Gemeinde Horw

What Gemeinde Horw does

Gemeinde Horw is a Swiss municipal government entity (Einwohnergemeinde) located in the Canton of Lucerne, serving residents across seven districts: Dorf, Kastanienbaum, St. Niklausen, Biregg, Felmis, Winkel, and Ennethorw. It is staffed by approximately 76 employees and operates from the Gemeindehausplatz 1 municipal building, delivering the full range of mandatory local administrative services — civil registry, building permits, tax collection, resident registration, waste management, public safety coordination, education (Gemeindeschule, Musikschule, Technik & Architektur Horw), library services, cultural programming (Kulturmühle Horw), and sports/recreation facilities. Service delivery is hybrid: in-person at counters during business hours (Mon-Thu 08:00-11:45 and 14:00-17:00, Fri 07:30-14:30) and digitally 24/7 via the Online-Schalter portal.

The underlying platform is a website built and maintained by Innovative Web AG (i-web), featuring CMS-based eGovernment modules including the Online-Schalter, room reservation system, interactive municipal map (Ortsplan/Geoportal), user account system, RSS news/events feeds, and the 'Blickpunkt' community magazine. Security is provided via SSL with AES-256-Bit TLS encryption, and web analytics are hosted in Swiss data centers, with stated GDPR and Swiss federal/cantonal data protection compliance. The municipality does not expose a public API or SDK; integrations are limited to the cantonal portal my.lu.ch and operational partners (Zentralbahn for rail, CKW for energy, ZSO Pilatus for civil protection, Bibliotheksverband Region Luzern for library access).

Revenue is sourced from three streams: (1) municipal tax revenue via the Steuersuss levied on residents and businesses, characterized as recurring; (2) administrative fees and service charges for permits, registrations, and reservations, structured as transaction fees; and (3) concession and license fees for regulatory activities. The municipality holds Energiestadt (Energy City) certification from the Swiss Energy Foundation and is currently executing several major urban development projects (Chrischona-Areal, Zentrumszone Bahnhof, Seefeld master plan) that will expand its planning footprint and tax base over time.

Name

Gemeinde Horw

Legal name

Gemeinde Horw

Website

https://horw.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gemeinde Horw is a Swiss municipal government (Einwohnergemeinde) in the Canton of Lucerne with ~76 employees, delivering local administrative, educational, cultural, and public-safety services to residents across seven districts via in-person counters and a 24/7 Online-Schalter digital portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Horw

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Tax Revenue: Primary funding from municipal taxes (Steuerfuss) levied on residents and businesses
2. Administrative Fees and Service Charges: Fees for administrative services including building permits, civil registry services, resident registration (eUmzug), passport/ID applications, space reservations, and various regulatory services
3. Concession and License Fees: Revenue from concessions, building-related fees, and regulatory licenses

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gemeinde Horw is a municipal government entity providing local administrative services for the residents and businesses of Horw in the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Its core offering covers civil-registry transactions (eUmzug, passport/ID applications, births, marriages, deaths), building permits and spatial planning, tax-related services, public-safety coordination, cultural programming through the Kulturmühle venue, a community library, primary/secondary/music education, and waste/water/infrastructure management. Services are delivered through both physical service counters at the Gemeindehaus and a digital Online-Schalter portal available 24/7.

Product overview

Gemeinde Horw operates a unified municipal services platform consisting of an Online-Schalter (Online Services Portal) as the core digital offering, complemented by room reservation, library services, municipal education, and cultural programs through the Kulturmühle. Additional services include an interactive municipal map (Ortsplan), the Blickpunkt community magazine, and user account management for personalized communications. The municipality also provides accessibility tools such as the i-Speaker text-to-speech service. All services are accessible through the primary website at horw.ch, built and maintained by Innovative Web AG (i-web), with integration to cantonal services via my.lu.ch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online-Schalter (Online Services Portal) Digital administrative portal enabling residents to access and complete government services online, including eUmzug (electronic registration/deregistration), passport and identity card applications, job postings, and general inquiries. Targeted at municipality residents and businesses.
• Raumreservation (Room Reservation) Online booking system enabling community members to reserve public spaces and facilities managed by the municipality for events, gatherings, and meetings.
• Gemeindebibliothek (Community Library) Municipal library service providing access to books, CDs, DVDs, and digital media through the regional Bibliotheksverband Region Luzern, offering approximately 200,000 items to residents.
• Gemeindeschule (Municipal School) Public education services including primary and secondary schools, music school (Musikschule Horw), and technical education (Technik & Architektur Horw) for residents of the municipality.
• Kulturmühle Horw Cultural center and workshop housed in a historic paper mill, hosting cultural events and programs from Horw and international artists, serving as a regional cultural venue.
• Ortsplan (Municipal Map / Geoportal) Interactive online map and geoportal providing access to municipal spatial data, zoning information, public buildings, transportation, and other geographical features for residents, businesses, and visitors.
• Blickpunkt (Community Magazine) Official municipal publication providing news, information, and updates about community events, political matters, and local developments, published regularly for residents.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kanton Luzern (Canton of Lucerne)coreOthersSuperior governmental authority providing regional services, legal framework, and intergovernmental coordination. The municipality participates in cantonal programs and services including the cantonal online portal my.lu.ch.
• ZentralbahncoreOthersRailway operator providing public transportation connections, essential for municipal mobility infrastructure and commuter access.
• CKW (Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke)coreOthersRegional energy provider responsible for electricity supply, street lighting maintenance, and infrastructure support. Handles street lighting fault reports and power outages for the municipality.
• Bibliotheksverband Region LuzernminorOthersRegional library association providing access to approximately 200,000 media items (books, CDs, DVDs) through the local municipal library.
• ZSO Pilatus (Zivilschutzorganisation)coreOthersCivil protection organization responsible for emergency response, disaster management, and community safety services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Gemeinde Kriens: Neighboring municipality in the Lucerne agglomeration with similar size and demographic profile. Directly comparable as a suburban municipality providing identical service categories (civil registry, building permits, education, cultural facilities) to a similar population base.
• Gemeinde Buchrain: Small Lucerne-area municipality with comparable population size and similar suburban character. Provides municipal services of the same categories and faces similar governance challenges.
• Gemeinde Adligenswil: Small neighboring municipality in the Lucerne district with similar population characteristics and service offerings. Directly comparable for operational scale and service delivery approaches.
• Gemeinde Emmen: Larger Lucerne-area municipality with comparable service offerings and suburban-to-urban character. Provides a useful benchmark for service delivery scale and operational practices at higher volume.
• Gemeinde Meggen: Affluent neighboring municipality on Lake Lucerne with similar population size but distinct fiscal profile. Comparable in service scope and suburban governance model, with differences in tax base and demographic characteristics.
• Gemeinde Ebikon: Adjacent Lucerne-area municipality of comparable size and suburban character. Offers the same range of municipal services and faces similar challenges related to growth, transit connectivity, and urban development.

Broad incumbents

• Stadt Luzern: The cantonal capital and larger urban center adjacent to Horw. Provides overlapping municipal services at greater scale with more extensive resources, serving as both a regional hub and a competitive alternative for residents and businesses.
• Kanton Luzern: The cantonal government that provides the Legal framework, regional services, and intergovernmental coordination for Gemeinde Horw. Operates broader regional programs (e.g., my.lu.ch) that complement municipal services.

Others

• Innovative Web AG (i-web): Web technology provider that built and maintains the horw.ch platform including the Online-Schalter eGovernment modules. Serves as a key ecosystem partner enabling the municipality's digital service delivery infrastructure.

Regional players

• Gemeinde Cham: Municipality in the Canton of Zug with similar size and economic profile. Comparable in service delivery but operates under different cantonal regulations and fiscal frameworks, providing a useful benchmark for cross-cantonal governance approaches.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gemeinde-horw

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gemeinde Horw