Beckenried

The first settlers in what would become Beckried were from Alamanni tribes that moved into the area over 2000 years ago. During the Middle Ages the region was part of extensive estates that were shared between Engelberg Abbey, Murbach-Lucerne and Steinen, Switzerland. The two tower houses in the village were built in the 13th century for two local, influential families. In 1262 the village is mentioned in an agreement over a nearby pasture. In 1314 it is mentioned as Beggenriet.
Beckenried has an area, of 24.23 km2 . Of this area, about 48.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 37.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.1% is settled and 7.9% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of 78 ha or about 3.2% of the total area was covered with buildings, an increase of 25 ha over the 1981 amount. Of the agricultural land, 6 ha is used for orchards and vineyards, 432 ha is fields and grasslands and 841 ha consists of alpine grazing areas. Since 1981 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by 30 ha and the amount of forested land has increased by 21 ha . Rivers and lakes cover 9 ha in the municipality.

Wikipedia