Buchs 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 ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of
Werdenberg in the
canton of
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
in
Switzerland. It lies on the border with
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
. Buchs officially became a town (German: Stadt) in 2002.
History
Buchs is first mentioned in 765 as ''de Pogio'' in the testament of the
Chur
, neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers
, twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxe ...
bishop
Tello. In 1213 it was mentioned as ''Buchs'',
when it was held by the Counts of
Werdenberg. From 1404 the Werdenberg estates were a possession of the
Counts of Montfort
The counts of Montfort were a German noble dynasty from Swabia. They belonged to high nobility of the Holy Roman Empire and enjoyed the privileged status of imperial immediacy.
The influential and wealthy counts of Montfort took their name from a ...
, succeeded by Count John Peter of
Sax-Misox in 1483.
In 1517 the area was acquired by the citizens of
Glarus
, neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ)
, twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany)
}
Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in S ...
who implemented the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. Buchs was incorporated into the
Canton of Linth
Linth was a canton of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, consisting of Glarus and its subject County of Werdenberg, the Höfe and March districts of Schwyz and the Züricher subject Lordship of Sax, along with a handful of shared terri ...
of the short-lived Napoleonic
Helvetic Republic
The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
from 1798 to 1803, when it passed to the newly established Canton of St. Gallen.
Geography
![TriesenbergFL 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/TriesenbergFL_1.jpg)
Buchs has an area, , of . Of this area, 39.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 25.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (7.5%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).
The municipality is located in the Werdenberg ''Wahlkreis''. It is a shopping, industry and services center for the upper St. Gallen
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
valley (german: Rheintal) as well as the capital of the ''Wahlkreis''. It consists of the village of Buchs and the large
hamlets
A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...
of Räfis and Burgerau as well as scattered settlements on the Buchserberg.
It lies on the border with
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
, next to the town of Schaan.
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 vis ...
of the municipal
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
is ''Vert on a Pale Argent a
Altar Cloth Sable ringed and fringed Or.''
Demographics
Buchs has a population (as of ) of . , about 30.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (), 181 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 ...
, 412 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 re ...
, 1,199 are from ex-
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, 189 are from
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, 168 are from
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, and 470 are from another country.
[Der Kanton St. Gallen und seine Menschen in Zahlen – Ausgabe 2009]
accessed 30 December 2009 Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 5.4%. Most of the population () speaks German (84.9%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 3.8%) and Albanian being third ( 2.9%).
accessed 19-January-2010 Of the Swiss national languages (), 8,826 speak
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, 62 people speak
French, 282 people speak
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, and 39 people speak
Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Buchs is; 1,165 children or 11.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,299 teenagers or 12.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,430 people or 13.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,713 people or 16.5% are between 30 and 39, 1,454 people or 14.0% are between 40 and 49, and 1,335 people or 12.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 969 people or 9.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 650 people or 6.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 330 people or 3.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 54 people or 0.5% who are between 90 and 99.
[Canton St. Gallen Statistics-Hauptergebnisse der Volkszählung 2000: Regionen- und Gemeindevergleich-Personen]
accessed 30 December 2009
there were 1,687 persons (or 16.2% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 2,285 (or 22.0%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 5,070 (or 48.8%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 725 (or 7.0%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 70 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 36 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 147 who lived household made up of unrelated persons, and 379 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
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 i ...
the most popular party was the
SVP which received 36.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the
SP (23%), the
FDP (15.8%) and the
CVP (9.9%).
The historical population is given in the following table:
Education
![Neutechnikum Buchs-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Neutechnikum_Buchs-01.jpg)
In Buchs about 65.8% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory
upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a ''
Fachhochschule
A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...
'').
Out of the total population in Buchs, , the highest education level completed by 2,338 people (22.5% of the population) was
Primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Works
* ...
, while 3,871 (37.2%) have completed Secondary, 1,035 (10.0%) have attended a
Tertiary
Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago.
The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...
school, and 505 (4.9%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
Buchs is home to the NTB Interstate University of Applied Sciences of Technology Buchs. The NTB is part of the ''
Fachhochschule Ostschweiz, FHO'' which is a recognized University of Applied Sciences. NTB offers
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
and
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
degrees in a few engineering subjects.
The International School Rheintal, Pre K-12, provides a balanced program of instruction in English designed to meet the intellectual, physical, social and emotional needs of the child. ISR is authorized to offer all three International Baccaulaureate Programs; Primary Years Program, Middle Years Program and the Diploma Program.
Sights
![Buchs SG Werdenbergsee-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Buchs_SG_Werdenbergsee-01.jpg)
The region around
Schloss Werdenberg, which is shared between Buchs and
Grabs, is designated as part of the
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.
Sites of national importance
Types
The types are based on t ...
.
Economy
, Buchs had an unemployment rate of 1.8%. , there were 143 people employed in the
primary economic sector and about 41 businesses involved in this sector. 1,624 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 construction. ...
and there are 112 businesses in this sector. 4,147 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 537 businesses in this sector.
the average unemployment rate was 4.0%. There were 698 businesses in the municipality of which 116 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 550 were involved in the third.
The chemical and life science company
Sigma-Aldrich
Sigma-Aldrich (formally MilliporeSigma) is an American chemical, life science, and biotechnology company that is owned by the German chemical conglomerate Merck Group.
Sigma-Aldrich was created in 1975 by the merger of Sigma Chemical Company a ...
was acquired by the German-based
Merck Group
The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and present in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the m ...
in 2014. The production site now operates under the name Merck with more than 500 employees and a revenue of > €200 million p.a. in Buchs.
there were 2,671 residents who worked in the municipality, while 2,688 residents worked outside Buchs and 3,641 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
From the , 3,524 or 33.9% are
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, while 4,287 or 41.2% belonged to the
Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...
. Of the rest of the population, there are 6 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who belong to the
Christian Catholic faith, there are 274 individuals (or about 2.63% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 304 individuals (or about 2.92% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 939 (or about 9.03% of the population) who are
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic. There are 68 individuals (or about 0.65% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 671 (or about 6.45% of the population) belong to no church, are
agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
or
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, and 326 individuals (or about 3.13% of the population) did not answer the question.
Notable residents
*
Simon Schwendener
Simon Schwendener (10 February 1829 – 27 May 1919) was a Swiss botanist who was a native of Buchs in the Canton of St. Gallen.
In 1856 he received his doctorate at the University of Zurich, where afterwards he was an assistant to Carl Wilhelm ...
(1829 in Buchs – 1919), Swiss Botanist and Professor
* Gallus Berger (1903 in Buchs – 1982) politician, member of the
National Council of Switzerland
The National Council (german: Nationalrat; french: Conseil national; it, Consiglio nazionale; rm, Cussegl naziunal) is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, the upper house being the Council of States. With 200 seats, the ...
[ German Wiki, Gallus Berger]
*
Walter R. Kramer (1914 in Buchs – 1995) a U.S. badminton player
*
Heinrich Rohrer
Heinrich Rohrer (6 June 1933 – 16 May 2013) was a Swiss physicist who shared half of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics with Gerd Binnig for the design of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The other half of the Prize was awarded to Ernst R ...
, (1933 in Buchs – 2013) a Swiss physicist who shared half of the 1986
Nobel Prize in Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
See also
*
Buchs SG railway station
Buchs SG railway station (german: Bahnhof Buchs SG) is a railway station in Buchs, St. Gallen, Buchs, in the Switzerland, Swiss Canton of Switzerland, canton of Canton of St. Gallen, St. Gallen. It is an intermediate stop on the Chur–Rorschach r ...
References
External links
Official website
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Switzerland
Municipalities of the canton of St. Gallen
Liechtenstein–Switzerland border crossings
Populated places on the Rhine