Bargen, Schaffhausen

Bargen
Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Bargen
Bargen Show map of Switzerland Bargen Show map of Canton of Schaffhausen
Coordinates: 47°47′N8°36′E / 47.783°N 8.600°E / 47.783; 8.600
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Schaffhausen
District	n.a.
Government
•  Mayor	Erich Graf (as of 2012)
Area [1]
• Total	8.27 km2 (3.19 sq mi)
Elevation	605 m (1,985 ft)
Population  (31 December 2018) [2]
• Total	313
• Density	38/km2 (98/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)	8233
SFOS number	2931
Localities	Oberbargen
Surrounded by	Blumberg (DE-BW), Merishausen, Tengen (DE-BW)
Website	bargen.ch Profile (in German), SFSO statistics

Bargen is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. The northernmost point of the country is situated in the municipality, at Oberbargen.

History

Bargen is first mentioned in 884 as Paragen. ^[3]

Geography

View of the countryside around Bargen

Aerial view (1964)

Bargen has an area, as of 2006 ^[update] , of 8.3 km² (3.2 sq mi). Of this area, 29.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 65.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). ^[4]

The municipality is located in the Schaffhausen district. It is a farming village on the northernmost point of Switzerland. The municipality includes a notable protected natural area, Tannbüehl, which is known for its over 20 varieties of orchids.

Demographics

Bargen has a population (as of 2008 ^[update] ) of 249, of which 12.4% are foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (as of 2008 ^[update] ), 60% are from Germany, 22.9% are from Italy, 11.4% are from Croatia, and 5.7% are from another country. ^[5] Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -2.1%. Most of the population (as of 2000 ^[update] ) speaks German (96.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 1.6%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 1.2%). There is also a small but significant population of Poles. (0.23) ^[4]

The age distribution of the population (as of 2008 ^[update] ) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 21.3%.

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 65.2% of the vote. The next two most popular parties were the SP (23.7%), and the FDP (11.2%) . ^[4]

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bargen about 73.6% 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] In Bargen, as of 2007 ^[update] , 3.86% of the population is attending kindergarten or another pre-school, 8.58% are attending a Primary School, 3.86% attend a lower level Secondary School, and 2.58% attend a higher level Secondary School. ^[5]

As of 2000 ^[update] , 20.6% of the population belonged to the Roman Catholic Church and 61.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church in Bargen. ^[5]

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

year	population
1850	327
1900	226
1950	203
2000	248

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Or a Plumb Sable topped with a Hat of the same trimmed Argent feathered Vert, Gules and of the first. ^[6]

Industry

Bargen has an unemployment rate of 1.15%. As of 2005 ^[update] , there were 22 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 9 businesses involved in this sector. 5 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 68 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 11 businesses in this sector. ^[4]

As of 2008 ^[update] the mid year average unemployment rate was 1.8%. There were 12 non-agrarian businesses in the municipality and 5.1% of the (non-agrarian) population was involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 94.9% were involved in the third. At the same time, 71.2% of the working population was employed full-time, and 28.8% was employed part-time. There were 59 residents of the municipality were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 54.2% of the workforce. As of 2000 ^[update] there were 42 residents who worked in the municipality, while 83 residents worked outside Bargen and 26 people commuted into the municipality for work. ^[5]

As of 2008 ^[update] , there are 2 restaurants, and 1 hotel with 10 beds. The hospitality industry in Bargen employs 6 people. ^[5]

Transportation

The A4 expressway passes through Bargen and enters into Germany after a customs facility.

Places of interest

The "Tannbuel" is one of the most important and well-known conservation lands of the Randen mountains. Hundreds of nature friends visit the area every year, in order to experience the "Frauenschueli"-orchid flush in May and June . The "Tannbuel" is one of the most interesting locations of our region and offers more than "Frauenschueli".

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. Bargen in German , French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland .
4. Swiss Federal Statistical Office Archived 5 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 3 December 2009
5. Statistical Office of the Canton of Schaffhausen (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2009
6. Flags of the World.com Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 3 December 2009

External links

• Official site (in German)
• Bargen (SH) in German , French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland .
• The Tannbuel Conservation Land (in English)