Murgenthal
Encyclopedia
Murgenthal is a municipality
in the district of Zofingen
in the canton
of Aargau
in Switzerland
.
rights to the village belonged to the Counts of Frohburg
until 1299, when they went to the Habsburgs. From the Bernese conquest of the Aargau in 1415, until 1798, the rights were held by city of Bern. Between 1640-45 the Governor of Aarburg
, Jacob Wyss, build the 8.5 km (5.3 mi) Rotkanal (Red Canal) which transported water from the head waters of the Murg river to the meadows at Rothrist
. Between 1798-1802 it was part of the Canton of Bern. Since 1803 it belongs to the canton of Aargau. Until 1900 the village of Murgenthal was part of the municipality of Riken. In 1901 the municipality of Riken joined the municipality of Balzenwil to form the new municipality of Murgenthal.
Under Bernese rule the villagers were part of the Wynau and Roggwil parish
s. In 1817 a new parish was established and in 1901 its name was changed to the Riken Murgenthal parish. The romanesque revival
parish church
was built in 1852-54 in Glashütten. However, it was replaced in 1964 by a new building.
In 1857, a railway station on the Olten
-Bern line was built in Murgenthal. The wooden bridge was built over the Aare river to Fulenbach
in 1863. With the railroad and access to the Rotkanal, several factories were built in Murgenthal. In 1856 the Grossmann (later Künzli & Co.) weaving factory opened. In 1881 Arnold Künzli founded the knitting factory of His & Cie, which operated until 1976 in Murgenthal. Additionally, a wicker and wood products factory opened in 1894. The village continued to develop due to the railway and factories. In 1920, about 63% of the working population worked in manufacturing. By 2005 that number had dropped to only 28%. The number of jobs in the municipality has dropped to about half of the peak number in 1950 (1,485 jobs) due to factory closings.
The first village school was held in the 17th Century. School houses were built in 1825 in Glashütten, 1826 in Balzenwil, 1842 in Riken and 1883 in Murgenthal.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 4.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, 61.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 19.3% is used for growing crops and 7.7% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Zofingen district, at the confluence
of the Murg river into the Aare river. It is on the border between the Canton of Aargau and the Canton of Bern. It consists of the village of Murgenthal and the hamlets
of Walliswil, Balzenwil, Glashütten and Riken.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure three Trefoils slipped Argent issuant from Coupeaux Vert and in Chief a Cross pattee couped of the second.
(90.7%), with Albanian
being second most common ( 2.8%) and Italian
being third ( 2.2%).
The age distribution, , in Murgenthal is; 263 children or 9.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 332 teenagers or 11.6% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 387 people or 13.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 397 people or 13.8% are between 30 and 39, 461 people or 16.1% are between 40 and 49, and 433 people or 15.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 271 people or 9.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 198 people or 6.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 106 people or 3.7% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 22 people or 0.8% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 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 59.8% 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 70 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 484 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 468 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 1,039 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 538 single family homes (or 44.1% of the total) out of a total of 1,219 homes and apartments. There were a total of 62 empty apartments for a 5.1% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.2 new units per 1000 residents.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 48.67% of the vote. The next two most popular parties were the SP
(13.32%), and the FDP
(12.83%). In the federal election, a total of 854 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 43.5%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
there were 1,412 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 992 or about 70.3% of the residents worked outside Murgenthal while 419 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 839 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 10.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 53.7% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 3 individuals (or about 0.11% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic
faith.
). Of the school age population , there are 185 students attending primary school, there are 66 students attending secondary school in the municipality.
Murgenthal is home to the Schul-u.Gde.Bibliothek Murgenthal (school and municipal library of Murgenthal). The library has 4,422 books or other media, and loaned out 4,166 items in the same year. It was open a total of 131 days with average of 4 hours per week during that year.
rivers. When the Emme river flow increases, the flow of the Aare river downstream of their confluence also increases accordingly, which may cause flooding downstream in the cantons of Solothurn
and of Aargau.
Thus, the Status sets the speed that the Aare should not exceed: if the flow increases too much, then the regulating dam Port
must limit the flow of the Aare river upstream, the three Seeland
lakes being used to absorb the crest of the flood, until the end of the overflow of the Emme river. The system was complemented by the Flumenthal dam
during the Second Jura water correction
.
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 Zofingen
Zofingen (district)
Zofingen District is a district in the Swiss canton of Aargau. It is located in the southwest corner of the Canton. The seat is Zofingen. The largest municipality in population is Oftringen, the smallest is Wiliberg. It has a population of ....
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 Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...
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
Murgenthal is first mentioned in 1255 as Murgatun. The HerrschaftHerrschaft (territory)
In the German feudal system, a Herrschaft or Herrlichkeit was the fiefdom of a lord, who in this area exercised his full feudal rights...
rights to the village belonged to the Counts of Frohburg
Frohburg
Frohburg is a town in the Leipzig district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 11 km northeast of Altenburg, and 34 km southeast of Leipzig. It includes the village of Flößberg.- History :...
until 1299, when they went to the Habsburgs. From the Bernese conquest of the Aargau in 1415, until 1798, the rights were held by city of Bern. Between 1640-45 the Governor of Aarburg
Aarburg
Aarburg is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.The small town lies in the southwest Aargau at an Engnis Aare in the lower Wiggertal. It lies in the intersection of the most important traffic routes of Switzerland...
, Jacob Wyss, build the 8.5 km (5.3 mi) Rotkanal (Red Canal) which transported water from the head waters of the Murg river to the meadows at Rothrist
Rothrist
Rothrist is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Originally an Alamanni settlement, the modern village of Rothrist is first mentioned in 1263 as Routris. The Herschaft rights were held by the Counts of Frohburg until 1299, when they...
. Between 1798-1802 it was part of the Canton of Bern. Since 1803 it belongs to the canton of Aargau. Until 1900 the village of Murgenthal was part of the municipality of Riken. In 1901 the municipality of Riken joined the municipality of Balzenwil to form the new municipality of Murgenthal.
Under Bernese rule the villagers were part of the Wynau and Roggwil 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...
s. In 1817 a new parish was established and in 1901 its name was changed to the Riken Murgenthal parish. The romanesque revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
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....
was built in 1852-54 in Glashütten. However, it was replaced in 1964 by a new building.
In 1857, a railway station on the Olten
Olten
Olten is a town in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland and capital of the district of the same name.Olten's railway station is within 30 minutes of Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Lucerne by train, and is a rail hub of Switzerland.-History:...
-Bern line was built in Murgenthal. The wooden bridge was built over the Aare river to Fulenbach
Fulenbach
Fulenbach is a municipality in the district of Olten in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland.-History:Fulenbach is first mentioned in 1226 as in villa Vulenbah. In 1260 it was mentioned as Fulenbach.-Geography:...
in 1863. With the railroad and access to the Rotkanal, several factories were built in Murgenthal. In 1856 the Grossmann (later Künzli & Co.) weaving factory opened. In 1881 Arnold Künzli founded the knitting factory of His & Cie, which operated until 1976 in Murgenthal. Additionally, a wicker and wood products factory opened in 1894. The village continued to develop due to the railway and factories. In 1920, about 63% of the working population worked in manufacturing. By 2005 that number had dropped to only 28%. The number of jobs in the municipality has dropped to about half of the peak number in 1950 (1,485 jobs) due to factory closings.
The first village school was held in the 17th Century. School houses were built in 1825 in Glashütten, 1826 in Balzenwil, 1842 in Riken and 1883 in Murgenthal.
Geography
Murgenthal has an area, , of 18.65 square kilometres (7.2 sq mi). Of this area, 5.18 km² (2 sq mi) or 27.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 11.71 km² (4.5 sq mi) or 62.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.51 km² (0.583014259474728 sq mi) or 8.1% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.22 km² (0.0849424748903577 sq mi) or 1.2% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 4.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, 61.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.1% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 19.3% is used for growing crops and 7.7% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Zofingen district, at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Murg river into the Aare river. It is on the border between the Canton of Aargau and the Canton of Bern. It consists of the village of Murgenthal 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 Walliswil, Balzenwil, Glashütten and Riken.
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 Azure three Trefoils slipped Argent issuant from Coupeaux Vert and in Chief a Cross pattee couped of the second.
Demographics
Murgenthal has a population of , 15.3% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -0.5%. Most of the population speaks GermanGerman 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....
(90.7%), with Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
being second most common ( 2.8%) and 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...
being third ( 2.2%).
The age distribution, , in Murgenthal is; 263 children or 9.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 332 teenagers or 11.6% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 387 people or 13.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 397 people or 13.8% are between 30 and 39, 461 people or 16.1% are between 40 and 49, and 433 people or 15.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 271 people or 9.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 198 people or 6.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 106 people or 3.7% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 22 people or 0.8% who are 90 and older.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.57 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 59.8% 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 70 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 484 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 468 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 1,039 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.5 persons per household. there were 538 single family homes (or 44.1% of the total) out of a total of 1,219 homes and apartments. There were a total of 62 empty apartments for a 5.1% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.2 new units per 1000 residents.
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 48.67% 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....
(13.32%), 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....
(12.83%). In the federal election, a total of 854 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 43.5%.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 773 |
| 1910 | 2,171 |
| 1950 | 2,638 |
| 1980 | 2,537 |
| 1990 | 2,715 |
| 2000 | 2,741 |
Economy
, Murgenthal had an unemployment rate of 2.46%. , there were 99 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 40 businesses involved in this sector. 221 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 41 businesses in this sector. 483 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 110 businesses in this sector.there were 1,412 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 992 or about 70.3% of the residents worked outside Murgenthal while 419 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 839 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 10.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 53.7% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 577 or 21.1% were Roman Catholic, while 1,574 or 57.4% 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...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 3 individuals (or about 0.11% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
faith.
Education
In Murgenthal about 70.1% 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...
). Of the school age population , there are 185 students attending primary school, there are 66 students attending secondary school in the municipality.
Murgenthal is home to the Schul-u.Gde.Bibliothek Murgenthal (school and municipal library of Murgenthal). The library has 4,422 books or other media, and loaned out 4,166 items in the same year. It was open a total of 131 days with average of 4 hours per week during that year.
The Murgenthal Status
The Murgenthal Status stipulates that the flow of the Aare must not exceed 850m3/s (30,000 cu ft/s) at the gauge of Murgenthal's station which is located downstream of the confluence of the Aare and the EmmeEmme
Emme may refer to:*Rivers in Switzerland:**Emme , flowing through Emmental, Canton of Berne**Kleine Emme, flowing through Entlebuch, Canton of Lucerne*Emme Emme Aronson, a plus-size model...
rivers. When the Emme river flow increases, the flow of the Aare river downstream of their confluence also increases accordingly, which may cause flooding downstream in the cantons of Solothurn
Canton of Solothurn
Solothurn is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the northwest of Switzerland. The capital is Solothurn.-History:The territory of the canton comprises land acquired by the capital...
and of Aargau.
Thus, the Status sets the speed that the Aare should not exceed: if the flow increases too much, then the regulating dam Port
Regulating Dam Port, Seeland, Switzerland
thumb|500px|right|Map of the area following the construction of the canalDuring the first Jura water correction, a temporary dam had been built across the Nidau-Büren channel in order to maintain the water level in Lake Bienne...
must limit the flow of the Aare river upstream, the three Seeland
Seeland (Switzerland)
Seeland is a region in Switzerland, at the foot of the first mountain range of the Jura Mountains containing the 3 lakes of Morat , Neuchâtel and Bienne . In previous aeras, it was the floodplain of the Aare and is thus swampy. After the huge hydrological works Jura water correction, the area...
lakes being used to absorb the crest of the flood, until the end of the overflow of the Emme river. The system was complemented by the Flumenthal dam
Flumenthal dam
The Flumenthal Dam is a regulating dam at Flumenthal, Switzerland, which was erected as the most important element of all the works of the Second Jura water correction. It was built to regulate the outflow of Seeland's three-lake hydrologic system as far downstream as Solothurn and the confluence...
during the Second Jura water correction
Jura water correction
The correction of the waters of the Swiss Jura consisted in a wide series of hydrological undertakings carried out in Switzerland in the region of the three lakes: Lake Morat connected to Lake Neuchâtel by the Broye canal, the latter connected to Lake of Bienne by the Thielle canal, an area so...
.