Menziken facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Menziken
Coat of arms
Menziken Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Menziken Location in Canton of Aargau Show map of Canton of Aargau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Aargau
District	Kulm
Area
• Total	6.38 km2 (2.46 sq mi)
Elevation	544 m (1,785 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	6,518
• Density	1,021.6/km2 (2,646.0/sq mi)
Postal code	5737
Surrounded by	Beinwil am See, Beromünster (LU), Burg, Gunzwil (LU), Pfeffikon (LU), Reinach, Rickenbach (LU)

Menziken is a town, also called a municipality, located in the Kulm district. It's part of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. On January 1, 2023, the nearby town of Burg joined with Menziken to form a larger municipality.

History of Menziken

Menziken was first written about in the year 1045. Back then, its name was Manzinchouen. Even before that, people lived in the area. We know this because Roman ruins and ancient Alamanni graves have been found here.

From Old Rulers to Bernese Control

During the High Middle Ages, Menziken was owned by powerful families. First, it was the Counts of Lenzburg. Then, in 1173, it went to the Kyburgs. When the Kyburg family line ended in 1273, the town became part of the Habsburg lands.

The Habsburgs had the right to make big legal decisions, called high justice. But their local helpers, the Lords of Reinach, handled smaller legal matters, known as low justice. From 1415, the village was controlled by Bern. This lasted until 1798, when the Helvetic Republic was created. After that, in 1803, Menziken became a municipality in the new canton of Aargau.

Religious Changes and New Churches

In the Middle Ages, Menziken was part of the Catholic parish of Pfeffikon. A parish is like a church district. In 1528, the Protestant Reformation began. Menziken then became Protestant and joined the Gontenschwil parish. Later, it moved to the Reinach parish.

In 1889–90, Menziken got its own independent parish. They also built their own church. For Catholic residents, the St Anne's Church was built in 1906-07.

Menziken's Economic Journey

In 1729, a cotton factory opened in Menziken. Many weavers, spinners, and dyers followed. This work was a main source of income until the 1800s. In 1838, Samuel Weber started a cigar factory. Soon, the cigar industry became very important in the whole Wynental valley. Cigar companies were major employers for a long time.

Today, big employers include Schlör AG, which makes soft drinks and juices. Another is Alu Menziken, which produces metal goods. Since 1904, Menziken has also been the end stop for the Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn railway line.

Geography of Menziken

Menziken covers an area of about 7.32 square kilometers (2.83 square miles). A large part of this land, about 47.6%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 23.3% of the area.

About 29.3% of the land is built up with buildings and roads. A very small part, about 0.2%, is rivers or lakes. The rest, also 0.2%, is land that cannot be used for farming or building.

Land Use Details

Within the built-up areas, industrial buildings take up 2.8% of the total land. Homes and other buildings make up 17.1%. Roads and other transport areas are 4.4%. Parks and sports fields cover 2.3%.

For farming land, 29.9% is used for growing crops. Another 16.6% is used for pastures where animals graze. A small part, 1.1%, has orchards or small groups of trees. All the water in Menziken is found in its rivers and streams.

Location and Surroundings

Menziken is in the Kulm district. It forms a group of towns with Reinach, Burg, and Pfeffikon (in the Canton of Lucerne). These towns are all located in the upper Wynental, which is the valley of the Wyna River.

Menziken's Coat of Arms

The blazon (description) of Menziken's coat of arms shows a soldier. He is wearing silver armor and a helmet. He stands on green hills and holds a golden spear in one hand. In his other hand, he holds a five-pointed golden star.

People of Menziken (Demographics)

Menziken has a population of about 5,416 people. As of June 2009, about 34.4% of the people living here were from other countries. Over ten years (1997–2007), the population grew by about 1.8%.

Languages Spoken

Most people in Menziken speak German, about 81.3%. The second most common language is Albanian, spoken by 5.0% of the population. Serbo-Croatian is the third most common, spoken by 4.1%.

Age Groups

In 2008, the population of Menziken included:

• Children aged 0-9: 10.4%
• Teenagers aged 10-19: 14.3%
• Young adults aged 20-29: 12.0%
• Adults aged 30-39: 13.0%
• Adults aged 40-49: 16.7%
• Adults aged 50-59: 12.3%
• Seniors aged 60-69: 10.3%
• Seniors aged 70-79: 6.5%
• Seniors aged 80-89: 4.0%
• Seniors aged 90 and older: 0.5%

Homes and Households

In 2000, the average home had 0.59 residents per room. A "room" means a space of at least 4 square meters, like bedrooms or living rooms. About 43.8% of homes were owned by the people living in them.

There were 2,111 private homes and apartments in 2000. The average household had 2.5 people. In 2008, 40.4% of all homes were single-family houses. About 5.8% of apartments were empty. In 2007, about 4.2 new homes were built for every 1000 residents.

Politics and Education

In the 2007 federal election, the most popular political party was the SVP, with 42.1% of the votes. The next most popular parties were the SP (17.7%), the FDP (16.8%), and the CVP (6.1%).

About 60.5% of people aged 25-64 in Menziken have finished higher education. This includes either advanced secondary school or university. In the 2008/2009 school year, 436 students attended primary school. There were 219 students in secondary school. Also, 95 students were in university-level schooling in Menziken.

The number of people living in Menziken over time:

Important Heritage Sites

The Villa Mathys, located at Hofmattpark 1A, is a special building. It is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. This means it's very important to the country's history and culture.

Economy of Menziken

In 2007, Menziken had an unemployment rate of 2.69%. This means a small percentage of people looking for jobs could not find one.

Working in Menziken

In 2005, there were 28 people working in the primary economic sector. This sector includes jobs like farming. There were 11 businesses in this area.

The secondary sector employed 660 people across 50 businesses. This sector includes manufacturing and construction.

The tertiary sector had 1,077 people working in 139 businesses. This sector includes services like shops, offices, and healthcare.

In 2000, 2,728 workers lived in Menziken. About 66.6% of them traveled outside Menziken for work. However, 1,296 people came into Menziken to work. There were 2,208 jobs available in the town. About 7.7% of workers used public transport to get to work, and 52.1% used a private car.

Transport in Menziken

Menziken has a railway line called the Aarau–Menziken railway line. It is run by Aargau Verkehr. This line is part of the S14 service of the Aargau S-Bahn. Trains run every fifteen minutes to Aarau, the capital of the canton. The train stops at the Menziken station in the town.

Religion in Menziken

Based on the 2000 census, about 30.4% of the people in Menziken were Roman Catholic. About 39.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, which is Protestant. A very small number of people, about 0.09%, were part of the Christian Catholic faith. There was also a small group of Moravian Brethren.

Notable People

• Bertrand Vogt (1857-1936)

Images for kids

• 

  Wyna river at Menziken

• 

  Aerial view of Menziken (1964)

• 

  Protestant Church of Menziken

See also

In Spanish: Menziken para niños