Schänis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Schänis
Coat of arms
Schänis Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Schänis Location in Canton of St. Gallen Show map of Canton of St. Gallen
Country	Switzerland
Canton	St. Gallen
District	See-Gaster
Area
• Total	39.9 km2 (15.4 sq mi)
Elevation	420 m (1,380 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	3,923
• Density	98.32/km2 (254.6/sq mi)
Postal code	8718
Localities	Ziegelbrücke
Surrounded by	Amden, Benken, Bilten (GL), Ebnat-Kappel, Kaltbrunn, Nesslau-Krummenau, Niederurnen (GL), Weesen

Schänis is a small town, also called a municipality, in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It is part of the See-Gaster area.

History of Schänis

Schänis was first mentioned in old records in the year 972. Back then, it was called Schennines. For a long time, until 1798, it was the main town of the Gaster region. This region was known as a Herrschaft, which means a territory ruled by a lord.

Later, until 1831, Schänis was the capital of its district. During the French Revolutionary Wars, especially the War of the Second Coalition, some important battles happened near Schänis. These included parts of the first and second battles of Zurich, and the Battle of Winterthur. These battles were fought between the Habsburg army and the French army.

On September 25, 1799, before the second Battle of Zurich, a general named Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze was killed near Schänis. He was on a scouting trip by the Linth river when French soldiers attacked. General Hotze was first buried in the church in Schänis. Later, in 1851, his body was moved to Bregenz, where a monument was built for him.

Geography of Schänis

Steiner House in Schänis

Aerial view of Schänis (1947)

Schänis covers an area of about 39.9 square kilometers (about 15.4 square miles). A large part of this land, almost 50%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 41% of the area. The rest of the land is used for buildings and roads (4.3%) or is made up of rivers and lakes (4.5%).

The town is located on a raised area next to the Linth valley. Schänis includes the main village and smaller communities called hamlets. These hamlets are Maseltrangen, Dorf, Rufi, and Rütiberg. There are also some mountain villages near the Speer mountains that are used only at certain times of the year by herders. This practice is called transhumance, where animals are moved to different pastures depending on the season.

Schänis Coat of Arms

The blazon (description) of the Schänis coat of arms is quite unique. It shows a silver shield with a red lion walking across it. In the top left corner, there is a golden cross. The bottom part of the shield is red with a golden crown.

People and Population

Schänis has a population of about 4,100 people. About 9.5% of the people living here are from other countries. Most people in Schänis speak German, which is about 93% of the population. Other languages spoken include Albanian (2.2%) and Serbo-Croatian (1.7%).

The population of Schänis has been growing. Over the last 10 years, it has increased by about 3.7%.

Here's how the population has changed over time:

Education in Schänis

Many adults in Schänis (between 25 and 64 years old) have completed a good level of education. About 63.5% have finished either non-mandatory upper secondary education or even higher education, like university.

In 2000, about 26% of the population had completed primary school. About 33% had finished secondary school. A smaller number, about 7.4%, had gone on to a tertiary school, which means a college or university.

Important Heritage Sites

Gallus Tower (Gallusturm)

Schänis has several important historical places. These are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. This means they are very important to the country's history and culture.

These sites include:

• A Roman watch tower located at Biberlikopf.
• The old women's church building called zum Heiligen Kreuz at Rathausplatz 1.
• The Gallusturm, also known as the Gallus Tower.

Economy of Schänis

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Schänis was quite low, at 1.31%. This means most people who wanted to work had jobs.

The economy of Schänis is divided into three main parts:

• Primary sector: This includes jobs like farming and forestry. In 2005, about 265 people worked in this sector.
• Secondary sector: This includes jobs in manufacturing and construction. About 433 people worked in this sector.
• Tertiary sector: This includes jobs in services, like shops, offices, and healthcare. About 597 people worked in this sector.

Many people who live in Schänis also work in other towns. In 2000, about 1,129 residents worked outside Schänis. However, 444 people traveled into Schänis for work.

Religion in Schänis

Schänis village church

Based on a census from 2000, most people in Schänis are Roman Catholic, making up about 69.6% of the population. The next largest group, about 15%, belongs to the Swiss Reformed Church.

Smaller numbers of people belong to other Christian churches, the Orthodox Church, or are Islamic. About 4.67% of the population said they did not belong to any church or religion.

Weather in Schänis

Schänis usually has about 152 days of rain or snow each year. On average, it gets about 1,679 millimeters (about 66 inches) of rain or snow annually.

The wettest month is August, with an average of 218 millimeters (about 8.6 inches) of rain or snow. It rains or snows for about 14.4 days in August. June has the most days with precipitation, averaging 15.3 days, but with slightly less rain or snow than August. The driest month is February, with about 92 millimeters (about 3.6 inches) of precipitation over 14.4 days.

Transport in Schänis

Schänis has its own train station, called Schänis railway station. It's a stop on the train line that connects Rapperswil and Ziegelbrücke. The station currently has one track, but it used to have two.

The station is served by two St. Gallen S-Bahn train lines:

• The S17 line, which travels between Rapperswil and Sargans.
• The S6 line, which connects Rapperswil with Schwanden.

Both trains run once an hour. This means that together, they provide a train every half hour to Rapperswil and Ziegelbrücke.

Schänis also has a small airport, Schänis Airport (LSZX). This airport is mainly used for the sport of gliding or soaring, where planes fly without an engine, using air currents.

See also

In Spanish: Schänis para niños