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Biberstein 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 district of Aarau of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.


Geography

Biberstein is located on the north bank of the Aar River near Aarau. The town is a 17-minute bus ride from downtown Aarau. The neighboring communities are Auenstein to the east,
Küttigen Küttigen is a municipality in the district of Aarau of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. History Küttigen is first mentioned in 1036 as ''Chutingen'' though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the original. In 1045 it was mentioned as ''C ...
to the west, Rohr to the south, Rupperswil to the south-east and Thalheim to the north-east. The community of Biberstein occupies of which is wooded.Community of Biberstein-Numbers and Facts
accessed 28 November 2008
Biberstein has an area, , of . Of this area, 34.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 50.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 10% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (4.6%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).


History

Based on archaeologic evidence, the Biberstein area has been inhabited since at least the 6th century. The discoveries have included a grave cut into the surrounding
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...
stone, Alamanni graves and a
Spatha The spatha was a type of straight and long sword, measuring between 0.5 and 1 m (19.7 and 39.4 in), with a handle length of between 18 and 20 cm (7.1 and 7.9 in), in use in the territory of the Roman Empire during the 1st to 6th centuries A ...
that was found. In 2005, the community celebrated the 725 years of Biberstein.Community of Biberstein-Portrait of the community
accessed 28 November 2008
In the 13th century the
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of
Habsburg-Laufenburg This is a family tree of the Habsburg family. This family tree only includes male scions of the House of Habsburg from 1096 to 1564. Otto II was the first to take the Habsburg Castle name as his own, adding "von Habsburg" to his title and creati ...
built a castle, Schloss Biberstein, and the surrounding village to limit the territorial expansion of the
Counts of Kyburg The Kyburg family (; ; also Kiburg) was a noble family of ''grafen'' (counts) in the Duchy of Swabia, a cadet line of the counts of Dillingen, who in the late 12th and early 13th centuries ruled the County of Kyburg, corresponding to much of wha ...
. The castle's position on the banks of the Aar River allowed them to collect tolls on the Aar ship traffic. Near the castle there was also a ferry that operated between Biberstein and Rohr until the beginning of the Second World War when it was replaced with a bridge. The village is first mentioned in 1280. Then, the village and castle were mentioned as a city in 1315 as a holding of the Habsburg-Laufenburg family. In 1335 the
Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
order in
Klingnau Klingnau is a municipality in the district of Zurzach in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. History Klingnau is first mentioned in 1239 as ''Chlingenowe''. Ulrich of Klingen acquired land from the monastery of St. Blaise in 1239 to found ...
became the owners of Biberstein. By 1399 the city had a
wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...
around it. In 1499, during the
Swabian War The Swabian War of 1499 ( gsw, Schwoobechrieg (spelling depending on dialect), called or ("Swiss War") in Germany and ("War of the Engadin") in Austria) was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of ...
the city was besieged by Bern. In 1527 the city-state of Bern took the castle and appointed a
vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
or bailiff to occupy it. A few years later, in 1535, the Knights were forced to sell the city to Bern. This is the last time that Biberstein is mentioned as a city. Following the
Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
invasion and collapse of the Swiss ''
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...
'' in 1798 Biberstein became part of the District of Aarau in the new Canton Aargau.


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 ''Gules a Beaver Argent sitting on a mount of the same gnawing a piece of wood Or.'' This is an example of
canting ' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely ''batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional '' ...
with a beaver (german: link=no, Biber) sitting on a stone (german: link=no, stein).


Demographics

Biberstein has a population (as of ) of . , 10.2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.Statistical Department of Canton Aargau -Bereich 01 -Bevölkerung
accessed 20 January 2010
Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 24.1%. Most of the population () speaks German (94.7%), with English being second most common ( 1.0%) and Albanian being third ( 0.8%).
accessed 21-January-2010
The age distribution, , in Biberstein is; 130 children or 9.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 111 teenagers or 8.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 123 people or 9.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 159 people or 11.8% are between 30 and 39, 226 people or 16.7% are between 40 and 49, and 251 people or 18.6% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 197 people or 14.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 123 people or 9.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 30 people or 2.2% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 3 people or 0.2% who are 90 and older.Statistical Department of Canton Aargau -Bevölkerungsdaten für den Kanton Aargau und die Gemeinden (Archiv)
accessed 20 January 2010
, there were 28 homes with 1 or 2 persons in the household, 168 homes with 3 or 4 persons in the household, and 230 homes with 5 or more persons in the household. The average number of people per household was 2.42 individuals. there were 367 single family homes (or 60.7% of the total) out of a total of 605 homes and apartments.Statistical Department of Canton Aargau
accessed 20 January 2010
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 30.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (25.7%), the FDP (16.2%) and the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
(9.8%). The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Biberstein about 81% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a '' Fachhochschule''). Of the school age population (), there are 86 students attending
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 ...
in the municipality. The historical population is given in the following table:


Sights

The village of Biberstein is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.ISOS site
accessed 21 January 2010


Economy

, Biberstein had an unemployment rate of 0.72%. , there were 24 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 8 businesses involved in this sector. 9 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 5 businesses in this sector. 162 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 25 businesses in this sector. there were 641 total workers who lived in the municipality. Of these, 518 or about 80.8% of the residents worked outside Biberstein while 112 people commuted into the municipality for work. There were a total of 235 jobs (of at least 6 hours per week) in the municipality.Statistical Department of Canton Aargau-Bereich 11 Verkehr und Nachrichtenwesen
accessed 21 January 2010


Religion

From the , 236 or 21.4% are Roman Catholic, while 678 or 61.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there are 2 individuals (or about 0.18% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic faith.Statistical Department of Canton Aargau – Aargauer Zahlen 2009
accessed 20 January 2010


References


External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of Aargau