Rieden, Switzerland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rieden
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Rieden Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Rieden Location in Canton of St. Gallen Show map of Canton of St. Gallen
Country	Switzerland
Canton	St. Gallen
District	See-Gaster
Area
• Total	11.42 km2 (4.41 sq mi)
Elevation	715 m (2,346 ft)
Population  (Dec 2011)
• Total	685
• Density	59.98/km2 (155.35/sq mi)
Postal code	8739
Surrounded by	Ebnat-Kappel, Gommiswald, Kaltbrunn

Rieden was once a small town, or municipality, in the area of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. On January 1, 2013, Rieden joined with another town called Ernetschwil to become part of the larger municipality of Gommiswald.

History of Rieden

Rieden is a very old place. The first time it was ever written about was in the year 1045. Back then, its name was spelled Rieta.

Geography and Landscape

Rieden is located in a beautiful part of Switzerland. It sits on a high area, like a terrace, looking over the Linth valley. In 2006, Rieden covered an area of about 11.5 square kilometers.

Most of the land in Rieden is covered by forests, which makes up about 56% of the area. A good part, nearly 40%, is used for farming. Only a small amount of land, about 3%, has buildings or roads. The rest is made up of rivers or other natural areas.

The town of Rieden itself is a Haufendorf. This means it's a village that grew without a strict plan, with buildings close together around a central spot. Outside the main village, you could also find many scattered farmhouses.

An aerial view of Rieden from 1948

Rieden's Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Rieden has a special design. It shows Saint Magnus standing up. He is dressed like a monk in black robes and has a red halo around his head. In his right hand, he holds a staff with a black cross on top.

People and Population

In 2011, Rieden had a population of 685 people. Most people in Rieden speak German. In fact, in 2000, about 98% of the people spoke German. A small number of people also spoke Romanian or French.

The population of Rieden grew by about 4.7% over ten years. In 2000, the age groups in Rieden were:

• Children (0-9 years old): About 15% of the population.
• Teenagers (10-19 years old): About 13% of the population.
• Young adults (20-29 years old): About 9% of the population.
• Adults (30-59 years old): About 40% of the population.
• Seniors (60 years and older): About 23% of the population.

Many people in Rieden have a good education. In 2000, about 72% of adults (aged 25-64) had finished high school or gone on to higher education like university.

The number of people living in Rieden has changed over time:

Economy and Work

In Rieden, people worked in different types of jobs. In 2005, many people worked in farming, which is called the primary economic sector. There were also some businesses in manufacturing and construction, known as the secondary sector. The largest number of people worked in the tertiary sector, which includes jobs like services, shops, and offices.

In 2000, about 100 people who lived in Rieden also worked there. However, many more people, about 245 residents, traveled outside of Rieden for their jobs. Only a small number of people, about 30, came into Rieden to work.

Religion in Rieden

According to a survey in 2000, most people in Rieden were Roman Catholic, making up about 65% of the population. The next largest group, about 19%, belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There were also smaller groups of people who belonged to other Christian churches, or to the Islamic faith. About 8% of the population did not belong to any church.

See also

In Spanish: Rieden (Suiza) para niños