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Building age in Sarnen

Municipality in the canton of Obwalden · FSO no. 1407

Building register (GWR) export of September 2026, parcel data of July 2025.

Key figures

Parcels with a building
2’822
2’660 of them with a known construction year
Median construction year
1982Canton: 1979Switzerland: 1976
Median building age
44 yearsCanton: 47 yearsSwitzerland: 50 years
Built 1960 or earlier
27.9%Canton: 29.8%Switzerland: 32.5%
Built after 2000
25.3%Canton: 24.6%Switzerland: 23.3%

About the building stock in Sarnen

The parcel data lists 2’822 parcels with a building in Sarnen. For 2’660 of them (94.3%) the federal building register (GWR) gives a construction year, taken from the newest building on the parcel. The median construction year is 1982, so the median parcel with a building is 44 years old. 27.9% of the parcels with a known year were built in 1960 or earlier and 25.3% after 2000. The largest period is 1981-2000 with 26.0%. For comparison, the median construction year is 1979 in the canton of Obwalden and 1976 in Switzerland. 162 parcels with a building have no usable construction year and are left out of the shares.

Construction-year histogram

Parcels with a building by construction period, as a share of the 2’660 parcels with a known year. The periods are not equally long, so read the bars as shares of the stock, not as building activity per year.

  1. 15.6%before 1920: 15.6%, 416 parcels
  2. 4.8%1920-1945: 4.8%, 129 parcels
  3. 7.4%1946-1960: 7.4%, 196 parcels
  4. 20.8%1961-1980: 20.8%, 554 parcels
  5. 26.0%1981-2000: 26.0%, 692 parcels
  6. 11.0%2001-2010: 11.0%, 293 parcels
  7. 10.4%2011-2020: 10.4%, 276 parcels
  8. 3.9%2021 and later: 3.9%, 104 parcels

Building age distribution

The same parcels grouped by the age of their newest building in 2026.

  • 66 years or older (built 1960 or earlier)27.9%741 parcels
  • 46 to 65 years (built 1961-1980)20.8%554 parcels
  • 26 to 45 years (built 1981-2000)26.0%692 parcels
  • Up to 25 years (built 2001 or later)25.3%673 parcels

How to read these figures

The parcel data links every parcel to the federal building register (GWR). A parcel counts once, with the construction year of its newest building. Where the register gives only a construction period, the middle of the period is used.

The figures count parcels with a building, not individual buildings. A parcel with several buildings counts once, and a parcel without a building is not counted.

Building age is 2026 minus the construction year. Every share divides by the parcels with a known construction year.

See it on the map

roots colors every parcel by construction year, from deep red for the oldest buildings to pale cream for the newest.

Open the roots map in Sarnen

Other large municipalities in the canton of Obwalden