Bargen is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the canton of

Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...

in Switzerland. The northernmost point of the country is situated in the municipality, at Oberbargen.

History

Bargen is first mentioned in 884 as ''Paragen''.

Geography

Bargen has an area, , of . 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). 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

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

Demographics

Bargen has a population () of 249, of which 12.4% are foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (), 60% are from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, 22.9% are from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, 11.4% are from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, and 5.7% are from another country.Statistical Office of the Canton of Schaffhausen
. Retrieved 2 December 2009 Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -2.1%. Most of the population () 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)
. Retrieved 3 December 2009 The age distribution of the population () 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 This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not ...

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%) . 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''). In Bargen, , 3.86% of the population is attending

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

or another pre-school, 8.58% are attending a

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, 3.86% attend a lower level Secondary School, and 2.58% attend a higher level Secondary School. , 20.6% of the population belonged to the Roman

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and 61.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church in Bargen. The historical population is given in the following table:

Coat of arms

The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

of the municipal

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

is ''Or a Plumb Sable topped with a Hat of the same trimmed Argent feathered Vert, Gules and of the first.''Flags of the World.com
. Retrieved 3 December 2009

Industry

Bargen has an unemployment rate of 1.15%. , 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 In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructi ...

and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 68 people are employed in the

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

, with 11 businesses in this sector. 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. there were 42 residents who worked in the municipality, while 83 residents worked outside Bargen and 26 people commuted into the municipality for work. , there are 2 restaurants, and 1 hotel with 10 beds. The hospitality industry in Bargen employs 6 people.

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

External links

Official site
*
The Tannbuel Conservation Land
{{Authority control Municipalities of the canton of Schaffhausen