Walzenhausen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walzenhausen
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Walzenhausen Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Walzenhausen Location in Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden Show map of Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Appenzell Ausserrhoden
District	n.a.
Area
• Total	7.0 km2 (2.7 sq mi)
Elevation	672 m (2,205 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	2,031
• Density	290.1/km2 (751/sq mi)
Postal code	9428
Surrounded by	Au (SG), Berneck (SG), Lutzenberg, Oberegg (AI), Rheineck (SG), Sankt Margrethen (SG), Wolfhalden

Walzenhausen is a small town, also called a municipality, located in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It's a beautiful place with a rich history and stunning views.

A Look Back: Walzenhausen's History

The first time anyone wrote about the farm called Walzenhausen was in 1320. This was a very long time ago!

The town's church was built super fast in 1638. It only took nine months to finish! This church helped Walzenhausen become its own official municipality.

In the past, making textiles (like cloth and fabric) was very important here. But today, many people visit Walzenhausen for tourism. It's easy to get around thanks to good public transport.

Exploring Walzenhausen: Geography and Nature

An amazing aerial view of Walzenhausen from 1923, taken by Walter Mittelholzer.

Walzenhausen covers about 7 square kilometers (around 2.7 square miles). A big part of this land, about 52%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 34% of the area. The rest of the land, about 13%, is where buildings and roads are.

Walzenhausen is the most eastern village in its canton. It sits high up at about 670 meters (2,200 feet) above sea level. From here, you can see amazing views of Lake Constance, which is about 300 meters (980 feet) below.

There's a special place nearby called Grimmenstein monastery. It's a tiny piece of another canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden, located right inside Walzenhausen. This happened because Walzenhausen became Protestant during the Protestant Reformation, but the monastery stayed Catholic. After many years of discussions, the government decided in 1870 that the land inside the monastery walls belonged to Innerrhoden.

Getting Around: Transport in Walzenhausen

Walzenhausen has a special mountain railway called the Rheineck–Walzenhausen mountain railway. It's part of the S26 train line. This train connects Walzenhausen to Rheineck railway station, which is much lower down.

The S26 train runs often, usually once or twice an hour. At Rheineck, you can connect to bigger trains that go to the city of St. Gallen and other towns. There are also local buses that can take you from Walzenhausen to nearby towns like Heiden and St. Margrethen.

People of Walzenhausen: Demographics

As of 2008, Walzenhausen had 2,071 people living there. About 16% of the people are from other countries. Over the last 10 years, the number of people living here has gone down a little.

Most people in Walzenhausen speak German, about 92%. A smaller number of people speak Serbo-Croatian or Italian.

In 2000, there were slightly more boys and men (50.9%) than girls and women (49.1%) in Walzenhausen.

Many adults in Walzenhausen have a good education. About 68% of people aged 25-64 have finished high school or gone on to higher education, like university.

Walzenhausen has a low unemployment rate, meaning most people who want to work can find jobs. In 2005, many people worked in different areas:

• Primary sector: About 53 people worked in farming and related jobs.
• Secondary sector: About 323 people worked in manufacturing and construction.
• Tertiary sector: About 732 people worked in services, like shops, hotels, and offices.

Here's how the population of Walzenhausen has changed over time:

Famous People from Walzenhausen

• Carl Lutz (1895–1975): He was a Swiss vice-consul in Hungary during World War II. He is famous for helping to save over 62,000 Jewish people from danger.

See also

In Spanish: Walzenhausen para niños