Balzers
| Balzers | |
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| Country: |
 Principality of Liechtenstein
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| Constituency : | Oberland |
| Municipality number : | 7003 |
| License plate : | FL |
| Postal code : | 9496 |
| UN / LOCODE : | LI BAZ |
| Coordinates : | 756 722 / 214 757 |
| Height: | 477 m above sea level M. |
| Surface: | 19.731 km² |
| Residents: | 4628 (June 30, 2019) |
| Population density : | 235 inhabitants per km² |
| Proportion of foreigners : | 26.9% (June 30, 2017) |
| Website: | www.balzers.li |
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Balzers is a municipality in the Oberland of the Principality of Liechtenstein . Balzers has two exclaves and is therefore a three-part municipality. It is the westernmost municipality in the principality and with around 4500 inhabitants the fourth largest municipality in the country.
The name of the inhabitants is Balzner . The reason is the Rhaeto-Romanic origin of the place name. Because this ends with the Latin nominative ending -s, the genitive is formed without -s.
geography
Balzers borders in the west and northwest on the Swiss canton of St. Gallen , in the south on the canton of Graubünden and in the east and northeast on the Liechtenstein municipality of Triesen . The Rhine forms the natural border with the St. Gallen municipalities of Wartau and Sargans . The Rätikon delimits the community to the east. In the south rises the Ellhorn , which was given to Switzerland in 1948. The St. Luzisteig pass road , which connects Balzers with Maienfeld , runs around the foot of the Falknis .
 
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Villages and Alps in the municipality of Balzers |
The municipality of Balzers comprises the parts of the village Balzers and Mäls to the south. In addition, the community has two exclaves . The exclave of 7.608 km² between the Valorschbach, a side stream of the Samina , and the Galinakopf consists of the Alps Guschgfiel, Matta, Güschgle and Zigerberg. The Gapfahl exclave has a size of 1.801 km². In addition, there are around 370 hectares of meadows and forests in the area of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The municipal and state borders are not congruent. Part of the area is leased to the Swiss Army.
Alps
The Alp Gapfahl located in the southern Sami Natal , west if the Alp Valüna . Gapfahl was owned by the Balzers parish as early as 1440. From 1781 at the latest, Gapfahl was only grazed with cattle from the Mäls district, since 1967 only Galtvieh have been summered. The parts of Guschgfiel and Güschgle, which originally belonged to Guschg , were sold by Frastanzern to Triesenberger Walser in 1371 . Mäls acquired the Güschgle even before 1617. After confused ownership in 1704 Mäls and at the latest in 1717 Balzers bought the grazing rights on Guschgfiel. Since 1781, the sole use of the Balzers district has been proven. In the 1930s and during World War II, Guschgfiel was a hub for contraband. The Güschgle is traditionally used as the Galtalp.
Matta was originally part of Alp Guschgfiel and was used by Balzers as Galtalp from 1781 at the latest. Matta has been farmed together with Guschgfiel since around 1960.
Zigerberg (or Zegerberg) was also counted as part of Guschgfiel in 1812. The steep, rocky and dry Zigerberg is poorly suited for grazing by cattle, but was used as a sheep alpine pasture and played a role in the timber industry. The Zigerberg has been part of the Garselli / Zigerberg forest reserve since 2000 .
The high hunting area Guschgfiel with Guschgfiel, Güschgle, Matta and Zigerberg is leased to private individuals who also use the hut in the Riet.
| Alp | origin of the name | Owner | Total area | Pasture area | Alpine building | source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap stake | alt rät.rom. camp (a) ual (willow by the stream) (?) | Mäls Alpine Cooperative | 176.5 ha | 75 ha | Undersäss: 1701 m above sea level M. Obersäss: 1879 m above sea level. M. |
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| Güschgle | Reduced form of Guschg, of rät.rom. cusch (a) (tree trunk) (?), derived clearing name | 95.1 ha | 32 ha | 1481 m above sea level M. | ||
| Guschgfiel | old Guschg | Balzers Alpine Cooperative | 212.4 ha | Guschgfiel: 1764 m above sea level M. Riet: 1625 m above sea level M. |
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| Matta | probably from middle high German. Mat (meadow) | 173.2 ha | 114 ha | 1670 m above sea level M. | ||
| Zigerberg | probably from Ziger | Civil parish of Balzers | 278.7 ha | - | 1424 m above sea level M., burned down in the 1970s |
history
The history of the municipality of Balzers is essentially identical to that of the State of Liechtenstein . The “ Balzner Neujahrsblätter ” series is devoted to the history and culture of the place.
Due to the excavated cultural objects, evidence of settlement continuity from the Neolithic Age (around 3000 BC) to the present day has been provided for the municipality, with the village being mentioned for the first time in 842.
The village was divided into two parts, Balzers and Mäls, of which the Rhaetian Mäls is the older part. While «Meilis», as Mäls is called in the Rätischen Urbar, etymologically could not be interpreted until today, the name Balzers (Palazoles) can be related to the Latin «palatium» (= Herrenhof, Pfalz).
prehistory
Archaeological excavations have shown that the castle hill of Gutenberg Castle has been inhabited since the Neolithic . Since 1934 finds were discovered at the southern foot of the Gutenberg castle hill, Balzers has been considered the southernmost site of the Rössen culture . The Early and Late Bronze Ages can be traced through the remains of vessels found on the Gutenberg Castle Hill. The seven human bronze statues and two animal figures (boar and deer) found on the castle hill are of great art historical importance. The figure " Mars von Gutenberg" with a size of twelve centimeters is particularly significant. These figures are probably fertility or ritual objects.
In the year 15 BC The Romans under Augustus conquered the area of today's Liechtenstein and established the Roman province of Raetia . In the 1st century AD the military road Milan – Bregenz was laid out, which led over the Luzisteig to Balzers and on to Bregenz. For this reason, various Roman buildings were also built in Balzers. It remains to be seen whether the settlement or the Magia street station mentioned exclusively on the Tabula Peutingeriana is Balzers.
Middle Ages and Modern Times
In the Middle Ages, further construction activities in the village can be proven. At the same time, Gutenberg Castle gained importance, where a cemetery with around 300 graves was laid out in the 9th and 10th centuries. In Zurich the war , large parts of the village burned down, so it was rebuilt. During the Swabian War, the village was plundered and Gutenberg Castle was besieged and shot at.
In 1795 a fire broke out in the northern part of the village, in which 34 houses and the parish church were destroyed. In March 1799, French troops crossed the Rhine near Balzers in the coalition war and in October 1799 around 15,000 men spent the night in Balzers under the Russian general Alexander Wassiljewitsch Suvorov . During this time there was therefore an impoverishment of the population.
From the Second World War , Balzers increasingly developed into an important business location.
Balzers was - together with Triesen and Triesenberg - one of the last three communities in Liechtenstein to allow women to vote on the community level on April 20, 1986 .
population
| Resident population in Balzers by religion in% (2015) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 80.0% | |||
| Protestant | 6.3% | |||
| other Christian churches | 0.7% | |||
| Muslim | 3.3% | |||
| Buddhist | 1.3% | |||
| other religion | 0.6% | |||
| non-denominational | 5.0% | |||
| no information | 3.0% | |||
Today 4608 people live in Balzers. The proportion of foreigners is 26.9 percent. 80 percent of the population is Roman Catholic.
| year | 1584 | 1850 | 1930 | 1950 | 1975 | 1995 | 2000 | 2015 |
| Residents | 313 | 1083 | 1347 | 1756 | 3104 | 3954 | 4233 | 4608 |
coat of arms
The municipal coat of arms of Balzers was originally the "Balzner Förkle", a three-pronged pitchfork. On August 16, 1956 Prince Franz Josef II gave the community a new coat of arms. It is based on that of the Freiherrn von Frauenberg, who were lords of Gutenberg around 1300 . The coat of arms shows a golden griffin with a red tongue in the blue shield .
Attractions
- The Gutenberg Castle is the landmark of Balzers. The castle, built in the 12th century, sits enthroned on a 70 meter high rock spur that is free on all sides. After many years in private ownership, it was taken over by the State of Liechtenstein in 1979.
- The ruins of Grafenberg Castle (also popularly known as Mörderburg) are located in the Fläschs municipality , but the castle hill belongs to the Balzers municipality. Large parts of the masonry have been preserved with porthole windows and beam holes. It is believed that the castle complex was built in the 13th century.
- The parish church of St. Nicholas was consecrated in 1912 and designed by the Viennese architect Gustav von Neumann . The church at the foot of the castle hill was donated by Prince Johann II on the occasion of his 50th anniversary of the reign of the community.
- The old cemetery was used until 1966 and closed in 1997/1998. A parish church was built here between 1805 and 1807, replacing the church that was destroyed in the village fire in 1795. In 1926 the newly built parish church was demolished due to lack of space. The old church tower, which is surrounded by a park, has remained.
- The old rectory was built from 1804 to 1870 and replaced the rectory, which was destroyed in the village fire of 1795. The old rectory with the adjacent parish stable has been used as a cultural center since mid-2011.
- The time of origin of the Mariahilfkapelle is not clearly documented. Possibly it goes back to the year 1289, when a battle had been fought and the Mariahilfkapelle was built as a souvenir of the battle. Over the centuries it has been expanded and improved again and again. The chapel in the Mäls district was a popular place of pilgrimage for a long time; today it is important as a marriage band. According to a legend, the chapel was built as a thank you to the Virgin Mary : A dragon is said to have wreaked havoc in the village, and finally the residents asked Maria to drive the dragon away, which she ultimately did. A dragon head attached to the top of the chapel's tower commemorates this legend.
- The chapel of St. Peter was probably built in the 13th or 14th century. Like the Mariahilf chapel, it is located in the Mäls district and has been expanded and expanded over the centuries. A late Gothic winged altar and a Madonna enthroned from around 1415 are historically significant .
- Directly opposite the St. Peter's Chapel is a residential tower from the 13th century.
- The Gutenberg House is an educational center at the foot of Gutenberg Castle . Princess Franziska von Liechtenstein had the building built between 1854 and 1856. It was used by various religious orders a. a. used as a grammar school (until 1973).
Economy and Infrastructure
Liechtenstein itself does not have any motorways, but the Swiss A13 runs along the left bank of the Rhine. With the motorway exit in the St. Gallen municipality of Trübbach, Balzers has a motorway connection in the immediate vicinity.
The nationally important Sargans train station can be reached in around ten minutes by public bus operated by the LIECHTENSTEINmobil transport company , which means that the municipality of Balzers is also connected to the Swiss cities of Chur , St. Gallen and Zurich .
At the end of 2014 there were around 3,400 jobs in Balzers, most of which are in industry. The Oerlikon Balzers is the main employer in the community.
politics
The community leader is Hansjörg Büchel ( FBP ). The municipal council consists of ten members who have been made up as follows since the 2015 municipal elections:
- VU: 6 (± 0)
- FBP: 5 (+1)
- DU: 0 (± 0)
- FL: 0 (−1)
Personalities
- Johann Baptist Büchel (1853–1927), clergyman, teacher, politician and historian
- Xaver Frick (1913–2009), athlete and cross-country skier
- Gebhard Büchel (* 1921), decathlete
- Hans Brunhart (* 1945), head of government of Liechtenstein
- August Wolfinger (* 1940), ski racer
- Albert Frick (* 1949), ski racer
- Arthur Brunhart (* 1952), historian and politician
- Mario Frick (* 1965), Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
- Markus Foser (* 1968), ski racer
- Achim Vogt (* 1970), ski racer
- Daniel Vogt (* 1972), ski racer
- Thomas Hobi (* 1993), football player
literature
- Balzers. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein. Volume 1: Chronos-Verlag, Zurich 2013, pp. 50–63, ISBN 978-3-0340-1116-7 .
- Adulf Peter Goop , Günther Meier, Daniel Quaderer: Customs of Liechtenstein. Old customs and new manners. Alpenland-Verlag, Schaan 2005, ISBN 3-905437-09-0 .
- Franz Büchel: Municipality of Balzers. Contributions to history 842–1942. Balzers municipality, Balzers 1987.
- Mario F. Broggi (ed.): Alpenrheintal - a region under renovation. Analyzes and perspectives of spatial development (= Liechtenstein political writings. Vol. 41). Historical and local history association of the region u. a., Werdenberg u. a. 2006, ISBN 3-033-00977-8 .
- Cornelia Herrmann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. Volume 2: The Oberland (= The Art Monuments of Switzerland. Vol. 112). Society for Swiss Art History GSK, Bern 2007, ISBN 978-3-906131-85-6 .
Web links
- Website of the municipality of Balzers
- Ulrike Mayr, Paul Vogt: Balzers. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein .
- Arthur Brunhart: Balzers. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ^ Tables of population statistics. (XLS; 345 kB ) June 30, 2019. Statistical Office (AS), Principality of Liechtenstein, accessed on December 24, 2019 .
- ↑ population statistics. ( PDF ; 913 kB ) June 30, 2017. Statistical Office (AS), Principality of Liechtenstein, p. 15 , accessed on January 31, 2018 .
- ↑ z. B. Balzner weekly market ( events. On the website of the municipality of Balzers, accessed on April 18, 2019)
- ^ Latin grammar # nominative
- ^ Louis Vogt: History of the community of Balzers. On the website of the municipality of Balzers, accessed on March 31, 2019 (PDF; 2.2 MB).
- ↑ a b c Donat Büchel: Gapfahl. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein . December 31, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c Donat Büchel: Güschgle. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein . December 31, 2011 .
- ^ A b Arthur Brunhart: Guschgfiel. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein . December 31, 2011 .
- ↑ a b Donat Büchel: Matta. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein . December 31, 2011 .
- ↑ a b Donat Büchel: Zegerberg. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein . December 31, 2011 .
- ↑ Hans Jakob Falk: Guschg. In: Historical Lexicon of the Principality of Liechtenstein . December 31, 2011 .
- ↑ Georg Malin: The territory of Liechtenstein under Roman rule. 1958, p. 22.
- ↑ Balzers - Historical Lexicon. Retrieved April 15, 2020 .
- ↑ Cornelia Herrmann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. 2007, pp. 25-27.
- ↑ Cornelia Herrmann: The art monuments of the Principality of Liechtenstein. 2007, pp. 27-28.
- ↑ a b Tables 2015 Census - Population Structure Volume 1. (EXCEL) Retrieved on August 29, 2019 .
- ↑ LIEmobil. Accessed April 30, 2013.
- ↑ Employment statistics on December 31, 2014. Statistics Office (AS), Principality of Liechtenstein, p. 56, accessed on March 27, 2016 ( PDF ; 809 kB )
- ↑ Municipal elections 2015 - Balzers Accessed December 7, 2015.
