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Canton of Lucerne

The canton of Lucerne (German: Kanton Luzern [ˈkantɔn luˈtsɛrn] Romansh: Chantun Lucerna French: Canton de Lucerne Italian: Canton Lucerna) is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2020) is 416,347.[2] As of 2007, the population included 57,268 foreigners, or about 15.8% of the total population.[3] The cantonal capital is Lucerne.

Canton of Lucerne
Kanton Luzern (German)
Location in Switzerland
Map of Lucerne

Coordinates: 47°5′N 8°7′E / 47.083°N 8.117°E / 47.083; 8.117Coordinates: 47°5′N 8°7′E / 47.083°N 8.117°E / 47.083; 8.117
CapitalLucerne
Subdivisions80 municipalities
Government
 • ExecutiveRegierungsrat (5)
 • LegislativeKantonsrat (120)
Area
 • Total1,493.51 km2 (576.65 sq mi)
Population
 (December 2020)[2]
 • Total416,347
 • Density280/km2 (720/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeCH-LU
Highest point2,350 m (7,710 ft): Brienzer Rothorn
Lowest point406 m (1,332 ft): Reuss plain at Honauer Schachen
Joined1332
LanguagesGerman
Websitewww.lu.ch

History

The canton of Lucerne comprises territories acquired by its capital Lucerne, either by treaty, armed occupation or purchase. The first town acquired was Weggis (in 1380), Rothenburg, Kriens, Horw, Sempach and Hochdorf (all in 1394), Wolhusen and Entlebuch (1405), the so-called "Habsburger region" to the northeast of the town of Lucerne (1406), Willisau (1407), Sursee and Beromünster (1415), Malters (1477) and Littau (1481), while in 1803, in exchange for Hitzkirch, Merenschwand (held since 1397) was given up.[4]

Prehistory

 
Reconstruction of several stilt houses at Wauwilermoos

The oldest traces of humans in the Lucerne area are stone artifacts and cave bear bones found in the Steigelfadbalm cave on Mt. Rigi from the Middle Paleolithic or about 30,000 BC. Other animal bones including mammoth, reindeer and giant deer from the local glacial maximum have also been found in the canton. Around 17,000 BC the glaciers disappeared from the Swiss plateau and recolonization is likely at that time.

The first Paleolithic and Mesolithic settlement discovered in the canton is in the Wauwilermoos, which is now a Swiss heritage site of national significance.[5] A number of other settlements have since been found, mainly on sandy, dry elevations in the immediate vicinity of water. The settlements of Egolzwil 3 in Wauwilermoos in Egolzwil, Seematte at Hitzkirch and Halbinsel in Sursee are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[6]

The Wauwilermoos houses had wooden or bark floors and hearths of clay. The villages had ceramic vessels and wood, bone, antler, stone and flint tools as well as textiles. Copper ax blades and knives provide the first evidence of metal use in Switzerland. Imported mollusks show that there were trade connections to the Mediterranean. The bones at Egolzwil 3 are over two thirds from domestic animals with the remainder from wild animals. The main domesticated animals were sheep, goats and pigs with only a few domestic cattle. The animals hunted included deer, roe deer, wild boar and elk.[7]

During the Bronze Age the canton was quite settled. There were a number of settlements on the shores of Lake Sempach and Lake Baldegg along with hilltop settlements, graves and scattered items throughout the area. At Hochdorf-Baldegg a fenced village from the early Bronze Age (2200–1500 BC) was uncovered. The single-story houses all had clay or stone hearths. During the Middle Bronze Age (1550–1350 BC) most of the villages were not located directly on the lake shores. The Late Bronze Age settlement at Sursee-Zellmoos on Lake Sempach featured houses arranged in rows with mortared stone. The walls were timber lined with clay. Another Late Bronze Age settlement near the village of Schötz was densely populated between 1350 and 800 BC.

While numerous individual Iron Age items have been found, almost no settlements have been discovered. From the Hallstatt period (800–480 BC) mainly graves have been discovered. Very little is known about the La Tène period (480–30 BC) in Lucerne. Some iron tools, gold coins, ceramic vessels and a glass bangle as well as a burial ground with at least four graves have been found.

During the Roman era, the canton was once again thickly settled. A number of farms were built in the north–south running valleys (Wigger, Suhre, Wyna and See valleys). During the 1st century AD, the farms provided food for the Legion camp in Vindonissa and for the larger settlements located in the Swiss plateau.

Towards the end of the 1st century there was a vicus at Sursee. The remains of houses show that there were a number of small shops and manufacturing buildings in the town. The west bank of the Suhre was fortified with a stone slip and may have served as a ship or raft berth. Imports from various regions of the Roman Empire (southern Spain, southern Italy, Lipari, southern and eastern Gaul and the Germanic areas) provide evidence of extensive trade relations. Sursee was likely a freight hub for trade with the entire Alpine region.[7]

Early middle ages

 
Ruins of an early medieval church at Sursee

Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the canton of Lucerne was settled by the Alamanni, who generally settled away from the Roman settlements. Some exceptions include a Roman manor at Büron and the Roman town of Sursee. An Alamannic grave field was found at Aesch with 61 graves with wooden coffins from before the 7th century before. In the women's graves there were necklaces with glass and amber beads, while swords were found in the men's graves. Belt buckles and small iron knives were found in the graves of both sexes. A few items from the southern Alpine region, southern Germany and Burgundy indicate that trade continued.

Two early medieval stone grave vaults, both of which were used for multiple burials, were found in the church of Altishofen. In the treasury of Beromünster Abbey there is a 7th-century ornate reliquary of gilded copper plates, which probably came from northern Italy.[7]

Foundation of Lucerne city

Lucerne grew up around a Benedictine monastery, founded about 750 on the right bank of the Reuss by Murbach Abbey in Alsace, of which it long remained a "cell". It is first mentioned in a charter of 840 under the name of Luciaria, which is probably derived from the patron saint of the monastery, St Leodegar. The name Lucerrun is first mentioned in 1252. At some point, a small village grew up around the monastery. The first signs of a municipal constitution appear in 1252.

With the growing power of the Habsburgs in the area the ties that bound Lucerne to Murbach weakened. In 1291 the Habsburgs finally purchased Lucerne from Murbach. The purchase of Lucerne by the Habsburgs drove the three forest cantons (Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden) to form an Eternal Alliance, an act that is considered to be the foundation of Switzerland. In 1332 Lucerne became the fourth member of the Eidgenossen or Swiss Confederation, and the first town to join the rural forest cantons.

 
The Battle of Sempach solidified Lucerne's place in the Swiss Confederation
 
Amstaldenhandel, an event in the history of the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland

The Battle of Sempach (1386) near Sempach (which while allied wouldn't become part of the canton for 8 more years) drove the Habsburgs out of the region and strengthened the Confederation. That victory led also to the gradual acquisition of territory ruled by and from the town.

Amstalden, a wealthy innkeeper Schüpfheim in the Entlebuch valley of the canton of Lucerne, was the leader of a planned rebellion of the valley against the city of Lucerne. In a plot to limit the power of the city, officials from the neighbouring canton of Obwalden had promised their support. The conspiracy was detected before they could stage the planned coup. On 24 August 1478, Amstalden was arrested, tortured and interrogated, and finally beheaded in November 1478.

The incident furthered the distrust amongst rural and urban cantons in the Old Swiss Confederacy and was one of the reasons for the conclusion of the Stanser Verkommnis (Treaty of Stans) in 1481, an important coalition treaty of the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy

During the Reformation Lucerne remained attached to Roman Catholicism, of which ever since it has been the great stronghold in Switzerland. The papal nuncio resided here from 1601 to 1873. In the 16th century, during the early modern age, the town government fell into the hands of an aristocratic oligarchy, whose power, though shaken by the Swiss peasant war of 1653 in the Entlebuch, lasted until 1798. Under the French-supported Helvetic republic (1798–1803) Lucerne was the seat of the central government. When the republic collapsed, under the Act of Mediation (1803) it was one of the six "Directorial" cantons and during the Restoration (from 1815 to 1848) it was one of the three ruling cantons.

The patrician government was swept away by the cantonal constitution of 1831. But in 1841 the Conservatives regained power. They quickly recalled the Jesuits, who had been expelled by earlier radical governments, to head the cantonal school system. The riots that followed brought about the Sonderbund War (1847) in which the Conservatives were defeated, the decisive battle taking place at Gisikon, not far from Lucerne.[8]

Geography

The canton of Lucerne is part of Central Switzerland. The lands of the canton lie on the northern foothills of the Swiss Alps (Urner Alps). The highest elevation of the canton of Lucerne is at the Brienzer Rothorn at 2,350 m (7,710 ft). It borders the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden to the south, Schwyz and Zug to the east, Aargau to the north, and Berne to the west. Its territory corresponds to the subject territories acquired by the city of Lucerne during the 14th and 15th centuries, including: Lucerne proper at the outflow of the Reuss river from Lake Lucerne; the stretch of the Reuss river between Lucerne and Honau, along Rooterberg hill (connecting to Lake Zug with the territory of Meierskappel municipality); the Kleine Emme basin (including its tributaries Entle and Rümlig); the tributaries of the Aare between Napf and Lindenberg, including (west to east) Wigger, Suhre (Lake Sempach), Wyna, Aabach (Lake Hallwil, Lake Baldegg); two territories connected only by water, across Lake Lucerne: the northern slope of Bürgenstock (part of Lucerne municipality), and the municipalities of Greppen, Weggis and Vitznau on the western and south-western slopes of Mount Rigi.

The area of the canton is 1,493 km2 (576 sq mi). 817.7 km2 (315.7 sq mi), about 55% of the total land area, is used for agriculture. An additional 449.0 km2 (173.4 sq mi) (about 30%) of the canton is wooded. The remainder of the canton is either developed, 125.3 km2 (48.4 sq mi) (8.4%), or unproductive (lakes, rivers or mountains), 101.5 km2 (39.2 sq mi) (6.8%).[9]

Political subdivisions

 
Districts and municipalities (as of 2013)

The Canton is divided into six districts (Wahlkreise): Entlebuch, Hochdorf, Luzern-Land, Luzern-Stadt, Sursee, Willisau.

Before 2007, the districts were called Ämter. There were five districts until 2013, when Luzern District was divided into Luzern-Land and Luzern-Stadt, the latter corresponding to the city of Lucerne proper (including Littau, incorporated into Lucerne in 2010).

There are 83 municipalities in the canton (As of 2016).[10]

Politics

Cantonal politics and government

The Constitution of Lucerne of 2007 entered into force on 1 January 2008, replacing the 1875 constitution.

With the new constitution, the legislative body Grosser Rat (Grand Council) was renamed to Kantonsrat (Cantonal Council). It is composed of 120 members elected by proportional representation.

The executive body is the Regierungsrat (Government Council), composed of 5 members.

The Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP) is traditionally the largest party, having won 38 seats in the Cantonal Council as of the 2015 elections, and having two out of five members in the Government Council as of 2016.

Federal election results

Percentage of the total vote per party in the canton in the Federal Elections 1971-2015[11]
Party Ideology 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
FDP.The Liberalsa Classical liberalism 30.0 29.1 31.7 28.6 29.8 27.9 25.5 22.6 23.1 21.8 18.4 18.5
CVP/PDC/PPD/PCD Christian democracy 48.8 50.1 50.4 49.6 47.0 48.6 37.3 33.8 29.5 30.2 27.1 23.9
SP/PS Social democracy 12.4 13.4 12.5 11.8 9.0 11.0 11.7 10.0 11.1 11.5 11.5 13.6
SVP/UDC Swiss nationalism * b * * * * * 14.1 22.8 22.9 25.3 25.1 28.5
Ring of Independents Social liberalism 8.7 5.3 * * * * * * * * * *
EVP/PEV Christian democracy * * * * * * * * 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.6
CSP/PCS Christian socialism * * * * * * * 0.5 * * * *
GLP/PVL Green liberalism * * * * * * * * * * 6.1 5.8
BDP/PBD Conservatism * * * * * * * * * * 2.1 1.4
POCH Communism * 1.8 5.1 8.4 c * * * * * * *
GPS/PES Green politics * * * * * 9.3 8.1 8.0 9.8 9.5 8.3 7.1
FGA Feminism * * * * 8.7 d 0.8 * * * * *
SD/DS National conservatism * * * 1.3 1.4 2.8 2.2 0.8 0.4 * 0.2 0.1
FPS/PSL Right-wing populism * * * * 3.4 * * 0.3 * * * *
Other * 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.4 1.1 2.5 1.0 0.5 0.7
Voter participation % 66.3 63.9 59.2 60.5 54.3 50.5 49.4 52.9 50.9 53.0 50.9 50.9
^a FDP before 2009, FDP.The Liberals after 2009
^b "*" indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton.
^c Part of a coalition with the FGA
^d Part of a coalition with the Green Party

Demographics

Largest groups of foreign residents 2013[12]
Nationality Numbers % of total
(% of foreigners)
  Germany 14,093 3.6 (20.0)
  Italy 7,147 1.8 (10.1)
  Portugal 7,063 1.8 (10.0)
  Kosovo 6,641 1.7 (9.4)
  Serbia 5,986 1.5 (8.5)
  Republic of Macedonia 2,299 0.6 (3.3)
  Croatia 2,203 0.6 (3.1)
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2,137 0.5 (3.0)
  Spain 2,037 0.5 (2.9)
  Turkey 1,624 0.4 (2.3)
  Austria 1,567 0.4 (2.2)
  Sri Lanka 1,477 0.4 (2.1)

Lucerne has a population (as of December 2020) of 416,347.[2] As of 2013, 18.1% of the population are resident foreign nationals, of which 15.5% are from Europe, 1.4% from Asia, 0.7% from Africa, and 0.5% from America.[12] Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of −0.4%. Migration accounted for −1.2%, while births and deaths accounted for 1.3%.[13]

Most of the population (as of 2010) speaks German (91%) as their first language, while Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Albanian and English are the second most common languages (3%), followed by Portuguese and French with 2% each, and Spanish with 1%.[14]

Of the population in the canton, 115,233 or about 32.9% were born in Lucerne and lived there in 2000. There were 101,980 or 29.1% who were born in the same canton, while 66,486 or 19.0% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 55,314 or 15.8% were born outside of Switzerland.[15] As of 2000, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.4%.[13]

As of 2000, there were 158,345 people who were single and never married in the canton. There were 159,152 married individuals, 18,853 widows or widowers and 14,154 individuals who are divorced.[15]

As of 2000, there were 13,430 private households in the canton, and an average of 2.5 persons per household.[13] There were 47,012 households that consist of only one person and 12,952 households with five or more people. As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 4.7 new units per 1000 residents.[13]

As of 2003 the average price to rent an average apartment in Lucerne city was 1150.31 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$920, £520, €740 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 646.07 CHF (US$520, £290, €410), a two-room apartment was about 879.64 CHF (US$700, £400, €560), a three-room apartment was about 1033.60 CHF (US$830, £470, €660) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2032.38 CHF (US$1630, £910, €1300). The average apartment price in Lucerne was 103.1% of the national average of 1116 CHF.[16] The vacancy rate for the canton, in 2010, was 0.77%.[13]

The largest population centres are Lucerne, Emmen and Kriens.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following chart:[7]

Economy

 
Lucerne area and Lake Lucerne from Pilatus

Much of the land in the canton is used for agriculture. Agriculture is the most significant source of income, but industry is also developed. The most important agricultural products are crops, fruit and cattle breeding. Industry concentrates on textiles, machinery, paper, wood, tobacco and metallurgical goods.

Tourism is of great importance. The canton of Lucerne is a gateway to holiday resorts in the nearby Alps, and much of the transit traffic between Germany and Italy crosses the region.

As of  2010, Luzern had an unemployment rate of 1.4%. As of 2008, there were 1,764 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 703 businesses involved in this sector. 5,388 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 324 businesses in this sector. 9,431 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 1,113 businesses in this sector.[13]

In 2008 the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 160,133. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 9,608, of which 9,462 were in agriculture, 119 were in forestry or lumber production and 27 were in fishing or fisheries. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 48,191 of which 31,698 or (65.8%) were in manufacturing, 142 or (0.3%) were in mining and 14,990 (31.1%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 102,334. In the tertiary sector; 25,105 or 24.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 8,182 or 8.0% were in the movement and storage of goods, 8,146 or 8.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 3,835 or 3.7% were in the information industry, 7,000 or 6.8% were the insurance or financial industry, 10,979 or 10.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 8,111 or 7.9% were in education and 15,924 or 15.6% were in health care.[17]

Of the working population, 12.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 48.5% used a private car.[13]

Religion

From the 2000 census, 248,545 or 70.9% were Roman Catholic, while 39,426 or 11.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 7,801 members of an Orthodox church (or 2.23% of the population), there were 471 individuals (or 0.13% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 7,564 individuals (or 2.16% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 399 individuals (or 0.11% of the population) who were Jewish, and 13,227 (or 3.77% of the population) who were Islamic. There were 875 individuals who were Buddhist, 1,715 individuals who were Hindu and 293 individuals who belonged to another church. 20,681 (or 5.90% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 13,007 individuals (or 3.71% of the population) did not answer the question.[15]

Education

In Luzern about 127,331 or (36.3%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 42,391 or (12.1%) have completed additional higher education (either universities or a Fachhochschule). Of the 42,391 who completed tertiary schooling, 65.0% were Swiss men, 23.6% were Swiss women, 7.0% were non-Swiss men and 4.4% were non-Swiss women.[15]

Institutions of higher education include the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences which also has campuses in Lucerne and Horw.

Notes and references

  1. ^ Arealstatistik Land Cover - Kantone und Grossregionen nach 6 Hauptbereichen accessed 27 October 2017
  2. ^ a b c "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  3. ^ Federal Department of Statistics (2008). . Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel) on 15 December 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  4. ^ Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Lucerne (canton)" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 96–97, see final lines. ...while in 1803, in exchange for Hitzkirch, Merenschwand (held since 1397) was given up
  5. ^ . KGS Inventar (in German). Federal Office of Civil Protection. 2009. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  6. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Site – Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps
  7. ^ a b c d e Lucerne in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  8. ^ Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Lucerne (town)" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 97; four lines from the end. ...and so brought about the Sonderbund War (1847) in which they were defeated, the decisive battle taking place at Gisikon, not far from Lucerne
  9. ^ Federal Department of Statistics (2008). . Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel) on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009.(in German)
  10. ^ "Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz". Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  11. ^ (Report). Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 2015. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Ausländische Personen nach Nationalität und Status Ende 2013 – Kanton Luzern". lustat.ch (Database excerpt) (in German). lustat – Statistik Luzern, Kanton Luzern. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Swiss Federal Statistical Office 15 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 January 2012
  14. ^ "Wohnbevölkerung nach Hauptsprachen seit 2010 – Kanton Luzern". lustat.ch (Database excerpt) (in German). lustat – Statistik Luzern, Kanton Luzern. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  15. ^ a b c d STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 – 2000 9 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2011
  16. ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Rental prices 23 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine 2003 data (in German). Retrieved 26 May 2010
  17. ^ Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB Betriebszählung: Arbeitsstätten nach Gemeinde und NOGA 2008 (Abschnitte), Sektoren 1–3 25 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine (in German). Retrieved 28 January 2011

External links

canton, lucerne, canton, lucerne, german, kanton, luzern, ˈkantɔn, luˈtsɛrn, romansh, chantun, lucerna, french, canton, lucerne, italian, canton, lucerna, canton, switzerland, located, centre, switzerland, population, canton, december, 2020, 2007, update, popu. The canton of Lucerne German Kanton Luzern ˈkantɔn luˈtsɛrn Romansh Chantun Lucerna French Canton de Lucerne Italian Canton Lucerna is a canton of Switzerland It is located in the centre of Switzerland The population of the canton as of 31 December 2020 is 416 347 2 As of 2007 update the population included 57 268 foreigners or about 15 8 of the total population 3 The cantonal capital is Lucerne Canton of Lucerne Kanton Luzern German CantonFlagCoat of armsLocation in Switzerland Map of LucerneCoordinates 47 5 N 8 7 E 47 083 N 8 117 E 47 083 8 117 Coordinates 47 5 N 8 7 E 47 083 N 8 117 E 47 083 8 117CapitalLucerneSubdivisions80 municipalitiesGovernment ExecutiveRegierungsrat 5 LegislativeKantonsrat 120 Area 1 Total1 493 51 km2 576 65 sq mi Population December 2020 2 Total416 347 Density280 km2 720 sq mi ISO 3166 codeCH LUHighest point2 350 m 7 710 ft Brienzer RothornLowest point406 m 1 332 ft Reuss plain at Honauer SchachenJoined1332LanguagesGermanWebsitewww wbr lu wbr ch Contents 1 History 1 1 Prehistory 1 2 Early middle ages 1 3 Foundation of Lucerne city 2 Geography 3 Political subdivisions 4 Politics 4 1 Cantonal politics and government 4 2 Federal election results 5 Demographics 5 1 Historic population 6 Economy 7 Religion 8 Education 9 Notes and references 10 External linksHistory EditThe canton of Lucerne comprises territories acquired by its capital Lucerne either by treaty armed occupation or purchase The first town acquired was Weggis in 1380 Rothenburg Kriens Horw Sempach and Hochdorf all in 1394 Wolhusen and Entlebuch 1405 the so called Habsburger region to the northeast of the town of Lucerne 1406 Willisau 1407 Sursee and Beromunster 1415 Malters 1477 and Littau 1481 while in 1803 in exchange for Hitzkirch Merenschwand held since 1397 was given up 4 Prehistory Edit Reconstruction of several stilt houses at Wauwilermoos The oldest traces of humans in the Lucerne area are stone artifacts and cave bear bones found in the Steigelfadbalm cave on Mt Rigi from the Middle Paleolithic or about 30 000 BC Other animal bones including mammoth reindeer and giant deer from the local glacial maximum have also been found in the canton Around 17 000 BC the glaciers disappeared from the Swiss plateau and recolonization is likely at that time The first Paleolithic and Mesolithic settlement discovered in the canton is in the Wauwilermoos which is now a Swiss heritage site of national significance 5 A number of other settlements have since been found mainly on sandy dry elevations in the immediate vicinity of water The settlements of Egolzwil 3 in Wauwilermoos in Egolzwil Seematte at Hitzkirch and Halbinsel in Sursee are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a UNESCO World Heritage Site 6 The Wauwilermoos houses had wooden or bark floors and hearths of clay The villages had ceramic vessels and wood bone antler stone and flint tools as well as textiles Copper ax blades and knives provide the first evidence of metal use in Switzerland Imported mollusks show that there were trade connections to the Mediterranean The bones at Egolzwil 3 are over two thirds from domestic animals with the remainder from wild animals The main domesticated animals were sheep goats and pigs with only a few domestic cattle The animals hunted included deer roe deer wild boar and elk 7 During the Bronze Age the canton was quite settled There were a number of settlements on the shores of Lake Sempach and Lake Baldegg along with hilltop settlements graves and scattered items throughout the area At Hochdorf Baldegg a fenced village from the early Bronze Age 2200 1500 BC was uncovered The single story houses all had clay or stone hearths During the Middle Bronze Age 1550 1350 BC most of the villages were not located directly on the lake shores The Late Bronze Age settlement at Sursee Zellmoos on Lake Sempach featured houses arranged in rows with mortared stone The walls were timber lined with clay Another Late Bronze Age settlement near the village of Schotz was densely populated between 1350 and 800 BC While numerous individual Iron Age items have been found almost no settlements have been discovered From the Hallstatt period 800 480 BC mainly graves have been discovered Very little is known about the La Tene period 480 30 BC in Lucerne Some iron tools gold coins ceramic vessels and a glass bangle as well as a burial ground with at least four graves have been found During the Roman era the canton was once again thickly settled A number of farms were built in the north south running valleys Wigger Suhre Wyna and See valleys During the 1st century AD the farms provided food for the Legion camp in Vindonissa and for the larger settlements located in the Swiss plateau Towards the end of the 1st century there was a vicus at Sursee The remains of houses show that there were a number of small shops and manufacturing buildings in the town The west bank of the Suhre was fortified with a stone slip and may have served as a ship or raft berth Imports from various regions of the Roman Empire southern Spain southern Italy Lipari southern and eastern Gaul and the Germanic areas provide evidence of extensive trade relations Sursee was likely a freight hub for trade with the entire Alpine region 7 Early middle ages Edit Ruins of an early medieval church at Sursee Following the collapse of the Roman Empire the canton of Lucerne was settled by the Alamanni who generally settled away from the Roman settlements Some exceptions include a Roman manor at Buron and the Roman town of Sursee An Alamannic grave field was found at Aesch with 61 graves with wooden coffins from before the 7th century before In the women s graves there were necklaces with glass and amber beads while swords were found in the men s graves Belt buckles and small iron knives were found in the graves of both sexes A few items from the southern Alpine region southern Germany and Burgundy indicate that trade continued Two early medieval stone grave vaults both of which were used for multiple burials were found in the church of Altishofen In the treasury of Beromunster Abbey there is a 7th century ornate reliquary of gilded copper plates which probably came from northern Italy 7 Foundation of Lucerne city Edit Lucerne grew up around a Benedictine monastery founded about 750 on the right bank of the Reuss by Murbach Abbey in Alsace of which it long remained a cell It is first mentioned in a charter of 840 under the name of Luciaria which is probably derived from the patron saint of the monastery St Leodegar The name Lucerrun is first mentioned in 1252 At some point a small village grew up around the monastery The first signs of a municipal constitution appear in 1252 With the growing power of the Habsburgs in the area the ties that bound Lucerne to Murbach weakened In 1291 the Habsburgs finally purchased Lucerne from Murbach The purchase of Lucerne by the Habsburgs drove the three forest cantons Uri Schwyz and Unterwalden to form an Eternal Alliance an act that is considered to be the foundation of Switzerland In 1332 Lucerne became the fourth member of the Eidgenossen or Swiss Confederation and the first town to join the rural forest cantons The Battle of Sempach solidified Lucerne s place in the Swiss Confederation Amstaldenhandel an event in the history of the canton of Lucerne Switzerland The Battle of Sempach 1386 near Sempach which while allied wouldn t become part of the canton for 8 more years drove the Habsburgs out of the region and strengthened the Confederation That victory led also to the gradual acquisition of territory ruled by and from the town Amstalden a wealthy innkeeper Schupfheim in the Entlebuch valley of the canton of Lucerne was the leader of a planned rebellion of the valley against the city of Lucerne In a plot to limit the power of the city officials from the neighbouring canton of Obwalden had promised their support The conspiracy was detected before they could stage the planned coup On 24 August 1478 Amstalden was arrested tortured and interrogated and finally beheaded in November 1478 The incident furthered the distrust amongst rural and urban cantons in the Old Swiss Confederacy and was one of the reasons for the conclusion of the Stanser Verkommnis Treaty of Stans in 1481 an important coalition treaty of the cantons of the Old Swiss ConfederacyDuring the Reformation Lucerne remained attached to Roman Catholicism of which ever since it has been the great stronghold in Switzerland The papal nuncio resided here from 1601 to 1873 In the 16th century during the early modern age the town government fell into the hands of an aristocratic oligarchy whose power though shaken by the Swiss peasant war of 1653 in the Entlebuch lasted until 1798 Under the French supported Helvetic republic 1798 1803 Lucerne was the seat of the central government When the republic collapsed under the Act of Mediation 1803 it was one of the six Directorial cantons and during the Restoration from 1815 to 1848 it was one of the three ruling cantons The patrician government was swept away by the cantonal constitution of 1831 But in 1841 the Conservatives regained power They quickly recalled the Jesuits who had been expelled by earlier radical governments to head the cantonal school system The riots that followed brought about the Sonderbund War 1847 in which the Conservatives were defeated the decisive battle taking place at Gisikon not far from Lucerne 8 Geography EditThe canton of Lucerne is part of Central Switzerland The lands of the canton lie on the northern foothills of the Swiss Alps Urner Alps The highest elevation of the canton of Lucerne is at the Brienzer Rothorn at 2 350 m 7 710 ft It borders the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden to the south Schwyz and Zug to the east Aargau to the north and Berne to the west Its territory corresponds to the subject territories acquired by the city of Lucerne during the 14th and 15th centuries including Lucerne proper at the outflow of the Reuss river from Lake Lucerne the stretch of the Reuss river between Lucerne and Honau along Rooterberg hill connecting to Lake Zug with the territory of Meierskappel municipality the Kleine Emme basin including its tributaries Entle and Rumlig the tributaries of the Aare between Napf and Lindenberg including west to east Wigger Suhre Lake Sempach Wyna Aabach Lake Hallwil Lake Baldegg two territories connected only by water across Lake Lucerne the northern slope of Burgenstock part of Lucerne municipality and the municipalities of Greppen Weggis and Vitznau on the western and south western slopes of Mount Rigi The area of the canton is 1 493 km2 576 sq mi 817 7 km2 315 7 sq mi about 55 of the total land area is used for agriculture An additional 449 0 km2 173 4 sq mi about 30 of the canton is wooded The remainder of the canton is either developed 125 3 km2 48 4 sq mi 8 4 or unproductive lakes rivers or mountains 101 5 km2 39 2 sq mi 6 8 9 Political subdivisions Edit Districts and municipalities as of 2013 The Canton is divided into six districts Wahlkreise Entlebuch Hochdorf Luzern Land Luzern Stadt Sursee Willisau Before 2007 the districts were called Amter There were five districts until 2013 when Luzern District was divided into Luzern Land and Luzern Stadt the latter corresponding to the city of Lucerne proper including Littau incorporated into Lucerne in 2010 There are 83 municipalities in the canton As of 2016 update 10 Politics EditCantonal politics and government Edit The Constitution of Lucerne of 2007 entered into force on 1 January 2008 replacing the 1875 constitution With the new constitution the legislative body Grosser Rat Grand Council was renamed to Kantonsrat Cantonal Council It is composed of 120 members elected by proportional representation The executive body is the Regierungsrat Government Council composed of 5 members The Christian Democratic People s Party CVP is traditionally the largest party having won 38 seats in the Cantonal Council as of the 2015 elections and having two out of five members in the Government Council as of 2016 update Federal election results Edit Percentage of the total vote per party in the canton in the Federal Elections 1971 2015 11 Party Ideology 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015FDP The Liberalsa Classical liberalism 30 0 29 1 31 7 28 6 29 8 27 9 25 5 22 6 23 1 21 8 18 4 18 5CVP PDC PPD PCD Christian democracy 48 8 50 1 50 4 49 6 47 0 48 6 37 3 33 8 29 5 30 2 27 1 23 9SP PS Social democracy 12 4 13 4 12 5 11 8 9 0 11 0 11 7 10 0 11 1 11 5 11 5 13 6SVP UDC Swiss nationalism b 14 1 22 8 22 9 25 3 25 1 28 5Ring of Independents Social liberalism 8 7 5 3 EVP PEV Christian democracy 0 8 0 7 0 7 0 6CSP PCS Christian socialism 0 5 GLP PVL Green liberalism 6 1 5 8BDP PBD Conservatism 2 1 1 4POCH Communism 1 8 5 1 8 4 c GPS PES Green politics 9 3 8 1 8 0 9 8 9 5 8 3 7 1FGA Feminism 8 7 d 0 8 SD DS National conservatism 1 3 1 4 2 8 2 2 0 8 0 4 0 2 0 1FPS PSL Right wing populism 3 4 0 3 Other 0 4 0 2 0 3 0 6 0 4 0 4 1 1 2 5 1 0 0 5 0 7Voter participation 66 3 63 9 59 2 60 5 54 3 50 5 49 4 52 9 50 9 53 0 50 9 50 9 a FDP before 2009 FDP The Liberals after 2009 b indicates that the party was not on the ballot in this canton c Part of a coalition with the FGA d Part of a coalition with the Green PartyDemographics EditLargest groups of foreign residents 2013 12 Nationality Numbers of total of foreigners Germany 14 093 3 6 20 0 Italy 7 147 1 8 10 1 Portugal 7 063 1 8 10 0 Kosovo 6 641 1 7 9 4 Serbia 5 986 1 5 8 5 Republic of Macedonia 2 299 0 6 3 3 Croatia 2 203 0 6 3 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 137 0 5 3 0 Spain 2 037 0 5 2 9 Turkey 1 624 0 4 2 3 Austria 1 567 0 4 2 2 Sri Lanka 1 477 0 4 2 1 Lucerne has a population as of December 2020 update of 416 347 2 As of 2013 update 18 1 of the population are resident foreign nationals of which 15 5 are from Europe 1 4 from Asia 0 7 from Africa and 0 5 from America 12 Over the last 10 years 2000 2010 the population has changed at a rate of 0 4 Migration accounted for 1 2 while births and deaths accounted for 1 3 13 Most of the population as of 2010 update speaks German 91 as their first language while Serbo Croatian Italian Albanian and English are the second most common languages 3 followed by Portuguese and French with 2 each and Spanish with 1 14 Of the population in the canton 115 233 or about 32 9 were born in Lucerne and lived there in 2000 There were 101 980 or 29 1 who were born in the same canton while 66 486 or 19 0 were born somewhere else in Switzerland and 55 314 or 15 8 were born outside of Switzerland 15 As of 2000 update children and teenagers 0 19 years old make up 25 of the population while adults 20 64 years old make up 58 6 and seniors over 64 years old make up 16 4 13 As of 2000 update there were 158 345 people who were single and never married in the canton There were 159 152 married individuals 18 853 widows or widowers and 14 154 individuals who are divorced 15 As of 2000 update there were 13 430 private households in the canton and an average of 2 5 persons per household 13 There were 47 012 households that consist of only one person and 12 952 households with five or more people As of 2009 update the construction rate of new housing units was 4 7 new units per 1000 residents 13 As of 2003 update the average price to rent an average apartment in Lucerne city was 1150 31 Swiss francs CHF per month US 920 520 740 approx exchange rate from 2003 The average rate for a one room apartment was 646 07 CHF US 520 290 410 a two room apartment was about 879 64 CHF US 700 400 560 a three room apartment was about 1033 60 CHF US 830 470 660 and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2032 38 CHF US 1630 910 1300 The average apartment price in Lucerne was 103 1 of the national average of 1116 CHF 16 The vacancy rate for the canton in 2010 update was 0 77 13 The largest population centres are Lucerne Emmen and Kriens Historic population Edit The historical population is given in the following chart 7 Demographic history of the Canton of Luzern 1850 2000Year 1850 1880 1900 1950 1970 2000Population 132 843 134 708 146 519 223 249 289 641 350 504Percent of Total Swiss Population 5 6 4 8 4 4 4 7 4 6 4 8 LanguageGerman 134 155 143 337 216 647 263 310 311 543Italian 294 2 204 3 587 15 635 6 801French 302 747 2 150 2 015 2 053Romansh 5 64 338 525 388Other 50 167 527 8 156 29 719ReligionCatholic nb 1 131 280 129 172 134 020 189 917 246 888 248 545Protestant 1 563 5 419 12 085 30 396 38 639 42 926Christian Catholic 1 129 741 471Other 215 414 1 807 3 373 58 562Other Jewish 152 319 497 563 399Other Islam 372 13 227Other None nb 2 1 672 20 681NationalitySwiss 132 252 132 583 140 176 216 600 259 498 294 709Foreign 591 2 223 6 343 6 649 30 143 55 795Source 7 Notes Before 1950 includes Christian Catholic from 1950 onward only Roman Catholic Belonging to no organized religious groupEconomy Edit Lucerne area and Lake Lucerne from Pilatus Much of the land in the canton is used for agriculture Agriculture is the most significant source of income but industry is also developed The most important agricultural products are crops fruit and cattle breeding Industry concentrates on textiles machinery paper wood tobacco and metallurgical goods Tourism is of great importance The canton of Lucerne is a gateway to holiday resorts in the nearby Alps and much of the transit traffic between Germany and Italy crosses the region As of 2010 update Luzern had an unemployment rate of 1 4 As of 2008 update there were 1 764 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 703 businesses involved in this sector 5 388 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 324 businesses in this sector 9 431 people were employed in the tertiary sector with 1 113 businesses in this sector 13 In 2008 update the total number of full time equivalent jobs was 160 133 The number of jobs in the primary sector was 9 608 of which 9 462 were in agriculture 119 were in forestry or lumber production and 27 were in fishing or fisheries The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 48 191 of which 31 698 or 65 8 were in manufacturing 142 or 0 3 were in mining and 14 990 31 1 were in construction The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 102 334 In the tertiary sector 25 105 or 24 5 were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles 8 182 or 8 0 were in the movement and storage of goods 8 146 or 8 0 were in a hotel or restaurant 3 835 or 3 7 were in the information industry 7 000 or 6 8 were the insurance or financial industry 10 979 or 10 7 were technical professionals or scientists 8 111 or 7 9 were in education and 15 924 or 15 6 were in health care 17 Of the working population 12 1 used public transportation to get to work and 48 5 used a private car 13 Religion EditFrom the 2000 census update 248 545 or 70 9 were Roman Catholic while 39 426 or 11 2 belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church Of the rest of the population there were 7 801 members of an Orthodox church or 2 23 of the population there were 471 individuals or 0 13 of the population who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church and there were 7 564 individuals or 2 16 of the population who belonged to another Christian church There were 399 individuals or 0 11 of the population who were Jewish and 13 227 or 3 77 of the population who were Islamic There were 875 individuals who were Buddhist 1 715 individuals who were Hindu and 293 individuals who belonged to another church 20 681 or 5 90 of the population belonged to no church are agnostic or atheist and 13 007 individuals or 3 71 of the population did not answer the question 15 Education EditIn Luzern about 127 331 or 36 3 of the population have completed non mandatory upper secondary education and 42 391 or 12 1 have completed additional higher education either universities or a Fachhochschule Of the 42 391 who completed tertiary schooling 65 0 were Swiss men 23 6 were Swiss women 7 0 were non Swiss men and 4 4 were non Swiss women 15 Institutions of higher education include the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences which also has campuses in Lucerne and Horw Notes and references Edit Arealstatistik Land Cover Kantone und Grossregionen nach 6 Hauptbereichen accessed 27 October 2017 a b c Standige und nichtstandige Wohnbevolkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen Geburtsort und Staatsangehorigkeit bfs admin ch in German Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT TAB 31 December 2020 Retrieved 21 September 2021 Federal Department of Statistics 2008 Standige Wohnbevolkerung nach Staatsangehorigkeit Geschlecht und Kantonen Archived from the original Microsoft Excel on 15 December 2008 Retrieved 5 November 2008 Coolidge William Augustus Brevoort 1911 Lucerne canton In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 17 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 96 97 see final lines while in 1803 in exchange for Hitzkirch Merenschwand held since 1397 was given up KGS Inventar KGS Inventar in German Federal Office of Civil Protection 2009 Archived from the original on 28 June 2010 Retrieved 12 July 2010 UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a b c d e Lucerne in German French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland Coolidge William Augustus Brevoort 1911 Lucerne town In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 17 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 97 four lines from the end and so brought about the Sonderbund War 1847 in which they were defeated the decisive battle taking place at Gisikon not far from Lucerne Federal Department of Statistics 2008 Arealstatistik Kantonsdaten nach 15 Nutzungsarten Archived from the original Microsoft Excel on 25 July 2009 Retrieved 15 January 2009 in German Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz Swiss Federal Statistical Office Retrieved 27 July 2016 Nationalratswahlen Starke der Parteien nach Kantonen Schweiz 100 Report Swiss Federal Statistical Office 2015 Archived from the original on 2 August 2016 Retrieved 5 August 2016 a b Auslandische Personen nach Nationalitat und Status Ende 2013 Kanton Luzern lustat ch Database excerpt in German lustat Statistik Luzern Kanton Luzern 18 August 2014 Archived from the original on 23 November 2014 Retrieved 23 November 2014 a b c d e f g Swiss Federal Statistical Office Archived 15 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 17 January 2012 Wohnbevolkerung nach Hauptsprachen seit 2010 Kanton Luzern lustat ch Database excerpt in German lustat Statistik Luzern Kanton Luzern 10 March 2014 Archived from the original on 23 November 2014 Retrieved 23 November 2014 a b c d STAT TAB Datenwurfel fur Thema 40 3 2000 Archived 9 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine in German Retrieved 2 February 2011 Swiss Federal Statistical Office Rental prices Archived 23 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine 2003 data in German Retrieved 26 May 2010 Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT TAB Betriebszahlung Arbeitsstatten nach Gemeinde und NOGA 2008 Abschnitte Sektoren 1 3 Archived 25 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine in German Retrieved 28 January 2011External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canton of Lucerne Official Site in German Public Records Office State Archive in German Geoportal in German GIS Official Statistics Coolidge William Augustus Brevoort 1911 Lucerne canton Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 17 11th ed pp 96 97 Canton of Lucerne in German French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland Portal Switzerland Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Canton of Lucerne amp oldid 1106023257, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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