Grüningen
Encyclopedia
Grüningen is a village
in the district of Hinwil
in the canton
of Zürich in Switzerland
.
In 1976, Grüningen received the Wakker Prize
for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage.
In the Strangenholz area of the municipality, burial mounds
from a Hallstatt
era population have been found. The exact date that the area was settled is not known, but based on mentions of Itzikon and Binzikon from the 9th Century, settlement must have occurred in the 8th Century.
The municipality is located in the Zürcher Oberland
and includes the villages and hamlets
of Grüningen, Itzikon, Binzikon, Bächelsrüti, Adeltshausen and Holzhausen as well as scattered individual houses.
gesellschaft (Swiss heritage society) put into maintaining the historic appearance of the village. Their efforts included watching over any changes that were made to the city and presenting suggestions for improvement. They developed and staffed a local museum, presented cultural events and published information about the village's heritage.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 43.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(12.3%), the FDP
(11.7%) and the CSP
(11%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.8%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Grüningen about 75.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). There are 1135 households in Grüningen.
Grüningen has an unemployment rate of 1.36%. , there were 136 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 49 businesses involved in this sector. 300 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 36 businesses in this sector. 803 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 88 businesses in this sector. 46% of the working population were employed full-time, and 54% were employed part-time.
there were 663 Catholics
and 1573 Protestants
in Grüningen. In the , religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the 2000 census, 57.7% were some type of Protestant, with 53.3% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 4.4% belonging to other Protestant churches. 25.7% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 3% belonged to another religion (not listed), 2.7% did not give a religion, and 10.2% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
. The wettest month is August during which time Grüningen receives an average of 162 mm (6.4 in) of precipitation. During the wettest month, there is precipitation for an average of 14.3 days.
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 district of Hinwil
Hinwil (district)
Hinwil District is one of the twelve districts of the German-speaking canton of Zurich, Switzerland. It lies to the southeast of the canton, bordering the adjacent St. Gallen. Hinwil has a population of ; its capital is the town of Hinwil, located at the centre of the district.- 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 Zürich in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
In 1976, Grüningen received 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 development and preservation of its architectural heritage.
History
Grüningen is first mentioned in 1243 as apud Gruningin. The village of Itzikon was first mentioned in 837 as in Izinheimo and Binzikon was mentioned in 854 as in willa Pinuzzinhovun.In the Strangenholz area of the municipality, burial mounds
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
from a Hallstatt
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
era population have been found. The exact date that the area was settled is not known, but based on mentions of Itzikon and Binzikon from the 9th Century, settlement must have occurred in the 8th Century.
Geography
Grüningen has an area of 8.8 km² (3.4 sq mi). Of this area, 62.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 20.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 14.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 10.6% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (4%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.5% of the area. 9.2% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.The municipality is located in the Zürcher Oberland
Zürcher Oberland
The Zürcher Oberland in Switzerland, is the hilly south-eastern part of the Canton of Zurich, bordering on the Toggenburg, including the districts of Uster, Hinwil, Pfäffikon as well as the Töss Valley as far as the district of Winterthur. The territory gradually fell under the control of the city...
and includes the villages and hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Grüningen, Itzikon, Binzikon, Bächelsrüti, Adeltshausen and Holzhausen as well as scattered individual houses.
Wakker prize
The Wakker prize was awarded to Grüningen for the efforts that the HeimatschutzHeimatschutz
Heimatschutz is a German word which literally translated means, "homeland protection."In 1916, Austrian Max Dvorak's Katechismus der DenkmalpfIege appeared...
gesellschaft (Swiss heritage society) put into maintaining the historic appearance of the village. Their efforts included watching over any changes that were made to the city and presenting suggestions for improvement. They developed and staffed a local museum, presented cultural events and published information about the village's heritage.
Demographics
Grüningen has a population (as of ) of . , 11.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4.4%. Most of the population speaks German (92.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 1.9%) and English being third ( 1.3%).In the 2007 election 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 43.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(12.3%), 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....
(11.7%) and the CSP
Christian Social Party (Switzerland)
The Christian Social Party is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions...
(11%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 24.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 61.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.8%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Grüningen about 75.2% 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...
). There are 1135 households in Grüningen.
Grüningen has an unemployment rate of 1.36%. , there were 136 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 49 businesses involved in this sector. 300 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 36 businesses in this sector. 803 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 88 businesses in this sector. 46% of the working population were employed full-time, and 54% were employed part-time.
there were 663 Catholics
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and 1573 Protestants
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Grüningen. In the , religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the 2000 census, 57.7% were some type of Protestant, with 53.3% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
and 4.4% belonging to other Protestant churches. 25.7% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 3% belonged to another religion (not listed), 2.7% did not give a religion, and 10.2% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1467 | 38 Households |
| 1634 | 674 |
| 1739 | 1,040 |
| 1850 | 1,695 |
| 1900 | 1,207 |
| 1950 | 1,450 |
| 1990 | 2,597 |
| 2000 | 2,811 |
| 2010 | 3,165 |
Weather
Grüningen has an average of 144.3 days of rain per year and on average receives 1328 mm (52.3 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 August during which time Grüningen receives an average of 162 mm (6.4 in) of precipitation. During the wettest month, there is precipitation for an average of 14.3 days.