Municipalities of Switzerland
| Municipalities of Switzerland | |
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| Category | Municipality |
| Location | Switzerland |
| Found in | Canton or District |
| Number | 2,131 (as of 2024) |
| Populations | 32–376 990 |
| Areas | 0.32–439 km² |
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Municipalities (
There are 2,131 municipalities as of January 2024[update].
History
The beginnings of the modern municipality system date back to the
The relationship between the political municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latter's ownership of community property. Often the administration and profit from the property were totally held by the Bürgergemeinden, leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money and use of the property. It was not until the political municipality acquired rights over property that served the public (such as schools, fire stations, etc.) and taxes, that they obtained full independence. For example, in the city of Bern, it was not until after the property division of 1852 that the political municipality had the right to levy taxes.[2]
It was not until the
Structure and responsibilities
Each canton determines the powers and responsibilities of its municipalities. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. The federal constitution protects the autonomy of municipalities within the framework set out by cantonal law.
Municipalities are generally governed by an executive council headed by a president or mayor. Legislative authority is exercised by a town meeting of all citizens, or by a municipal parliament, depending on the size of the municipality, and on cantonal and municipal law. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for a certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in municipal politics. As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality.
Municipalities are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton (see Taxation in Switzerland). As among the cantons, there is a tax transfer among the municipalities to balance various levels of tax income.
Size and designations
Switzerland has a relatively high number of small municipalities, with a population of 1,000 or less, especially in rural areas. Because of the increasing difficulty in providing professional government services and in finding volunteers for political offices in small municipalities, the cantons tend to encourage voluntary mergers of municipalities. This led to the number of municipalities dropping by 384 between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2019.[1]
Some municipalities designate themselves as "city" (ville or Stadt) or as "village" (Dorf). These designations result from tradition or local preference – for example, several small municipalities designated as cities held
Municipalities are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see
| Population | No. of municipalities in 2004 (%)[3] |
| >20,000 | 30 (1.1%) |
| 10,000–19,999 | 89 (3.2%) |
| 5000–9999 | 180 (6.6%) |
| 1000–4999 | 1025 (37.4%) |
| 500–999 | 555 (20.3%) |
| <500 | 861 (31.4%) |
| Total | 2740 (100%) |
List of municipalities by population (2011–21)
Between 2011 and 2021 nine of the smallest municipalities merged into others as part of the effort to eliminate the smallest communities. Only Bister has not merged into a new municipality although the smallest municipality is now Kammersrohr with a population of just 32.
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Lists of municipalities by canton
- Aargau: Einwohnergemeinden
- Appenzell I.R.: Bezirke
- Appenzell A.R.: Einwohnergemeinden
- Basel-City: Einwohnergemeinden
- Basel-Country: Einwohnergemeinden
- Bern: Einwohnergemeinden or communes municipales
- Fribourg: communes or Gemeinden
- Geneva: communes
- Glarus: Ortsgemeinden
- Grisons: politische Gemeinden,
Vischnancas politicas or comuni politici - Jura: communes
- Lucerne: Einwohnergemeinden
- Neuchâtel: communes
- Nidwalden: Gemeinden
- Obwalden: Einwohnergemeinden
- Schaffhausen: Einwohnergemeinden
- Schwyz: Gemeinden
- Solothurn: Einwohnergemeinden
- St. Gallen: Politische Gemeinden
- Thurgau: politische Gemeinden
- Ticino: comuni politici
- Uri: Einwohnergemeinde
- Valais: communes municipales or
Einwohnergemeinden - Vaud: communes
- Zug: Einwohnergemeinde
- Zürich: Politische Gemeinden
Other local subdivisions and entities
In addition to the municipalities as basic territorial political subdivisions, a number of other local subdivisions exist in several cantons. These include:
- the commons, which were administered by the Bürgergemeinde. Modernly, some Bürgergemeinden may still control common property, but the Heimatrecht and associated Heimatort is used just as place of birthin other countries.
- Gemischte Gemeinde (mixed communes), found in the Canton of Jura and portions of the Canton of Bern, a combination of a Bürgergemeinde and a political commune.
- Korporationsgemeinde, a legally recognized cooperative in Central Switzerland that controls some land and is responsible for its members support.
- Kirchgemeinde, a Swiss Reformed). There may be two or more Kirchgemeinden in a single municipality.
- Schulgemeinde, similar to a school district.
- Graubünden) a small farming community. It is a type of agricultural cooperative with shared equipment and land.[6]
- Canton of Ticino. It manages shared pastures, fields and woods as well as maintaining roads that cross the common land.[7]
See also
- List of municipalities of Switzerland
- List of twin towns and sister cities in Switzerland
- Flags and arms of municipalities of Switzerland
- Former municipalities of Switzerland
- Cantons of Switzerland
- Spatial planning in Switzerland
Notes and references
- ^ a b "Institutionelle Gliederungen". Bundesamt für Statistik. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Bürgergemeinde in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Official list of Swiss municipalities, p. 17
- ^ a b "Population résidante permanente selon l'âge, par canton, district et commune". Office fédéral de la statistique. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Regional portraits accessed 12 January 2022
- ^ Bäuert in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Degagna in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
External links
- Official list of municipalities of Switzerland (in Italian)
- Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz/Liste officielle des communes de la Suisse/Elenco ufficiale dei Comuni della Svizzera, 2006. ISBN 3-303-00334-3.
- Nachbarschaft in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- Official list municipalities of Switzerland (in Italian)
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