Bioggio is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
in the district of
Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
, in the
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
of
Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
in
Switzerland.
The municipality was created in 2004 with the union of old town of Bioggio with Bosco Luganese and Cimo. In 2008,
Iseo chose to be part of the municipality and be aggregated with the other old municipalities.
History

Bioggio is first mentioned in 1335 as ''Biegio''.
[ Finds from the ]Roman era
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
bear witness to the former importance of Bioggio. In 1962 a farm house from the 3rd Century was discovered, and in 1992 a market building with baths
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
was discovered. Equally important are the recent discoveries made in the restoration of the chapel of S. Ilario, where the remains of a wooden religious building from the 8th Century were found. In the Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
noble families from Comacina
Isola Comacina is a small wooded island of Italy’s Lake Como, administratively a part of the commune of Ossuccio. It is located close to the western shore of the Como arm of the lake in front of a gulf known as ''Zoca de l'oli'', a Lombard name ...
and Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
owned extensive property in Bioggio. The old mansions of the counts of Riva and Rusca, and a country estate for the Avogadro family from Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has m ...
. The church had extensive holdings as well. In the 13th Century the monastery of S. Maria in Torello (Carona) owned numerous rental houses and farms. In the 17th Century these holdings were transferred to the monastery of S. Antonio in Lugano. In 1852 this property was confiscated by the Canton and auctioned.[
In 1261, the church of S. Maurizio is mentioned. A series of excavations in 1997-98 discovered that the foundations can be dated back to the 5th-6th Century. The new ]parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...
rebuilt in 1773-91 in a classicist
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
style, but the tower is from the older church. The S. Ilario chapel on the hill of the same name was extended in 1680 and remained unchanged since then.
Historically, Bioggio was located on the transit axis (Strada Regina) from Ponte Tresa to Monte Ceneri pass. Today, it has highway access and part of the Lugano-Agno airport and a freight station of the Swiss Federal Railways
Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
are located in the municipality. Since 1912, it has been served by the regional railway Lugano-Ponte Tresa line. In the 1960s, a major industrial zone was built in the valley. It is now part of the agglomeration between Ponte Tresa and Rivera.[
]
Geography
Bioggio has an area, , of . Of this area, or 20.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 12.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 18.5% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.8% is either rivers or lakes and or 0.3% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 3.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 5.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.0%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.9% of the area Out of the forested land, 9.6% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 13.1% is used for growing crops, while 2.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 5.4% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.
The municipality is located in the Lugano district, in the lower Vedeggio valley. It consists of the village of Bioggio and the hamlets of Gaggio and Mulini. In 2004 Cimo and Bosco Luganese merged into Bioggio.[Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz]
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 14 January 2010
Coat of arms
The present coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...
of the municipality was adopted in 2004, replacing the arms of the three previous municipalities. The blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visua ...
, which combines elements from the older arms, is ''Per pale gules a sword point downwards or and azure an ash tree of the second, in base a barrulet wavy abased argent and in centre base a fleur de lis of the same banded or.''
Demographics
Bioggio has a population () of . , 17.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Superweb database - Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008]
accessed 19 June 2010 Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 13.5%.
Most of the population () speaks Italian (85.1%), with German being second most common (9.7%) and French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
being third (1.6%).[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 16-December-2010 Of the Swiss national languages (), 118 speak German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, 22 people speak French, 1,312 people speak Italian, and 1 person speaks Romansh. The remainder (51 people) speak another language.[Popolazione residente, secondo la lingua principale e la religione, nel 2000]
accessed 23 November 2010
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.1% male and 52.9% female. The population was made up of 912 Swiss men (37.8% of the population), and 225 (9.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,081 Swiss women (44.8%), and 197 (8.2%) non-Swiss women.[
In there were 15 live births to Swiss citizens and 1 birth to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 15 deaths of Swiss citizens and 1 non-Swiss citizen death. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens remained the same while the foreign population remained the same. There was 1 Swiss man who immigrated back to Switzerland and 1 Swiss woman who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 6 non-Swiss men and 11 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 18 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 17 people. This represents a ]population growth rate
Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...
of 0.1%.[
The age distribution, , in Bioggio is; 222 children or 9.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 262 teenagers or 10.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 241 people or 10.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 334 people or 13.8% are between 30 and 39, 449 people or 18.6% are between 40 and 49, and 336 people or 13.9% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 270 people or 11.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 178 people or 7.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 123 people or 5.1% who are over 80.][01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente]
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 861 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household.[ there were 242 single family homes (or 63.7% of the total) out of a total of 380 inhabited buildings. There were 75 two family buildings (19.7%) and 39 multi-family buildings (10.3%). There were also 24 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose).
The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.28%. there were 690 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 4 room apartment of which there were 200. There were 20 single room apartments and 191 apartments with five or more rooms.][ 09.02.02 Abitazioni](_blank)
accessed 23 November 2010 Of these apartments, a total of 625 apartments (90.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 26 apartments (3.8%) were seasonally occupied and 39 apartments (5.7%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0.9 new units per 1000 residents.[
The historical population is given in the following table:]
Heritage Sites of national significance
The Roman Cult Site and Church of S. Maurizio are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. The entire village of Iseo is listed on the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.
File:Bioggio Maurizio 03 Mauro.jpg, Front facade of S. Maurizio
File:Bioggio Maurizio 05 Ilario.jpg, Interior of S. Maurizio
File:Bioggio Sitoarcheo01 Ilario.jpg, Archeological site under S. Maurizio
File:Bioggio capitello02 Ilario.jpg, Remains of a tablet of the temple
Politics
In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 28.66% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (25.5%), the Ticino League
The Ticino League ( it, Lega dei Ticinesi) is a regionalist, national-conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.
The party was founded in 1991 by entrepreneur Giuliano Bignasca and journalist Flavio Maspoli. Af ...
(15.99%) and the SP (14.4%). In the federal election, a total of 727 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Univ ...
was 47.4%.
In the ''Gran Consiglio
This is a list of cantonal legislatures of Switzerland. Each Cantons of Switzerland, canton has a democratically elected cantonal legislature, as well as elected members to the Federal Assembly (Switzerland), Federal Assembly. The cantonal leg ...
'' election, there were a total of 1,520 registered voters in Bioggio, of which 997 or 65.6% voted. 14 blank ballots and 4 null ballots were cast, leaving 979 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 267 or 27.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PPD+GenGiova (with 189 or 19.3%), the SSI (with 159 or 16.2%) and the LEGA (with 137 or 14.0%).[ Elezioni cantonali: Gran Consiglio, Consiglio di Stato]
accessed 23 November 2010
In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 9 blank ballots and 8 null ballots were cast, leaving 979 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 244 or 24.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the LEGA (with 210 or 21.5%), the PPD (with 179 or 18.3%) and the SSI (with 153 or 15.6%).[
]
Economy
, Bioggio had an unemployment rate of 2.76%. , there were 23 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 8 businesses involved in this sector. 1,482 people were employed in the secondary sector
In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructio ...
and there were 58 businesses in this sector. 1,340 people were employed in the tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector ( raw materials) and the secon ...
, with 123 businesses in this sector.[ There were 738 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.5% of the workforce.
, there were 3,276 workers who commuted into the municipality and 537 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 6.1 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. About 24.8% of the workforce coming into Bioggio are coming from outside Switzerland.][Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Statweb]
accessed 24 June 2010 Of the working population, 11.1% used public transportation to get to work, and 63% used a private car.[
, there was one hotel in Bioggio.
Darwin Airline has its headquarters in Bioggio.
]
Religion
From the , 1,215 or 80.8% were Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
, while 119 or 7.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...
. There are 128 individuals (or about 8.51% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 42 individuals (or about 2.79% of the population) did not answer the question.[
]
Education
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bioggio about 77.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...
or additional higher education (either university or a ''Fachhochschule
A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied ar ...
'').[
In Bioggio there were a total of 402 students (). The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory ]kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
and in Bioggio there were 72 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 106 students attended the standard primary schools and 3 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 92 students in the two-year middle school and 2 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 55 students were in the four-year advanced program.
The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 27 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 42 who attend part-time.
The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 3 students in the professional program. Allievi e studenti, secondo il genere di scuola, anno scolastico 2009/2010
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 75 students in Bioggio who came from another municipality, while 143 residents attended schools outside the municipality.[
]
Transport
Bioggio is served by Bioggio station and Bioggio Molinazzo station, both of which are on the metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
Lugano–Ponte Tresa railway that connects to Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
. The stations are served by regular trains, operating every 15 minutes during weekday daytime, and every half-hour at other times. Bioggio is also served by buses of the Autopostale.
References
External links
Official website
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Ticino
Cultural property of national significance in Ticino