Cham, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Cham is a municipality
in the canton
of Zug in Switzerland.
Cham is located on the northern shore of Lake Zug, 5.5 km (3.4 mi) to the north-west of the cantonal capital of Zug
. Surrounding Cham, Steinhausen
is the east, Hünenberg
is to the west, Lake Zug is south, and Knonau
in the Canton of Zürich
is to the north. The town has an area of 19.82 km² (7.7 sq mi). The train station is located 418 m (1,371.4 ft) above sea level
and the highest point in town is 468 m (1,535.4 ft) above sea level.
The town is located at the mouth of the Lorze river, with two sections (Kirchbühl and Städtli) located on both sides of the river. Cham also includes a number of smaller villages; Enikon, Lindencham, Friesencham, Hagendorn, Rumentikon, Niederwil, Oberwil and Bibersee.
settlements in Cham. In 1944–45 a large, unique Roman watermill
with multiple waterwheels was found in Hagendorn village. A Roman warehouse from the same era has been discovered in Heiligkreuz village.
The city's name, Cham, translates as village and refers to a large Celtic settlement on the shore of Lake Zug. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, there was also an Alamanni
c settlement, but only place names remain. The first mention of the town (as Chama) occurred on 16 April 858 when King Louis the German
gave the town to his daughter, Hildegard, the abbess of the Fraumünster
Abbey in Zürich
. The town was administered by a variety of nobles and bailiffs over the following centuries.
In 1360 the town was granted a charter
as well as the rights to hold a market and enroll citizens. This charter, granted by Charles IV
, was given to Gottfried von Hünenberg as the ruler of the city. The Habsburgs, attempting to maintain their influence in the region following the loss of Zug to the Swiss Confederation in 1364, bought part of the town in 1366 and completely bought the Hünenberg family out in 1370. However, following the decisive Habsburg defeat in the Battle of Sempach
in 1386, Cham was taken by Zug and Schwyz. The Habsburgs had pawned the town to a citizen of Zürich, Götz Mülner, and so Zug was not able to completely own the city until the loan was repaid in 1415. The city would remain under the control of the vogt
or bailiff of Zug until the French invasion
of 1798.
In the 16th century the reform-minded preacher Jost Müller unsuccessfully attempted to bring the Reformation to Cham.
Following the 1798 invasion of Switzerland the collapse of the Old Swiss Confederacy
, Cham finally became an independent town. Though the citizens still paid some taxes and tithes to Zug until 1816 when most were abolished and 1872 when the last one ended.
The rapid industrialization of the second half of the 19th century caused a population boom in Cham and the surrounding villages. The population doubled between 1850 and 1880 and continued to grow at a slightly slower rate afterward. The first urban plan and construction ordinances came into being in 1950. A goal of the planning was to maintain the character of the industrial part of the city, becomes a center for the surrounding villages and preserve the parkland along the lake. In 1991 the town was awarded the Wakker Prize
for the preservation of its architectural heritage. By 1990 Cham was the third largest city in the Canton of Zug.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 31.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(22.2%), the FDP
(18.2%) and the Green Party
(17.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Cham about 76.4% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
The historical population was
. The wettest month is June during which time Cham receives an average of 144 mm (5.7 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.5 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 13.5 days.
Cham also provides visitors and residents alike with hotel services, congress hall, churches (catholic & reformist), a marina, and a castle (St. Andreas
). The church of St. James is a late Baroque
building from the 18th century, with a late Gothic
tower from the 15th century. There are several well established restaurants providing a variety of local and international cuisines.
in Cham. These include the Eslen, a Neolithic
lake shore settlement, the church and Cistercian convent
at Frauenthal, the Castle of St. Andreas, two buildings in the old city, and the brickyard.
(32 km (19.9 mi)). The SBB-CFF-FFS
train line from Luzern through Thalwil
to Zürich stops in Cham. The E41
highway passes near Cham. The city can also be reached by bus from Zug and in the summer by boat.
For most of Cham's history, farming and light industry were the main sources of income. The Lorze River has always been a key for the development of the city. The first recorded watermill in Cham was built in 1279. About 1641 a dyeing
and bleaching operation was built along the river. In 1657 a paper mill was built, which partly mechanized in the 1720s and had the first paper machine in 1840. Following several mergers and expansions, this factory became the first Swiss wood pulp
factory. In the 20th century it became Papierfabrik Cham AG the largest company in Cham.
In 1863 a cotton spinning and weaving company opened in Cham. Following a major fire in 1888 the factory closed, but the dormitories
for child laborers for the factory are now a children's home.
In 1864 Cham was connected to the Zürich-Lucerne train line. In 1866 the American Page family founded the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co. in Cham to take advantage of this new rail line. The company initially produced only condensed milk, but soon grew to produce other milk products. In 1905 it merged with the Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé Company to form Nestlé
. The company expanded rapidly and by 1907 they had over 1000 milkmen in 44 locations. In 1913 a conflict over money between the factory and the milkmen led to a strike and weakened the company. Following World War I, the company faced financial crisis and began to shut down production in Cham.
In 1905 one-third of the population worked in agriculture, while half worked in industry. By 1955 nearly two-thirds of the population worked in industry. In the following year industrial jobs decreased while the central location and low taxes encouraged a growth in service industries. In 2001 80% of the businesses and 58% of the jobs are in service industries, while 40% are in manufacturing.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Zug in Switzerland.
Location
Cham has an area, , of 17.8 km² (6.9 sq mi). Of this area, 63.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 21.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.8%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).Cham is located on the northern shore of Lake Zug, 5.5 km (3.4 mi) to the north-west of the cantonal capital of Zug
Zug
Zug , is a German-speaking city in Switzerland. The name ‘Zug’ originates from fishing vocabulary; in the Middle Ages it referred to the right to ‘pull up’ fishing nets and hence to the right to fish.The city of Zug is located in the Canton of Zug and is its capital...
. Surrounding Cham, Steinhausen
Steinhausen, Switzerland
Steinhausen is a city in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.-Geography:Steinhausen has an area, , of . Of this area, 50.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 15.1% is forested...
is the east, Hünenberg
Hünenberg
Hünenberg is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.-History:Hünenberg is first mentioned in 1173 as de Hunberg, though this document is considered a forgery. In 1185 it was mentioned as de Hunoberg and in 1239 as de Hunaberc....
is to the west, Lake Zug is south, and Knonau
Knonau
Knonau is a municipality in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Knonau is first mentioned in 1045 as Chnonowa. In 1223 it was mentioned as Knonowe.-Geography:...
in the Canton of Zürich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
is to the north. The town has an area of 19.82 km² (7.7 sq mi). The train station is located 418 m (1,371.4 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
and the highest point in town is 468 m (1,535.4 ft) above sea level.
The town is located at the mouth of the Lorze river, with two sections (Kirchbühl and Städtli) located on both sides of the river. Cham also includes a number of smaller villages; Enikon, Lindencham, Friesencham, Hagendorn, Rumentikon, Niederwil, Oberwil and Bibersee.
History
The shores of Lake Zug were populated at least 6000 years ago with several sites in Cham. A number of finds in the Oberwil village of Cham show that there were a number of middle and late Bronze AgeBronze Age Europe
The European Bronze Age is characterized by bronze artifacts and the use of bronze implements. The regional Bronze Age succeeds the Neolithic, it starts with the Aegean Bronze Age 3200 BC...
settlements in Cham. In 1944–45 a large, unique Roman watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
with multiple waterwheels was found in Hagendorn village. A Roman warehouse from the same era has been discovered in Heiligkreuz village.
The city's name, Cham, translates as village and refers to a large Celtic settlement on the shore of Lake Zug. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, there was also an Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
c settlement, but only place names remain. The first mention of the town (as Chama) occurred on 16 April 858 when King Louis the German
Louis the German
Louis the German , also known as Louis II or Louis the Bavarian, was a grandson of Charlemagne and the third son of the succeeding Frankish Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye.He received the appellation 'Germanicus' shortly after his death in recognition of the fact...
gave the town to his daughter, Hildegard, the abbess of the Fraumünster
Fraumünster
The Fraumünster abbey in Zurich was founded in 853 by Louis the German for his daughter Hildegard. He endowed the Benedictine convent with the lands of Zurich, Uri, and the Albis forest, and granted the convent immunity, placing it under his direct authority.- History :In 1045, King Henry III...
Abbey in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. The town was administered by a variety of nobles and bailiffs over the following centuries.
In 1360 the town was granted a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
as well as the rights to hold a market and enroll citizens. This charter, granted by Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, was given to Gottfried von Hünenberg as the ruler of the city. The Habsburgs, attempting to maintain their influence in the region following the loss of Zug to the Swiss Confederation in 1364, bought part of the town in 1366 and completely bought the Hünenberg family out in 1370. However, following the decisive Habsburg defeat in the Battle of Sempach
Battle of Sempach
An armistice was agreed upon on 12 October, followed by a peace agreement valid for one year, beginning on 14 January 1387.The battle was a severe blow to Austrian interests in the region, and allowed for the further growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy....
in 1386, Cham was taken by Zug and Schwyz. The Habsburgs had pawned the town to a citizen of Zürich, Götz Mülner, and so Zug was not able to completely own the city until the loan was repaid in 1415. The city would remain under the control of the vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
or bailiff of Zug until the French invasion
Switzerland in the Napoleonic era
During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies marched eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. In 1798 Switzerland was completely overrun by the French and became the Helvetic Republic. The Helvetic Republic encountered severe economic and political problems...
of 1798.
In the 16th century the reform-minded preacher Jost Müller unsuccessfully attempted to bring the Reformation to Cham.
Following the 1798 invasion of Switzerland the collapse of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
, Cham finally became an independent town. Though the citizens still paid some taxes and tithes to Zug until 1816 when most were abolished and 1872 when the last one ended.
The rapid industrialization of the second half of the 19th century caused a population boom in Cham and the surrounding villages. The population doubled between 1850 and 1880 and continued to grow at a slightly slower rate afterward. The first urban plan and construction ordinances came into being in 1950. A goal of the planning was to maintain the character of the industrial part of the city, becomes a center for the surrounding villages and preserve the parkland along the lake. In 1991 the town was awarded the Wakker Prize
Wakker Prize
The Wakker Prize is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage....
for the preservation of its architectural heritage. By 1990 Cham was the third largest city in the Canton of Zug.
Demographics
Cham has a population (as of ) of . 19.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 14%. Most of the population speaks German (85.7%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 3.1%) and Italian being third ( 1.9%).In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 31.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(22.2%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(18.2%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(17.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Cham about 76.4% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
The historical population was
| Year | Inhabitants |
|---|---|
| 1771 | 839 |
| 1850 | 1321 |
| 1888 | 3140 |
| 1900 | 2025 |
| 1950 | 5486 |
| 1970 | 8209 |
| 1991 | 11091 |
| 2000 | 13145 |
| 2005 | 13791 |
| 2006 | 13730 |
| 2007 | 13981 |
Weather
Cham has an average of 136.1 days of rain per year and on average receives 1147 mm (45.2 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is June during which time Cham receives an average of 144 mm (5.7 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.5 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 13.5 days.
Sights and Recreation
This small town has its own medical clinic, excellent institutions for primary and secondary education, kindergarten and an excellent public green with sports facilities available all year around.Cham also provides visitors and residents alike with hotel services, congress hall, churches (catholic & reformist), a marina, and a castle (St. Andreas
Schloss St. Andreas
St. Andreas Castle is a privately owned castle located in Cham, in the Canton of Zug, Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance....
). The church of St. James is a late Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
building from the 18th century, with a late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
tower from the 15th century. There are several well established restaurants providing a variety of local and international cuisines.
Heritage sites of national significance
There are a number of Swiss heritage sites of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
in Cham. These include the Eslen, a Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
lake shore settlement, the church and Cistercian convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
at Frauenthal, the Castle of St. Andreas, two buildings in the old city, and the brickyard.
Transportation
Cham is located 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from Zug and is centrally located between Luzern (25 km (15.5 mi)) and ZürichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(32 km (19.9 mi)). The SBB-CFF-FFS
SBB-CFF-FFS
Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...
train line from Luzern through Thalwil
Thalwil
Thalwil is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. As of 2010 its population was of 17,189.-History:...
to Zürich stops in Cham. The E41
European route E41
European route E 41 is a European route. Its route is Dortmund - Hagen - Olpe - Siegen - Wetzlar - Hanau - Aschaffenburg - Würzburg - Heilbronn - Stuttgart - Böblingen - Herrenberg - Villingen-Schwenningen - Bad Dürrheim - Singen - Schaffhausen - Winterthur - Zürich - Schwyz - Altdorf....
highway passes near Cham. The city can also be reached by bus from Zug and in the summer by boat.
Industry
Cham has an unemployment rate of 2.05%. , there were 206 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 68 businesses involved in this sector. 2,151 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 179 businesses in this sector. 4,900 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 783 businesses in this sector.For most of Cham's history, farming and light industry were the main sources of income. The Lorze River has always been a key for the development of the city. The first recorded watermill in Cham was built in 1279. About 1641 a dyeing
Dyeing
Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products like fibers, yarns, and fabrics. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular chemical material. After dyeing, dye molecules have uncut Chemical bond with fiber molecules. The temperature and time controlling...
and bleaching operation was built along the river. In 1657 a paper mill was built, which partly mechanized in the 1720s and had the first paper machine in 1840. Following several mergers and expansions, this factory became the first Swiss wood pulp
Wood pulp
Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre crops or waste paper. Wood pulp is the most common raw material in papermaking.-History:...
factory. In the 20th century it became Papierfabrik Cham AG the largest company in Cham.
In 1863 a cotton spinning and weaving company opened in Cham. Following a major fire in 1888 the factory closed, but the dormitories
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
for child laborers for the factory are now a children's home.
In 1864 Cham was connected to the Zürich-Lucerne train line. In 1866 the American Page family founded the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co. in Cham to take advantage of this new rail line. The company initially produced only condensed milk, but soon grew to produce other milk products. In 1905 it merged with the Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé Company to form Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
. The company expanded rapidly and by 1907 they had over 1000 milkmen in 44 locations. In 1913 a conflict over money between the factory and the milkmen led to a strike and weakened the company. Following World War I, the company faced financial crisis and began to shut down production in Cham.
In 1905 one-third of the population worked in agriculture, while half worked in industry. By 1955 nearly two-thirds of the population worked in industry. In the following year industrial jobs decreased while the central location and low taxes encouraged a growth in service industries. In 2001 80% of the businesses and 58% of the jobs are in service industries, while 40% are in manufacturing.