Witterswil
Encyclopedia
Witterswil is a municipality
in the district of Dorneck
in the canton
of Solothurn in Switzerland
.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 9.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.9%. Out of the forested land, 18.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 46.8% is used for growing crops and 10.5% is pastures, while 8.2% is used for orchards or vine crops.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per pale Or a Fess Sable and per fess Gules and Argent overall a Semi-Wheel of St. Catherine dimidiated.
Most of the population speaks German
(1,182 or 91.6%), with French
being second most common (30 or 2.3%) and Italian
being third (27 or 2.1%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.1% male and 49.9% female. The population was made up of 586 Swiss men (43.0% of the population) and 96 (7.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 595 Swiss women (43.7%) and 85 (6.2%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 260 or about 20.2% were born in Witterswil and lived there in 2000. There were 63 or 4.9% who were born in the same canton, while 744 or 57.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 199 or 15.4% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 8 live births to Swiss citizens and 1 birth to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 6 deaths of Swiss citizens and 1 non-Swiss citizen death. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 2 Swiss men and 1 Swiss woman who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 3 non-Swiss men and 1 non-Swiss woman 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 22 and the non-Swiss population increased by 10 people. This represents a population growth rate of 2.4%.
The age distribution, , in Witterswil is; 96 children or 7.4% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 239 teenagers or 18.5% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 49 people or 3.8% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 366 people or 28.4% are between 25 and 44, and 383 people or 29.7% are between 45 and 64. The senior population distribution is 134 people or 10.4% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 23 people or 1.8% who are over 80.
, there were 497 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 704 married individuals, 38 widows or widowers and 51 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 74.6% 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 490 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 95 households that consist of only one person and 39 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 499 households that answered this question, 19.0% were households made up of just one person and there were 2 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 168 married couples without children, 197 married couples with children There were 25 single parents with a child or children. There were 3 households that were made up of unrelated people and 9 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 352 single family homes (or 82.4% of the total) out of a total of 427 inhabited buildings. There were 34 multi-family buildings (8.0%), along with 33 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (7.7%) and 8 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (1.9%). Of the single family homes 16 were built before 1919, while 74 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (95) were built between 1961 and 1970.
there were 524 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 5 rooms of which there were 175. There were 7 single room apartments and 256 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 481 apartments (91.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 33 apartments (6.3%) were seasonally occupied and 10 apartments (1.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.36%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 25.89% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(20.98%), the SP
(19.67%) and the Green Party
(15.51%). In the federal election, a total of 485 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 50.7%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 292. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 14, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 122 of which 108 or (88.5%) were in manufacturing and 15 (12.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 156. In the tertiary sector; 19 or 12.2% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 1 was in the movement and storage of goods, 5 or 3.2% were in a hotel or restaurant, 4 or 2.6% were in the information industry, 5 or 3.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 79 or 50.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 26 or 16.7% were in education and 3 or 1.9% were in health care.
, there were 138 workers who commuted into the municipality and 555 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 4.0 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 15.2% of the workforce coming into Witterswil are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.2% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 38.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 45.7% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 6 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.47% of the population), there were 6 individuals (or about 0.47% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
, and there were 24 individuals (or about 1.86% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 12 (or about 0.93% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 3 individuals who were Buddhist
and 1 person who was Hindu
. 294 (or about 22.79% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 24 individuals (or about 1.86% of the population) did not answer the question.
). Of the 245 who completed tertiary schooling, 64.9% were Swiss men, 28.6% were Swiss women, 4.1% were non-Swiss men and 2.4% were non-Swiss women.
, there were 80 students in Witterswil who came from another municipality, while 138 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Witterswil is home to the Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie (Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology) library. The library has 395 books or other media. It was open a total of 250 days with average of 42 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 Dorneck
Dorneck (district)
Dorneck District is one of the ten districts of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland, situated to the north of the canton. Together with Thierstein District, it forms the Amtei of Dorneck-Thierstein. Ithas 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 Solothurn 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....
.
Geography
Witterswil has an area, , of 2.67 square kilometres (1 sq mi). Of this area, 1.75 km² (0.675678777536936 sq mi) or 65.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.53 km² (0.204634144054044 sq mi) or 19.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.37 km² (0.142857798679238 sq mi) or 13.9% is settled (buildings or roads).Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.1% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 9.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.9%. Out of the forested land, 18.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 46.8% is used for growing crops and 10.5% is pastures, while 8.2% is used for orchards or vine crops.
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 Per pale Or a Fess Sable and per fess Gules and Argent overall a Semi-Wheel of St. Catherine dimidiated.
Demographics
Witterswil has a population of . , 11.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of 2%.Most of the population speaks 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....
(1,182 or 91.6%), with 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 second most common (30 or 2.3%) 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 (27 or 2.1%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.1% male and 49.9% female. The population was made up of 586 Swiss men (43.0% of the population) and 96 (7.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 595 Swiss women (43.7%) and 85 (6.2%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 260 or about 20.2% were born in Witterswil and lived there in 2000. There were 63 or 4.9% who were born in the same canton, while 744 or 57.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 199 or 15.4% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 8 live births to Swiss citizens and 1 birth to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 6 deaths of Swiss citizens and 1 non-Swiss citizen death. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens increased by 2 while the foreign population remained the same. There were 2 Swiss men and 1 Swiss woman who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 3 non-Swiss men and 1 non-Swiss woman 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 22 and the non-Swiss population increased by 10 people. This represents a population growth rate of 2.4%.
The age distribution, , in Witterswil is; 96 children or 7.4% of the population are between 0 and 6 years old and 239 teenagers or 18.5% are between 7 and 19. Of the adult population, 49 people or 3.8% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 366 people or 28.4% are between 25 and 44, and 383 people or 29.7% are between 45 and 64. The senior population distribution is 134 people or 10.4% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old and there are 23 people or 1.8% who are over 80.
, there were 497 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 704 married individuals, 38 widows or widowers and 51 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.56 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.56 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 74.6% 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 490 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 95 households that consist of only one person and 39 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 499 households that answered this question, 19.0% were households made up of just one person and there were 2 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 168 married couples without children, 197 married couples with children There were 25 single parents with a child or children. There were 3 households that were made up of unrelated people and 9 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 352 single family homes (or 82.4% of the total) out of a total of 427 inhabited buildings. There were 34 multi-family buildings (8.0%), along with 33 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (7.7%) and 8 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (1.9%). Of the single family homes 16 were built before 1919, while 74 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (95) were built between 1961 and 1970.
there were 524 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 5 rooms of which there were 175. There were 7 single room apartments and 256 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 481 apartments (91.8% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 33 apartments (6.3%) were seasonally occupied and 10 apartments (1.9%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 2.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.36%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
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 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 25.89% 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...
(20.98%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(19.67%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(15.51%). In the federal election, a total of 485 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 50.7%.
Economy
, Witterswil had an unemployment rate of 1.9%. , there were 26 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 9 businesses involved in this sector. 133 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 15 businesses in this sector. 212 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 40 businesses in this sector. There were 659 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 40.8% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 292. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 14, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 122 of which 108 or (88.5%) were in manufacturing and 15 (12.3%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 156. In the tertiary sector; 19 or 12.2% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 1 was in the movement and storage of goods, 5 or 3.2% were in a hotel or restaurant, 4 or 2.6% were in the information industry, 5 or 3.2% were the insurance or financial industry, 79 or 50.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 26 or 16.7% were in education and 3 or 1.9% were in health care.
, there were 138 workers who commuted into the municipality and 555 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 4.0 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. About 15.2% of the workforce coming into Witterswil are coming from outside Switzerland, while 0.2% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 38.7% used public transportation to get to work, and 45.7% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 516 or 40.0% were Roman Catholic, while 404 or 31.3% 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 6 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 0.47% of the population), there were 6 individuals (or about 0.47% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
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...
, and there were 24 individuals (or about 1.86% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 12 (or about 0.93% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 3 individuals who were Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and 1 person who was Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. 294 (or about 22.79% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 24 individuals (or about 1.86% of the population) did not answer the question.
Education
In Witterswil about 532 or (41.2%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 245 or (19.0%) have completed 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 245 who completed tertiary schooling, 64.9% were Swiss men, 28.6% were Swiss women, 4.1% were non-Swiss men and 2.4% were non-Swiss women.
, there were 80 students in Witterswil who came from another municipality, while 138 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Witterswil is home to the Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie (Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology) library. The library has 395 books or other media. It was open a total of 250 days with average of 42 hours per week during that year.