Zofingen
Encyclopedia
Zofingen is a city in the canton of Aargau
in Switzerland
. It is the capital of the district of Zofingen. Zofingen is a walled city and home of an ancient monastic settlement.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 17.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.0%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, 46.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.3% is used for growing crops and 12.2% is pastures, while 2.3% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality of Uerkheim
is considering a merger on 1 January 2014 into Zofingen.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Bendy of Four Gules and Argent.
(88.9%), with Italian
being second most common ( 3.4%) and Portuguese
being third ( 1.4%).
The age distribution, , in Zofingen is; 895 children or 8.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,010 teenagers or 9.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,525 people or 14.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,607 people or 15.0% are between 30 and 39, 1,678 people or 15.7% are between 40 and 49, and 1,381 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,095 people or 10.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 894 people or 8.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 509 people or 4.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 93 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.
The historical population is given in the following table:
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 554 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 2,318 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 1,338 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 4,328 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. there were 1,318 single family homes (or 25.0% of the total) out of a total of 5,269 homes and apartments. There were a total of 54 empty apartments for a 1.0% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.5 new units per 1000 residents.
the average price to rent an average apartment in Zofingen was 1063.57 Swiss franc
s (CHF) per month (US$850, £480, €680 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one room apartment was 592.19 CHF (US$470, £270, €380), a two room apartment was about 787.80 CHF (US$630, £350, €500), a three room apartment was about 937.35 CHF (US$750, £420, €600) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1694.74 CHF (US$1360, £760, €1080). The average apartment price in Zofingen was 95.3% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 27.78% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(23.15%), the FDP
(17.17%) and the Green Party
(9.73%). In the federal election, a total of 3,746 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 48.7%.
. The oldest is the Roman era
farm house with mosaic
floors at Hirzeberg. The former armory
at General-Guisan-Strasse 12 and the former Quarantine
house at Aarburgerstrasse 21 are also on the list. Three educational buildings; the municipal Schoolhouse at General-Guisan-Strasse 14, the Museum at General-Guisan-Strasse 18 and the city library at Hintere Hauptgasse 20, are on the list. The rest of the list includes; Heiternplatz (Heitern plaza), the small monastery
at Klösterligasse 2, The City Hall Building at Rathausgasse 4 and a dairy farm at Hintere Hauptstrasse 9, 14.
The entire village of Zofingen is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
AG, one of the largest media corporations, Siegfried Ltd, a manufacturer for the pharmaceutical industry, and Muller Martini
, a global company that manufactures print finishing systems.
, Zofingen had an unemployment rate of 3.19%. , there were 108 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 33 businesses involved in this sector. 4,236 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 121 businesses in this sector. 4,514 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 565 businesses in this sector.
there were 4,377 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 2,352 or about 53.7% of the residents worked outside Zofingen while 6,538 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 8,563 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 14.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 45.3% used a private car.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 32 individuals (or about 0.34% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic
faith.
). Of the school age population , there are 619 students attending primary school, there are 255 students attending secondary school, there are 378 students attending tertiary or university level schooling in the municipality.
Zofingen is home to 2 libraries. These libraries include; the Stadtbibliothek Zofingen and the Bildungszentrum Zofingen. There was a combined total of 158,351 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 222,191 items were loaned out.
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....
. It is the capital of the district of Zofingen. Zofingen is a walled city and home of an ancient monastic settlement.
Geography
Zofingen has an area, , of 11.09 square kilometres (4.3 sq mi). Of this area, 2.08 km² (0.803092489872473 sq mi) or 18.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 5.25 km² (2 sq mi) or 47.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.67 km² (1.4 sq mi) or 33.1% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.07 km² (17.3 acre) or 0.6% is either rivers or lakes.Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.6% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 17.7% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.0%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.1%. Out of the forested land, 46.0% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 4.3% is used for growing crops and 12.2% is pastures, while 2.3% is used for orchards or vine crops. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality of Uerkheim
Uerkheim
Uerkheim is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-Geography:Uerkheim has an area, , of . Of this area, or 48.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 40.3% is forested...
is considering a merger on 1 January 2014 into Zofingen.
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 Bendy of Four Gules and Argent.
Demographics
Zofingen has a population of , 15.8% of the population are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 14.7%. 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....
(88.9%), with 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 second most common ( 3.4%) and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
being third ( 1.4%).
The age distribution, , in Zofingen is; 895 children or 8.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,010 teenagers or 9.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,525 people or 14.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,607 people or 15.0% are between 30 and 39, 1,678 people or 15.7% are between 40 and 49, and 1,381 people or 12.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,095 people or 10.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 894 people or 8.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 509 people or 4.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 93 people or 0.9% who are 90 and older.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 8,887 |
| 1980 | 8,758 |
| 1990 | 8,653 |
| 2000 | 8,675 |
Housing
the average number of residents per living room was 0.52 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 37.6% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgageMortgage 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 554 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 2,318 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 1,338 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. , there were 4,328 private households (homes and apartments) in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household. there were 1,318 single family homes (or 25.0% of the total) out of a total of 5,269 homes and apartments. There were a total of 54 empty apartments for a 1.0% vacancy rate. , the construction rate of new housing units was 6.5 new units per 1000 residents.
the average price to rent an average apartment in Zofingen was 1063.57 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$850, £480, €680 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one room apartment was 592.19 CHF (US$470, £270, €380), a two room apartment was about 787.80 CHF (US$630, £350, €500), a three room apartment was about 937.35 CHF (US$750, £420, €600) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1694.74 CHF (US$1360, £760, €1080). The average apartment price in Zofingen was 95.3% of the national average of 1116 CHF.
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 27.78% of the vote. The next three 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....
(23.15%), 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....
(17.17%) 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:...
(9.73%). In the federal election, a total of 3,746 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 48.7%.
Mayors of Zofingen
| In office | Stadtammann | Party | Born/died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914–1930 | Hans Suter | FDP | (1860–1930) | |
| 1930–1947 | Hans Bertschi | FDP | ||
| 1948–1953 | Adolf Lerch | FDP | ||
| 1954–1973 | Walther Leber | FDP | ||
| 1974–1992 | Willy Loretan | FDP | ||
| 1992–2006 | Urs Locher | FDP | ||
| From 2006 | Hans-Ruedi Hottiger | (independent) | (born 1953) |
Heritage sites of national significance
There are ten buildings or sites that are listed as 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 oldest is 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...
farm house with 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...
floors at Hirzeberg. The former armory
Armory
Armory or armoury may mean:*Armory , a military location used for the storage of arms and ammunition*Armory , the study of coats of arms*Armory , a Marvel Comics character...
at General-Guisan-Strasse 12 and the former Quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
house at Aarburgerstrasse 21 are also on the list. Three educational buildings; the municipal Schoolhouse at General-Guisan-Strasse 14, the Museum at General-Guisan-Strasse 18 and the city library at Hintere Hauptgasse 20, are on the list. The rest of the list includes; Heiternplatz (Heitern plaza), the small monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Klösterligasse 2, The City Hall Building at Rathausgasse 4 and a dairy farm at Hintere Hauptstrasse 9, 14.
The entire village of Zofingen is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
.
Economy
Zofingen is home to several large companies. These include RingierRingier
Ringier AG is one of the largest media corporations in Switzerland founded in Zofingen and based in Zürich. It publishes several newspapers and magazines in both German and French...
AG, one of the largest media corporations, Siegfried Ltd, a manufacturer for the pharmaceutical industry, and Muller Martini
Muller Martini
Muller Martini, based in Switzerland, manufactures a wide variety of web offset printing presses, bookbinding equipment, newspaper inserting systems, mail room delivery systems and other printing related equipment. Manufacturing facilities are located in Switzerland, Germany and the United States...
, a global company that manufactures print finishing systems.
, Zofingen had an unemployment rate of 3.19%. , there were 108 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 33 businesses involved in this sector. 4,236 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 121 businesses in this sector. 4,514 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 565 businesses in this sector.
there were 4,377 workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 2,352 or about 53.7% of the residents worked outside Zofingen while 6,538 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 8,563 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality. Of the working population, 14.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 45.3% used a private car.
Religion
From the , 2,879 or 30.5% were Roman Catholic, while 4,659 or 49.4% 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 32 individuals (or about 0.34% 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 Zofingen about 76.2% 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 619 students attending primary school, there are 255 students attending secondary school, there are 378 students attending tertiary or university level schooling in the municipality.
Zofingen is home to 2 libraries. These libraries include; the Stadtbibliothek Zofingen and the Bildungszentrum Zofingen. There was a combined total of 158,351 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 222,191 items were loaned out.
Famous natives
- Eva AeppliEva AeppliEva Aeppli is a Swiss artist.-Personal life:Born in Zofingen, she spent her childhood in Basel where she attended the School of Decorative Arts. She moved to France in 1952 with her second husband Jean Tinguely, there she began her artistic career as a painter...
(born 1925), artist - Erich von DänikenErich von DänikenErich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
(born 1935), author - Josef Imbach (born 1945), theologian
External links
- http://www.zofingen.ch
- http://www.zofingen2008.ch