Silenen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.

Silenen
Coat of arms of Silenen
Location of Silenen
Map
Silenen is located in Switzerland
Silenen
Silenen
Silenen is located in Canton of Uri
Silenen
Silenen
Coordinates: 46°47′31″N 8°40′10″E / 46.79194°N 8.66944°E / 46.79194; 8.66944
CountrySwitzerland
CantonUri
Districtn.a.
Area
 • Total144.78 km2 (55.90 sq mi)
Elevation
510 m (1,670 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2018)[2]
 • Total1,949
 • Density13/km2 (35/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)
6473 Silenen
6474 Amsteg
6475 Bristen
SFOS number1216
ISO 3166 codeCH-UR
LocalitiesBristen, Amsteg
Surrounded byDisentis/Mustér (GR), Erstfeld, Gurtnellen, Linthal (GL), Schattdorf, Spiringen, Tujetsch (GR), Unterschächen
Websitewww.silenen.ch
SFSO statistics

Geography edit

 
Aerial view from 2000 m by Walter Mittelholzer (1932)

Silenen municipality comprises the villages of Silenen (divided into three parts, Dörfli, Russ, Rusli), Amsteg, and Acherli, besides numerous smaller hamlets or dispersed settlements, including Schützen, Buechholz, Öfibach, Dägerlohn, Frentschenberg, Ried (Vorderried, Hinterried), Maderanerthal valley (St. Anton = Vorderbristen, Bristen = Hinterbristen, Cholplatz, Hälteli, Steinmatte, Schattigmatt etc.), Hofstetten, Silblen, and the Golzeren plateau (Egg, Hüseren, Seewen, etc.)

 
Chärstelenbach Bridge near Amsteg

Silenen has an area, as of 2006, of 144.8 km2 (55.9 sq mi). Of this area, 12.8% is used for agricultural purposes (mostly alpine pastures), while 18.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (68.1%) is non-productive (mostly mountainous).[3][4]

Arnisee can be reached by gondola lift from Amsteg.

The Zwing Uri Castle, overlooking Amsteg has some importance in Swiss historiography as the first fortress destroyed in the Burgenbruch at the beginning of the Swiss Confederacy.[5]

Demographics edit

Silenen has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 1,951.[6] As of 2007, 11.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4.5%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (98.1%), with Italian being second most common ( 0.2%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 0.2%).[3] As of 2007 the gender distribution of the population was 55.3% male and 44.7% female.[7]

In the 2007 federal election the FDP party received 87.4% of the vote.[3]

In Silenen about 52.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).[3]

Silenen has an unemployment rate of 1.22%. As of 2005, there were 141 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 60 businesses involved in this sector. 117 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 16 businesses in this sector. 241 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 50 businesses in this sector.[3]

The historical population is given in the following table:[8]

year population
1970 2,338
1980 2,115
1990 2,054
2000 2,068
2005 2,282
2007 2,232

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeinden nach 4 Hauptbereichen". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Ständige Wohnbevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeitskategorie Geschlecht und Gemeinde; Provisorische Jahresergebnisse; 2018". Federal Statistical Office. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 09-Sep-2009
  4. ^ Canton Uri - Ground use statistics (in German) accessed 8 September 2009
  5. ^ W. Meyer et al., Die bösen Türnli: Archäologische Beiträge zur Burgenforschung in der Urschweiz, Schweizer Beiträge zur Kulturgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters, vol. 11, Schweizerischer Burgenverein, Olten / Freiburg i.Br., 1984. W. Meyer (ed), Burgen der Schweiz, vol. 1, Zürich, 1981.
  6. ^ "Ständige und nichtständige Wohnbevölkerung nach institutionellen Gliederungen, Geburtsort und Staatsangehörigkeit". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Swiss Federal Statistical Office - STAT-TAB. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  7. ^ Uri Population statistics (in German) accessed 8 September 2009
  8. ^ Uri in Numbers 2009/10 edition (in German) accessed 8 September 2009