Wolfhalden 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

Appenzell Ausserrhoden Appenzell Ausserrhoden (; in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes) (german: Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden; rm, Chantun Appenzell Dadora; french: Canton d'Appenzell Rhodes-Extérieures; it, Canton Appenzello Esterno) is one of the 26 canton ...

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

Wolfhalden, Heiden and

Lutzenberg Lutzenberg is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. Its hamlet of Tobel is listed as a heritage site of national significance. History Lutzenberg is first mentioned in 1634 as ''Lutzenberg''. Lutzenberg, Heiden ...

originally were parts of a single municipality named the Kurzenberg. Around 1650 Wolfhalden and Heiden could not agree about control over the local church. This led to the creation of a church in each village in 1652, making them independent. In 1658 the Kurzenberg was split into the three separate municipalities in defiance of the canton government; their borders were officially established in 1666-7.

Geography

Wolfhalden has an area, , of . Of this area, 58% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 11.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

Demographics

Wolfhalden has a population () of 1,719, of which about 11.3% are foreign nationals.Brief Statistics for the half-canton
accessed 15 September 2009 Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -4.3%. Most of the population () speaks

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 ...

(94.4%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.0%) and Italian being third ( 0.9%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 17-Sep-2009 , the gender distribution of the population was 51.2% male and 48.8% female. The age distribution, , in Wolfhalden is; 138 people or 8.2% of the population are between 0–6 years old. 197 people or 11.7% are 6-15, and 90 people or 5.3% are 16-19. Of the adult population, 70 people or 4.1% of the population are between 20–24 years old. 483 people or 28.6% are 25-44, and 428 people or 25.3% are 45-64. The senior population distribution is 211 people or 12.5% of the population are between 65–79 years old, and 72 people or 4.3% are over 80.Appenzell Outer Rhodes website
accessed 15 September 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 FDP received 65.1% of the vote. In Wolfhalden about 74.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a ''

Fachhochschule 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 ...

''). Wolfhalden has an unemployment rate of 1.8%. , there were 65 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 29 businesses involved in this sector. 372 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 26 businesses in this sector. 175 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 54 businesses in this sector. The historical population is given in the following table:

Heritage sites of national significance

The ''Alte Mühle Wolfhalden'' (The Old Mill at Wolfhalden) is listed as a heritage site of national significance.Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance
21.11.2008 version, accessed 17-Sep-2009

References

External links

Official Page
(German) {{Authority control Cultural property of national significance in Appenzell Ausserrhoden Municipalities of Appenzell Ausserrhoden