Göschenen railway station with Andermatt railway station
Andermatt railway station
Andermatt railway station is an important railway junction on the metre gauge Furka Oberalp Bahn . It serves the municipality of Andermatt, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland...
, via the Schöllenen Gorge.
Until 1875 it was part of the municipality of Wassen
Wassen
Wassen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Wassen has an area, , of . Of this area, 12.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.1% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
. It consists of the village of Göschenen 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 Abfrutt and the Göscheneralp.
Demographics
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 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....
party received 90.4% of the vote.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Göschenen about 58.4% 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...
).
Göschenen has an unemployment rate of 0.81%. , there were 34 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 10 businesses involved in this sector. 75 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 96 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 17 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1837 | 344 |
| 1850 | 348 |
| 1880 | 2,992 |
| 1900 | 773 |
| 1920 | 974 |
| 1950 | 698 |
| 1960 | 1,284 |
| 1970 | 888 |
| 2000 | 511 |
| 2005 | 473 |
| 2007 | 450 |
- Population increase due to construction of the Gotthard rail tunnel.