Widen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Widen
Coat of arms
Widen Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Widen Location in Canton of Aargau Show map of Canton of Aargau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Aargau
District	Bremgarten (district)
Area
• Total	2.62 km2 (1.01 sq mi)
Elevation	381 m (1,250 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	3,845
• Density	1,467.6/km2 (3,801/sq mi)
Postal code	8967
Surrounded by	Bellikon, Bergdietikon, Berikon, Eggenwil, Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, Zufikon

Map of Widen in Switzerland

Widen is a town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It's located in the Bremgarten district, within the canton of Aargau.

History of Widen

Widen was first mentioned around the late 1100s, though the exact year isn't known. Back then, it was called "Wyda." The name "Widen," as we know it today, started appearing in the 1300s.

In the Middle Ages, Widen belonged to the Habsburg family. In 1415, the Eidgenossen (early Swiss Confederates) took over the Aargau region. Widen then became part of the Grafschaft Baden (Baden County). In March 1798, the French army conquered Switzerland. They created the Helvetic Republic, and Widen and Eggenwil became one municipality in the short-lived canton of Baden.

After the canton of Aargau was formed in 1803, Widen and Eggenwil became separate towns again. Not much is known about Widen before this time, as many old documents are missing.

Widen from above in 1964

During the 1800s, Widen remained a small village. Many poor people had to leave their homes and move away. Their empty farms were then taken over by people from the canton of Bern. These new residents were Protestant. This is why Widen today has more Protestant residents compared to its nearby villages, which are mostly Catholic.

On May 1, 1902, the Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn railway was built. This connected Widen to the railway network with a station on the Mutschellen pass. Widen stayed small during the first half of the 1900s. However, its population grew quickly from 1950 to 1990. In 1990, 3,918 people lived in Widen. The population then dropped a little and has stayed around 3,600 people since then.

Geography of Widen

Widen covers an area of about 2.6 square kilometers (1 square mile). Almost half of this land (44.8%) is used for farming. About 17% is covered by forests. The rest of the land (37.8%) has buildings or roads. A very small part (0.4%) is made up of rivers or lakes.

The center of Widen is on a small flat area. This area is between the Mutschellen mountain in the south and the Hasenberg hill in the north. The Hasenberg is the southern part of the Heitersberg range. To the west, the land slopes down towards the Reuss River.

Widen has grown together with some of its nearby villages. These include Berikon, Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, and Zufikon. The highest point in Widen is on the Hasenberg, at 740 meters (2,428 feet) above sea level. The lowest point is 430 meters (1,411 feet) high, near Eggenwil.

Widen's neighboring villages are Bellikon to the north, Bergdietikon to the northeast, Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg to the east, Berikon to the southeast, Zufikon to the south, and Eggenwil to the west.

Widen's Coat of Arms

The blazon (official description) of Widen's coat of arms is: "Argent a Willow Tree pollarded and eradicated Vert." This means it shows a green willow tree on a silver background. The tree on Widen's flag is a willow (called Weide in German). This makes it a "canting" coat of arms, where the image on the shield sounds like the name of the place.

People and Population

Widen has a population of about 3,600 people. In 2008, about 12% of the people living in Widen were from other countries. Over the past ten years (1997–2007), the population has slightly decreased. Most people in Widen (92.8%) speak German. Italian is the second most common language (1.4%), followed by French (1.0%).

Here's a look at the age groups in Widen (as of 2008):

• Children (0-9 years old): 8.3%
• Teenagers (10-19 years old): 10.4%
• Young adults (20-29 years old): 11.9%
• Adults (30-39 years old): 11.7%
• Adults (40-49 years old): 15.0%
• Adults (50-59 years old): 16.7%
• Seniors (60-69 years old): 14.6%
• Seniors (70-79 years old): 7.7%
• Seniors (80-89 years old): 3.5%
• Seniors (90 and older): 0.2%

In 2000, there were 116 homes with 1 or 2 people. There were 613 homes with 3 or 4 people, and 710 homes with 5 or more people. On average, there were 2.39 people living in each home. In 2008, 547 homes (about 33.1%) were single-family houses. There were 21 empty apartments, meaning a 1.3% vacancy rate.

In the 2007 federal election, the SVP was the most popular party. They received 36.3% of the votes. The next most popular parties were the CVP (18.3%), the FDP (16.1%), and the SP (15.5%).

About 84.3% of people in Widen aged 25-64 have finished higher education. This includes either non-mandatory upper secondary education or a university degree. In the 2008/2009 school year, 215 students attended primary school in Widen.

The population of Widen over time is shown below:

Economy and Jobs

In 2007, Widen had a low unemployment rate of 2.11%. In 2005, 36 people worked in the primary economic sector (like farming). There were 13 businesses in this sector. The secondary sector (like manufacturing) employed 165 people, with 23 businesses. The tertiary sector (like services) employed 576 people, with 89 businesses.

In 2000, 1,917 workers lived in Widen. Most of them (about 85%) worked outside of Widen. However, 430 people came into Widen for work. There were a total of 718 jobs in the town (for at least 6 hours per week). About 18.7% of working people used public transportation to get to work. Most (57.2%) used a private car.

Religion in Widen

The Swiss Reformed church in Widen

According to the 2000 census, 1,442 people (39.7%) were Roman Catholic. Another 1,422 people (39.1%) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. A small number of people (about 0.30%) were part of the Christian Catholic faith.

Transportation

Berikon-Widen is a stop on the S-Bahn Zürich railway system. It is on the S17 line, which is operated by the Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn.

See also

In Spanish: Widen para niños