Mendrisio
Encyclopedia
Mendrisio is a municipality
in the district of Mendrisio
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura
of the university of Italian speaking Switzerland
(USI).
The municipality was boosted in size on 4 April 2004 when it incorporated the former municipality
of Salorino. On 5 April 2009 it incorporated the former municipalities of Arzo
, Capolago
, Genestrerio
, Rancate
and Tremona
.
Some thirty graves, tombs and grave stones, as well as coins from the Roman Republic
and Roman Empire
and the remains of a villa near the Church of S. Maria indicate that this area was settled throughout the Roman era
. Powerful Langobard families made Mendrisio into a regional power, at the expense of the old power center, Balerna
. By 1140 Mendrisio was an independent municipality in the county of Seprio. It was ruled by city of Como from 1170 until 1335. Following the victory of Milan
over Como, it was ruled by the Milanese Visconti
. The Visconti ruled until 1402, when a victory by Como brought Mendrisio back under that city. In the 15th Century, it became a fief held by the Rusca and Sanseverino families.
During the Middle Ages
a number of secular buildings, including several massive towers, were built in the town between the Porta San Giovanni and the river Moree. On the hill on the other side of the river, the Torriani family built a castle, which was destroyed in the Late Middle Ages
. Under the Swiss Confederation
's rule, it became the capital of the bailiwick
of Mendrisio. Starting in the 17th Century, the governor of the bailiwick took up residence in the Palazzo Rusca.
The population of the town divided into three separate groups, the nobles or nobili, the burgher
s or borshesi and the newcomers or divisi. The divisi was a class of residents that did not have full citizenship rights in the town. They were made up of tenants, new residents and their decedents. While the divisi had rights and access to the commons
, their rights were restricted. The population of Mendrisio remained divided into three classed until the end of the old village cooperative (vicinia
) in 1798.
Well before 1000, the Church of Mendrisio formed a nearly independent church district, under the mother church
of Balerna. In the 15th Century, it broke away completely from Balerna. In the town itself there were the two parish
es, SS Cosma e Damiano and S. Sisinio. The present parish church
of SS Cosma e Damiano was built in the classicist style in 1863-75, above the foundations of a baroque
style church from 1672. The church of S. Sisino is in the district of La Torre. Other churches in the town include the churches of S. Martino and S. Nicolau. The Order of Humiliati
ran the hospice of St. John and maintained a monastery in the district Ferrera, starting in 1268. The Servite Order
moved in 1477 from La Torre to S. Giovanni. There, they set up a house to feed pilgrims. After 1644, they opened a boys' school in the S. Giovanni monastery. In 1852 the school became a cantonal gymnasium
. In the 17th Century the Ursulines
settled in Caslaccio and the Capuchins
settled to the south of town. The monasteries of all these orders were secularized in the 19th Century.
In modern times the town has grown over the Moree bridge and out around the country estates and farms. Along the river paper mills, mills and breweries were built. Then, in 1873 the Torriani-Bolzani spinning mill opened. By the end of the 19th Century it employed about 350 workers (mainly women and children). In the second half of the 19th Century, the population doubled within 60 years. The town grew toward the south with the magnificent villas and the Hospital Beata Vergine and north towards the Cantine. The local sharecropping agriculture collapsed during this time, but the construction of the railway led to the emergence of a second diversified industrial center along the railway line. After World War II the industrial zone expanded into the Prati di S. Martino.
In the south of the town several important public buildings were built. In 1898 the Neuro-psychiatry Clinic opened, and in 1944, the market hall and new schools. In 1996, the Faculty of Architecture of the Università della Svizzera italiana opened. Between the train station and the old town, next to residential buildings, numerous service sector businesses opened. In 2000, these offered more than three-quarters of the jobs. That same year, more than half of the residents of Mendrisio were commuters away from town, while the commuters coming in represented two-thirds of the workforce in Mendrisio. Almost two-fifths of workers were cross-border commuters.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 2.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 10.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.7%. Out of the forested land, 24.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.5% is used for growing crops, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 10.2% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, and .
The municipality is the capital of the Mendrisio district. It is located on the slopes of Monte Generoso. In 2004, it absorbed Salorino and in 2009, it added Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Rancate und Tremona.
Most of the population speaks Italian
(87.5%), with German
being second most common (4.8%) and French
being third (1.4%). Of the Swiss national languages , 285 speak German, 78 people speak French, 5,369 people speak Italian, and 8 people speak Romansh. The remainder (406 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. The population was made up of 4,309 Swiss men (37.3% of the population), and 1,186 (10.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 4,942 Swiss women (42.7%), and 1,124 (9.7%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 56 live births to Swiss citizens and 8 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 57 deaths of Swiss citizens and 12 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population decreased by 4. There were 2 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland and 1 Swiss woman who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 55 non-Swiss men and 27 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 7 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 9 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.2%.
The age distribution, , in Mendrisio is; 986 children or 8.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,069 teenagers or 9.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,337 people or 11.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,574 people or 13.6% are between 30 and 39, 1,865 people or 16.1% are between 40 and 49, and 1,414 people or 12.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,446 people or 12.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,099 people or 9.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 771 people or 6.7% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.58 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 27.2% 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 2,992 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. there were 431 single family homes (or 43.1% of the total) out of a total of 1,000 inhabited buildings. There were 403 multi-family buildings (40.3%), along with 97 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (9.7%) and 69 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.9%). Of the single family homes 20 were built before 1919, while 31 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (162) were built between 1946 and 1960.
there were 3,049 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 3 rooms of which there were 934. There were 185 single room apartments and 584 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 2,736 apartments (89.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 248 apartments (8.1%) were seasonally occupied and 65 apartments (2.1%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.28%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 5.5 new units per 1000 residents.
the average price to rent an average apartment in Mendrisio was 873.89 Swiss franc
s (CHF) per month (US$700, £390, €560 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one room apartment was 491.07 CHF (US$390, £220, €310), a two room apartment was about 646.96 CHF (US$520, £290, €410), a three room apartment was about 806.94 CHF (US$650, £360, €520) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1544.67 CHF (US$1240, £700, €990). The average apartment price in Mendrisio was 78.3% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
. The list includes three churches; the Church of S. Sisinio alla Torre, the Church of S. Martino, and the complex of S. Giovanni, which includes a convent
, the Church of S. Giovanni and the Oratory
of S. Maria. There are six stately houses or palaces on the list; the Croci House, the Dei Pagani Tre Buchi House, Palazzo Pollini, Palazzo Torriani, Villa Argentina and the Villa and mosaic
s of S. Maria in Borgo. The rest of the list consists of the Pinacoteca cantonale Giovanni Züst or Giovanni Züst Art Galley and the Tremona archeological site.
s. The city's surroundings are the main wine
-growing regions in Canton Ticino.
The city is also known for its typical Good Friday
procession, when a live recreation of Christ
's passion is enacted (without any blood or violence), and also for the grape festival (called Sagra dell uva) which takes place in late September.
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 37.58% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(27.5%), the SP
(13.6%) and the Ticino League
(9.24%). In the federal election, a total of 2,738 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 59.3%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 4,635 registered voters in Mendrisio, of which 3,292 or 71.0% voted. 63 blank ballots and 6 null ballots were cast, leaving 3,223 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD
+GenGiova which received 1,012 or 31.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT
(with 868 or 26.9%), the SSI (with 440 or 13.7%) and the PS
(with 422 or 13.1%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 46 blank ballots and 10 null ballots were cast, leaving 3,236 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 1,010 or 31.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 837 or 25.9%), the PS (with 501 or 15.5%) and the SSI (with 401 or 12.4%).
was held in Mendrisio from 23–27 September 2009. Cadel Evans
who himself lives in Mendrisio district with his family won the Gold medal of the men's event.
the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 9,032. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 20, of which 18 were in agriculture and 2 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 4,494, of which 4,055 or (90.2%) were in manufacturing and 373 (8.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 4,518. In the tertiary sector; 1,240 or 27.4% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 126 or 2.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 322 or 7.1% were in a hotel or restaurant, 96 or 2.1% were in the information industry, 185 or 4.1% were the insurance or financial industry, 275 or 6.1% were technical professionals or scientists, 334 or 7.4% were in education and 1,266 or 28.0% were in health care.
, there were 10,078 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,394 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 7.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 33.4% of the workforce coming into Mendrisio are coming from outside Switzerland, while 1.4% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 10.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.4% used a private car.
, there were 12 hotels in Mendrisio with a total of 239 rooms and 502 beds.
. There are 665 individuals (or about 10.82% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 220 individuals (or about 3.58% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Mendrisio there were a total of 1,651 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Mendrisio there were 278 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 485 students attended the standard primary schools and 19 students attended 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 were 405 students in the two year middle school and 4 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 178 students were 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 were 105 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 157 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 were 20 students in the professional program.
, there were 1,096 students in Mendrisio who came from another municipality, while 155 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Mendrisio is home to the Università della Svizzera Italiana library. The library has 141,291 books or other media, and loaned out 26,915 items in the same year. It was open a total of 270 days with average of 62 hours per week during that year.
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 Mendrisio
Mendrisio (district)
The district of Mendrisio is the southernmost district of canton of Ticino and of Switzerland. To its north lies the district of Lugano. It is surrounded on the other three sides by Italy: to the east and south by the province of Como, and to the west by the province of Varese...
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....
.
Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura
Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio
The Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio belongs to Università della Svizzera italiana. It's amongst the most prestigious schools of architecture in Europe.- Present faculty members :* Mario Botta* Quintus Miller* Valerio Olgiati* Jonathan Sergison...
of the university of Italian speaking Switzerland
Università della Svizzera italiana
Università della Svizzera italiana is a public university located in Lugano, Switzerland, founded in 1996...
(USI).
The municipality was boosted in size on 4 April 2004 when it incorporated the former 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...
of Salorino. On 5 April 2009 it incorporated the former municipalities of Arzo
Arzo
Arzo was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.It had an area of and a population of 1,126 inhabitants ....
, Capolago
Capolago
Capolago was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland, but is now part of the municipality of Mendrisio. On 25 November 2007 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Mendrisio, Rancate and Tremona voted to merge into the municipality of Mendrisio...
, Genestrerio
Genestrerio
Genestrerio was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Mendrisio, Rancate and Tremona merged into the municipality of Mendrisio....
, Rancate
Rancate
Rancate was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Mendrisio, Rancate and Tremona merged into the municipality of Mendrisio....
and Tremona
Tremona
Tremona was a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 5 April 2009 the municipalities of Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Mendrisio, Rancate and Tremona merged into the municipality of Mendrisio....
.
History
Mendrisio is first mentioned in 793 as Mendrici.Some thirty graves, tombs and grave stones, as well as coins from the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and the remains of a villa near the Church of S. Maria indicate that this area was settled throughout the Roman era
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...
. Powerful Langobard families made Mendrisio into a regional power, at the expense of the old power center, Balerna
Balerna
Balerna is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Balerna is first mentioned in 1115 as Barerna. In 844 and 865, the monastery of S. Ambrogio in Milan purchased land in the concilium of Castel S. Pietro which would have included Balerna. In the...
. By 1140 Mendrisio was an independent municipality in the county of Seprio. It was ruled by city of Como from 1170 until 1335. Following the victory 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 ,...
over Como, it was ruled by the Milanese Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
. The Visconti ruled until 1402, when a victory by Como brought Mendrisio back under that city. In the 15th Century, it became a fief held by the Rusca and Sanseverino families.
During the Middle Ages
Middle 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...
a number of secular buildings, including several massive towers, were built in the town between the Porta San Giovanni and the river Moree. On the hill on the other side of the river, the Torriani family built a castle, which was destroyed in the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
. Under the Swiss Confederation
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
's rule, it became the capital of the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Mendrisio. Starting in the 17th Century, the governor of the bailiwick took up residence in the Palazzo Rusca.
The population of the town divided into three separate groups, the nobles or nobili, the burgher
Burgher
Burgher may refer to:* A citizen of a borough or town, especially one belonging to middle class* A resident of a burgh* A formally defined class in medieval German cities, usually the only group from which city officials could be drawn...
s or borshesi and the newcomers or divisi. The divisi was a class of residents that did not have full citizenship rights in the town. They were made up of tenants, new residents and their decedents. While the divisi had rights and access to the commons
The commons
The commons is terminology referring to resources that are owned in common or shared between or among communities populations. These resources are said to be "held in common" and can include everything from natural resources and common land to software. The commons contains public property and...
, their rights were restricted. The population of Mendrisio remained divided into three classed until the end of the old village cooperative (vicinia
Bürgergemeinde
The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...
) in 1798.
Well before 1000, the Church of Mendrisio formed a nearly independent church district, under the mother church
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...
of Balerna. In the 15th Century, it broke away completely from Balerna. In the town itself there were the two parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es, SS Cosma e Damiano and S. Sisinio. The present 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 SS Cosma e Damiano was built in the classicist style in 1863-75, above the foundations of a baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style church from 1672. The church of S. Sisino is in the district of La Torre. Other churches in the town include the churches of S. Martino and S. Nicolau. The Order of Humiliati
Humiliati
The Humiliati were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a Papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century.-Origin:Its origin is obscure...
ran the hospice of St. John and maintained a monastery in the district Ferrera, starting in 1268. The Servite Order
Servite Order
The Servite Order is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. Its objects are the sanctification of its members, preaching the Gospel, and the propagation of devotion to the Mother of God, with special reference to her sorrows. The members of the Order use O.S.M. as their post-nominal...
moved in 1477 from La Torre to S. Giovanni. There, they set up a house to feed pilgrims. After 1644, they opened a boys' school in the S. Giovanni monastery. In 1852 the school became a cantonal gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. In the 17th Century the Ursulines
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
settled in Caslaccio and the Capuchins
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
settled to the south of town. The monasteries of all these orders were secularized in the 19th Century.
In modern times the town has grown over the Moree bridge and out around the country estates and farms. Along the river paper mills, mills and breweries were built. Then, in 1873 the Torriani-Bolzani spinning mill opened. By the end of the 19th Century it employed about 350 workers (mainly women and children). In the second half of the 19th Century, the population doubled within 60 years. The town grew toward the south with the magnificent villas and the Hospital Beata Vergine and north towards the Cantine. The local sharecropping agriculture collapsed during this time, but the construction of the railway led to the emergence of a second diversified industrial center along the railway line. After World War II the industrial zone expanded into the Prati di S. Martino.
In the south of the town several important public buildings were built. In 1898 the Neuro-psychiatry Clinic opened, and in 1944, the market hall and new schools. In 1996, the Faculty of Architecture of the Università della Svizzera italiana opened. Between the train station and the old town, next to residential buildings, numerous service sector businesses opened. In 2000, these offered more than three-quarters of the jobs. That same year, more than half of the residents of Mendrisio were commuters away from town, while the commuters coming in represented two-thirds of the workforce in Mendrisio. Almost two-fifths of workers were cross-border commuters.
Geography
Mendrisio has an area, , of 11.71 square kilometres (4.5 sq mi). Of this area, 1.74 km² (0.671817755951011 sq mi) or 14.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 3.16 km² (1.2 sq mi) or 27.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.59 km² (1 sq mi) or 22.1% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 0.3% is either rivers or lakes and 0.05 km² (12.4 acre) or 0.4% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 2.8% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 10.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.7%. Out of the forested land, 24.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.5% is used for growing crops, while 1.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 10.2% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, and .
The municipality is the capital of the Mendrisio district. It is located on the slopes of Monte Generoso. In 2004, it absorbed Salorino and in 2009, it added Arzo, Capolago, Genestrerio, Rancate und Tremona.
Demographics
Mendrisio has a population of . , 23.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 4.8%.Most of the population speaks 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...
(87.5%), 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 (4.8%) 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 , 285 speak German, 78 people speak French, 5,369 people speak Italian, and 8 people speak Romansh. The remainder (406 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. The population was made up of 4,309 Swiss men (37.3% of the population), and 1,186 (10.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 4,942 Swiss women (42.7%), and 1,124 (9.7%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 56 live births to Swiss citizens and 8 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 57 deaths of Swiss citizens and 12 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 1 while the foreign population decreased by 4. There were 2 Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland and 1 Swiss woman who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 55 non-Swiss men and 27 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 7 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 9 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.2%.
The age distribution, , in Mendrisio is; 986 children or 8.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,069 teenagers or 9.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,337 people or 11.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,574 people or 13.6% are between 30 and 39, 1,865 people or 16.1% are between 40 and 49, and 1,414 people or 12.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,446 people or 12.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,099 people or 9.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 771 people or 6.7% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.58 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 27.2% 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 2,992 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. there were 431 single family homes (or 43.1% of the total) out of a total of 1,000 inhabited buildings. There were 403 multi-family buildings (40.3%), along with 97 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (9.7%) and 69 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (6.9%). Of the single family homes 20 were built before 1919, while 31 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (162) were built between 1946 and 1960.
there were 3,049 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 3 rooms of which there were 934. There were 185 single room apartments and 584 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 2,736 apartments (89.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 248 apartments (8.1%) were seasonally occupied and 65 apartments (2.1%) were empty. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.28%. , the construction rate of new housing units was 5.5 new units per 1000 residents.
the average price to rent an average apartment in Mendrisio was 873.89 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s (CHF) per month (US$700, £390, €560 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one room apartment was 491.07 CHF (US$390, £220, €310), a two room apartment was about 646.96 CHF (US$520, £290, €410), a three room apartment was about 806.94 CHF (US$650, £360, €520) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1544.67 CHF (US$1240, £700, €990). The average apartment price in Mendrisio was 78.3% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
Mendrisio is home to a number of 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...
. The list includes three churches; the Church of S. Sisinio alla Torre, the Church of S. Martino, and the complex of S. Giovanni, which includes a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
, the Church of S. Giovanni and the Oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...
of S. Maria. There are six stately houses or palaces on the list; the Croci House, the Dei Pagani Tre Buchi House, Palazzo Pollini, Palazzo Torriani, Villa Argentina and the Villa and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s of S. Maria in Borgo. The rest of the list consists of the Pinacoteca cantonale Giovanni Züst or Giovanni Züst Art Galley and the Tremona archeological site.
Sights
Mendrisio is known in Italian as il magnifico borgo (the magnificent town) due to its numerous elegant historical buildings. For two decades the town has had a pioneering role in promoting electric carElectric car
An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass...
s. The city's surroundings are the main wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
-growing regions in Canton Ticino.
The city is also known for its typical Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
procession, when a live recreation of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
's passion is enacted (without any blood or violence), and also for the grape festival (called Sagra dell uva) which takes place in late September.
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 37.58% 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....
(27.5%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(13.6%) 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...
(9.24%). In the federal election, a total of 2,738 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 59.3%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 4,635 registered voters in Mendrisio, of which 3,292 or 71.0% voted. 63 blank ballots and 6 null ballots were cast, leaving 3,223 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 1,012 or 31.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; 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 868 or 26.9%), the SSI (with 440 or 13.7%) and the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(with 422 or 13.1%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 46 blank ballots and 10 null ballots were cast, leaving 3,236 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 1,010 or 31.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 837 or 25.9%), the PS (with 501 or 15.5%) and the SSI (with 401 or 12.4%).
Sport
Cycling's 2009 UCI Road World Championships2009 UCI Road World Championships
The 2009 UCI Road World Championships were held in Mendrisio, Switzerland, between September 23 and September 27, 2009. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women and men under 23.-Medals table:-Individual time trials:...
was held in Mendrisio from 23–27 September 2009. Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...
who himself lives in Mendrisio district with his family won the Gold medal of the men's event.
Economy
, Mendrisio had an unemployment rate of 3.23%. , there were 48 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 3,787 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 133 businesses in this sector. 4,919 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 538 businesses in this sector. There were 2,665 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.5% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 9,032. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 20, of which 18 were in agriculture and 2 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 4,494, of which 4,055 or (90.2%) were in manufacturing and 373 (8.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 4,518. In the tertiary sector; 1,240 or 27.4% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 126 or 2.8% were in the movement and storage of goods, 322 or 7.1% were in a hotel or restaurant, 96 or 2.1% were in the information industry, 185 or 4.1% were the insurance or financial industry, 275 or 6.1% were technical professionals or scientists, 334 or 7.4% were in education and 1,266 or 28.0% were in health care.
, there were 10,078 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,394 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 7.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 33.4% of the workforce coming into Mendrisio are coming from outside Switzerland, while 1.4% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 10.3% used public transportation to get to work, and 56.4% used a private car.
, there were 12 hotels in Mendrisio with a total of 239 rooms and 502 beds.
Religion
From the , 4,982 or 81.1% were Roman Catholic, while 279 or 4.5% 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 665 individuals (or about 10.82% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 220 individuals (or about 3.58% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Mendrisio about 65.6% 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 Mendrisio there were a total of 1,651 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 Mendrisio there were 278 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 485 students attended the standard primary schools and 19 students attended 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 were 405 students in the two year middle school and 4 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 178 students were 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 were 105 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 157 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 were 20 students in the professional program.
, there were 1,096 students in Mendrisio who came from another municipality, while 155 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Mendrisio is home to the Università della Svizzera Italiana library. The library has 141,291 books or other media, and loaned out 26,915 items in the same year. It was open a total of 270 days with average of 62 hours per week during that year.
Notable people
- Peter ZumthorPeter ZumthorPeter Zumthor is a Swiss architect and winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize.-Early life:Zumthor was born in Basel, the son of a cabinet-maker...
, Swiss architect, winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize (professor at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio) - Mario BottaMario BottaMario Botta is a Swiss architect. He studied at the Liceo Artistico in Milan and the IUAV in Venice. His ideas were influenced by Le Corbusier, Carlo Scarpa, Louis Kahn. He opened his own practice in 1970 in Lugano.-Career:...
, Swiss architect, (professor at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio) - Paolo MeneguzziPaolo MeneguzziPaolo Meneguzzi is an Swiss Italian singer. He is the son of Loredana Pacchiani and Gomez Meneguzzo.-Biography:...
, Singer - Clay RegazzoniClay RegazzoniGianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni was a Swiss racing car driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his debut season, driving for Ferrari. He remained with the Italian team until...
, Formula One driver - Michael AlbasiniMichael AlbasiniMichael Albasini is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Albasini began his career in 2003 with , moved to at the beginning of 2005, and signed with for the 2009 season...
, Road bicycle racer