Muotathal

This article deals with the political community of Muotathal , for the valley itself see Muotatal .

Muotathal
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Schwyz (SZ)
District :	Schwyz
BFS no. :	1367
Postal code :	6436
UN / LOCODE :	CH MTH
Coordinates :	700 393  /  203470 coordinates: 46 ° 58 '29 "  N , 8 ° 45' 29"  O ; CH1903:  seven hundred thousand three hundred ninety-three  /  203470
Height :	610  m above sea level M.
Height range :	531–2800 m above sea level M.
Area :	172.14  km²
Residents:	3527 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	20 inhabitants per km²
Proportion of foreigners : (residents without citizenship )	4.8% (December 31, 2,015)
Website:	www.muotathal.ch
Muotathal, view from the large belt
Location of the municipality

Muotathal is a municipality in the district of Schwyz in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland .

Surname

The place is named after the valley Muotatal , which in turn takes its name from the river Muota . For the origin of the name, see there.

geography

Historic aerial photo by Werner Friedli from 1958

The community is located at an altitude of 610  m above sea level. M. and forms the south-eastern part of the canton Schwyz, borders in the south on the canton Uri and in the east on the canton Glarus . With 172 km², Muotathal is one of the ten largest municipalities in Switzerland in terms of area and is almost as large as the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden . Muotathal consists of the villages Muotathal, Hinterthal , Bisisthal and Ried .

The greatest length, Klingentobel – Eggstock, is 29 km and the greatest width, Glatten – Fläschenspitz, 16 km.

One of the longest caves in the world is located in the municipality: The Hölloch has a total length of over 200 km (as of 2013) and is located in the Silberen karst area .

History of the valley Muotatal with the place Muotathal

A conquest of the Muota valley by the Alemanni probably took place in the 8th or 9th century. Archaeological traces show temporary settlements from the 10th century. These alpine settlements had neighborly connections to Uri and Glarus. The Ahaburg were inhabited in the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1235 pious men and women settled on the banks of the Muota. The Minoritinnen-Koster Muotathal was founded in 1288. In 1530 the monastery died out and was revived in 1590. Due to the risk of flooding, the monastery complex had to be rebuilt in 1684. The monastery had its heyday in the 18th century. The first parish church was probably built in the 9th century, and there is certainly evidence of a church in 1369. The church was demolished in 1786 and replaced by today's late baroque parish church of St. Sigmund and Waldburga.

From April 1799 French troops were repeatedly in the valley, which were fought by Muotathalers, Glarnern, (Austrian-) imperial and irregulars. The supply of thousands of soldiers in the valley led to a lack of food and misery. Finally, on October 1st, 1799, a battle between parts of General Suvorov's army and a French troop took place near Muothathal . The brigade of Nicolas Bernard Guiot de Lacour was encircled and, with a strength of 1,500 men, was taken prisoner, while other French troops lost their lives in large numbers in the Muota gorge near today's Suvorov Bridge.

For centuries the valley could only be reached via mule tracks. The first road was built in 1865 to Schwyz. The valley has been connected to local public transport since 1922. On August 27, 1938, an aircraft accident occurred at the Muotathaler Heuberge in which four of five aircraft in a formation of fighter planes of the Swiss Air Force crashed into the Heuberge in the Muotathal. There were seven dead.

Customs and culture

There is an annual cheese and alpine market in the village of Muotathal . The Muotathal Theater mainly plays folk plays in the Muotathal dialect from mid-October to early December. In 1974 the team from Muotathal won the international final in the Game Without Borders for Switzerland in Leiden . Muotathal is the place where the Muotathaler Wetterschmöcker was founded .

music

Muotathal is a stronghold of traditional country music , the concert style of Central Switzerland. Franz Schmidig senior (1917–2008) in particular developed a style as an accordionist that is still widespread today. An interpreter of South American folk music lives in Muotathal with the Argentinian Domingo Rey .

From 2001 to 2011 the Mountains of Death Open Air took place every year at the end of August , which was known in the death metal scene beyond the Swiss borders.

population

Population development
year	Residents
1850	1680
1900	2220
1950	2475
1980	2896
1999	3578
2010	3561

Muotathal has 3485 inhabitants. 3180 people (91.2%) are members of the Roman Catholic Church (status: end of 2015).

41% of the working population works in trade and industry, a third (33%) in the service sector and 26% in agriculture and forestry (as of 2010).

economy

Today the community no longer lives only from agriculture, various wood processing companies have also settled, as well as tourism and other services.

School system

In 1798 60 children attended school, 30 in the Sigristenhaus, 20 in the Kaplanenhaus Ried, 10 in the convent. In 1820 the first schoolhouse was built in Wil. In 1849 school attendance became compulsory. In the same year the girls' school was placed in the convent. In 1880 the second schoolhouse was built in Wil ( "old schoolhouse" ). In 1896 the chaplain's house in Bisisthal followed with a classroom and in 1899 the schoolhouse in Ried.

In 1954 the girls' school Sankt Josef was built. In 1962 the second school building was built in the Ried. In 1972 the Muota school complex was built. This school complex was opened in 1973 and, in addition to the school building, consists of a gym, swimming pool and outdoor sports facility. In 1974 the school in Bisisthal was closed.

In 1993 the third school building was built in the Ried. In 1993 the multi-purpose facility Stumpenmatt was built and in 1994 the upper school building.

Sports

Muotathal is a Swiss handball stronghold . The most famous club in the area is the handball team of the KTV Muotathal . In the 2006/2007 season she was promoted back to the National League (second highest league in Switzerland) after a year in the 1st league (third highest league in Switzerland). In addition, the Muotathal wrestling club has produced well-known wrestlers who were among the best in the country in traditional Swiss sports. The village has a football club (3rd division) and a floorball team (highest amateur small field division).

photos

See also : List of cultural assets in Muotathal

The baroque parish church St. Sigismund and St. Waldburga is worth seeing.

• 

  Muota

• 

  Aviator memorial

• 

  Village parts Wil and Schachen

• 

  Parish church of Muotathal

• 

  The convent

• 

  Muotathal, historical aerial photo from 1928, taken from an altitude of 2,300 meters by Walter Mittelholzer

literature

• Linus Birchler : The art monuments of the canton Schwyz, Volume II: The districts Gersau, Küssnacht and Schwyz. Art historical overview. (= Swiss art monuments. Volume 2). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1930.

Web links

Commons : Muotathal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Erwin Horat: Muotathal. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Official website of the municipality of Muotathal

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated May 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Muothatal on the website of the canton of Schwyz. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved March 3, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ The Ahaburg in Muotathal SZ , News of the Swiss Castle Association Volume (year): 32 (1959)
5. ^ The Franciscan convent of St. Josef in Muotathal. Retrieved August 24, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Erwin Horat: Muotathal. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . November 26, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2018 .
7. ↑ MOUNTAINS OF DEATH 2011: An indomitable festival in the Swiss Alpine foothills Interview from June 6th 2011 at vampster.com about the 11th and last MOD
8. ^ Parishes in the canton of Schwyz. Retrieved March 3, 2016 . 
9. ↑ Muotathal community - facts and figures. Retrieved March 3, 2016 . 
10. ↑ Parish Church of St. Sigismund and St. Waldburga
11. ^ Hans Ruedi Weber, Isabelle Rucki: Muotathal. Parish Church of St. Sigismund and Walburga. (Swiss Art Guide, No. 225). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1977, ISBN 978-3-85782-225-4 .