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Schmerikon 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 ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the
canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...
of St. Gallen in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. In the local
Swiss German Swiss German (Standard German: , ,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no #Conventions, defined orthography for any of them, many different spellings can be found. and others; ) is any of the Alemannic German, Alemannic ...
dialect it is called ''Schmerike''.


Geography

Schmerikon is located at the head of
Lake Zurich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...
, on the section of the lake known as the ''Obersee'' and where the
Linth river The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Swiss river that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the canton of Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of Lake Zurich. It is about in length. The water power of the Lin ...
enters the lake. Part of the municipality is a natural reserve, particularly along the lake shore. Schmerikon has an area, , of . Of this area, 38.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 27% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (11.1%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).


Coat of arms

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 an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
of the municipal
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
is ''Gules two Crescents addorsed Or and in chief a Cross pattee Argent.''


Demographics

Schmerikon has a population (as of ) of . , about 25.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, (), 22 are from
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, 239 are from
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, 363 are from ex-
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, 17 are from
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, 140 are from
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, and 97 are from another country.Der Kanton St. Gallen und seine Menschen in Zahlen - Ausgabe 2009
accessed 30 December 2009
Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 8.2%. Most of the population () speaks German (83.4%), with Italian being second most common (4.7%) and Serbo-Croatian being third (3.2%).
accessed 8 January 2010
Of the Swiss national languages (), 2,654 speak
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 11 people speak
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
, 150 people speak
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, and 1 person speaks Romansh. The age distribution, , in Schmerikon is; 365 children or 11.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 420 teenagers or 13.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 471 people or 14.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 494 people or 15.5% are between 30 and 39, 459 people or 14.4% are between 40 and 49, and 435 people or 13.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 262 people or 8.2% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 177 people or 5.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 79 people or 2.5% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 20 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.Canton St. Gallen Statistics-Hauptergebnisse der Volkszählung 2000: Regionen- und Gemeindevergleich-Personen
accessed 30 December 2009
there were 351 persons (or 11.0% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 673 (or 21.2%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 1,904 (or 59.8%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 148 (or 4.7%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 22 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 7 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 18 who lived household made up of unrelated persons, and 59 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing. In the 2019 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 34.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (18.2%), the CVP (13.8%), and the Greens (13.5%). In Schmerikon about 64.4% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory
upper secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...
or additional higher education (either university or a ''
Fachhochschule A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...
''). Out of the total population in Schmerikon, , the highest education level completed by 792 people (24.9% of the population) was
Primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...
, while 1,164 (36.6%) have completed their secondary education, 279 (8.8%) have attended a
Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...
school, and 153 (4.8%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.


Transport

Schmerikon railway station is served by the inter-regional
Voralpen Express The ''Voralpen-Express'' (''VAE'') is a named train connecting small to medium-sized cities and villages in Central and Eastern Switzerland on a scenic route, carrying this name since 1992. It is operated by Südostbahn (SOB) and runs every hour ...
, which links
Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
and
Romanshorn Romanshorn is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Arbon (district), Arbon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first menti ...
via
Rapperswil Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...
and St. Gallen, and by a Regio service from Rapperswil to Linthal. Both trains run hourly, combining to provide a half-hourly service to Rapperswil. The
Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft The Lake Zurich Navigation Company (, ZSG) is a public Swiss company operating passenger ships and boats on Lake Zurich () and the river Limmat in Zurich.The company's services connect lake-side towns between Zurich and Rapperswil/ Schmerikon, i ...
provides passenger shipping services on
Lake Zurich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...
, including several daily through services to Zurich. These have a journey time of over three hours.


Economy

, Schmerikon had an unemployment rate of 1.67%. , there were 105 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 19 businesses involved in this sector. 480 people are 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 constructi ...
and there are 49 businesses in this sector. 777 people are 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 ...
, with 112 businesses in this sector. the average unemployment rate was 4.1%. There were 185 businesses in the municipality of which 50 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 122 were involved in the third. there were 584 residents who worked in the municipality, while 1,181 residents worked outside Schmerikon and 827 people commuted into the municipality for work. The main bank in this small town is "Bank Linth". The two main supermarkets are both located a 5-minute walk away from the train station, which is also the town centre. Schmerikon is a home to Schluckibier brewery and Schmerknerwii winery.


Religion

From the , 2,147 or 67.5% are
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, while 411 or 12.9% belonged to the
Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...
. Of the rest of the population, there is 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic faith, there are 56 individuals (or about 1.76% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 22 individuals (or about 0.69% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There is 1 individual who is
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and 248 (or about 7.79% of the population) who are
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic. There are 22 individuals (or about 0.69% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 166 (or about 5.22% of the population) belong to no church, are
agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...
or
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, and 108 individuals (or about 3.39% of the population) did not answer the question.


Sights

The village of Schmerikon is designated as part of the
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. Sites of national importance Types The types are based on t ...
. There are 2 B-class objects of cultural property protected by
Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict is the first international treaty that focuses exclusively on the protection of cultural property in armed conflict. It was signed at The Hague, Nethe ...
: ''Haus zum Hirzen'' from 17th century and ''catholic church of St. Jodokus'' with a tower from 1500. '' Schmerikoner Ried'', a reed located on the northeastern lake shore in the ''
Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Linthal, Glarus, village of Linthal in the mountains of the cantons of Switzerland, canton of canton of Glarus, Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee (Züri ...
ebene'' area towards the
Grynau Castle The Grynau Castle (Swiss German: ''Grynau'', ''Grinau'' and ''Schloss Grynau'') is the name of a castle tower in the municipality of Tuggen in the canton of Schwyz, built by the House of Rapperswil in the early 13th century AD. Geography The ...
, was set under federal protection as a low-moor bog of national importance (German: ''Bundesinventar der Flachmoore von nationaler Bedeutung'') in 1994.


Tourism

Thanks to its location along the lake Obersee, Schmerikon is popular weekend destination for cyclists and hikers. National cycling routes 9 (Lakes Route) and 99 (Herzroute) run through municipality. National hiking route 4 (
Via Jacobi The Via Jacobi leads from the Lake of Constance to Geneva, Switzerland. It is a part of the European Way of St. James, a pilgrimage route to the grave of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, one of the oldest religious traditi ...
) run through municipality as one of
Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago (, ; ), or the Way of St. James in English, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tra ...
pilgrimage routes as well as regional route 84 (Zürichsee-Rundweg). Schmerikon offers a choice of hotels located at the lakeside. Municipality has indoor swimming pool and a lakeside pool with a large lakeside sunbathing lawn, offers rental service of various water sports equipment.


References


External links


Official Page
(German)
8716.ch - Schmerikon news and event page
{{Authority control Municipalities of the canton of St. Gallen Populated places on Lake Zurich