Retschwil

Retschwil
Former municipality
Coat of arms of Retschwil
Coat of arms
Location of Retschwil
Map
Retschwil is located in Switzerland
Retschwil
Retschwil
Retschwil is located in Canton of Lucerne
Retschwil
Retschwil
Coordinates: 47°12′N 8°15′E / 47.200°N 8.250°E / 47.200; 8.250
CountrySwitzerland
CantonLucerne
DistrictHochdorf
Area
 • Total
2.55 km2 (0.98 sq mi)
Elevation
482 m (1,581 ft)
Population
 (December 2007)
 • Total
174
 • Density68/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)
6285
SFOS number1038
ISO 3166 codeCH-LU
Surrounded byGelfingen, Hitzkirch, Römerswil
Website
Profile (in German), SFSO statistics

Retschwil was a municipality in the district of Hochdorf, in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. On 1 January 2009, Retschwil together with Gelfingen, Hämikon, Mosen, Müswangen, and Sulz joined Hitzkirch.

Geography

Retschwil has an area of 2.6 km2 (1.0 sq mi). Of this area, 67.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 25% is forested. The rest of the land, (7.8%) is settled.[1]

On 21 May 2006 an attempt to merge the Hitzkirch and the surrounding 10 municipalities failed, when five of the eleven voted against the merger.[2] A less ambitious merger was then proposed and accepted, with the municipalities of Gelfingen, Hämikon, Mosen, Müswangen, Retschwil and Sulz joining Hitzkirch.[3] The merged municipality has an area of 24.62 km2 (9.51 sq mi)[4]

Demographics

Retschwil has a population (as of 2007) of 174, of which 1.7% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -3.9%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (96.3%), with Portuguese being second most common ( 2.6%) and French being third ( 0.5%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the CVP which received 36.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (30.6%), the FDP (22.1%) and the Green Party (6.8%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 34% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 56.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 9.4%. In Retschwil about 74.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).

Retschwil has an unemployment rate of 0.58%. As of 2005, there were 37 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 5 people are employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 16 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 5 businesses in this sector.[1]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Retschwil.
  1. ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine accessed 19-Aug-2009
  2. ^ "Die Fusion im Hitzkirchertal kommt nicht zustande – fünf Gemeinden sagen nein – auch Hitzkirch" (Press release) (in German). Kanton Luzern, Staatskanzlei. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  3. ^ Canton of Lucerne, Office of Municipalities Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine (in German) accessed 18 August 2009
  4. ^ Updated statistics[permanent dead link‍] (in German) accessed 18 August 2009.