Kriens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kriens
Coat of arms
Kriens Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Kriens Location in Canton of Lucerne Show map of Canton of Lucerne
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Lucerne
District	Lucerne
Area
• Total	27.3 km2 (10.5 sq mi)
Elevation	490 m (1,610 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	28,245
• Density	1,034.6/km2 (2,680/sq mi)
Postal code	6010-6012
Surrounded by	Hergiswil (NW), Horw, Lucerne (Luzern), Malters, Schwarzenberg
Twin towns	San Damiano d'Asti (Italy)

Kriens is a city and a municipality in the Lucerne district. It's located in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.

This city sits at the base of Mount Pilatus. It is also a western suburb of the larger city of Lucerne.

History of Kriens

Schloss Schauensee in Kriens, a historic castle

Kriens is mentioned in very old documents from around 840 AD. These documents belonged to the Benedictine Monastery of Lucerne. They called the area Chrientes, which was a piece of land between Mount Pilatus and Lake Lucerne. Two noble sisters gave this land to the monastery as a gift.

Later, in 1291, the Habsburgs took control of Kriens. They owned it until the Battle of Sempach in 1386. After that, the city of Lucerne took over in 1392. Kriens was part of a special district called Vogtei of Horw-Kriens from 1421 to 1798.

In 1653, local farmers, led by Hans Spengler, protested against the government. Kriens was part of the Lucerne District until 1803. Since then, it has been part of the Lucerne Authority.

Geography and Landscape

Aerial view of Kriens in 1949

The city of Kriens includes the main town with its different areas. It also has a community called Obernau to the west. There's also a small village called Hergiswald, about 5 kilometers west of town. Many farms are spread out on the slopes of Mount Pilatus.

The eastern part of Kriens, near Lucerne and Horw, is in a valley. The land gently rises towards the west, towards Obernau.

North of the town is the forested southern slope of Mount Sonnenberg. To the south of town is the northern side of Mount Schattenberg. This mountain is the first rise of Mount Pilatus. Much of the land west of Obernau and south of town is covered in forest.

Several brooks, like Tschuggenbach and Rotbach, start in a large, flat swamp area. The whole area is part of the northern slope of Mount Pilatus.

The Unterer Krienbach stream flows through the town and into the Reuss River in Lucerne. This stream used to cause floods before it was covered.

Land Use in Kriens

Kriens covers an area of about 27.3 square kilometers.

• About 31.6% of the land is used for farming.
• A large part, 50.5%, is covered by forests.
• Around 16.9% of the land has buildings or roads.
• The remaining 1% includes rivers, glaciers, or mountains.

In 1997, over half of the land (50.51%) was forest. For farming, 29.63% was used for crops or pastures, and 1.98% for orchards. In settled areas, 8.81% had buildings, 2.23% was industrial, and 3.88% was for transportation.

Kriens includes Hergiswald since 1845. The Eigental area was also part of Kriens in the Middle Ages and from 1814 to 1845.

Neighboring Towns

Kriens shares its borders with several other towns:

• Hergiswil to the south.
• Horw to the south and east.
• The City of Lucerne to the east.
• Malters to the north-west.
• Schwarzenberg to the west.

Population of Kriens

Kriens has a population of about 27,444 people (as of 2018). About 15.8% of the people living in Kriens are from other countries (as of 2007). Over the last 10 years, the population has grown by 6.3%.

Age Groups in Kriens

Here's how the population is divided by age:

• 21% are 0–19 years old (5,438 people).
• 24.8% are 20–39 years old (6,412 people).
• 35.5% are 40–64 years old (9,199 people).
• 14.2% are 65–79 years old (3,675 people).
• 3.9% are 80–89 years old (997 people).
• 0.6% are 90+ years old (167 people).

How Kriens' Population Has Grown

Kriens seen from the Pilatus Aerial Cableway

The number of people living in Kriens has steadily increased since 1798. There were only a few times when the population didn't grow much, like from 1837 to 1850, 1910-1920, and 1970–1980.

Kriens saw big increases in population between 1888 and 1910, and again from 1930 to 1970. In 1951, Kriens reached 10,000 residents, and by 1970, it had 20,000.

Today, Kriens is the third largest municipality in the canton of Lucerne. It's also one of the 25 biggest cities and municipalities in Switzerland. Since January 1, 2019, Kriens is officially known as the City of Kriens.

Here's a look at the historical population:

Homes in Kriens

In 2000, there were 10,830 households in Kriens. About 34.7% of these households (3,760) had only one person living in them. Only about 5.3% (573) were large households with five or more people.

There were 2,941 buildings where people lived. Most of these (2,532) were only for housing. The rest (409) were mixed-use buildings, meaning they had both homes and businesses.

Most homes were either two or three stories tall.

Languages Spoken in Kriens

Most people in Kriens speak a dialect of High Alemannic German. In 2000, about 89.36% of the population said German was their main language. Other languages spoken include Italian (2.55%) and Serbian (1.92%).

Religions in Kriens

Long ago, most people in Kriens were Catholic. Today, the Catholic church is still the largest Christian group. However, people from other parts of Switzerland and other countries have moved to Kriens, bringing different religions.

Here's a breakdown of religions in 2000:

Most Muslims are from Albania and Bosnia. Orthodox Christians are mainly from Serbia and Montenegro. Jewish people are generally part of the Hasidic branch of Judaism and are Swiss citizens.

Where People in Kriens Come From

At the end of 2004, out of 25,190 people, 21,409 were Swiss citizens. About 3,781 people (15%) were from other countries. In 2000, 80.46% of residents were Swiss citizens. This number goes up to 85.30% if you include people who have dual citizenship (meaning they are citizens of Switzerland and another country).

Unlike some other large towns in Lucerne, Kriens does not have areas where most people are from other countries.

Here's a table showing nationalities in Kriens:

Economy and Jobs

Most jobs in Kriens are in the service sector, like shops, restaurants, and offices. Kriens has 12,120 jobs across 958 workplaces. The unemployment rate is low, at 2.53%.

In 2005, 155 people worked in the primary sector (like farming). There were 59 businesses in this area. In the secondary sector (like manufacturing), 2,051 people worked in 200 businesses. The tertiary sector (services) had 6,629 people working in 657 businesses.

In 2000, about 51.2% of the people in Kriens had jobs. Women made up 45% of the workforce.

Transportation in Kriens

Kriens used to have a train line for passengers from 1886 to 1900. The tracks were later used for freight until 1998. They were removed in 2004 when the town center was rebuilt.

However, passenger train service returned to Kriens in December 2004. The Kriens-Mattenhof station opened on the line between Lucerne and Interlaken/Engelberg. This station is served by the S4, S5, and S41 lines of the Zentralbahn. It's actually closer to Horw and parts of Lucerne than to the center of Kriens.

Kriens has a great public transportation system with buses.

• VBL bus line 1 goes from Lucerne to Kriens-Obernau, passing through the town center.
• Line 5 connects Kriens directly to Emmenbrücke, without going through Lucerne city center.
• Lines 15 and 16 help people get around other communities in Kriens.
• In 2005, Line 16 was extended to the train station in Horw.
• Bus lines 14 and 21 also go from Lucerne to Kriens, sometimes via Horw.

The Kriens–Sonnenberg funicular is a special cable car that links Kriens to the Sonnenberg mountain. This area is popular for hiking and recreation.

Kriens also has its own exit on the A2 motorway near Grosshof. This is south of the Mount Sonnenberg tunnel. Another exit, Lucerne-Horw, is also on the A2 and is convenient for some parts of Kriens.

Meaning of the Name Kriens

No one is completely sure where the name Kriens comes from or what it means. It might come from an old Indo-Germanic word (s)keri, which meant "separate" around the 4th century AD. This word might have then become the Celtic word Crientas. In a document from the 9th century, the Alemannic word Chrientes is mentioned.

Schools in Kriens

Kriens has a good education system. There are twelve primary schools for younger students. For older students, there are three secondary schools.

About 74.2% of adults in Kriens (aged 25–64) have completed either upper secondary education or higher education, like university.

Sports in Kriens

Kriens is home to some well-known sports clubs.

• The most famous is the SC Kriens football (soccer) club. They used to play in the top Swiss league, the National League A. Since the 2018-2019 season, they play in the Challenge League, which is the second highest league in Switzerland.
• In handball, the HC Kriens-Luzern team plays in the National League A. This means they are among the best handball teams in the country.
• There are also other sports clubs, such as a bicycle club, a tennis club, and several gymnastics clubs.

Notable People from Kriens

• Petri Sutermeister (1920-2018): A Danish-Swiss writer known for her travel books. She spent every summer in Spitsbergen.
• Yvette Estermann (born 1967): A politician who is a member of the Swiss National Council.
• Jean Nuttli (born 1974): A former professional cyclist.
• Fabio Coltorti (born 1980): A former football (soccer) goalkeeper. He played in 360 club games and 8 games for the Swiss national team.
• Michael Töngi (born 1967): A politician who has been a member of the Swiss National Council since 2018.

See also

In Spanish: Kriens para niños