Wolfenschiessen Parish, Nidwalden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Wolfenschiessen Parish, Nidwalden, 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 the 2004/09 survey, Wolfenschiessen has an area of 92.7 km2 (35.79 sq mi). located in the Engelberg valley, comprising, in addition to the village of W., Altzellen and the hamlets of Oberrickenbach and Dörfli, as well as the mountain pastures of Trüebsee, Arni, Lutersee, Kernalp, Steinalp, Sinsgäu and Bannalp. On the surface, W. is the largest municipality in Nidwalden and extends on the left flank of the valley to the Kleintitlis above Engelberg.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 39.6% - agricultural purposes
 * 33.6% - forested
 * 1.4% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 25.4% - unproductive land

History
The first mention of Wolfenschiessen was in 1200 as Wolvinscizin though a 14th century copy of a land record from around 1160 mentions two fields at Wolfenschiessen.

Oberdorf was established as a municipality in 1850 from Stans.

The population history of Wolfenschiessen is: 1850 - 1301 inhabitants 1900 - 1096 inhabitants 1950 - 1540 inhabitants 1980 - 1524 inhabitants 2000 - 1973 inhabitants

During the 12th century, the farm and fields of Wolfenschiessen were possessed by the Benedictine Muri Abbey. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the lands were gradually passed to Murbach-Lucerne and Engelberg Abbeys. Between the 12th and 13th centuries, the von Wolfenschiessen family were, probably, promoted from farming to minor nobility and appointed to administer the monastery’s estates at Wolfenschiessen. They constructed a tower in the center of the village from which they administered and ruled over the village and farms. The family gradually grew to local importance, before losing most of their wealth and status in the 15th century and dying out at the beginning of the 17th century. A village church was constructed by 1277 but was initially a filial church of the parish church in Stans. The village received its own priest in 1438 and in 1469 became an autonomous parish. During the 14th through 16th centuries, some other hamlets developed around Wolfenschiessen.

Surrounding parishes
Beckenried Dallenwil Engelberg (OW) Innertkirchen (BE) Isenthal (UR) Kerns (OW) Oberdorf

Church Records
Church records for Wolfenschiessen begin in 1601.

These church records can be accessed onsite on microfilm at the Nidwalden State Archives. The archive does not undertake family research for private researchers, but the archive will provide a list of local researchers.

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

Zivilstandsamt Nidwalden Marktgasse 3 Postfach 1244 CH - 6371 Stans

Tel: +41 618 72 60

email: [mailto:zivilstandsamt@nw.ch zivilstandsamt@nw.ch]

Duplicate civil registration registers are located at the Nidwalden State Archives. The following records are viewable in person:
 * Births before 1900
 * Marriages before 1930
 * Deaths before 1960

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

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Nidwalden

Societies
Zentralschweizerische Gesellschaft für Familienforschung (in German)