Stein () is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the
canton of
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the gove ...
in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
History
The municipality separated from
Hundwil in 1749 and was named after the ''Uf Stein'' section of the neighbouring river.
Geography
Stein has an area, , of . Of this area, 68.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 8.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
[
]
Demographics
Stein has a population () of 1,332, of which about 4.9% 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 -1.8%. Most of the population () speaks German (97.3%), with Spanish being second most common ( 0.5%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 0.4%).
accessed 17 September 2009
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.[ The age distribution, , in Stein is; 126 people or 9.3% of the population are between 0–6 years old. 182 people or 13.4% are 6–15, and 80 people or 5.9% are 16–19. Of the adult population, 67 people or 4.9% of the population are between 20 and 24 years old. 383 people or 28.3% are 25–44, and 313 people or 23.1% are 45–64. The senior population distribution is 161 people or 11.9% of the population are between 65 and 79 years old, and 43 people or 3.2% are over 80.][Appenzell Outer Rhodes website]
accessed 15 September 2009
In the 2007 federal election the FDP received 71.4% of the vote.[
In Stein about 75% of the population (between age 25 and 64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a '']Fachhochschule
A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...
'').[
Stein has an unemployment rate of 0.73%. , there were 119 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 51 businesses involved in this sector. 77 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 21 businesses in this sector. 186 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 ...
, with 42 businesses in this sector.[
The historical population is given in the following table:]
Sights
Stein is home to the ''Appenzell Folklore Museum'', which is listed as a heritage site of national significance. The museum is devoted to Appenzell culture and handicrafts such as beltmaking, cowbells and carpentry
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. C ...
. There is also an extensive display of traditional folk art, such as furniture decorated with scenes from daily scenes. The most prolific of these uncelebrated artists is Johannes Müller who also worked as a clockmaker.
Stein is also home to a show dairy. The various processes of cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
making can be watched from a gallery above the churns and vats.
The village center was built in the 18th century and includes the village church. The church was built in 1749 by Jakob and Hans Ulrich Grubenmann, and renovated in 1832/1833 by Gebhard Moosbrugger.
Between the hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
of Störgel and the Haggen section of St. Gallen, is the highest foot bridge in Europe. The ''Ganggelibrugg'' (wacky bridge) stretches over the wide Sitter river canyon and is above the river. This bridge is the most used bridge in Switzerland for suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
.
Heritage sites of national significance
The Appenzeller Volkskunde-Museum, Eisensteg Zweibruggen (shared with St Gallen), Gmündertobel Bridge (with Teufen), Urnäschbrücke im Kubel (bridge shared with Herisau
Herisau is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated ...
) and the Wattbach Bridge (shared with Teufen and St Gallen) are listed as heritage sites of national significance.Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance
21 November 2008 version, (German) accessed 17 September 2009
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stein Appenzell
Cultural property of national significance in Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Municipalities of Appenzell Ausserrhoden