Biberstein

Biberstein ( in local dialect: [ ˌ b̥ʏb̥əɾ ʒ̊tæɪ̯ ] ) is a municipality in the district of Aarau in the Swiss canton of Aargau. The village is just over three kilometers northeast of the cantonal capital Aarau on the north bank of the River Aare.

Geography

Beaver stone wedged between the north bank of the Aare River and the steep southern slope of Homberg, who belongs to the southernmost chain of the Jura Mountains. The populated area is relatively narrow and extends over a length of two and a half kilometers along the river Aare, with the village center is located on a raised terrace. To the west lies the district of knowledge, in the east of the district Cholgrueben. The only flat area is the " Schachen », a former flood plain, which is used for agriculture. The slopes of Homberg is wooded for the most part. The forest is, however, broken up at an altitude of around 650 meters through several pastures.

The municipal area is 410 hectares large, of which 213 hectares are covered by forest and built over 55 hectares. The lowest point is 360 meters on the banks of the Aare, the highest at 768 meters on the Homberggrat. Neighboring municipalities are Thalheim in the north, the east Auenstein, Aarau in the south and Kuettigen in the West.

History

In the 13th century the Counts of Habsburg- run castle built the castle beaver stone. The first written mention of the village took place in 1280. During names it might be a composition of beaver and the frequent name in Burg basic words stone.

The Habsburg- Laufenburger sold in 1335, the high and low justice to the Order of St. John in Klingnau. Although beaver stone was in 1319 as a town, but since 1399 the place possessed neither city nor markets, but with a wall. 1416 destroyed a fire in the town largely, which plummeted in the wake to a village.

During the Swabian War of 1499 Beaver Stone was occupied by the Bernese, which then exercised an ever greater influence. 1527 Bern presented the rule beaver stone, which also included Obererlinsbach and Kuettigen, arbitrarily a bailiff, who resided from now on at the castle. 1535, seven years after the introduction of the Reformation, the Berne forced the Knights to sell their property. The village was now formally in the subject territory of the Bernese Aargau. In March 1798, the French marched into Switzerland, the disempowered " Gracious gentlemen " of Bern and proclaimed the Helvetic Republic. Beaver stone has since been to Canton of Aargau.

The first mentioned in 1363 viticulture was next to the Aarschifffahrt long time the main industry of the village. 1857 was the area under cultivation for about 20 hectares. Because of the entrained phylloxera shrank the wine until the late 19th century to insignificance. Many families impoverished and had to emigrate overseas. In the early 20th century the population was stagnant or even falling slightly. After 1950 Beaver Stone was discovered as an attractive residential area. While the population almost doubled, the economic events focused more and more on Aarau.

Attractions

The beaver stone castle stands on a rock near by the river and is surrounded on the western side by a moat. It was created by the conversion of the medieval castle and now serves as the home, workplace and training center for adults with mental or multiple disabilities. The arrangement of the houses in the village center can still imagine the former small-town settlement way today. The outdoor pool beaver stone is the first public natural swimming pool in Switzerland.

Coat of arms

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is: " In red sitting on a white rock white beaver gnawing a yellow wood. " This traditional coat of arms of dominion beaver stone is detected in a Basel chronicle of the 16th century. The version used today dates back to 1977, when it. , Some details graphically modified ( thicker piece of wood with claw marks, visible beaver tail)

Population

Population development:

On December 31, 2013 1491 people lived in Beaver stone, the proportion of foreigners was 10.7 %. At the 2000 census, 61.6 % were reformed and 21.4 % Roman Catholic; 2.3% belonged to other faiths. 94.7 % identified German as their main language, 1.0% English, 0.8 % Turkish, 0.7 % speak Italian.

Politics and Law

The Assembly of the voters, the municipal assembly, shall exercise the legislative power. Executive authority is the five-member council. His term of office is four years and he was elected in Majorzverfahren ( majority voting procedure) by the people. He leads and represents the community. To this end, he implements the decisions of the municipal assembly and the tasks that were assigned to him by the cantonal and federal.

For litigation, the District Court has jurisdiction Aarau. Beaver stone belongs to the justice of the peace circle Kirchberg, which includes the municipalities of beaver stone, Densbüren, Obererlinsbach and Kuettigen.

Economy

In Biberstein there according to Census 2008, only about 200 jobs, of which 9% in agriculture, 11 % in industry and 80 % in services. About three quarters of the working population is employed outside, especially in Aarau. The largest employer is the Stiftung Schloss Biberštejn, who runs the hostel for mentally handicapped adults and also the only village shop.

Traffic

Beaver stone is connected by a line of bus operation with cantonal capital Aarau Aarau. Through the village the little-used provincial road of Kuettigen about Auenstein leads to Wildegg.

Education

In the school house of Biberstein the kindergarten and the primary school will be out. The junior high school and the secondary school can be visited in Kuettigen, the district school in Aarau. Also in Aarau is the nearest district school (Gymnasium).

Biberfrass along the Aare near Beaver stone

Pennine landscapes at the castle