Unterkulm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Unterkulm
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 Unterkulm
Location in Switzerland
Unterkulm
Location in Canton of Aargau
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Aargau | |
| District | Kulm | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 8.88 km2 (3.43 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 466 m (1,529 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 3,343 | |
| • Density | 376.46/km2 (975.0/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
5726
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| Surrounded by | Dürrenäsch, Gränichen, Hirschthal, Muhen, Oberkulm, Schlossrued, Schöftland, Teufenthal | |
Unterkulm is a town, also called a municipality, located in the Kulm area of Aargau, a canton (like a state) in Switzerland.
Contents
History of Unterkulm
People have lived in the area around Unterkulm for a very long time! We know this because Roman ruins and old Roman coins have been found near the church and at a place called Sonnenhof.
The first time Unterkulm was mentioned in writing was in 1045. Back then, it was called Chulenbare, and this name was used for both Unterkulm and its neighbor, Oberkulm. In 1303, it was called ze Nideren-Kulme, which was the first time Unterkulm was mentioned by itself.
For many years, until 1566, Unterkulm and Oberkulm were part of the same "tithe district." A tithe was like a tax, often a tenth of what people produced, paid to the church or a ruler. Even though they shared this tax district, they probably became separate towns earlier.
Over the centuries, different powerful families ruled the area, including the Lenzburg family, then the Kyburgs, and finally the Habsburgs. By the 1300s, parts of the village were also owned by religious groups called monasteries (like Schänis, Beromünster, and Engelberg) and rich local families. Later, in the 1300s and 1400s, other groups like the Knights Hospitaller (a military and religious order) and a collegiate church (a church run by a group of priests) also owned land in Unterkulm.
In 1415, the city of Bern took control of the area. Unterkulm remained part of Bern's territory until 1798. For a short time, from 1798 to 1803, during a period called the Helvetic Republic, Unterkulm was even a capital city for its district!
The Village Church and Religion
The main church in Unterkulm was built around 1045 and was named after Saint Martin of Tours. In the early 1300s, beautiful fresco paintings were added to its walls. The church tower has a very old clock, built in 1530 by Laurentz Liechti, a clockmaker from Winterthur. This clock is still working today!
In 1528, a big change happened: the Protestant Reformation came to the area. This meant people started following a different type of Christianity. The church served Unterkulm, Oberkulm, Teufenthal, and Dürrenäsch. However, Dürrenäsch later got its own church in 1614. There is also a Catholic church in Unterkulm, which opened in 1957.
Growing Up in Unterkulm
The first school in Unterkulm was mentioned in 1565. This shows that education was important even back then.
In the mid-1700s, people in Unterkulm started doing more than just farming. They began spinning cotton into thread and weaving it into cloth. By the 1780s, out of about 1,000 people living there, around 280 worked with cotton!
Around 1800, the old way of farming (where fields were left empty every few years) started to change. Instead of just growing crops, people focused more on dairy farming, raising cows for milk. In 1893, a dairy company was started in the village.
Later, factories came to Unterkulm. A ribbon factory opened in 1854, and a music box factory opened in 1874. The music box factory was replaced in 1897 by a factory that makes fittings (parts for pipes or machines), which is still important today.
Geography of Unterkulm
Unterkulm covers an area of about 8.89 square kilometers (3.43 sq mi). A large part of this land, about 46.7%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 39.3% of the area. The rest of the land, about 14.2%, has buildings and roads. A tiny bit, 0.2%, is rivers or lakes.
Most of the built-up area is homes and buildings (7.8%), with roads making up 4.2% and industrial buildings 1.2%. The forests are very dense, covering 37.9% of the land.
Unterkulm is the main town of the Kulm district and is located in the middle of the Wynental valley. Since 1818, it has also been a place where markets are held. The town includes three smaller, older areas called hamlets: Wannenhof, Zinsental, and Kabishof.
Coat of Arms
The blazon (a special description) of Unterkulm's coat of arms says: Tierced per fess Sable Argent and Azure. This means it has three horizontal stripes: black, silver (white), and blue.
People of Unterkulm
Unterkulm has a population of 3,343 people. About 25.6% of the people living there are from other countries. Over the last 10 years, the number of people living in Unterkulm has grown by about 5.1%.
Most people in Unterkulm (84.2%) speak German. The next most common languages are Serbo-Croatian (5.5%) and Turkish (5.0%).
Age Groups
Here's a look at the different age groups in Unterkulm:
- Children (0-9 years old): 9.3% of the population
- Teenagers (10-19 years old): 14.0%
- Young adults (20-29 years old): 12.6%
- Adults (30-39 years old): 11.8%
- Adults (40-49 years old): 16.1%
- Adults (50-59 years old): 14.4%
- Seniors (60-69 years old): 11.1%
- Seniors (70-79 years old): 6.8%
- Seniors (80-89 years old): 3.3%
- Seniors (90 and older): 0.6%
Homes and Households
In Unterkulm, the average home has about 2.5 people living in it. Most homes have 3 or 4 people (529 homes), while some have 1 or 2 people (60 homes), and others have 5 or more people (429 homes).
In 2008, about 42% of all homes were single-family houses. Only a small number of apartments, about 1.2%, were empty. In 2007, new homes were being built at a rate of 0.7 new homes for every 1000 residents.
Education in Unterkulm
About 61.9% of adults in Unterkulm (aged 25 to 64) have finished either high school or gone on to higher education, like a university.
In the 2008/2009 school year:
- 213 students were in primary school (elementary school).
- 75 students were in secondary school (middle and high school).
- 189 students were in tertiary or university level schooling (college or university).
- 12 students were looking for a job after finishing school.
Population Over Time
The number of people living in Unterkulm has changed over the years:
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1764 | 811 | — |
| 1850 | 1,730 | +113.3% |
| 1888 | 1,424 | −17.7% |
| 1900 | 1,448 | +1.7% |
| 1950 | 2,164 | +49.4% |
| 1990 | 2,565 | +18.5% |
Important Buildings
The Reformed Church on Hauptstrasse is a very important building. It is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. This means it's a special place that is protected because of its history and importance to the country.
Economy of Unterkulm
In 2007, the unemployment rate in Unterkulm was 2.6%, which means most people who wanted jobs had them.
The economy of Unterkulm is divided into three main parts:
- Primary sector: This includes jobs related to nature, like farming. In 2005, 119 people worked in this area, with 44 businesses.
- Secondary sector: This includes jobs that make things, like in factories. There were 585 people working in this sector, with 28 businesses.
- Tertiary sector: This includes jobs that provide services, like shops, offices, and schools. There were 426 people working in this area, with 80 businesses.
Many people who live in Unterkulm work outside the town. In 2000, about 71.8% of the people who lived there worked in other places. However, 639 people came into Unterkulm for work. About 15.8% of workers used public transportation to get to their jobs, while 45.4% used a private car.
Religion in Unterkulm
Based on a census in 2000:
- 16.5% of the people were Roman Catholic.
- 53.5% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church (Protestant).
- A very small number, about 0.07%, belonged to the Christian Catholic faith.
See also
In Spanish: Unterkulm para niños
