Dorneck District facts for kids

Dorneck District is one of the ten districts in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the northern part of the canton. This district, along with Thierstein District, forms a larger area called the Amtei (electoral district) of Dorneck-Thierstein.

Dorneck District has a population of 20,802 (as of 31 December 2020). What's interesting is that five of its eleven towns are like little islands! They are either completely surrounded by the canton of Basel-Country or they share a border with France.

Towns in Dorneck District

Dorneck District is made up of eleven towns, which are called municipalities in Switzerland. Here they are:

• Bättwil
• Büren
• Dornach
• Gempen
• Hochwald
• Hofstetten-Flüh
• Metzerlen-Mariastein
• Nuglar-St. Pantaleon
• Rodersdorf
• Seewen
• Witterswil

Name Changes

Sometimes, towns change their names. On January 1, 1986, the town of Hofstetten (SO) officially changed its name to Hofstetten-Flüh.

Geography of Dorneck

Dorneck District covers an area of about 74.64 square kilometers (which is about 28.8 square miles). A big part of this land is used for farming, about 44.2%. Another large part, about 44.1%, is covered by forests.

The rest of the land is used for buildings and roads (about 11.5%). A very small part, less than 1%, is made up of rivers or lakes. Almost all the water in the district is flowing water, like rivers and streams.

Coat of Arms

A coat of arms is a special symbol or design that represents a place, family, or organization. The coat of arms for Dorneck District shows two black fish-hooks that are upside down and facing away from each other, all on a silver background.

People and Languages

Dorneck District has a population of 20,802 people. Most people in Dorneck District speak German. This is about 92.3% of the population. Other languages spoken include Italian (1.4%) and French (1.3%).

In 2008, there were slightly more women than men living in the district. About 48.7% of the population were men and 51.3% were women. Most people living in Dorneck were born in Switzerland. About 27% were born right in Dorneck, and many others were born in other parts of Switzerland. About 17.6% of the people were born outside of Switzerland.

The population of Dorneck District has grown a lot over the years. For example, in 1850, there were about 6,265 people. By 2000, this number had grown to 17,978 people.

Politics

In the 2007 federal election, people in Dorneck District voted for different political parties. The most popular party was the SVP, which got about 24.07% of the votes. Other popular parties included the SP (21.61%), the CVP (18.43%), and the FDP (17.18%).

When people vote, it's called voter turnout. In this election, about 52.9% of the people who could vote actually did.

Religion

Based on information from 2000, many people in Dorneck District are Roman Catholic, about 42.5%. Another large group, about 25.1%, belongs to the Swiss Reformed Church.

Some other religions followed in the district include Orthodox Christianity, Christian Catholic Church, and other Christian churches. There are also people who are Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu. About 22% of the population said they did not belong to any church or religion.

Education

Education is important in Dorneck. About 39.5% of the people have finished upper secondary education. This is like high school. Also, about 17.6% of the people have gone on to higher education, which means they have studied at a university or a specialized college (called a Fachhochschule).

See also

In Spanish: Distrito de Dorneck para niños

Images for kids

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  Map of Dorneck District in Solothurn

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  Municipalities of Dorneck District

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  The Coat of Arms of Dorneck District