Richterswil
Encyclopedia
Richterswil is a municipality
in the district of Horgen
in the canton
of Zürich in Switzerland
.
During the 17th Century, a series of peasant revolts broke out across Switzerland. One of these revolts, the 1645/46 Wädenswiler Steueraufstand (Wädenswil
tax revolt), occurred around Lake Zurich and involved the village of Richterswil. The Richterswiler Weibel Rudolf Goldschmid was one of the leaders of the revolt who was executed in Zurich following the failure of the revolt. During the first Villmergen war
(1656) Richterswil was invaded by an army from Schwyz
. During the second Villmergen war, the newly built fortifications above the city, prevented another invasion. Under the French established Helvetic Republic
Richterswil was part of the District of Horgen, and had a higher tax rate than surrounding villages. As part of this higher tax, during the War of the Second Coalition
(1799), it was forced to house French troops. Following the unsuccessful uprising in 1804 (Bockenkreig) against Zurich, Richterswil was punished severely.
From 1803-1831 it was part of the District of Wädenswil, but since 1831 has belonged to the District of Horgen. Since 1831, Samstagern has been part of the municipality Richterswil. In 1869 the majority of citizens of Richterswil voted against the new democratic cantonal constitution.
The northern shore of Hüttnersee
is located in the municipality. It is located on the left shore of Lake Zurich
. It includes the sections known as Dorf and Berg (which is part of Samstagern
village).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 34.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(17.4%), the FDP
(15%) and the CSP
(10.6%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.6%. In Richterswil about 80.8% 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 4452 households in Richterswil.
Richterswil has an unemployment rate of 2.41%. , there were 90 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 32 businesses involved in this sector. 1,178 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 109 businesses in this sector. 1684 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 315 businesses in this sector. 48.8% of the working population were employed full-time, and 51.3% were employed part-time.
there were 3,966 Catholics
and 4,524 Protestants
in Richterswil. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 45% were some type of Protestant, with 41.8% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 3.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 34.5% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 2.9% were Muslim, 4.5% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.2% did not give a religion, and 12.2% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Richterswil-Burghalden is a stop of the Zürich S-Bahn
on the line S13
to Wädenswil. Richterswil railway station
is a stop of the S-Bahn lines S2
and S8
; its train station is a 33 minute ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof. The Zimmerberg bus line
(Zimmerbergbus), provided by the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn
(SZU), connects the Zimmerberg
region and parts of the Sihl valley
.
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....
.
History
Richterswil is first mentioned in 1265 as Richtliswile.During the 17th Century, a series of peasant revolts broke out across Switzerland. One of these revolts, the 1645/46 Wädenswiler Steueraufstand (Wädenswil
Wädenswil
-References:...
tax revolt), occurred around Lake Zurich and involved the village of Richterswil. The Richterswiler Weibel Rudolf Goldschmid was one of the leaders of the revolt who was executed in Zurich following the failure of the revolt. During the first Villmergen war
Battles of Villmergen
The Battles of Villmergen were two battles between Reformed and Catholic Swiss cantons. They occurred on January 24, 1656 and July 24, 1712 at Villmergen, Canton of Aargau, Switzerland ....
(1656) Richterswil was invaded by an army from Schwyz
Canton of Schwyz
Schwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich in the north, centered around and named after the town of Schwyz....
. During the second Villmergen war, the newly built fortifications above the city, prevented another invasion. Under the French established Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
Richterswil was part of the District of Horgen, and had a higher tax rate than surrounding villages. As part of this higher tax, during the War of the Second Coalition
War of the Second Coalition
The "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...
(1799), it was forced to house French troops. Following the unsuccessful uprising in 1804 (Bockenkreig) against Zurich, Richterswil was punished severely.
From 1803-1831 it was part of the District of Wädenswil, but since 1831 has belonged to the District of Horgen. Since 1831, Samstagern has been part of the municipality Richterswil. In 1869 the majority of citizens of Richterswil voted against the new democratic cantonal constitution.
Geography
Richterswil has an area of 7.6 km² (2.9 sq mi). Of this area, 54.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 7.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 36.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 26.4% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (10.2%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.5% of the area. 34.8% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.The northern shore of Hüttnersee
Hüttnersee
Hüttnersee is a small lake at Hütten in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. The northern shore is located in Samstagern, a village in the municipality of Richterswil. Its surface area is 0.165 km²....
is located in the municipality. It is located on the left shore 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 ....
. It includes the sections known as Dorf and Berg (which is part of Samstagern
Samstagern
Samstagern is a village in the municipality Richterswil in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Hüttnersee is located in the village.- Demographics :...
village).
Demographics
Richterswil has a population (as of ) of . , 17.6% 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 18.7%. Most of the population speaks German (89.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 2.9%) and English being third ( 1.8%).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 34.5% 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....
(17.4%), 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%) 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...
(10.6%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.6%. In Richterswil about 80.8% 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 4452 households in Richterswil.
Richterswil has an unemployment rate of 2.41%. , there were 90 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 32 businesses involved in this sector. 1,178 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 109 businesses in this sector. 1684 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 315 businesses in this sector. 48.8% of the working population were employed full-time, and 51.3% were employed part-time.
there were 3,966 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 4,524 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 Richterswil. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 45% were some type of Protestant, with 41.8% 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 3.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 34.5% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 2.9% were Muslim, 4.5% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.2% did not give a religion, and 12.2% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1634 | 893 |
| 1850 | 3,203 |
| 1920 | 4,527 |
| 1940 | 4,554 |
| 1970 | 7,380 |
| 1990 | 9,882 |
Transportation
The municipality is located on the A3 motorway.Richterswil-Burghalden is a stop of the Zürich S-Bahn
Zürich S-Bahn
The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighboring cantons The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been...
on the line S13
S13 (ZVV)
The S13 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, in the cantons of Schwyz and Zürich.- Route :...
to Wädenswil. Richterswil railway station
Richterswil railway station
Richterswil railway station serves the municipality of Richterswil, in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. It is owned and operated by the SBB-CFF-FFS, and forms part of the Left shore Lake Zurich railway....
is a stop of the S-Bahn 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 :...
; its train station is a 33 minute ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof. 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
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...
.
External links
- Richterswil Online Official website