Welschenrohr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Welschenrohr
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Welschenrohr village
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 Welschenrohr
Location in Switzerland
Welschenrohr
Location in Canton of Solothurn
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Solothurn | |
| District | Thal | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 12.99 km2 (5.02 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 680 m (2,230 ft) | |
| Population
(December 2019)
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| • Total | 1,076 | |
| • Density | 82.83/km2 (214.54/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
4716
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| Surrounded by | Balm bei Günsberg, Gänsbrunnen, Herbetswil, Oberdorf, Rüttenen | |
Welschenrohr (called Rosières in French) used to be a municipality in Switzerland. It was located in the Thal district, within the canton of Solothurn.
On January 1, 2021, Welschenrohr joined with another former municipality, Gänsbrunnen. Together, they formed a brand new municipality called Welschenrohr-Gänsbrunnen.
Contents
A Look Back: Welschenrohr's History
Welschenrohr was first mentioned way back in 1179. Back then, it was known as Rore.
From Watches to Fine Mechanics
For a long time, Welschenrohr was famous for making watches. This was a very important industry for the town until the 1960s.
However, a big crisis hit the watch industry in the late 1960s. This greatly affected Welschenrohr's economy. Today, the town's economy focuses on fine mechanics. This means making very precise and detailed machine parts.
Exploring Welschenrohr's Geography
Welschenrohr covers an area of about 12.99 square kilometers (5 square miles). This is how the land is used:
- About 35.5% of the land is used for farming.
- A large part, 58.4%, is covered by forests.
- Around 4.9% of the land has buildings or roads.
- A small amount, 0.2%, is rivers or lakes.
- The remaining 0.8% is land that cannot be used for farming or building.
What the Land Looks Like
Most of the built-up areas are homes and other buildings (2.7%). Roads and other transport paths make up 2.0%.
In the forests, 56.0% is dense forest. Another 2.4% has orchards or small groups of trees. For farming, 7.3% is used for growing crops. About 24.1% is pastures for animals. The remaining 3.8% is used for mountain pastures. All the water in the area comes from flowing rivers.
Where is Welschenrohr Located?
Welschenrohr is in the Thal district. It sits along the road that connects Balsthal and Moutier. The village itself is a haufendorf. This means it's an old, unplanned village with buildings packed closely around a central area. Welschenrohr is nestled in the beautiful Jura mountains.
Understanding the Coat of Arms
The blazon (a special description) of Welschenrohr's coat of arms is: Per bend sinister Gules and Argent a Cramp fesswise counterchanged.
This means the shield is divided diagonally from the top right to the bottom left. One part is red (Gules), and the other is silver (Argent). A special shape called a "cramp" (like a metal clamp) is placed across the middle. Its colors are swapped where it crosses the red and silver parts.
Who Lives in Welschenrohr? Demographics
In 2019, Welschenrohr had a population of 1,076 people. About 6.6% of the people living there in 2008 were foreign nationals. Over ten years (1999-2009), the population decreased by 6.3%.
Languages Spoken
Most people in Welschenrohr speak German. In 2000, about 94.4% of the population spoke German. Albanian was the second most common language (1.5%), followed by French (0.9%).
Where People Come From
In 2000, about 52.6% of the people living in Welschenrohr were born there. Another 15.3% were born in the same canton (Solothurn). About 19.4% were born elsewhere in Switzerland, and 8.6% were born outside of Switzerland.
Age Groups in Welschenrohr
Here's a look at the age groups in Welschenrohr in 2000:
- Children (0-6 years old): 7.5%
- Teenagers (7-19 years old): 17.6%
- Young Adults (20-24 years old): 4.5%
- Adults (25-44 years old): 26.0%
- Middle-aged Adults (45-64 years old): 21.5%
- Seniors (65-79 years old): 17.9%
- Elders (over 80 years old): 5.0%
Homes and Households
In 2000, there were 471 private households in Welschenrohr. On average, there were 2.5 people living in each home. About 27.6% of households had only one person. There were also 155 married couples with children.
Most of the buildings in 2000 were single-family homes (67.8%). Many of these homes were built between 1946 and 1960. There were 539 apartments in the municipality. Most of these apartments (85.3%) were lived in all the time.
Population Changes Over Time
The chart below shows how Welschenrohr's population has changed over many years.
Welschenrohr's Economy: How People Work
In 2010, Welschenrohr had an unemployment rate of 3.6%. This means a small number of people who wanted jobs couldn't find them.
Types of Jobs in Welschenrohr
In 2008, people in Welschenrohr worked in different types of jobs:
- Primary Sector: 44 people worked in this sector. This includes jobs like farming and forestry. There were 16 businesses in this area.
- Secondary Sector: 182 people worked here. This involves making things, like in factories or construction. There were 16 businesses in this sector. Most of these jobs (90.5%) were in manufacturing.
- Tertiary Sector: 115 people worked in this sector. These are service jobs, like working in shops, hotels, or healthcare. There were 24 businesses here.
In total, 566 residents of Welschenrohr had jobs in 2008. About 45.6% of these workers were women.
Commuting to Work
In 2000, 124 workers came into Welschenrohr for their jobs. However, 274 workers left Welschenrohr to work in other places. This means more people left the municipality for work than came into it.
About 15.7% of working people used public transportation to get to their jobs. A larger group, 42.6%, used a private car.
Beliefs and Religion in Welschenrohr
Based on the 2000 census, here's a look at religious groups in Welschenrohr:
- Most people, 61.5%, were Roman Catholic.
- About 25.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
- A small number of people belonged to other Christian churches (like Orthodox or Christian Catholic).
- About 4.1% of the population were Islamic.
- There were also a few people who were Buddhist or Hindu.
- About 5.2% of the population said they had no church affiliation, or were agnostic or atheist.
Learning and Education in Welschenrohr
In Welschenrohr, about 37.7% of the population had finished upper secondary education. This is schooling after primary school, but not yet university. Another 4.8% had completed higher education, like a university degree.
School System in Solothurn
The school system in the Canton of Solothurn works like this:
- Kindergarten: Young children can attend two years of non-required Kindergarten. In the 2010-2011 school year, 21 children were in kindergarten in Welschenrohr.
- Primary School: Students must attend six years of primary school. In Welschenrohr, there were 86 students in primary school during that year.
- Secondary School: After primary school, there are three required years of lower secondary school. Then, students can choose to go to optional advanced schools for three to five more years. All students from Welschenrohr who were in lower secondary school went to a school in a nearby municipality.
In 2000, 16 students came to Welschenrohr to attend school. At the same time, 66 residents of Welschenrohr went to schools outside the municipality.
See also
In Spanish: Welschenrohr para niños
