Balsthal
| Balsthal | |
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| State : |
 Switzerland
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| Canton : |
 Solothurn (SO)
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| District : | Thal |
| Residential municipality : | Balsthal |
| Postal code : | 4710 |
| former BFS no. : | 2422 |
| UN / LOCODE : | CH BST |
| Coordinates : | 619 343 / 240675 |
| Height : | 489 m above sea level M. |
| Height range : | 471-1095 m above sea level M. |
| Area : | 15.71 km² |
| Residents: | 6104 (2019) |
| Population density : | 389 inhabitants per km² |
| Unemployment rate : | 15.23% |
| Website: | www.balsthal.ch |
 Balsthal with train station and church |
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| Location of the municipality | |
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Balsthal ( called Bauschtu [ˈbaʊʃdu] by the locals ) is a municipality in the Thal district of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland , and it is also the capital of this municipality . Balsthal is made up of the village of Balsthal, the Klus and the hamlet of Sankt Wolfgang .
Balsthal's neighboring communities started from the north: Mümliswil-Ramiswil , Holderbank , Oberbuchsiten , Oensingen , Niederbipp BE and Laupersdorf .
history
Traces of Celtic settlement can be found u. a. in the form of the Hort von Balsthal . Under the Romans, Balsthal was on a road that connected Aventicum (near today's Avenches ) via the Upper Hauenstein with Augusta Raurica (near Basel ).
In 968 Balsthal was mentioned as Palcivallis , in 1226 as Balcetal , which probably originally meant the Balzo valley . In the Middle Ages it initially belonged to the Prince Diocese of Basel , from the end of the 12th century it was subordinate to the Barons of Bechburg . The two castles Neu-Falkenstein and Alt-Falkenstein also date from the 12th and 13th centuries . In 1402 Balsthal came to Solothurn and became the seat of the court. In the following time Balsthal grew strongly because it was on the important north-south trade route over the Oberer Hauenstein . Commercial establishments and hostels sprang up along the road. The innkeepers also played a prominent role in local politics.
During the Thirty Years' War , Solothurn peasants attacked Bernese soldiers in the Klus , whereupon Bern Solothurn threatened war. This so-called cluster trade of 1632 brought Switzerland to the brink of civil war, but was finally resolved peacefully after intensive mediation.
In 1798, Neu-Falkenstein Castle, which served as the bailiff's seat, was set on fire by angry residents during the Helvetic Revolution . As in other places, a people's day was held in Balsthal in 1830 in the wake of the French July Revolution . On December 22nd, liberal-minded people from all over the canton came together and initiated the overthrow of the Solothurn patriciate.
The opening of the Hauenstein tunnel in 1857 hit the Balsthal trade hard. The industry offered a replacement, initially the “Balsthal paper mill”, which still exists today as SABER Swiss Quality Paper AG , and then the “Eisenwerk Klus” of the von Roll company , which became the largest employer in the valley. On June 22, 1926, after heavy thunderstorms, floods occurred in Balsthal.
With the recession of the 1970s and increasing de-industrialization , an economic realignment became necessary. New companies gained a foothold. In addition to the paper factory, the most important companies in the valley today are the large butchery and salami factory Gehrig AG and the light metal foundry Tenba AG .
coat of arms
The village coat of arms are two white snakes intertwined in eight on a blue background. The arrangement of the snakes has a military background: According to a source from 1689, the Thaler communities belonged to the fourth and fifth companies of the second regiment of the Solothurn militia army . At that time the number 4 was written like an 8 open at the bottom.
With the exception of Holderbank , Mümliswil-Ramiswil and Gänsbrunnen , all the coats of arms of the Thaler communities appear to be in this tradition. But only those from Balsthal and Laupersdorf have this figure eight. In the coats of arms of Aedermannsdorf , Herbetswil , Matzendorf and Welschenrohr , the main motif is an angle - a variant of the old 5 - each with a different color and shape.
Perhaps the blue tone of the Balsthal coat of arms goes back to the years of rule of the subordinate Brunner family - this family already wore this color in their coat of arms.
population
By the end of the 1960s, the population of Balsthal rose to almost 6,000. As a result of de-industrialization (called the Von Roll Crisis there), however, it then fell to around 5100. Since then it has been rising slowly again. The proportion of foreigners is 35.23 percent (as of the end of 2015).
Balsthal is predominantly Catholic. According to the 2000 census, 52.9 percent belong to this denomination, while 21.4 percent are Protestants, 2.8 percent Orthodox and 10.1 percent Muslim. 0.9 percent belong to other religious communities and 8.9 percent are non-denominational. (The rest did not provide any information.)
economy
There are around 2,400 jobs (full and part-time) in Balsthal
Employment structure (2004)
- 2% agriculture and forestry
- 44% industry and commerce
- 54% service companies
traffic
A four-kilometer long, standard-gauge railway has been running from Balsthal through the Klus to the Jura foot line in Oensingen since 1899 . It is operated by the private Oensingen-Balsthal-Bahn (OeBB) and has been completely electrified since 1943. The passenger traffic takes place every half hour, there is extensive freight traffic.
The small train is popular with railroad fans because of its collection of historic rail vehicles. Older locomotives and railcars as well as a steam locomotive are also used.
politics
executive
The executive branch consisted of an eleven-member municipal council until 2013 , since then it has consisted of two fewer seats. The seats were distributed as follows:
| Political party | 2017-2021 | (+/-) | 2013-2017 |
| FDP The Liberals | 3 | −0 | 3 |
| Christian Democratic People's Party | 2 | −0 | 2 |
| Swiss People's Party | 2 | −0 | 2 |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | −0 | 1 |
| Critical-constructive-Bauschtler (kkB) | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| Non-party | 0 | −1 | 1 |
Mayor
From 2009 to 2013 Willy Hafner (CVP) held the office of mayor. In 2013 there was a silent election to change to Roland Stampfli, who was not party to the party. Pierino Menna (CVP) has held the office of mayor since 2017.
Attractions
View of Balsthal from Neu-Falkenstein
Catholic Church
reformed Church
Neu-Falkenstein ruins
Alt-Falkenstein and the town of Klus
Alt-Falkenstein
Roman Catholic Parish Church in Balsthal
Building history
The church was built between 1912 and 1914 under the direction of the architect August Hardegger from St. Gallen.
About two months after the initial meetings with the architect, very detailed plans were drawn by hand, e.g. B. the floor plan as well as cross and longitudinal sections. For the construction, 522,000 francs were actually planned. The church should cost 258,000 francs. That meant you had to cut costs. Otherwise the construction would have had to be postponed for years. Since the parish did not want to build later, they looked for ways to save. For example, they replaced stones that you can't see with artificial stones or they took altars from the old church. 2000 postcards of the planned church were also printed. This brought the church a profit of CHF 90.
The foundation stone was laid on May 16, 1912.
They wanted to get the stones for the building first from St. Wolfgang (the Haulismatt schoolhouse was built with stones from St. Wolfgang). When there were doubts about the quality, stones were taken from the Klus. The topping-out took place four months after the foundation stone was laid. Most of the work was done by Balsthalers.
Although there were still no bells hanging in the tower, the new church was inaugurated on Sunday, May 24th, 1914 with a big celebration and the first service was celebrated.
The six bells
The church, named Maria Himmelfahrt, has 6 bells. The bells actually come from the cemetery church. Because after the construction of the church there was no longer enough money for new bells, the bells of the cemetery church in need of repair (except for the smallest ones) were melted down and new ones poured from them. After the old bells were removed on June 21, 1915, they could not ring for a few weeks. During this time the Reformed Church took over the chime duties. Especially the alarm function when danger arises in the 1st World War.
On August 5, 1915, the bells arrived with a ceremonial procession. They were hung on a wooden rack until the following Sunday. Then the beautifully decorated bells were inaugurated by the bishop. On August 11, 1915, the entire school youth (650 children) were called in to raise the bells by hand.
List of names and weights of bells:
- Christ bell: 3400 kg
- Mary or prayer bell: 2000 kg
- Saint Anne's bell: 1000 kg
- Saint Joseph's or death bell: 650 kg
- Saint Anthony's bell or weather bell: 450 kg
- Guardian angel bell: 250 kg
Renovations
- 1958 - 1995 Extension of the rectory
On March 12, 1958, the new pastor Wirz visited the rectory. This no longer corresponded to today's conditions. That is why it had to be converted and expanded. On April 30, 1958, the parish assembly approved a credit of 170,000 francs for the extension of a cellar room, air raid shelter and four living and working rooms on the west side of the existing rectory. Otto Dreyer from Lucerne was appointed as the architect. Although the permit for the construction was not received until September 26, 1958, trees and bushes were removed four days beforehand and the Trax began excavating. When everything was completely renovated, a new heating system, a telephone and public address system, a refrigerator and a washing machine were installed. In 1963 a new organ with 43 sounding stops was installed.
- 1975–1976 interior renovation
During the interior renovation in 1975–1976, the aim was to repaint the vestibule, brighten the church and paint over four murals.
- 1989/90 construction of the parish home
The parish home in Piazza was built. In the years that followed, the rectory was also redesigned several times.
- 2005–2007 interior renovation
There was another interior renovation. The church was restored to its original color through cleaning, repainting and restoration.
- 2012–2014 exterior renovation
The exterior renovation, which had been expected for seven years, was finally carried out in 2012. The aim was for the renovation of the church to be completed on the 100th anniversary. During this renovation, the shell of the church was repaired because more and more moisture got into the walls. During the work, a bat colony was found in the roof, which had to be relocated. The environment has also been adapted. In front of the main staircase, firmands have painted a maze on the square. The price of the renovation was 2,800,000 francs. That is much more than the cost of the whole church. At the end of all renovation work and for the 100th anniversary of St. Mary's Church, a large parish festival was celebrated on August 15, 2014.
Personalities
- Rudolf von Wart (occupied from 1274–1309), Lord of Falkenstein in the Klus
- Urs Jakob Tschan (1760–1824), mathematics professor, clergyman and aviation pioneer
- Johann Josef Brunner (1804–1862), measuring instrument maker and precision mechanic
- Josef Bloch (1849–1913) district school teacher and senior magistrate
- Heinrich Deubelbeiss (1900–1973), honorary citizen of the community
- Erich Schmid (1907–2000), conductor and composer
- Theodor Diener (1908–1983), composer and church musician
- Gustav Bloch (1914–2000), musician and composer
- Basil Studer (1925–2008), patristician
- Alwin Albert Hafner (1930–2016), Roman Catholic Bishop of Morombe, Madagascar
- Alexander Niemetz (* 1943), freelance journalist and television presenter
- Kathrin Altwegg (* 1951), astrophysicist
- Rudolf Hafner (* 1951), politician (GFL)
literature
- Gottlieb Loertscher: The art monuments of the canton of Solothurn, Volume III: The districts of Thal, Thierstein, Dorneck. (= Art Monuments of Switzerland. Volume 38). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1957, DNB 750089342 .
- Hans Sigrist: Balsthal. 3000 years of village history. In: Yearbook for Solothurn History. Volume 41, 1968, pp. 5-352 doi : 10.5169 / seals-324386
Web links
- Website of the municipality of Balsthal
- Website of the community of Balsthal
- Thal Nature Park
- Hans Sigrist: Balsthal. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Hans Sigrist: Klus. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .f
Individual evidence
- ↑ Balsthal - INFO Bulletin Edition 3 of July 2013 (page 1; PDF; 739 kB)
- ↑ Gustav Bloch. on schweizermarsch.ch, accessed on May 29, 2015.