Lichtensteig

Lichtensteig
Lichtensteig
Coordinates: 47°19′N 9°5′E / 47.317°N 9.083°E / 47.317; 9.083Coordinates: 47°19′N 9°5′E / 47.317°N 9.083°E / 47.317; 9.083
Country Switzerland
Canton St. Gallen
District Toggenburg
Government
 • Mayor Roger Hochreutener
Area[1]
 • Total 2.82 km2 (1.09 sq mi)
Elevation 625 m (2,051 ft)
Population (Dec 2015[2])
 • Total 1,911
 • Density 680/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Postal code 9620
SFOS number 3374
Surrounded by Bütschwil, Oberhelfenschwil, Wattwil
Twin towns Adelberg (Germany)
Website www.lichtensteig.ch
SFSO statistics

Lichtensteig is a municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

History

Lichtensteig is first mentioned in 1228 as Liehtvnsteige. In 1310 it was mentioned as Liechtensteig.[3]

Geography

View from south

Lichtensteig has an area, as of 2006, of 2.8 km2 (1.1 sq mi). Of this area, 35.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 44.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 18.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.4%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).[4]

The municipality is located in the Toggenburg Wahlkreis on the right side of the Thur at the foot of the Wasserfluh. The ruins of Neu-Toggenburg castle are on a rocky outcropping above the village.

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per pale Gules and Sable overall a letter L Or[5]

Demographics

Lichtensteig has a population (as of 31 December 2015) of 1,911.[6] As of 2007, about 19.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (as of 2000), 31 are from Germany, 82 are from Italy, 113 are from ex-Yugoslavia, 13 are from Austria, 43 are from Turkey, and 91 are from another country.[7] Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -5.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (89.6%), with Italian being second most common ( 2.7%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 2.0%).[4] Of the Swiss national languages (as of 2000), 1,697 speak German, 5 people speak French, 52 people speak Italian, and 1 person speaks Romansh.[8]

The age distribution, as of 2000, in Lichtensteig is; 188 children or 9.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 247 teenagers or 13.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 268 people or 14.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 328 people or 17.3% are between 30 and 39, 261 people or 13.8% are between 40 and 49, and 214 people or 11.3% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 176 people or 9.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 140 people or 7.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 62 people or 3.3% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 9 people or 0.5% who are between 90 and 99.[8]

In 2000 there were 371 persons (or 19.6% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 433 (or 22.9%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 926 (or 48.9%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 94 (or 5.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 4 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 22 who lived household made up of unrelated persons, and 43 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.[8]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 28.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (22.4%), the FDP (19.5%) and the SP (14.6%).[4]

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Lichtensteig about 69.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).[4] Out of the total population in Lichtensteig, as of 2000, the highest education level completed by 433 people (22.9% of the population) was Primary, while 739 (39.0%) have completed their secondary education, 207 (10.9%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 83 (4.4%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.[8]

The historical population is given in the following table:[3]

year population
1560 c. 400
1850 875
1900 1,387
1950 1,798
2000 1,893

Heritage sites of national significance

Old Town Council Building

The Old Town Council building at Hintergasse 22 is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.[9] The entire village of Lichtensteig is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.[10]

Economy

As of 2007, Lichtensteig had an unemployment rate of 2.12%. As of 2005, there were 17 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 8 businesses involved in this sector. 340 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 32 businesses in this sector. 309 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 88 businesses in this sector.[4]

As of October 2009 the average unemployment rate was 4.6%.[11] There were 120 businesses in the municipality of which 34 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 82 were involved in the third.[12]

As of 2000 there were 350 residents who worked in the municipality, while 704 residents worked outside Lichtensteig and 521 people commuted into the municipality for work.[13]

Religion

From the 2000 census, 984 or 52.0% are Roman Catholic, while 555 or 29.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there is 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic faith, there are 46 individuals (or about 2.43% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 21 individuals (or about 1.11% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 95 (or about 5.02% of the population) who are Islamic. There are 32 individuals (or about 1.69% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 109 (or about 5.76% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 50 individuals (or about 2.64% of the population) did not answer the question.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
  2. ↑ Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB, online database – Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit (German) accessed 30 August 2016
  3. 1 2 Lichtensteig in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 15-January-2010
  5. ↑ Flags of the World.com accessed 15-January-2010
  6. ↑ Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB, online database – Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit (German) accessed 30 August 2016
  7. ↑ Der Kanton St. Gallen und seine Menschen in Zahlen - Ausgabe 2009 (German) accessed 30 December 2009
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Canton St. Gallen Statistics-Hauptergebnisse der Volkszählung 2000: Regionen- und Gemeindevergleich-Personen Archived October 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. (German) accessed 30 December 2009
  9. ↑ Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance Archived May 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. 21.11.2008 version, (German) accessed 15-Jan-2010
  10. ↑ ISOS site accessed 15-Jan-2010
  11. ↑ St Gallen Canton statistics-Unemployment (German) accessed 30 December 2009
  12. ↑ St Gallen Canton statistics-Businesses Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. (German) accessed 31 December 2009
  13. ↑ St Gallen Canton statistics-Commuters Archived July 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. (German) accessed 31 December 2009
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