Sempach

Sempach ( Sämpech dialect ) is a municipality with old town right in the constituency Sursee the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.

Geography

Sempach is at the southeastern end of Lake Sempach. The southern and south-eastern municipal boundary runs along the Great and Little Aa Aa. It changes the hamlet Gottmännigen (municipality Neuenkirchstrasse ) in a northerly direction until shortly before Hildisrieden. From there, the boundary goes north-west to south-facing slope of the Eichberg's up to the vicinity of the source of Rotbachs and runs right through the golf course Sempach. Within the plant, the municipal boundary turns westward and reaches More Credits forest with 735 m above sea level. M. the highest point of the municipality. From the forest to the limit goes down in southwest direction to Lake Sempach, which they reached east of calibration.

In the town there are several large forest areas. At the Aa little southeast of the town lies the Allmendfeld forest. North of it the black laughter, which is intersected by the highway A2. To the east of the municipality of Steinibühlwald, lies in its west lies the Steinibühlweiher. The Mussiwald growing north-east of the town into the air. In addition, a sizable chunk of the shore of Rotbachs is forested.

The municipality consists of the town of Sempach, the hamlet Kirchbühl ( 573-581 m above sea level. M. ) north of it and numerous groups of houses and farmsteads.

From the community area of 895 ha ( without Seeanteil ) 68.7 % is agricultural Nutzgebiet. 16.3% is urbanized area and only 14.5 % of forest and woodland cover. Sempach is bordered by Eich, Hildisrieden, Beromunster and New Church.

Population

The population rose strongly 1798-1850 to ( 55.1 %). This was followed up to 1960 up and down to a growth 1860-1880 joined two decades of depopulation on - so that the number of inhabitants in 1900 was lower than fifty years earlier (-5.3 %).. Between 1900 and 1930 there was a phase of growth ( 21.4 %), followed by a slight decline to 1941 and a slight increase in population to 1960, Since then, the population is growing rapidly ( 1960-2004: 174.6 %).

Languages

The population used as everyday language, a high- Alemannic dialect. At the last census in 2000 gave 93.80 % German, 2.18% and 0.75 % Albanian Spanish as the main language.

Religions - faiths

Previously, all the inhabitants were members of the Roman Catholic Church. Today ( as of 2000) provides for the religious composition of the population as follows: There are 76.89 % Roman Catholic, 13.92% Protestant Reformed and 0.32 % Orthodox Christians. In addition, one finds 3.53% non-religious, Muslims 2.47% and 0.43 % followers of other non-Christian religions. The Muslims are of Albanian origin, the followers of other non-Christian religions Hindus of Tamil origin.

Origin - Nationality

Of the 3810 inhabitants ( end of 2006) were 3558 Swiss and 252 foreigners. At the last census was 87.80 % ( 91.79 % including dual citizens ) Swiss nationals. The largest immigrant groups come from Serbia (mostly Albanians ), Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK.

Traffic

The community is connected through the postal bus Sursee Oak Sempach Station to the network of public transport. The politically to the neighboring community of New Church belonging district Sempach Station has a station on the railway line Luzern- Olten, the train station is about 1.5 km from the center Sempach. The village lies on the main road Lucerne Sempach- Sursee and has its own motorway junction on the A2.

History

As with all towns around Lake Sempach the municipal area was settled very early. This is confirmed by excavations that Neolithic and Bronze Age lake dwellings. Even at the time of the Romans and the Alemannic land acquisition, the area was inhabited ( Roman settlement remains and Alemanni tombs prove this ). Historically, mentioned for the first time the place is in the deeds of the monastery Muri, Acta Murensia in 1150. A short time later, the Habsburgs were the new masters on the town. You received from this in 1220, a city charter. The Habsburgs founded at that time along the so-called Basler Strasse several towns, in order to secure the route from Basel to Lucerne and Italy via the Gotthard Pass.

Threatened by the expansionist policy of the city of Lucerne, the town closed on January 6, 1386 at this. They escaped in contrast to Rothenburg or Wolhusen destruction by the Confederates. The Habsburgs were enraged by this act and decided to give the town and the confederates a lesson. This led July 9 1386 to the battle of Sempach, which brought the Habsburgs a crushing defeat. 1393 here the Sempacherbrief was negotiated. The membership of Sempach to Lucerne, however, was recognized by the Habsburgs until 1415.

Sempach formed until 1798 its own bailiwick with significantly more rights for citizenship as in the rural communities. From 1798 to 1803 it was the capital of the district of Sempach. Since then, it belongs to the then newly created Office Sursee. Already in the 18th century, the town lost much of its former importance as a new large road ( Lucerne - New Kirch Sursee ) was created on the left bank of Lake Sempach and henceforth it was off the main corridor.

Cityscape and Tourist Attractions

From the former city fortifications still exist at the southern entrance to the city gate with the Lucerne clock tower and fresco of 1911 ( Seraphin Weingartner ) and, as the eastern cornerstone of the witches tower from the 13th or 14th century battlements. In contrast, the Surseer gate is on the north side of a reconstruction from the years 1985 to 1987.
The old town consists only of a major roadway (city street) and a few streets ( Untergasse, Upper Alley, Gerberngasse ). While the Untergasse was once attributed to her guest houses the upper middle class, the upper lane more rural character. In the Gerberngasse a (heavily restored ) has, in the midst of contemporary buildings, get late medieval Hochstudhaus with Tätschdach (No. 3, 1500). It is one of the oldest wooden structures of its kind in the canton of Lucerne.
The Town Hall was built in its essential buildings from the end of the 15./Beginn of the 16th century; its half-timbered façade, however, was added on the first floor until the 17th century upstairs with dormer windows in the 19th century. The late Gothic council chamber served to council meetings, court sessions, but also for banquets and parties. It contains Cabinet letter from the early 17th century. A small museum in the " Tuchlaube " displays document the city's history, the Battle of Sempach. The lions fountain in front of the Town Hall dates from the 16th century (pelvis and sculpture renewed).
Before classicist parish church of St. Stefan (1831; restored 2000 ) is the late baroque parsonage (1797 ). The lion monument in the churchyard in 1886 to 500 -year celebration of the Battle of Sempach in honor of Petermann of Gundoldingen and Arnold Winkelried built (Zurich sculptor Urs Eggenschwiler ).
At the "Old Schiffslände " was before 1806, when the lake level was lowered by 2 m, the city's harbor. Here there are some houses with processed fabric of the broken ramparts. In addition to the defunct Sea Gate is the " Sust " (18th century) where the goods transshipped from water to land transport, customs clearance and were temporarily stored. Later the building was the wash house, and today there is a gallery.
Below the old town runs the promenade and in its extension, the hiking route in the hamlet Kirchbühl (about 30 minutes).

The murals in the former parish church of St. Martin in Kirchbühl, including the fragment of one of the oldest representations of the legend of the " encounter of the three living and the three dead ", made around 1310. They are among the largest and oldest frescoes in one of the oldest churches in the canton of Lucerne.

At the battle of Sempach remembered as the Battle Memorial Chapel Sempach on the road to Hildisrieden.

Others

With the Swiss Ornithological Institute is also the most important center of Ornithology within Switzerland in Sempach.

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