Schmerikon

Village center

Schmerikon ( in Swiss German " Schmerike " or " Schmärke ") is a municipality in the electoral district of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms shows two facing away from Schmerikon golden crescents surmounted by a white cross on a red background. The oldest known depiction of a coat of arms is from 1592 and showed a rose, flanked by two half-moon facing away. The Rose referred to the membership of the county Uznach. Other early representations of the emblem can be found on a boundary stone at Grynau (1656 ) Castle and the main portal of the church of St. Jodokus ( 1780). These also show the two half moons, but surmounted by a cross. This could point to the former belonging to the monastery GeopathSchänis.

Geography

Schmerikon lies on the slope of Gold Mountain on the shores of Lake Zurich ( Upper Lake ), at the lower end of the Linthebene at 408 m asl Significant waters within the municipality are the Aabach, the Linthkanal and Lake Zurich. Schmerikon has an area of ​​5.98 km ², of which there is a large proportion of forest (14.2%) and water ( 33.6 %). The land of culture and the marshlands make 39.7 % of the settlement area of ​​3.2 % of the municipality.

On the shore of Lake Zurich, and between the Aabach and the Linthkanal are larger nature reserves.

Population

Schmerikon has a permanent resident population of 3491 people and many (as of 2010 ). The proportion of the foreign population is 25.7 % (as of 2000).

Schmerikon is traditionally characterized Catholic. Since the 19th century Reformed also reside. The migration waves of the last fifty years, members of other Christian denominations as well as Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism came to the community. The parish church of St. Jodokus owned by the Catholic parish. The reformed parish operates a community center.

History

The area around Schmerikon was inhabited since the 8th century BC, as suggested by findings on the Balmenrain. In Roman times it was in Schmerikon probably a station of the land or sea route from Zurich to Maienfeld. In 600 AD, the time of the immigration of the Alemanni in the Linthebene Schmerikon was founded. The old name " Smarinchova " means " courtyard of Smaro " or " court of the Smaringer ". He probably refers to an Alemannic tribe.

Is mentioned for the first time in a document Schmerikon 741 as part of a donation by the Alemanni nobleman Beata Landoald to the monastery Lützelau. 744 Schmerikon came into the possession of the monastery of St. Gall, in 1045 the monastery GeopathSchänis. Since the 12th century consisted in Schmerikon a Genossame which decreed as a corporation over land and fishing rights. This persists to this day as fellow community.

In the 13th century the Counts of Toggenburg extended their dominion over the area of ​​the Upper Lake Zurich. Schmerikon was part of the county Uznach and connect to the monastery GeopathSchänis ripped off. After the extinction of the Counts of Toggenburg Schmerikon came with the county Uznach to the Lords of Raron. With the Freedom Charter of 1442 confirmed this village a certain autonomy within the county Uznach.

In the Old Zurich War Schmerikon was destroyed in 1444 by the people of Zurich, although it had actually wanted a castle right in Zurich. As part of the county Uznach came Schmerikon 1449/1469 under the joint rule of the two cantons of Glarus and Schwyz and so became part of the Swiss Confederation. From 1400 to 1450 Schmerikon formed within the county Uznach its own judicial district with Ammann. Then, until 1798, one of the 7 Tagwen the county.

In the Middle Ages and the early modern village living mainly from fishing, the vessel traffic, the traffic of pilgrims to Einsiedeln, the wine and of the sand quarries. Since the silt of Tuggenersees at the end of the early Middle Ages Schmerikon were at the high end of Lake Zurich.

After the end of the old Swiss Confederacy in 1798 Schmerikon first came to Canton Linth and after its disbandment in 1803, to the newly created Canton of St. Gallen. Within the canton it was first part of the district Uznach, since 1831 the lake district and since 2001 for the constituency of See-Gaster

The village Schmerikon was repeatedly destroyed by large fires, so 1706 and 1865. During the 19th century a mineral spring was discovered in the lake, which earned the city a short time the reputation of a bathing resort. Through the investment of the railway line from Rapperswil to Weesen in 1859, this idyllic location was destroyed by the lake. The large embankments and rail traffic also meant the end of the harbor Schmerikon. At the end of the 19th century evolved into Schmerikon particular the textile and machinery industry. Their decline in the 1990s was largely offset by the creation of new industries. Still works an ever greater part of the inhabitants of the municipality no longer in Schmerikon but in Rapperswil -Jona, or in the Zurich area. Since the creation of the S -Bahn in the Zurich area and through the completion of the bypass Schmerikon and consequently better access to the national road network, the attractiveness Schmerikons increased significantly as a residence for commuters. This could Schmerikon expand its population in the last ten years.

Gallery

House for Hirzen with village fountain in the center of Schmerikon

Catholic parish church of St. Jodokus

Portal of St. Jodokus with old representation of the municipality coat of arms (1780 )

St. Jodokus, Gothic Choir

Overlooking the village and the nature reserve Schmerkner Allmeind from Goldberg

Village view from the mouth of Aabachs from

Kirchgasse

The old port