Arth Parish, Schwyz, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Arth 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
As of 2006, Arth has an area of 42.1 km2 (16.3 sq mi). The municipality is located on the southern shore of Lake Zug, and along the Gotthard route between Rigi and Rossberg. It includes the villages of Arth Oberarth and Goldau as well as the hamlets of Klösterli and Kulm an der Rigi.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 40.8% - agricultural purposes
 * 46.3% - forested
 * 8.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 4.3% - non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains)

History
The first mention of Arth was in 1036 as Arta. It is also mentioned in 1353 as Arth.

The population history of Arth is: 1743 - 2134 inhabitants 1850 - 2196 inhabitants 1900 - 4739 inhabitants 1950 - 5816 inhabitants 2000 - 9593 inhabitants

During the Marches dispute between Schwyz and Einsiedeln Abbey, Alpthal, which Emperor Heinrich II donated to the monastery in 1018, was among the disputed territories. Awarded to Schwyz in 1217, Alpthal definitively integrated into the Old Country of Schwyz in 1350. Border markers (Landwehri), mentioned in 1361, separated the Schwyz and Einsiedler areas. Construction in 1690 of a chapel dedicated to Saint Apollonia, separated from Schwyz in 1805 and erected into a parish. The current church was dedicated in 1887. A few chapels in the municipal area (Brunni, Bruustalp) line the old Way of St. James from Einsiedeln via Haggenegg to Schwyz, by the Haggenegg pass.

Surrounding parishes
Gersau Küssnacht Lauerz Steinerberg Vitznau (LU) Walchwil (ZG) Weggis (LU) Zug (ZG)

Church Records
Arth is an ancient parish. Records are available from 1635.

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 Arth.

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in 1876. Arth 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 Arth 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