Oberägeri, until 1798 simply known as Ägeri, 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

Zug , neighboring_municipalities = Cham, Baar, Walchwil, Steinhausen, Unterägeri , twintowns = Fürstenfeld (Austria), Kalesija (Bosnia-Herzegowina) Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; french: Zoug it, Zugo r ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

History

Oberägeri first appears in historical documents in 1150 as ''Agregia''. In 1538 it was mentioned as ''Ober Egere''. The first church in the valley was built in 876. After 1100, the land belonged to the monastery of

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. History Early history There was no permanent settlement in the area p ...

, and was influenced by the Battle of Morgarten. The Battle of Morgarten occurred on 15 November 1315 at Morgarten (now part of Oberägeri) and near neighboring

Sattel Sattel is a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. Its name is the German word for "saddle". History The Battle of Morgarten occurred on 15 November 1315 near Sattel, at Morgarten (now part of Oberägeri). It ...

. It began when a

Swiss Confederation ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

force of 1,500 infantry archers, led by

Werner Stauffacher Werner Stauffacher was supposedly the name of the representative of the canton of Schwyz, one of the three founding cantons at the legendary Rütlischwur of 1291, as told by Aegidius Tschudi. Many members of the Stauffacher family held the offi ...

, ambushed a group of Austrian soldiers of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

under the command of Duke Leopold I of Austria near the Morgarten Pass. The Swiss thoroughly defeated the Austrians. The Confederates prepared a road-block and an ambush at a point between Lake Aegeri and Morgarten Pass where a small path led between the steep slope and a swamp. When about 1500 men attacked from above with rocks, logs and

halberds A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

, the Austrian knights had no room to defend themselves and suffered a crushing defeat, while the foot soldiers in the rear fled back to the city of

. A chronicler described the Confederates, unfamiliar with the customs of battles between knights, as brutally butchering everything that moved and everyone unable to flee. This founded the reputation of the Confederates as barbaric, yet fierce and respectable fighters. Within a month of the battle, in December 1315, the Confederates renewed the oath of alliance made in 1291, initiating the phase of

growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy began as a late medieval alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps, at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire, to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure ...

. Within forty years, cities including

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

and

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

had joined the confederation. The victory of the Confederates left them in virtual autonomy and gave them a breathing-space of some sixty years before the next Habsburg attack resulted in the

Battle of Sempach The Battle of Sempach was fought on 9 July 1386, between Leopold III, Duke of Austria and the Old Swiss Confederacy. The battle was a decisive Swiss victory in which Duke Leopold and numerous Austrian nobles died. The victory helped turn the lo ...

(1386). The municipality came into existence in the 15th century. Around 1500, several chapels and the first government building were built in Oberägeri. In 1669 the municipality gained the right to elect its own priest. In 1726 the church was burgled. In 1766 the governments of Oberägeri and

Unterägeri Unterägeri is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland. History Oberägeri is first mentioned in 1150 as ''Agregia''. In 1538 it was mentioned as ''Ober Egere''. The first church in the valley was built in 876. After 1100, the land ...

(at the time known as Wilägeri) became involved in an open fight during local parliamentary sessions, and the two municipalities split in 1798. In 1838 the city of Zurich stopped collecting interest they had had a right to since medieval times. In the same year the first school-building in the municipality was built. The second school was not built until 1956. Water supplies were established in 1890 by a local pub landlord.

Geography

Oberägeri has an area, , of . Of this area, or about 0.8% is occupied with buildings and or about 2.9% is roads or transportation infrastructure. About a third or is used for agriculture, while or about 2.0% is used for small gardens. Forests or other wooded areas cover or about 37.4% of the municipality. Of the rest, or about 17.5% is covered with water, including the

Ägerisee __NOTOC__ Ägerisee or Lake Aegeri is a glacial lake in the Canton of Zug, Switzerland. The two municipalities along its shore are Oberägeri and Unterägeri. The main tributary is the ''Hüribach''; the Lorze river drains the Ägerisee. Since 1992 ...

, and or about 5.7% is

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally ...

.Oberägeri numbers
accessed 21 September 2009 The municipality is located in the eastern pre-alpine, high valley on the northern shores of the Ägerisee at an elevation of about . It consists of the village of Oberägeri and the

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 Morgarten/Hauptsee and Alosen (at an elevation of ) as well as scattered farm houses.

Demographics

Oberägeri has a population (as of ) of . , 19.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 14.1%. Most of the population () speaks German (90.2%), with English being second most common ( 2.6%) and Dutch being third ( 1.1%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 21-Sep-2009 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 CVP which received 33% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (32.3%), the FDP (18.1%) 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 ...

(12%). In Oberägeri about 76.9% 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 ...

''). Oberägeri has an unemployment rate of 1.14%. , there were 251 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 90 businesses involved in this sector. 355 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 44 businesses in this sector. 1,049 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 198 businesses in this sector. The historical population is given in the following table: : population for the entire municipality of Ägeri 1660 (1'413); 1743 (1'519); 1798 (2'238).

Notable people

Oberägeri is the childhood town of Swiss international rugby player, Tuomo Schurman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberageri Municipalities of the canton of Zug