Hergiswil

Hergiswil is a municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.

History

Hergiswil is first mentioned around 1303-09 as ze Hergenswile.

Geography

Hergiswil has an area, as of 2006, of 14.2 square kilometers (5.5 sq mi). Of this area, 29.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 44.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (16.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

The municipality is located between the foot of Mount Pilatus and Lake Lucerne.

Demographics

Hergiswil has a population (as of 31 December 2014) of 5,611.As of 2007, 14.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 11.5%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (91.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 2.0%) and French being third ( 1.1%).As of 2008 the gender distribution of the population was 52.2% male and 47.8% female.

As of 2000 there are 2,216 households, of which 1,627 households (or about 73.4%) contain only one or two individuals. 91 or about 4.1% are large households, with at least five members.

Hergiswil bei Willisau

Hergiswil bei Willisau is a municipality in the district of Willisau in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.

History

Hergiswil bei Willisau is first mentioned in 1246 as de Hergosswile.

Geography

Hergiswil bei Willisau has an area, as of 2006, of 31.3 km² (12.1 sq mi). Of this area, 59.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 36.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).In the 1997 land survey, 36.66% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 56.84% is used for farming or pastures, while 2.42% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 1.72% is covered with buildings, 0.06% is industrial, 0.19% is classed as special developments, 0.1% is parks or greenbelts and 1.47% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, 0.19% is unproductive flowing water (rivers) and 0.35% is other unproductive land.

The municipality is located in the upper valley of the Enziwigger river in the northern Napfgebiet. It is a typical, for the alpine region, settlement of scattered farmhouses, alpine meadow grazing and forestry settlements.