Uzwil
Description
Uzwil is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
History
Uzwil was first mentioned in 819 as Uzzinwilare. The village of Henau was first mentioned 754 as Villa Aninauva at the Monastery of St. Gallen in the "Henau document" (Henauer Urkunde).
Geography
Uzwil has an area, as of 2006, of 14.5 km2 (5.6 sq mi). Of this area, 53.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.7%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).
The municipality consists of the villages Niederuzwil, Uzwil, Henau, Algetshausen, Niederstetten, Oberstetten and Stolzenberg. It is located in the northern Toggenburg between Wil and Gossau.
Coat of arms
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a lower semi Mill Wheel and above it Ears of Wheat Or.
Heritage sites of national significance
The Hauser & Wirth Collection Henau at Felseggstrasse 51 and the Villa Waldbühl on Waldbühl 996 are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.
Transportation
Uzwil is at the railway line Geneva-St. Gallen and at the A1-Autobahn Geneva-St. Margrethen.
Religion
From the 2000 census, 5,446 or 45.5% are Roman Catholic, while 3,521 or 29.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there is 1 individual who belongs to the Christian Catholic faith, there are 552 individuals (or about 4.61% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 357 individuals (or about 2.98% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 887 (or about 7.41% of the population) who are Islamic. There are 82 individuals (or about 0.68% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 776 (or about 6.48% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 355 individuals (or about 2.96% of the population) did not answer the question.