Einsiedeln Parish, Schwyz, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Einsiedeln Parish, Schwyz, Switzerland, ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, parish census, civil census, family history, area history, and military records.



Geography
Einsiedeln has an area of 99.1 km2 (38.3 sq mi). Einsiedeln is located in the valley of the Alp river. It includes six localities: Bennau, Egg, Willerzell, Euthal, Gross and Trachslau. The village of Biberbrugg is divided with the municipality of Feusisberg. Einsiedeln is situated approximately 7.5 km (4.7 mi) from the southern end of the Lake of Zurich, and 2 km (1.2 mi) west of the artificial Sihlsee lake and is on a plateau (ca. 880 m (2,890 ft) above sea level). Located at an altitude of 470 m (1,540 ft) higher than Zurich and shares a railway connection. Einsiedeln is the capital and only municipality of the District of Einsiedeln.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 47.1% - agricultural purposes
 * 44.5% - forested
 * 5.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 2.8% - non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains)

History
The first mention of Einsiedeln was in 1073 as Einsidels.

The population history of Einsiedeln is: 1799 - 4,958 inhabitants 1850 - 6,821 inhabitants 1880 - 8,383 inhabitants 1900 - 8,496 inhabitants 1930 - 8,053 inhabitants 1950 - 8,423 inhabitants 1970 - 10,020 inhabitants 1980 - 9,629 inhabitants 2000 - 12,622 inhabitants

Einsiedeln is known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. In the early Middle Ages, Einsiedeln was not permanently inhabited. It is suggested that in the course of the founding of the Einsiedeln monastery (934), the noble monks settled there. With the establishment of the umbrella bailiwick over the Waldstatt in 1394, high jurisdiction passed to Schwyz, and Einsiedeln became the district of the Schwyz estate. The lower jurisdiction lay with the monastery. The so-called three parts, an authority in which the monastery, the Schwyzer Vogt, and the forest people were represented, are first recorded in 1399 and not free of tension. The district of Einsiedeln was given political equality with the state of Schwyz and, with the reorganization in mediation, became a district of the canton of Schwyz in February 1798. Economic differences between the monastery and the forest people were obscured by political disputes after 1820.

Surrounding parishes
Alpthal Altendorf Feusisberg Freienbach Innerthal Oberägeri (ZG) Oberiberg Rothenthurm Unteriberg Vorderthal

Church Records
The parish of Einsiedeln is ancient. Records are available from 1609 for baptisms, 1626 for marriages, and 1620 for burials.

Digital copies of the church records can be accessed onsite at the Schwyz State Archives. The archive has an online inventory of the records for Einsiedeln.

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in 1876. Einsiedeln belongs to the Ausserschwyz civil registration district. Records are only available in Switzerland. For further information, contact the civil registry office at:

Zivilstandsamt Ausserschwyz Unterdorfstrasse 9 Postfach 140 CH - 8808 Pfäffikon

Tel: +41 55 416 93 00

email: [mailto:zivilstandsamt@Freienbach.ch zivilstandsamt@freienbach.ch]

Duplicate civil registration registers are located at the Schwyz State Archives. Additionally, the archive has a partial inventory of its holdings. The following records are viewable in person:


 * Births before 1900
 * Marriages before 1930
 * Deaths before 1960

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Einsiedeln prior to 1875:

Related sources
The town's website (in German) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Schwyz

Societies
Zentralschweizerische Gesellschaft für Familienforschung

Historischer Verein des Kantons Schwyz