Einsiedeln | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Einsiedeln  | |
  Einsiedeln  Einsiedeln | |
| Coordinates:47°7′N8°44′E / 47.117°N 8.733°E /47.117; 8.733 | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Schwyz |
| District | Einsiedeln |
| Area | |
• Total | 110.40 km2 (42.63 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 882 m (2,894 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2018)[2] | |
• Total | 15,867 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (370/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 8840 |
| SFOS number | 1301 |
| ISO 3166 code | CH-SZ |
| Localities | Bennau, Egg,Euthal, Gross, Trachslau, Willerzell andBiberbrugg (shared with the municipalityFeusisberg) |
| Surrounded by | Alpthal,Altendorf,Feusisberg,Freienbach,Innerthal,Oberägeri (ZG),Oberiberg,Rothenthurm,Unteriberg,Vorderthal |
| Website | www SFSO statistics |
Einsiedeln (German pronunciation:[ˈaɪnziːdl̩n][3]) is amunicipality anddistrict in thecanton of Schwyz inSwitzerland known for its monastery, the BenedictineEinsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century.
There was no permanent settlement in the area prior to the early medieval period, but numerous artefacts left by prehistoric hunters, dated to the Mesolithic to Bronze Age were recovered.[4]
The original "hermitage" is associated withSt. Meinrad, a Benedictine monk from the family of theCounts of Hohenzollern. According to legend, Meinrad lived on the slopes of Mt. Etzel from 835 until his death in 861.[5]
During the next eighty years Saint Meinrad's hermitage was never without one or more hermits emulating his example.[5] One of the hermits, named Eberhard, previously Provost of Strasburg, erected a monastery and church there, of which he became first abbot. Work on the monastery is said to have begun in 934.[6] Following a miraculous vision by Eberhard, the new church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.[6]At the time of the foundation of the Abbey, the local hunters and small farmers of the forest, placed themselves under the authority of the noble-born Abbot. The surrounding population was known asWaldleute (forest people) because of the forests around the Abbey.[4] The Abbey encouraged theWaldleute to settle in surrounding villages and begin farming. The settlement of Einsiedeln is first mentioned in 1073.[4]
The alpine valleys were used to raise cattle, which became increasingly more important to the village. By 1250 the major business in the village was breeding and raising cattle. Expansion of grazing land into nearby alpine valleys led to a two century conflict withSchwyz.
As early as 1100, the villages of Einsiedeln and Schwyz were in conflict over land near the twoMythen mountains.[7] Over the following century, conflicts over the land led to many court battles and actual battles. In 1173 when theHabsburgs gained rights over the village of Schwyz and in 1283 when they raised the Abbey to an independent principality under the Habsburgs,[5] this raised a local conflict into a regional one. The Habsburgs were able to quiet the conflict for a few years, until 1291 when Schwyz,Uri andUnterwaldenrevolted against the Habsburgs. In 1314 the conflict flared up again with an attack by Schwyz into Einsiedeln. This attack triggered a series of border raids that, along with other events, in 1315 led to a Habsburg invasion and their crushing defeat at theBattle of Morgarten.[7] It wasn't until 1350 that the conflict was resolved and the borders between Einsiedeln and Schwyz were fixed.
In 1394 the Abbey came under the protection of Schwyz and the rights ofhigh justice went over to Schwyz.Low justice though remained with the Abbey. Einsiedeln is the birthplace ofParacelsus, aRenaissance physician andalchemist who is credited with first namingzinc.
In 1399 theDrei Teile ("Three Parts": a council that included the Abbey, theWaldleute from the surrounding villages, and Schwyz) is first mentioned.[4] Initially theDrei Teile only addressed any issues that affected the freeWaldleute. In 1564 they were able to issue a binding ordinance for all three groups. In 1657 theDrei Teile changed its name to the "Session".The relationship between the three parties was not always smooth. In 1764, an attempt by the Abbot to require tradesmen to only practise their trade in Einsiedeln and preventing skilled workers from settling in among theWaldleute[8] led to open conflict. Schwyz supported the Abbey against theWaldleute and in 1766 crushed the revolt. However, the Abbey lost much of its independence and thereafter was treated more as a subject of Schwyz instead of a partner.[4]
During theFrench invasion of Switzerland in 1798, the Abbey was suppressed for about three years[5] and the land was added to the city of Schwyz.[4] Following the collapse of the post-invasionHelvetic Republic, in 1803 as part of theAct of Mediation Einsiedeln became aBezirk (or District) in the Canton of Schwyz. During theRestoration starting in 1815, the Abbey's power began to grow in the Canton. A desire for reform led the Districts ofMarch,Küssnacht andPfäffikon to declare themselvesKanton Schwyz äusseres Land (Canton of Schwyz, Outer Lands) with a liberal constitution in 1832. The Abbey stood on the side of the conservative faction in the Canton, which caused tense relations between them and the surrounding villages until the creation of theFederal State in 1848.[4]
Einsiedeln is situated in the valley of theAlp river. It comprises six localities:Bennau,Egg,Willerzell,Euthal,Gross andTrachslau. The village ofBiberbrugg is shared with the municipality ofFeusisberg. Einsiedeln has a total area of 99.1 km2 (38.3 sq mi), of which nearly half (47.1%) is agricultural and only slightly less (44.5%) is forested. The rest of the land is either settled (5.5%) or non-productive (less than 2.8%).[9]
Einsiedeln is located approximately 7.5 km (4.7 mi) from the southern end of theLake of Zurich, and 2 km (1.2 mi) west of the artificialSihlsee lake. It is on a plateau (ca. 880 m (2,890 ft) abovesea level). The town is located at an altitude of 470 m (1,540 ft) higher thanZürich, with which it has a railway connection.
Einsiedeln is also the capital and only municipality of the District of Einsiedeln.
Einsiedeln has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 16,247.[10] As of 2007[update], 13.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.[11] Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 14.8%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (92.3%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common (1.9%) and Albanian being third (1.4%).[9]
As of 2000[update] the gender distribution of the population was 50.4% male and 49.6% female. The age distribution, as of 2008[update], in Einsiedeln is; 3,211 people or 25.4% of the population is between 0 and 19. 3,628 people or 28.7% are 20 to 39, and 3,964 people or 31.4% are 40 to 64. The senior population distribution is 1,009 people or 8.0% are 65 to 74. There are 609 people or 4.8% who are 70 to 79 and 201 people or 1.59% of the population who are over 80. There is one person in Einsiedeln who is over 100 years old.[11]
As of 2000[update] there are 5,093 households, of which 1,649 households (or about 32.4%) contain only a single individual. 347 or about 6.8% are large households, with at least five members.[11]
In the 2007 election the most popular party was theSVP which received 43.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were theCVP (18.8%), theFDP (17.7%) and theSPS (14.8%).[9]
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Einsiedeln about 66% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatoryupper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or aFachhochschule).[9]
Einsiedeln has an unemployment rate of 1.29%. As of 2005[update], there were 551 people employed in theprimary economic sector and about 209 businesses involved in this sector. 1,630 people are employed in thesecondary sector and there are 199 businesses in this sector. 3,017 people are employed in thetertiary sector, with 486 businesses in this sector.[9]
From the 2000 census[update], 9,834 or 77.9% areRoman Catholic, while 1,240 or 9.8% belonged to theSwiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there are less than 5 individuals who belong to theChristian Catholic faith, there are 288 individuals (or about 2.28% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 5 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 332 (or about 2.63% of the population) who areIslamic. There are 106 individuals (or about 0.84% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 486 (or about 3.85% of the population) belong to no church, areagnostic oratheist, and 329 individuals (or about 2.61% of the population) did not answer the question.[11]
The historical population is given in the following table:[4]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1799 | 4,958 |
| 1850 | 6,821 |
| 1880 | 8,383 |
| 1900 | 8,496 |
| 1930 | 8,053 |
| 1950 | 8,423 |
| 1960 | 8,792 |
| 1970 | 10,020 |
| 1980 | 9,529 |
| 1985 | 9,783 |
| 1990 | 10,452 |
| 2000 | 12,421 |
| 2005 | 13,365 |
| 2007 | 13,768 |
Einsiedeln is the terminal station of theWädenswil–Einsiedeln railway, which are served byZürich S-Bahn linesS13 andS40. Both lines are operated bySüdostbahn (SOB).
At the nearbyBiberbruggjunction station, there are connections to theInterRegioVoralpen Express toLucerne andSt. Gallen. AtWädenswil junction station, there are connections to services toZürich.
Between 1961 and 1990 Einsiedeln had an average of 156.7 days of rain per year and on average received 1,753 mm (69.0 in) ofprecipitation. The wettest month was June during which time Einsiedeln received an average of 206 mm (8.1 in) of precipitation. During this month there was precipitation for an average of 15.3 days. The month with the most days of precipitation was May, with an average of 15.3, but with only 158 mm (6.2 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year was February with an average of 108 mm (4.3 in) of precipitation over 15.3 days.[12]
| Climate data for Einsiedeln, elevation 911 m (2,989 ft), (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 3.3 (37.9) | 7.1 (44.8) | 11.2 (52.2) | 15.4 (59.7) | 19.0 (66.2) | 21.0 (69.8) | 20.6 (69.1) | 16.1 (61.0) | 12.2 (54.0) | 6.8 (44.2) | 3.1 (37.6) | 11.5 (52.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) | −1.1 (30.0) | 2.6 (36.7) | 6.6 (43.9) | 10.8 (51.4) | 14.4 (57.9) | 16.2 (61.2) | 16.0 (60.8) | 11.9 (53.4) | 7.9 (46.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | −0.4 (31.3) | 7.2 (45.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.3 (22.5) | −5.3 (22.5) | −1.8 (28.8) | 1.8 (35.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 11.6 (52.9) | 11.4 (52.5) | 7.7 (45.9) | 4.1 (39.4) | −0.6 (30.9) | −4.0 (24.8) | 2.9 (37.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 98.6 (3.88) | 99.9 (3.93) | 121.7 (4.79) | 117.2 (4.61) | 176.1 (6.93) | 186.1 (7.33) | 196.1 (7.72) | 192.8 (7.59) | 144.4 (5.69) | 114.7 (4.52) | 114.9 (4.52) | 127.5 (5.02) | 1,690 (66.54) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 50.1 (19.7) | 64.2 (25.3) | 41.3 (16.3) | 19.6 (7.7) | 1.4 (0.6) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.0) | 4.4 (1.7) | 30.3 (11.9) | 53.0 (20.9) | 264.4 (104.1) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.1 | 11.2 | 13.3 | 12.1 | 14.5 | 14.8 | 14.3 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 10.7 | 11.5 | 13.3 | 152.5 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 1.0 cm) | 8.7 | 8.5 | 6.4 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 8.1 | 40.3 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 85 | 82 | 80 | 76 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 84 | 86 | 86 | 81 |
| Source 1:NOAA[13] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:MeteoSwiss[14] | |||||||||||||
Schanzen Einsiedeln is the national ski jumping venue of Switzerland.
The village of Einsiedeln is a popular tourist destination in central Switzerland. TheBenedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, located within the village, is considered one of the most important Roman Catholicpilgrimage sites in Europe[5] and is called "the most important place of pilgrimage dedicated to theVirgin Mary in Switzerland".[15] In addition to the Abbey, Einsiedeln is also a popular destination for sports year round. The village has 3 ski areas which include lifts as well as ski jumps.[15]
Since the Middle Ages the Graces Chapel and a statue of the Black Madonna have been the centerpiece of the pilgrimage. The statue is so famous that a copy can also be seen in the FrenchJura town ofPontarlier. Between 150,000 and 200,000 pilgrims visit the Graces Chapel each year.[5]
Besides being a site for pilgrimages, Einsiedeln is a tourist destination for those interested in winter sports. The village has its ownski jump,ski lifts,ski tows and winter sports centres, which are in the nearby area of Hoch-Ybrig and Brunni. TheSchwedentritt cross-country skiing trail starts next to theEinsiedeln Abbey.
The nearby reservoir, Sihlsee, is used in summer for swimming, surfing and sailing, and in the winter for ice-skating. The dam, which retains the lake, produces electricity for the trains and protects the city ofZürich further down the valley from the flood of theSihl.
These days, fewer pilgrims come to Einsiedeln. For that reason, some of the former hotels have now closed. At the same time, the village has experienced a boom with day tourists, owing to the clear air and mountain views. Because of the high quality of life locally, the population is growing faster than is normal in Switzerland.
._Wellcome_V0004455.jpg)
Media related toEinsiedeln at Wikimedia Commons Districts of theCanton of Schwyz | |
|---|---|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
