Hergiswil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hergiswil
Coat of arms
Hergiswil Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Hergiswil Location in Canton of Nidwalden Show map of Canton of Nidwalden
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Nidwalden
District	n.a.
Area
• Total	14.31 km2 (5.53 sq mi)
Elevation	449 m (1,473 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	5,863
• Density	409.71/km2 (1,061.2/sq mi)
Postal code	6052
Surrounded by	Alpnach (OW), Horw (LU), Kriens (LU), Schwarzenberg (LU), Stansstad

Hergiswil is a lovely municipality in Switzerland. It is located in the canton of Nidwalden. A municipality is like a town or a local area with its own government. Hergiswil is known for its beautiful location by Lake Lucerne. It also sits near the famous Mount Pilatus.

A Glimpse into Hergiswil's Past

Hergiswil was first mentioned a long, long time ago. This was between the years 1303 and 1309. Back then, it was called ze Hergenswile. This shows that people have lived here for many centuries!

Where is Hergiswil Located?

An aerial view of Hergiswil in 1964.

Hergiswil covers an area of about 14.2 square kilometers (about 5.5 square miles). Imagine a big puzzle piece of land! A large part of this land is covered by forests. About 44.4% of Hergiswil is forest. Another 29.3% is used for farming. This means there are many fields and farms. About 9.7% of the land has buildings or roads. The rest, about 16.6%, is made up of things like rivers or mountains. These parts are not used for farming or building. The municipality is nestled between the foot of Mount Pilatus and the beautiful Lake Lucerne.

Who Lives in Hergiswil?

Hergiswil has a population of 5,863 people. This number changes over time. As of 2007, about 14.5% of the people living in Hergiswil were from other countries. Over the past 10 years, the number of people living here has grown by 11.5%. Most people in Hergiswil speak German. About 91% of the population speaks German. Italian is the second most common language. French is the third. In 2008, about 52.2% of the people were male. About 47.8% were female. In 2000, there were 2,216 homes in Hergiswil. Many homes, about 73.4%, had only one or two people living in them. About 4.1% of homes were large, with five or more family members.

Education and Jobs

Many adults in Hergiswil have a good education. About 77.7% of people aged 25-64 have finished high school. Many also have gone on to higher education, like university. Hergiswil has a low unemployment rate of 1.24%. This means most people who want to work can find a job. In 2005, there were 89 people working in farming. There were also 35 businesses related to farming. About 666 people worked in manufacturing and industry. There were 72 businesses in this area. The biggest job sector is services. About 2,091 people worked in services. This includes jobs like shops, offices, and tourism. There were 382 businesses in this sector.

Population Growth Over Time

Here's how Hergiswil's population has changed through the years:

Getting Around Hergiswil

Hergiswil has good public transport. It has two train stations: Hergiswil station and Hergiswil Matt station. These stations are on the Brünig railway line. They are also connected to the Luzern–Stans–Engelberg railway line. You can catch a train about four times an hour at each station. Hergiswil station also has hourly trains. These trains go between Lucerne and Interlaken. They also go between Lucerne and Engelberg.

What to See in Hergiswil

Hergiswil has many interesting places to visit.

• An old clergy house: This is a historic building where church leaders used to live.
• The church: A beautiful building for worship.
• The chapel Maria zum guten Rat: A small, peaceful chapel.
• The old mansion Thumigerhaus: A grand old house with a lot of history.
• The glazier's workshop with museum: This is a very special place! It's a workshop where glass items are made. It also has a museum. The workshop started in 1817. It burned down once but was rebuilt. It is still working today! You can see how glass is made.

See also

In Spanish: Hergiswil para niños