Gais
title: "Gais" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cultural-property-of-national-significance-in-appenzell-ausserrhoden", "municipalities-of-appenzell-ausserrhoden"] topic_path: "general/cultural-property-of-national-significance-in-appenzell-ausserrhoden" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gais" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox Swiss town"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| subject_name | Gais |
| municipality_type | municipality |
| image_photo | Gais AR Dorfplatz Panorama.jpg |
| imagepath_coa | CHE Gais COA.svg |
| canton | Appenzell Ausserrhoden |
| iso-code-region | CH-AR |
| district | n.a. |
| coordinates | |
| postal_code | 9056 |
| municipality_code | 3022 |
| area | 21.21 |
| elevation | 915 |
| population | 3089 |
| website | www.gais.ch |
| mayor | Ernst Koller |
| mayor_title | Gemeindepräsident |
| places | Gais, Rotenwies, Rietli, Zwislen, Schachen, Stoss, Strahlholz, Steinleuten, Gäbris, Kürstein, Schwäbrig, Sommersberg, Hirschberg |
| demonym | |
| neighboring_municipalities | Altstätten (SG), Appenzell (AI), Bühler (AR), Eichberg (SG), Rüte (AI), Schlatt-Haslen (AI), Trogen (AR) |
| :: |
| subject_name= Gais | municipality_type= municipality | image_photo= Gais AR Dorfplatz Panorama.jpg | imagepath_coa= CHE Gais COA.svg |pixel_coa= | canton= Appenzell Ausserrhoden | iso-code-region= CH-AR | district= n.a. |coordinates = | postal_code= 9056 | municipality_code= 3022 | area= 21.21 | elevation = 915 |elevation_description= Church | population= 3089 |populationof = December 2014 |popofyear = 2014 | website= www.gais.ch | mayor= Ernst Koller |mayor_asof= 2016 |mayor_party= FDP | mayor_title= Gemeindepräsident |list_of_mayors= | places=Gais, Rotenwies, Rietli, Zwislen, Schachen, Stoss, Strahlholz, Steinleuten, Gäbris, Kürstein, Schwäbrig, Sommersberg, Hirschberg | demonym= | neighboring_municipalities= Altstätten (SG), Appenzell (AI), Bühler (AR), Eichberg (SG), Rüte (AI), Schlatt-Haslen (AI), Trogen (AR) | twintowns= |}}
Gais () is a village and a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. The area of Gais is 21.21 km2.
In 1977, the village Gais received the Wakker Prize for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage. The village square, the Protestant church of 1782, the former spa hotel Neuer Ochsen of 1796 and the Krone inn of 1781 are listed as heritage sites of national significance.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/ETH-BIB-Gais_v._S._aus_300_m-Inlandflüge-LBS_MH01-003641-AL.tif" caption="Aerial view from 300 m by [[Walter Mittelholzer]] (1923)"] ::
The village of de Geis is first mentioned in a list of offerings given to the Abbey of St Gall in 1272. While under the Abbey, Gais was a semi-independent village with its own Ammann (bailiff) and judge. By the 14th century Gais was already acting as an independent community. Under the Ammann Konrad Geppensteiner Gais joined the Swabian Cities Alliance () in 1377. In 1401 the town allied with the League of God's House. One of the most important battles of the Appenzell Wars (1401–29), the battle of Stoss Pass, took place in the territory of Gais.
Geography
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Gais_-DSC00001(10).jpg" caption="Scattered farm houses near Gais"] ::
Gais is quite centrally located in the hilly grass and woodland known as Appenzell or Appenzellerland at around 900 m above sea level. The Rotbach, a tributary of the Sitter, flows from northeast to the southwest through the village and then turns northwest in the direction of Teufen AR. The mountain to the northeast of Gais is the Gäbris.
Gais has an area, , of 21.21 km2. Of this area, 49.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 44.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
The municipality is located in the former District of Mittelland. It consists of the village of Gais and several hamlets and individual farm houses.
Demographics
Gais has a population of 2,987 (). Of that population 373 are foreigners (in 2007 it was 351), which represents 12.49% of the total population. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at an annual rate of 1.5%. Most of the population () speaks German (93.7%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common (1.6%) and Italian being third (0.9%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.
In the 2007 federal election the FDP received 73.5% of the vote.
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Gais about 73.7% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).
Gais has an unemployment rate of 1.01%. , there were 130 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 57 businesses involved in this sector. 240 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 39 businesses in this sector. 600 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 119 businesses in this sector.
The historic population was: |align=left | 1667 | 1870 | 1850 | 2470 | 1900 | 2854 | 1950 | 2422 | 2000 | 2770 | 2005 | 2846 | 2007 | 2885
Notable residents
- Albert Keller, painter born in Gais 27 April 1844.
Transport
Gais railway station is the main railway station in the municipality. It is a junction station between the Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen and Altstätten–Gais railway lines. There are six other stations within the municipality: , , Schachen, , and . The railway stations are all served by light-rail trains of Appenzell Railways, which operate as services S20, S21 and S24 of St. Gallen S-Bahn.
Sights
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Dorfplatz_Gais_AR_1.JPG" caption="Dorfplatz}}), showing the curved [[gable]]s"] ::
The village is home to several Swiss heritage sites of national significance including the village square, the Protestant church of 1782, the former spa hotel Neuer Ochsen of 1796 and the Krone inn of 1781.
The old village, lined with traditional wooden houses with curved gables, was rebuilt following a fire in 1780 and has remained mostly unchanged since then. The houses along the town square () and on Webergasse are the center of the old village.
The Protestant Church was built in 1781–82 by Hans Ulrich Haltiner. The interior is decorated in a Rococo style. The interior work was done in 1782, from the shop of Andreas and Peter Anton Mosbrugger. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Evangelisch_reformierte_Kirche_Gais_AR_1.JPG" caption="Reformed Church]] in Gais"] ::
References
References
- link. (6 July 2011 {{in lang). de
- [[Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance]] (1995), p. 53
- [http://www.gais.ch/de/portrait/portraitzahlen/ Gais City Website-short portrait] {{webarchive. link. (30 August 2008 accessed 11 March 2009 {{in lang). de
- [http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/en/index/regionen/02/key.html Swiss Federal Statistical Office] {{webarchive. link. (5 January 2016 accessed 15 September 2009)
- The age distribution, {{as of. 2000. link. (13 September 2009 {{in lang). de accessed 15 September 2009
- {{HDS. 1301. Gais. Thomas Fuchs. (20 November 2006)
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