Zwingen, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Zwingen, Basel-Landschaft, 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 former municipality of Zwingen is in the Laufen district and the Aargau canton. It is located in a loop of the Birse, near the mouth of the Lucelle.

Zwingen (as of 2009) has an area of 4.62 km² (1.78 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 33.3% - agricultural purposes
 * 38.1% - forested
 * 25.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 2.6% - rivers and lakes
 * 0.2% - non-productive

History
In 1194, Zwingen was first mentioned by the name of zinwigen. Zwingen is in the Laufen district and the Aargau canton.

The population history of Zwingen is: 1722 - 195 inhabitants 1770 - 212 inhabitants 1850 - 369 inhabitants 1860 - 362 inhabitants 1870 - 381 inhabitants 1880 - 406 inhabitants 1888 - 435 inhabitants 1900 - 537 inhabitants 1910 - 674 inhabitants 1920 - 749 inhabitants 1930 - 947 inhabitants 1941 - 989 inhabitants 1950 - 1,081 inhabitants 1960 - 1,123 inhabitants 1970 - 1,359 inhabitants 1980 - 1,343 inhabitants 1990 - 1,555 inhabitants 2000 - 2,017 inhabitants 2021 - 2,563 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 57.6% were Roman Catholic
 * 14.9% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 1.39% were Orthodox Church
 * 0.35% were Christian Catholic Church
 * 2.28% were other Christian Church

Spiritually, Zwingen belonged to the Saint-Martin church in Laufon. In 1359, the chapel of Saint-Oswald was mentioned. It was rebuilt in 1714. In 1906, the Notre-Dame church was consecrated. It became a parochial in 1907. The church was rebuilt in 1968.

Church Records
Zwingen belonged to the parish of Laufen until 1906. For church records, see Laufen.

Census
(See here for information regarding Basel-Landschaft census records.)

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

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Basel-Landschaft

Societies
Genealogical-Heraldic Society of Region Basel (GHGRB)