Orselina
Encyclopedia
Orselina is a municipality
in the district of Locarno
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
and into the Early Modern Period
, it (along with Burbaglio and Muralto
) was part of the Vicinanza
of Consiglio Mezzano, which belonged to the Locarno and Ascona region. The castle SS Abbondio e Biagio, was given in the 12th Century as a fief by the Bishop of Como
to the Muralto family. The castle was destroyed in the 14th Century. The political municipality of Orselina was formed in 1803 and included Muralto. Up until 1850, Orselina dominated the municipality, thanks to the economic weight of its livestock and vineyard
s. However, even by the 19th Century, the two towns had developed differently. While in the upper part (Orselina) the traditional socio-economic structure remained, the lower part along the lake (Muralto) grew industrially and urbanized. The differences in the towns led to a division of the municipality in 1881 into Orselina and Muralto.
The 16th Century church of S. Bernardo was initially dependent on the Church of S. Vittore in Muralto. Starting in 1816, the church's pastor came from Locarno
. It became the center of its own parish
in 1966.
During 1930-80, the number of German residents surpassed that of the Italian-speaking. But by 2000, the ratio was the reversed (380 to 460). From the beginning of the 20th Century Orselina developed into a holiday and tourist destination.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 17.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.6%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.5%. Out of the forested land, 69.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.0% is used for growing crops and 17.0% is used for alpine pastures. Of the unproductive areas, 1.5% is unproductive vegetation and.
The municipality is located in the Locarno district, on a hill above Muralto. It consists of the village of Orselina and the settlement of San Bernardo.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Argent a castle gules embattled alla Ghibellina and between its towers a fleur-de-lis of the same.
Most of the population speaks Italian
(53.1%), with German
being second most common (36.7%) and Dutch
being third (2.7%). Of the Swiss national languages , 318 speak German, 18 people speak French
, 460 people speak Italian, and 6 people speak Romansh. The remainder (64 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. The population was made up of 292 Swiss men (38.0% of the population), and 68 (8.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 333 Swiss women (43.4%), and 75 (9.8%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 3 live births to Swiss citizens and were 10 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 7 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 2 non-Swiss men and 6 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 a decrease of 24 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 5 people. This represents a population growth rate of -2.5%.
The age distribution, , in Orselina is; 44 children or 5.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 54 teenagers or 7.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 62 people or 8.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 65 people or 8.5% are between 30 and 39, 122 people or 15.9% are between 40 and 49, and 124 people or 16.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 141 people or 18.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 94 people or 12.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 62 people or 8.1% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is less people per room than 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 49.4% 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 399 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.8 persons per household. there were 288 single family homes (or 63.0% of the total) out of a total of 457 inhabited buildings. There were 51 two family buildings (11.2%) and 91 multi-family buildings (19.9%). There were also 27 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 961 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 291. There were 108 single room apartments and 140 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 391 apartments (40.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 552 apartments (57.4%) were seasonally occupied and 18 apartments (1.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 9.1 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
The Sacro Monte with the church of Dell’Annunziata and the convent
and church of Della Madonna del Sasso
e Museo is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 35.82% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(22.43%), the SP
(18.51%) and the SVP
(13.5%). In the federal election, a total of 243 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 43.5%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 570 registered voters in Orselina, of which 272 or 47.7% voted. 5 blank ballots were cast, leaving 267 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 62 or 23.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD
+GenGiova (with 50 or 18.7%), the SSI (with 49 or 18.4%) and the PS
(with 38 or 14.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 3 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 266 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 62 or 23.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 56 or 21.1%), the SSI (with 46 or 17.3%) and the PS (with 45 or 16.9%).
, there were 371 workers who commuted into the municipality and 225 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.6 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 9.7% of the workforce coming into Orselina are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 6% used public transportation to get to work, and 50.5% used a private car. , there were 2 hotels in Orselina.
. There are 115 individuals (or about 13.28% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 20 individuals (or about 2.31% of the population) did not answer the question.
).
In Orselina there were a total of 82 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Orselina there were 8 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the village, 30 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student 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 23 students in the two year middle school and 2 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 7 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 7 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 3 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 was 1 student in the professional program.
, there were 6 students in Orselina who came from another municipality, while 71 residents attended schools outside the 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...
in the district of Locarno
Locarno (district)
The district of Locarno is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:...
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....
.
History
Orselina is first mentioned in 1182 as Concilio Meziano. In 1323 it was mentioned as Orsarina. During the Middle AgesMiddle 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...
and into the Early Modern Period
Early Modern Switzerland
The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy , lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Ancien Régime retrospectively, in post-Napoleonic Switzerland.The early modern period was characterized by an increasingly...
, it (along with Burbaglio and Muralto
Muralto
Muralto is a municipality in the district of Locarno, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Roman settlement:In the second half of the 19th Century, the ruins of a Roman settlement were discovered. However, all the items discovered in these early excavations are either lost or they are kept in...
) was part of the Vicinanza
Bürgergemeinde
The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...
of Consiglio Mezzano, which belonged to the Locarno and Ascona region. The castle SS Abbondio e Biagio, was given in the 12th Century as a fief by the Bishop of Como
Roman Catholic Diocese of Como
The Catholic diocese of Como, in northern Italy, has existed since the fourth century. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Milan. The bishops' seat is in Como Cathedral....
to the Muralto family. The castle was destroyed in the 14th Century. The political municipality of Orselina was formed in 1803 and included Muralto. Up until 1850, Orselina dominated the municipality, thanks to the economic weight of its livestock and vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s. However, even by the 19th Century, the two towns had developed differently. While in the upper part (Orselina) the traditional socio-economic structure remained, the lower part along the lake (Muralto) grew industrially and urbanized. The differences in the towns led to a division of the municipality in 1881 into Orselina and Muralto.
The 16th Century church of S. Bernardo was initially dependent on the Church of S. Vittore in Muralto. Starting in 1816, the church's pastor came from Locarno
Locarno
Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
. It became the center of its own 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...
in 1966.
During 1930-80, the number of German residents surpassed that of the Italian-speaking. But by 2000, the ratio was the reversed (380 to 460). From the beginning of the 20th Century Orselina developed into a holiday and tourist destination.
Geography
Orselina has an area, , of 1.94 square kilometre (0.749038187669518 sq mi). Of this area, 0.35 km² (0.135135755507387 sq mi) or 18.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.45 km² (0.559848129959176 sq mi) or 74.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.45 km² (0.173745971366641 sq mi) or 23.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.03 km² (7.4 acre) or 1.5% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 17.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 4.6%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.5%. Out of the forested land, 69.1% of the total land area is heavily forested and 4.6% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.0% is used for growing crops and 17.0% is used for alpine pastures. Of the unproductive areas, 1.5% is unproductive vegetation and.
The municipality is located in the Locarno district, on a hill above Muralto. It consists of the village of Orselina and the settlement of San Bernardo.
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 Argent a castle gules embattled alla Ghibellina and between its towers a fleur-de-lis of the same.
Demographics
Orselina has a population of . , 18.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -3.2%.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...
(53.1%), 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 (36.7%) and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
being third (2.7%). Of the Swiss national languages , 318 speak German, 18 people speak 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...
, 460 people speak Italian, and 6 people speak Romansh. The remainder (64 people) speak another language.
, the gender distribution of the population was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. The population was made up of 292 Swiss men (38.0% of the population), and 68 (8.9%) non-Swiss men. There were 333 Swiss women (43.4%), and 75 (9.8%) non-Swiss women.
In there were 3 live births to Swiss citizens and were 10 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 7 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 2 non-Swiss men and 6 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 a decrease of 24 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 5 people. This represents a population growth rate of -2.5%.
The age distribution, , in Orselina is; 44 children or 5.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 54 teenagers or 7.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 62 people or 8.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 65 people or 8.5% are between 30 and 39, 122 people or 15.9% are between 40 and 49, and 124 people or 16.1% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 141 people or 18.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 94 people or 12.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 62 people or 8.1% who are over 80.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.51 which is less people per room than 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 49.4% 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 399 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.8 persons per household. there were 288 single family homes (or 63.0% of the total) out of a total of 457 inhabited buildings. There were 51 two family buildings (11.2%) and 91 multi-family buildings (19.9%). There were also 27 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0%. there were 961 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 291. There were 108 single room apartments and 140 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 391 apartments (40.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 552 apartments (57.4%) were seasonally occupied and 18 apartments (1.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 9.1 new units per 1000 residents.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1596 | 104 |
| 1801 | 537 |
| 1850 | 782 |
| 1880 | 1,206 |
| 1888 | 227 |
| 1900 | 212 |
| 1950 | 648 |
| 1990 | 854 |
| 2000 | 866 |
Heritage sites of national significance
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...
and church of Della Madonna del Sasso
Madonna del Sasso, Switzerland
The Madonna del Sasso is a sanctuary in Orselina above the city of Locarno in Switzerland. It is the principal sight and goal of pilgrimage in the city....
e Museo is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
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 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....
which received 35.82% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(22.43%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(18.51%) and 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...
(13.5%). In the federal election, a total of 243 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%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 570 registered voters in Orselina, of which 272 or 47.7% voted. 5 blank ballots were cast, leaving 267 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was 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....
which received 62 or 23.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; 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 (with 50 or 18.7%), the SSI (with 49 or 18.4%) and the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(with 38 or 14.2%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 3 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 266 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 62 or 23.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD (with 56 or 21.1%), the SSI (with 46 or 17.3%) and the PS (with 45 or 16.9%).
Economy
, Orselina had an unemployment rate of 2.82%. , there was 1 person employed in the primary economic sector and about 1 business involved in this sector. 4 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 3 businesses in this sector. 439 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 35 businesses in this sector. There were 366 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 46.7% of the workforce., there were 371 workers who commuted into the municipality and 225 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.6 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 9.7% of the workforce coming into Orselina are coming from outside Switzerland. Of the working population, 6% used public transportation to get to work, and 50.5% used a private car. , there were 2 hotels in Orselina.
Religion
From the , 536 or 61.9% were Roman Catholic, while 195 or 22.5% 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 115 individuals (or about 13.28% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 20 individuals (or about 2.31% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Orselina about 80.1% 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...
).
In Orselina there were a total of 82 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 Orselina there were 8 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the village, 30 students attended the standard primary schools and 1 student 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 23 students in the two year middle school and 2 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 7 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 7 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 3 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 was 1 student in the professional program.
, there were 6 students in Orselina who came from another municipality, while 71 residents attended schools outside the municipality.