Rheinau, Switzerland

Rheinau is a municipality in the district of Andelfingen in the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is located at a bend of the Rhine River which forms the Swiss-German border in this area. A bridge links Rheinau to Altenburg, in Jestetten municipality, Baden-Württemberg state.

Rheinau
Coat of arms
Location of Rheinau
Rheinau
Rheinau
Coordinates: 47°39′N 8°36′E
CountrySwitzerland
CantonZurich
DistrictAndelfingen
Area
 • Total8.93 km2 (3.45 sq mi)
Elevation
400 m (1,300 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[2]
 • Total1,333
 • Density150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Postal code
8462
SFOS number0038
Surrounded byBenken, Dachsen, Jestetten (DE-BW), Lottstetten (DE-BW), Marthalen
Websitewww.rheinau.ch
SFSO statistics

Geography

Rheinau has an area of 8.9 km2 (3.4 sq mi). Of this area, 26.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 54.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 11.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (7.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[3]

Rheinau Abbey
Aerial view from 500 m by Walter Mittelholzer (1929)

Rheinau Abbey was founded in 778 and grew until it was abandoned during the Protestant Reformation in 1529. It was re-established in 1532 and was a center of the Counter-reformation. In 1862 the cantonal council decreed the dissolution of the abbey. Following the dissolution of the abbey, in 1867 a cantonal hospital and nursing home were set up in the buildings. Later, a cantonal psychiatric clinic that developed here was closed in 2000, since when the buildings have stood empty.

Update Feb 2019: The Abby has undergone a major refurbishment which is now complete. The buildings look stunning and are open to the public. The restaurant on the ground floor has a riverside dining area and upstairs are function rooms and offices.

Demographics

Rheinau has a population (as of 31 December 2018) of 1,333.[4] As of 2007, 16.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (91.2%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 2.4%) and French being third ( 0.8%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 28.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (25.6%), the CVP (13%) and the Green Party (12.6%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.6%. In Rheinau about 64.1% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Rheinau has an unemployment rate of 1.3%. As of 2005, there were 23 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 3 businesses involved in this sector. 43 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 641 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 42 businesses in this sector.[3]

References
  1. "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  2. "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeitskategorie Geschlecht und Gemeinde; Provisorische Jahresergebnisse; 2018". Federal Statistical Office. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 28-Jul-2009
  4. Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB, online database – Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit (in German) accessed 23 September 2019
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.