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

In 1036, Arth is mentioned for the first time with the church of St. George and its estate as a fief of the chapter of Beromünster, of which the Lenzburgs were the solicitors. Pastor Balthasar Trachsel, 1520-1524 in Arth, also dean of the Vierwaldstätter chapter, tried to establish the Reformation. However, the Schwyz government put a stop to these early Reformation attempts. In the 17th century, a small community of Protestants, known as nicodémites, was constituted with Arth; its relentless repression by Schwyz and the ensuing dispute with Zurich in 1655 (the so-called Hummelhandel affair) are among the reasons of the First Villmergen War. In the same year the Capuchins were summoned to Arth to support the Catholic reform. They built a convent next to the Saint-Zénon chapel, which the order used from 1973 to 1996 as a meditation center. In 1996 it was bought by the Syrian Orthodox Church of Switzerland, which established a religious and cultural center. The existing parish church was constructed in 1694-1697 as a conscious expression of Catholic renewal. The Adrian's Chapel on the Rufibach, documented in the 15th century, was restored in 1889 at a safe location from floods.

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