Muttenz
Muttenz as seen from the Wartenberg.
Country Switzerland Canton Basel-Country District Arlesheim 47°31′N 7°39′E / 47.517°N 7.65°E / 47.517; 7.65Coordinates: 47°31′N 7°39′E / 47.517°N 7.65°E / 47.517; 7.65
Population	16,968 (December 2005[update])
- Density	1,020 /km2 (2,641 /sq mi)
Area	16.64 km2 (6.42 sq mi)
Elevation	292 m (958 ft)
Postal code	4132
SFOS number	2770
Mayor	Peter Vogt
Surrounded by (view map)	Arlesheim, Birsfelden, Pratteln, Münchenstein and Gempen (Canton of Solothurn), Germany
Website	www.Muttenz.ch SFSO statistics
Muttenz [zoom]

Muttenz is a municipality with a population of approximately 17,000 in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. It is located in the district of Arlesheim, five kilometres from the city of Basle.

Contents 1 History 2 Historical buildings 2.1 Wartenberg 2.2 St. Arbogast 2.3 Freidorf 3 References 4 Footnotes 5 External links

[edit] History

Under the Roman Empire a hamlet called Montetum existed, which the Alemannic invaders referred to as Mittenza since the 3rd century CE. At the beginning of the 9th century CE the settlement came into the possession of the bishopric of Strasbourg. In the following centuries various noble families were invested with the fief. Since around 1230 the modern name of Muttenz is used. In 1306 the village became the property of the Münch of Münchenstein, who fortified the village church of St. Arbogast with a rampart at the beginning of the 15th century, after their fortresses on the nearby Wartenberg were partially destroyed in the devastating Basle earthquake of 1356. Having fallen on hard times the Münch sold the village and the Wartenberg to the city of Basle in 1517. Following the Reformation in Basle by Johannes Oecolampadius the church of Muttenz was reformed in 1529. In 1628 one seventh of the village population, 112 persons, died of the plague. Many of the villagers, still subjects of the city of Basle, were poor and when in the middle of the 18th century the opportunity arose to leave the village, many emigrated to the Americas. In 1790 only were the remaining peasants freed from serfdom by a decision of the Great Council of the city of Basle. Following the French Revolution tithes were abolished. After a short civil war between forces of the city and the countryside in 1833 the canton of Basle was divided into the two half-cantons of Basle-City and Basle-Country. Muttenz became part of Basle-Country and remained a peasant village until the beginning of the 20th century, when it began to grow into the small industrialized town it is today.

[edit] Historical buildings

[edit] Wartenberg

Built in the Middle Ages, the three fortresses built on the Wartenberg were heavily damaged in the earthquake of 1356, rebuilt in the following decades and later abandoned. They were partially restored in 1955/56.^[1]

[edit] St. Arbogast

The fortified church of St. Arbogast serving the local evangelical community was built in the late Middle Ages. Its surrounding seven metre tall ramparts built in the 15th century are still intact. A bone house was built adjoining the church in the 15th century. Wall paintings made in 1513 were painted over following the Reformation, but were restored during a complete renovation in the 1970s.^[2][3] Muttenz was awarded the Wakker Prize for architectural preservation by the Swiss Heritage Society in 1983.

The church is listed as a heritage site of national significance, as is the medieval village core.^[4]

[edit] Freidorf

Freidorf is a communal housing estate with 150 buildings built in 1920 by Hannes Meyer (1889-1954), a Bauhaus-affiliated architect.^[5] It is also listed as a heritage site of national significance.

[edit] References

• Archiv für Kunde österreichischer Geschichtsquellen, Kaiserlich-königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei 1851

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Muttenz

• Official website (German)
• Die Dorfkirche St. Arbogast in Muttenz

v • d • e Municipalities in the district of Arlesheim, Switzerland Aesch | Allschwil | Arlesheim | Biel-Benken | Binningen | Birsfelden | Bottmingen | Ettingen | Münchenstein | Muttenz | Oberwil | Pfeffingen | Reinach | Schönenbuch | Therwil Basel-Country | Districts of Canton Basel-Country | Municipalities of the canton of Basel-Country