Schwyz Parish, Schwyz, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Schwyz 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
The town of Schwyz is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. As of 2006, Schwyz has an area of 53.2 square kilometers (20.5 sq mi). Besides the town of Schwyz, the municipality consists of the settlements of Ibach, Seewen and Rickenbach. The municipality includes, or borders on, the mountains of Hochstuckli, Kleiner Mythen, Grosser Mythen, Rotenflue, and Furggelenstock to the east. The river Muota empties of these mountains and through the municipality on its way to Lake Lucerne. The Haggenegg Pass and Holzegg Pass both connect to Alpthal, whilst the Ibergeregg Pass connects to Oberiberg.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 46.4% - agricultural purposes
 * 39.1% - forested
 * 8.7% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 5.8% - non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains)

History
The first mention of Schwyz was in 972 as villa Suittes, recorded in Medieval Latin. Between 924 and 960, several uncertain records use the form Swites (Suuites) and Switz. In the 13th century, and in the 17th to 18th century the name is often recorded as Schwitz.

The population history of Schwyz is: 1621 - 2,052 inhabitants 1669 - 2,500 inhabitants 1743 - 4,639 inhabitants 1799 - 6,338 inhabitants 1802 - 5,000 inhabitants 1837 - 5,225 inhabitants 1850 - 5,432 inhabitants 1870 - 6,137 inhabitants 1888 - 6,616 inhabitants 1900 - 7,398 inhabitants 1910 - 8,000 inhabitants 1930 - 8,256 inhabitants 1950 - 10,259 inhabitants 1970 - 12,194 inhabitants 1990 - 12,872 inhabitants 2000 - 13,802 inhabitants

Many of the government organizations administered both the town and the canton at the same time, and the history of the town is closely tied to the history of the canton because Schwyz was the capital of a canton. From the first half of the 8th century are the Alamanni cemetery at the parish church and the church itself. Around 1000, the first church was followed by a second ottonian church which may have been destroyed by the 1117 Verona earthquake. In 1121 the third church building, a romanesque building, was dedicated. Destroyed, along with much of the village, by fire in 1642 was the much larger fourth church. The fifth church, an early baroque church was replaced because of significant structural defects by the current late baroque church which was dedicated in 1774.

Surrounding parishes
Alpthal Illgau Ingenbohl Lauerz Morschach Muotathal Oberiberg Rothenthurm Sattel Steinen

Schwyz
The parish of Schwyz is ancient. Records are available from 1584 for baptisms, 1614 for marriages, and 1614 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 Schwyz.

Seewen
The parish church of Seewen was established in 1961 from Schwyz. The archive has an online inventory of the records for Seewen.

Ibach
The parish church of Ibach was established in 1966 from Schwyz, with records going back to 1940. The archive has an online inventory of the records for Ibach.

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

Zivilstandsamt Innerschwyz Herrengasse 17 CH - 6431 Schwyz

Tel: +41 41 819 07 14

email: [mailto:zivilstandsamt@gemeindeschwyz.ch zivilstandsamt@gemeindeschwyz.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 Schwyz 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