Gelfingen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gelfingen
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Gelfingen Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Gelfingen Location in Canton of Lucerne Show map of Canton of Lucerne
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Lucerne
District	Hochdorf
Area
• Total	3.86 km2 (1.49 sq mi)
Elevation	472 m (1,549 ft)
Population
• Total	764
• Density	197.9/km2 (512.6/sq mi)
Postal code	6284
Surrounded by	Hitzkirch, Hohenrain, Lieli, Retschwil, Römerswil, Sulz

Gelfingen was once a small town, also known as a municipality, in the Hochdorf area of Lucerne in Switzerland. It was a separate town until January 1, 2009. On that date, Gelfingen became part of the larger municipality of Hitzkirch.

Gelfingen's Past: A Look at Its History

Schloss Heidegg above Gelfingen

Gelfingen's history goes way back! The town was first written about in the year 1045. Back then, it was called Gelvingun. This means people have lived and worked in this area for a very long time.

Where is Gelfingen? Geography and Land Use

Gelfingen covers an area of about 3.9 square kilometers (about 1.5 square miles). A big part of this land, almost 65%, is used for farming. This means there are many fields and farms around Gelfingen.

About 25% of the area is covered by forests. The rest of the land, about 9.6%, has buildings and roads where people live and travel. A tiny bit, 0.3%, is made up of things like rivers or other natural areas.

Gelfingen's Location and Town Mergers

Gelfingen is located near Lake Baldegg, right below a beautiful old castle called Schloss Heidegg.

In 2006, there was an idea to combine Hitzkirch with 10 other nearby towns. However, this plan didn't work out because five of the eleven towns voted against it. Later, a smaller plan was suggested. This new plan was accepted, and Gelfingen joined Hitzkirch along with five other towns: Hämikon, Mosen, Müswangen, Retschwil, and Sulz.

Who Lives in Gelfingen? Population and People

In 2007, Gelfingen had a population of 764 people. About 5.4% of these people were from other countries. Over the ten years before 2007, the number of people living in Gelfingen grew by more than 20%.

Languages Spoken in Gelfingen

Most people in Gelfingen speak German. In 2000, about 94.1% of the population spoke German. English was the second most common language, spoken by 1.4% of the people. Portuguese was the third, spoken by 1.0%.

Age Groups in the Community

Looking at the population in 2000, children and teenagers (from birth to 19 years old) made up 35.4% of the people. Adults (from 20 to 64 years old) were the largest group, making up 56.3%. Seniors (over 64 years old) made up 8.3% of the population.

Education and Work in Gelfingen

People in Switzerland generally have a good education. In Gelfingen, about 77.8% of adults (aged 25-64) have finished either higher secondary education or even more advanced studies, like at a university.

Gelfingen had a low unemployment rate of 1.21%. This means most people who wanted to work had jobs.

In 2005, many people worked in farming, with 62 people employed in this area. There were 17 businesses related to farming. About 18 people worked in manufacturing or construction, with 6 businesses in these areas. The largest number of people, 65, worked in services like shops, offices, or healthcare. There were 19 businesses in this service sector.

Gelfingen's Population Over Time

Here's how the population of Gelfingen has changed over many years: