Sachseln facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sachseln
Coat of arms
Sachseln Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Sachseln Location in Canton of Obwalden Show map of Canton of Obwalden
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Obwalden
District	n.a.
Area
• Total	53.89 km2 (20.81 sq mi)
Elevation	483 m (1,585 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	5,145
• Density	95.472/km2 (247.27/sq mi)
Postal code	6072
Surrounded by	Giswil, Kerns, Lungern, Sarnen

Sachseln is a charming village and a local government area (called a municipality) in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. It's not just one village; it also includes smaller communities called hamlets: Edisried, Ewil, and Flüeli-Ranft.

History of Sachseln

Sachseln was first written about in history books way back in 1173. Back then, its name was spelled Saxhslen.

Geography of Sachseln

Geographic center of Switzerland

Aerial view from 200 m by Walter Mittelholzer (1919)

Sachseln covers an area of about 53.8 square kilometers (20.8 square miles). A big part of this land, almost half (45.4%), is used for farming. Another large section (39.4%) is covered by forests. About 3.1% of the land has buildings or roads. The rest (12.1%) is made up of natural features like rivers, glaciers, or mountains.

The municipality is located right by Lake Sarnen (called Sarnersee). It includes the main village of Sachseln and the smaller hamlets of Edisried, Ewil, and Flüeli-Ranft.

Did you know that the exact geographic center of Switzerland is located in Sachseln?

People of Sachseln

Sachseln and the Sarnersee in 1900

Sachseln has a population of 5,145 people. As of 2007, about 13.4% of the people living there were from other countries. Over the last ten years, the number of people living in Sachseln has grown by 8.7%.

Most people in Sachseln (92.8%) speak German. Serbo-Croatian is the second most common language (1.5%), followed by Portuguese (1.1%). In 2000, the population was almost evenly split between males (49.6%) and females (50.4%).

Homes and Families

In 2000, there were 1,417 households in Sachseln. By 2009, this number had grown to 2,104 households. Most of these (1,867) were in Sachseln village, and 237 were in Flüeli-Ranft.

Politics and Education

In the 2007 national election, the most popular political party was the CVP, which got 36.2% of the votes. The SVP was next with 30.9%, followed by other parties (19.9%) and the SPS (13%).

About 71% of adults in Sachseln (aged 25–64) have finished either high school or gone on to higher education, like university.

Religion in Sachseln

As of 2008, most people in Sachseln are Roman Catholic, making up 78.8% of the population. About 6.8% belong to the Swiss Reformed Church. The remaining 14.37% belong to other churches or do not follow any religion.

Population Growth Over Time

Here's how the population of Sachseln has changed over the years:

Economy of Sachseln

Sachseln has a very low unemployment rate, only 0.76%. This means almost everyone who wants a job has one.

Jobs and Businesses

As of 2005, many people work in different types of jobs:

• 251 people work in the primary economic sector, which includes farming and natural resources. There are about 100 businesses in this area.
• 1,452 people work in the secondary sector, which means manufacturing and construction. There are 46 businesses in this sector.
• 709 people work in the tertiary sector, which includes services like shops and offices. There are 105 businesses in this sector.

A very important company in Sachseln is Maxon Motor. They make very precise electric motors. Their main office and a factory are located in Ewil, a hamlet of Sachseln. About 1,150 people work at Maxon Motor's Sachseln site.

Transport in Sachseln

Sachseln has two railway stations: Sachseln and Ewil Maxon. The Sachseln station is in the village center, and the Ewil Maxon station is in the hamlet of Ewil.

Both stations are on the Brünig line. The Lucerne S-Bahn S5 train service stops at both stations every half hour.

Famous People from Sachseln

• Dorothea Wyss (born around 1430/32, died after 1487) was the wife of Niklaus von Flüe. He is known as the patron saint of Switzerland.

Sights to See in Sachseln

Painting of Bruder Klaus

Some of the main attractions in Sachseln are related to the local saint, Bruder Klaus. You can visit his birthplace, his home, a museum about him, and the special place called Flüeli-Ranft.

Other interesting sights include:

• A beautiful church that people visit for pilgrimages.
• The school building called Mattli.
• Aelggi, which is the geographical centre of Switzerland.

See also

In Spanish: Sachseln para niños