Horgen
Encyclopedia
Horgen is a village
in the district of Horgen
in the canton
of Zürich in Switzerland
.
It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich.
archaeological culture
. The settlement there, the so-called Horgner Kultur (Horgen culture
), produced examples of a type of crude pottery with parallels to the Seine-Oise-Marne culture
of northern France. Horgen is first mentioned in 952 as Horga.
The large municipality stretchs from the shores of Lake Zurich
(elevation 408 m (1,338.6 ft)), over the Zimmerberg-Plateau where the decentralized village of Horgenberg is found (elevation 660 m (2,165.4 ft)), though the Sihl Valley
(Sihltal), to the peak of the Albis
chain (elevation 915 m (3,002 ft)). It includes the villages of Horgen, Arn and Horgenberg. The hamlet
of Sihlbrugg-dorf belongs to Horgen, though the municipality of Sihlbrugg is shared by Baar (ZG)
, Hausen am Albis (ZH)
, Hirzel (ZH)
and Neuheim (ZG). Administratively the village belongs to Baar in the canton of Zug.
Until 1773, Horgen included the now separate municipalities of Oberrieden
and Hirzel. The Sihl forest (Sihlwald) became part of the city of Zürich
in 1803. However the Horgen city council refused to acknowledge this until 1877.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 35.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(18.9%), the FDP
(15.8%) and the CSP
(9.7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 64.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.2%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Horgen about 73% 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 7850 households in Horgen.
Horgen has an unemployment rate of 2.66%. , there were 213 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 39 businesses involved in this sector. 2017 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 167 businesses in this sector. 6892 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 623 businesses in this sector. 56.5% of the working population were employed full-time, and 43.5% were employed part-time.
there were 5924 Catholics
and 6170 Protestants
in Horgen. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 39.3% were some type of Protestant, with 36.9% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 2.4% belonging to other Protestant churches. 33.6% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 7% were Muslim, 9.5% belonged to another religion (not listed), 4.2% did not give a religion, and 11.7% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
has a junction close to the more hilly part of the town.
Horgen is served by two railway stations. Horgen railway station
is a stop of the S-Bahn Zürich on the lines S2
and S8
, heading to and from Pfäffikon
, Ziegelbrücke
, Sargans
and Chur
. Trains, including the Cisalpino
, heading toward Zug
, Arth-Goldau, the St. Gotthard region, Bellinzona
, Lugano
and ultimately Italy
pass by the Horgen Oberdorf railway station
. Trains on S21
and S24
stop at the Horgen Oberdorf station. The Zimmerberg bus line
(Zimmerbergbus), provided by the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn
(SZU), connects the Zimmerberg
region and parts of the Sihl Valley.
In the summer there are regular boats to Zurich as well as along the lake to Rapperswil
, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
. The Horgen–Meilen car ferry
connects Horgen and Meilen
across the width of Lake Zurich.
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 Horgen
Horgen (district)
Horgen District is a district of Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The district is located in the Zimmerberg and Sihl Valley region; its capital is the town of Horgen. The district consists of 12 municipalities and has a population of and an area of ....
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....
.
It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich.
History
Horgen is also the type-site of Switzerland's middle NeolithicNeolithic
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...
archaeological culture
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
. The settlement there, the so-called Horgner Kultur (Horgen culture
Horgen culture
The Horgen culture is one of several archaeological cultures belonging to the Neolithic period of Switzerland. The Horgen culture may derive from the Pfyn culture and early Horgen pottery is similar to the earlier Cortaillod culture pottery of Twann, Switzerland...
), produced examples of a type of crude pottery with parallels to the Seine-Oise-Marne culture
Seine-Oise-Marne culture
The Seine-Oise-Marne or SOM culture is the name given by archaeologists to the final culture of the Neolithic and first culture of the Chalcolithic in northern France and southern Belgium....
of northern France. Horgen is first mentioned in 952 as Horga.
Geography
Horgen has an area of 21.1 km² (8.1 sq mi). Of this area, 27.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 49.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 20.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 12.5% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7.9%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 1.6% of the area. , 16% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.The large municipality stretchs from the shores of Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
(elevation 408 m (1,338.6 ft)), over the Zimmerberg-Plateau where the decentralized village of Horgenberg is found (elevation 660 m (2,165.4 ft)), though the Sihl Valley
Sihl Valley
Sihl Valley is a river valley and belongs to the Zimmerberg-Sihltal region located in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Commonly Sihltal is used as the name of the lower Sihl valley, i.e...
(Sihltal), to the peak of the Albis
Albis
The Albis is a chain of hills in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, stretching for some 19 km from Sihlbrugg in the south to Waldegg near Zurich in the north. The chain forms, among others, the border between the Affoltern and Horgen districts. The best known point is Uetliberg at 870 m,...
chain (elevation 915 m (3,002 ft)). It includes the villages of Horgen, Arn and Horgenberg. The hamlet
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 Sihlbrugg-dorf belongs to Horgen, though the municipality of Sihlbrugg is shared by Baar (ZG)
Baar, Switzerland
Baar is a village in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.-Geography:Baar has an area, , of . Of this area, 55% is used for agricultural purposes, while 24.5% is forested...
, Hausen am Albis (ZH)
Hausen am Albis
Hausen am Albis is a village in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Hausen am Albis may be first mentioned in 869 as Husun, though this reference is questionable. In 1242 it was mentioned as Husen.-Geography:...
, Hirzel (ZH)
Hirzel
Hirzel is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Hirzel has an area of . Of this area, 68.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.3% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
and Neuheim (ZG). Administratively the village belongs to Baar in the canton of Zug.
Until 1773, Horgen included the now separate municipalities of Oberrieden
Oberrieden
Oberrieden is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. It is one of the towns along the south shore of Lake Zurich.-Geography:...
and Hirzel. The Sihl forest (Sihlwald) became part of the city of 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...
in 1803. However the Horgen city council refused to acknowledge this until 1877.
Demographics
Horgen has a population (as of ) of . , 27.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 49% male and 51% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10.7%. Most of the population speaks German (79.9%), with Italian being second most common ( 5.7%) and Albanian being third ( 2.8%).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 35.6% 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....
(18.9%), 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....
(15.8%) 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...
(9.7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 64.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.2%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Horgen about 73% 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 7850 households in Horgen.
Horgen has an unemployment rate of 2.66%. , there were 213 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 39 businesses involved in this sector. 2017 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 167 businesses in this sector. 6892 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 623 businesses in this sector. 56.5% of the working population were employed full-time, and 43.5% were employed part-time.
there were 5924 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 6170 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 Horgen. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 39.3% were some type of Protestant, with 36.9% 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 2.4% belonging to other Protestant churches. 33.6% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 7% were Muslim, 9.5% belonged to another religion (not listed), 4.2% did not give a religion, and 11.7% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1467 | 67 households |
| 1634 | 1,175 |
| 1654 | 1,560 |
| 1780 | 2,837 |
| 1836 | 2,886 |
| 1850 | 4,844 |
| 1900 | 6,883 |
| 1930 | 9,320 |
| 1950 | 10,118 |
| 1970 | 15,691 |
| 2000 | 17,432 |
Transportation
The A3 motorwayA3 (Switzerland)
The A3 is a motorway in northeast Switzerland, running diagonally from France toward the southeast border, and passing by Zurich on the way. The total length of the A3 motorway spans roughly , but parts of the road share sections of the A1 and A2 motorways....
has a junction close to the more hilly part of the town.
Horgen is served by two railway stations. Horgen railway station
Horgen railway station
Horgen is a railway station in Switzerland, situated on the banks of Lake Zurich in the town of Horgen. The station is located on the Zürich to Chur railway line and is served by lines S2 and S8 of the Zurich S-Bahn....
is a stop of the S-Bahn Zürich on the lines S2
S2 (ZVV)
The S2 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Zürich with Schwyz, Glarus and St...
and S8
S8 (ZVV)
The S8 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Thurgau, Zürich and Schwyz.- Route :...
, heading to and from Pfäffikon
Pfäffikon, Schwyz
Pfäffikon is the principal town of the Municipality of Freienbach in canton Schwyz in Switzerland. Together with Wollerau, Pfäffikon is considered the principal town of the borough Höfe and the center of the region of Ausserschwyz. The former farm town is known today as cultural, economic and...
, Ziegelbrücke
Ziegelbrücke
Ziegelbrücke is a village in Switzerland. Ziegelbrücke is shared by the municipalities of Niederurnen in the canton of Glarus and Schänis in the canton of St...
, Sargans
Sargans
Sargans is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Sargans is known for its castle, which dates from before the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291...
and Chur
Chur
Chur or Coire is the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and lies in the northern part of the canton.-History:The name "chur" derives perhaps from the Celtic kora or koria, meaning "tribe", or from the Latin curia....
. Trains, including the Cisalpino
Cisalpino
Cisalpino AG was a railway company operating international trains between Switzerland and Italy connecting Basel, Schaffhausen, Zürich, Geneva, Milan, Venice, Trieste, Livorno, and Florence...
, heading toward 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...
, Arth-Goldau, the St. Gotthard region, Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
, Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
and ultimately Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
pass by the Horgen Oberdorf railway station
Horgen Oberdorf railway station
Horgen Oberdorf is a railway station in Switzerland, situated in the town of Horgen. The station is located on the Zürich to Lucerne railway line and is served by lines S21 and S24 of the Zurich S-Bahn....
. Trains on S21
S21 (ZVV)
The S21 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Zürich and Zug.- Route :...
and S24
S24 (ZVV)
The S24 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Zürich and Zug.- Route :...
stop at the Horgen Oberdorf station. The Zimmerberg bus line
Zimmerberg bus line
The Zimmerberg bus line is a bus line network in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- Structure :Zimmerbergbus is a bus line in the district of Horgen, operated by the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn and its local partner firms: AHW Busbetriebe AG in Horgen, Busbetriebe Bamert GmbH in Wollerau,...
(Zimmerbergbus), provided by the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn
Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn
The Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn – commonly abbreviated to SZU – is a railway company and transport network in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland...
(SZU), connects the Zimmerberg
Zimmerberg
Zimmerberg is a mountain and a region located in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Its name bases on the Old High German word zimbar in the meaning of lumber.- Geography :...
region and parts of the Sihl Valley.
In the summer there are regular boats to Zurich as well as along the lake to Rapperswil
Rapperswil
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
The Lake Zurich Shipping Company or Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft is a public Swiss company operating passenger ships and boats on Lake Zürich....
. The Horgen–Meilen car ferry
Horgen–Meilen ferry
The Horgen–Meilen ferry, operated by the Zürichsee-Fähre Horgen-Meilen AG company, is a Swiss car ferry that operates across Lake Zurich between the lakeside towns of Horgen and Meilen...
connects Horgen and Meilen
Meilen
Meilen is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- History :Archaeological findings in Meilen date back more than 4,000 years. In January 1854 the level of lake Zürich was particularly low and the locals took the chance to gain some land...
across the width of Lake Zurich.