Olsberg, Aargau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olsberg
Olsberg village
Coat of arms
Olsberg Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Olsberg Location in Canton of Aargau Show map of Canton of Aargau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Aargau
District	Rheinfelden
Area
• Total	4.61 km2 (1.78 sq mi)
Elevation	377 m (1,237 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	356
• Density	77.22/km2 (200.0/sq mi)
Postal code	4305
Surrounded by	Arisdorf (BL), Giebenach (BL), Kaiseraugst, Magden, Rheinfelden
Twin towns	Olsberg (Germany)

Olsberg (which is called Olschprg in Swiss German) is a small town, also known as a municipality, in Switzerland. It's located in the Rheinfelden area, which is part of the canton of Aargau.

History of Olsberg

Even before Olsberg became a modern village, people lived in the area. There was a small settlement here during the neolithic era, which was a very old time when people first started farming. Later, around the 1st Century AD, a Roman farm was also in the area.

How Olsberg Grew

The modern village of Olsberg was first written about in 1236. It was called Olsperg back then. The village started around a convent, which is a place where religious people live and work. For a long time, until 1790, the convent owned the land and had the right to make local laws. From 1330 to 1797, part of Olsberg belonged to the Austrian area of Rheinfelden. After 1797, it was under French protection. Then, in 1803, it joined the new Canton of Aargau. Another part of Olsberg, on the other side of a stream, belonged to the city of Basel from 1461. This part is now in the town of Arisdorf.

The Abbey Church

The main church in Olsberg, called the Abbey Church, was updated between 1670 and 1707. It used to be a smaller church connected to the main parish church in Kaiseraugst. After 1786, it became the main church for its own local area, or parish. In 1872, it became the first Christian Catholic parish church in Switzerland.

Geography of Olsberg

Olsberg covers an area of about 4.62 square kilometers (about 1.78 square miles). A large part of this land, about 34.2%, is used for farming. Even more of the land, about 60%, is covered by forests. The rest of the land, about 5.4%, has buildings or roads on it. A tiny bit, 0.2%, is rivers or lakes.

Land Use Details

• About 2.6% of the built-up area is homes and other buildings.
• About 2.4% is used for roads and other ways to get around.
• All the forested land is covered with thick forests.
• For farming, about 10.6% is used for growing crops.
• About 18.2% is used for pastures where animals graze.
• About 5.4% is used for growing fruits or grapes.
• All the water in Olsberg is in its rivers and streams.

Olsberg is located in the Rheinfelden district, in a valley called the lower Fricktal. In 1882, Olsberg joined together with the nearby town of Arisdorf.

Coat of Arms

The blazon (official description) of Olsberg's coat of arms is: Green with a silver rose, and a top section that is red and silver squares. This means the shield is mostly green, with a white (silver) rose in the middle. At the very top, there's a pattern of red and white squares.

People of Olsberg (Demographics)

Olsberg has a population of 356 people. As of June 2009, about 7.7% of the people living in Olsberg are from other countries. Over ten years (from 1997 to 2007), the number of people living here grew by 7.6%. Most people in Olsberg (96.3%) speak German. A smaller number speak French (1.6%) or Italian (0.5%).

Age Groups

Here's how the population was divided by age in 2008:

• 23 children (6.3%) were between 0 and 9 years old.
• 37 teenagers (10.2%) were between 10 and 19 years old.
• 31 adults (8.5%) were between 20 and 29 years old.
• 48 adults (13.2%) were between 30 and 39 years old.
• 57 adults (15.7%) were between 40 and 49 years old.
• 62 adults (17.1%) were between 50 and 59 years old.
• 77 older adults (21.2%) were between 60 and 69 years old.
• 17 older adults (4.7%) were between 70 and 79 years old.
• 8 older adults (2.2%) were between 80 and 89 years old.
• 3 older adults (0.8%) were 90 years old or older.

Homes and Households

In 2000, the average number of people per living room was 0.54. A "room" means a space in a home that's at least 4 square meters (about 43 square feet), like bedrooms, living rooms, or kitchens. About 76.7% of homes were owned by the people living in them, meaning they didn't pay rent. In 2000, there were:

• 8 homes with 1 or 2 people.
• 48 homes with 3 or 4 people.
• 73 homes with 5 or more people.

There were 134 private homes or apartments in total, with an average of 2.6 people per home. In 2008, 92 homes (56.4% of all homes) were single-family houses. There were no empty apartments, meaning a 0.0% vacancy rate. In 2007, about 5.6 new homes were built for every 1000 people.

Elections and Politics

In the 2007 Swiss federal election, the most popular political party was the SVP, which got 30.14% of the votes. The next most popular parties were the SP (28.61%), the FDP (13.29%), and the CVP (10.72%). A total of 133 votes were cast in the election, and 48.0% of eligible voters participated.

The population of Olsberg has changed over time:

Important Buildings in Olsberg

The old Cistercian convent, its church, and other buildings nearby are considered very important. They are listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance, meaning they are important parts of the country's history and culture.

Economy and Jobs

In 2007, Olsberg had a very low unemployment rate of 0.75%. This means almost everyone who wanted a job had one. In 2005, there were 46 people working in the primary economic sector, which includes jobs like farming. There were 16 businesses in this area. There were also 52 people working in the tertiary sector, which includes jobs like services (shops, offices). There were 10 businesses in this sector.

Working and Commuting

In 2000, 200 people who lived in Olsberg had jobs. About 149 of them (74.5%) worked outside of Olsberg. However, 74 people came into Olsberg for work. In total, there were 125 jobs in Olsberg (for at least 6 hours a week). For getting to work, 11.1% of people used public transportation, and 54.1% used a private car.

Religion in Olsberg

Based on the 2000 census:

• 86 people (22.9%) were Roman Catholic.
• 166 people (44.3%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
• 41 people (10.93%) belonged to the Christian Catholic faith.

Education in Olsberg

In Olsberg, about 90.7% of adults (aged 25-64) have completed either high school or a higher level of education, like university or a specialized college (called a Fachhochschule). In the 2008/2009 school year, there were 26 students attending primary school in Olsberg. Olsberg also has a school and town library called the Schul-u.Gde.Bibliothek Olsberg.

Culture and Events

The famous cellist Sol Gabetta has organized a special music festival in Olsberg since 2005. It's called Solsberg and features chamber music, which is music played by a small group of instruments.

See also

In Spanish: Olsberg para niños

Images for kids

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  Aerial view of Olsberg (1965)

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  The former convent building in Olsberg