Hitzkirch
Encyclopedia
Hitzkirch is a municipality
in the district of Hochdorf
in the canton
of Lucerne in Switzerland
. On 1 January 2009, Gelfingen
, Hämikon
, Mosen
, Müswangen
, Retschwil
and Sulz
joined Hitzkirch.
The municipality is located at the foot of the Lindenberg mountain.
On 21 May 2006 an attempt to merge the Hitzkirch and the surrounding 10 municipalities failed, when five of the eleven voted against the merger. A less ambitious merger was then proposed and accepted, with the municipalities of Gelfingen, Hämikon, Mosen, Müswangen, Retschwil and Sulz joining Hitzkirch. The merged municipality has an area of 24.62 km² (9.5 sq mi)
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the CVP
which received 34.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(24.6%), the FDP
(21.3%) and the SPS
(11.2%).
The age distribution in Hitzkirch is; 1,282 people or 27.7% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,116 people or 24.1% are 20–39 years old, and 1,673 people or 36.1% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 421 people or 9.1% are 65–79 years old, 120 or 2.6% are 80–89 years old and 22 people or 0.5% of the population are 90+ years old.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Hitzkirch about 68.5% 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 1,503 households, of which 347 households (or about 23.1%) contain only a single individual. 228 or about 15.2% are large households, with at least five members. there were 958 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 751 were built only as housing, and 207 were mixed use
buildings. There were 589 single family homes, 92 double family homes, and 70 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (462) or three (200) story structures. There were only 47 single story buildings and 42 four or more story buildings.
Hitzkirch has an unemployment rate of 1.79%. , there were 44 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 786 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 28 businesses in this sector. 680 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 76 businesses in this sector. 50.9% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 42% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Hitzkirch was; 3,347 (74.6%) were Roman Catholic, and 448 (10.%) were Protestant, with an additional 83 (1.85%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 1 individuals (0.02% of the population) who are Jewish. There are 234 individuals (5.22% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 43 (0.96%) individuals who belong to another religion, 192 (4.28%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 139 (3.1%) who did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
(or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
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 Hochdorf
Hochdorf (district)
Hochdorf District is one of the five Ämtern, or districts, of the German-speaking Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Its capital is the town of Hochdorf. It has a population of .Hochdorf District consists of the following fourteen 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 Lucerne 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....
. On 1 January 2009, Gelfingen
Gelfingen
Gelfingen is a municipality in the district of Hochdorf in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009 it became part of the municipality of Hitzkirch.-History:Gelfingen is first mentioned in 1045 as Gelvingun.-Geography:...
, Hämikon
Hämikon
Hämikon is a municipality in the district of Hochdorf in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009 it became part of the municipality of Hitzkirch.-Geography:...
, Mosen
Mosen, Lucerne
Mosen is a municipality in the district of Hochdorf in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009 it became part of the municipality of Hitzkirch.-History:...
, Müswangen
Müswangen
Müswangen is a municipality in the district of Hochdorf in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2009, it has been part of the municipality of Hitzkirch.-History:...
, Retschwil
Retschwil
Retschwil was a municipality in the district of Hochdorf, in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. On 1 January 2009, Retschwil together with Gelfingen, Hämikon, Mosen, Müswangen, and Sulz joined Hitzkirch.-Geography:...
and Sulz
Sulz, Lucerne
Sulz is a municipality in the district of Hochdorf in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. On 1 January 2009, Sulz together with Gelfingen, Hämikon, Mosen, Müswangen, and Retschwil joined Hitzkirch.-Geography:...
joined Hitzkirch.
Geography
Hitzkirch has an area of 3.7 km² (1.4 sq mi). Of this area, 66% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 19.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). , 23.76% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 59.83% is used for farming or pastures, while 7.31% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 4.79% is covered with buildings, 0.41% is industrial, 0.28% is classed as special developments, 0.24% is parks or greenbelts and 3.05% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, 0.08% is unproductive standing water (ponds or lakes), 0.12% is unproductive flowing water (rivers) and 0.12% is other unproductive land.The municipality is located at the foot of the Lindenberg mountain.
On 21 May 2006 an attempt to merge the Hitzkirch and the surrounding 10 municipalities failed, when five of the eleven voted against the merger. A less ambitious merger was then proposed and accepted, with the municipalities of Gelfingen, Hämikon, Mosen, Müswangen, Retschwil and Sulz joining Hitzkirch. The merged municipality has an area of 24.62 km² (9.5 sq mi)
Demographics
Hitzkirch has a population (as of ) of . , 18.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. The combined municipality has a population of 4,588 of which 11.6% are foreign. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 3.7%. Most of the population speaks German (87.8%), with Albanian being second most common ( 4.3%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 3.3%).In the 2007 election 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 34.1% 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...
(24.6%), 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....
(21.3%) and the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(11.2%).
The age distribution in Hitzkirch is; 1,282 people or 27.7% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,116 people or 24.1% are 20–39 years old, and 1,673 people or 36.1% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 421 people or 9.1% are 65–79 years old, 120 or 2.6% are 80–89 years old and 22 people or 0.5% of the population are 90+ years old.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Hitzkirch about 68.5% 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 1,503 households, of which 347 households (or about 23.1%) contain only a single individual. 228 or about 15.2% are large households, with at least five members. there were 958 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 751 were built only as housing, and 207 were mixed use
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
buildings. There were 589 single family homes, 92 double family homes, and 70 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (462) or three (200) story structures. There were only 47 single story buildings and 42 four or more story buildings.
Hitzkirch has an unemployment rate of 1.79%. , there were 44 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 786 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 28 businesses in this sector. 680 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 76 businesses in this sector. 50.9% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 42% of the workforce.
the religious membership of Hitzkirch was; 3,347 (74.6%) were Roman Catholic, and 448 (10.%) were Protestant, with an additional 83 (1.85%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 1 individuals (0.02% of the population) who are Jewish. There are 234 individuals (5.22% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 43 (0.96%) individuals who belong to another religion, 192 (4.28%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 139 (3.1%) who did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1678 | 413 |
| 1798 | 632 |
| 1850 | 766 |
| 1900 | 738 |
| 1950 | 1,000 |
| 2000 | 2,293 |
World heritage site
It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwellingStilt house
Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...
(or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps is a series of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands...
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site.