Rüschlikon
Encyclopedia
Rüschlikon is a municipality
in the district of Horgen
in the canton
of Zürich in Switzerland
. It is located on the west
shore of Lake Zurich
.
features a white shield
with a seerose, a red flower with a yellow center.
and first appears in documents around 1153 as Ruoslinchoven. A row of grave mounds from approximately the same period has been found on the Zimmerberg. In the early 1980s, Rüschlikon blocked off many of the smaller side streets from Thalwil so that traffic between Zurich and Thalwil would be unable to use them.
Rüschlikon is bordered on the north by Kilchberg
, on the east by lake Zurich
, on the south by Thalwil
, and on the west by Adliswil
and Langnau am Albis
. A steep slope rises from lake Zurich towards the Zimmerberg
and, at its peak, the hill called Chopf, then slopes down towards the river Sihl
. Although mostly a bedroom community for Zurich, Rüschlikon has a very small but characteristic town center, parks by the lake and considerable wooded areas and farms, mostly in the hills. The farms include cattle, horses, sheep, and a few exotic animals, as well as areas under cultivation.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 32.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(26.8%), the SPS
(13.5%) and the CSP
(9.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 21.3%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Rüschlikon about 85.9% 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 2243 households in Rüschlikon.
Rüschlikon has an unemployment rate of 2.28%. , there were 27 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 378 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 37 businesses in this sector. 1781 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 207 businesses in this sector. 60% of the working population were employed full-time, and 40% were employed part-time.
there were 1475 Catholics
and 1853 Protestants
in Rüschlikon. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 44.7% were some type of Protestant, with 43.3% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 1.4% belonging to other Protestant churches. 28.6% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 5.7% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.7% did not give a religion, and 16.6% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
, which has brought to Rüschlikon the Nobel prize
in Physics
awarded to Heinrich Rohrer
and Gerd Binnig
in 1986 and to Karl Alexander Müller
and Johannes Georg Bednorz
in 1987. The park im Grüene was donated by Adele Duttweiler, widow of Gottlieb Duttweiler
, the founder of the Migros
chain of grocery stores.
and S-Bahn Zürich, by bus service with the 165 bus to Zurich Bürkliplatz, and (in the summer) boat service to the other lakeside communities. Rüschlikon railway station
is a stop of the S-Bahn Zürich on the S8
and S24
lines. Tourist boat trips, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
, also sail from Zürich and Rapperswil
. The town is also well-linked by regular roads and the A3 highway
.
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 located on the west
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
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 ....
.
Coat of arms
Its coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
features a white shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
with a seerose, a red flower with a yellow center.
History
The name of Rüschlikon is AlemannicAlemannic German
Alemannic is a group of dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. It is spoken by approximately ten million people in six countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France and Italy...
and first appears in documents around 1153 as Ruoslinchoven. A row of grave mounds from approximately the same period has been found on the Zimmerberg. In the early 1980s, Rüschlikon blocked off many of the smaller side streets from Thalwil so that traffic between Zurich and Thalwil would be unable to use them.
Geography
Rüschlikon has an area of 2.9 km² (1.1 sq mi). Of this area, 20.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 55.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.7%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 41.5% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (13.3%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 1% of the area. 44.2% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.Rüschlikon is bordered on the north by Kilchberg
Kilchberg, Zurich
Kilchberg is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.Its coat of arms features a sky-blue shield with a trillium.Kilchberg is also the site of a regional cemetery.-History:...
, on the east by 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 ....
, on the south by 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:...
, and on the west by Adliswil
Adliswil
Adliswil is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Adliswil is first mentioned in 1050 as Adelenswile. In the second half of the 12th Century it was mentioned as Adololdiswile and in 1248 as Adeloswile.Under the Helvetic Republic, the hamlet of...
and Langnau am Albis
Langnau am Albis
Langnau am Albis is a city in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Langnau am Albis is first mentioned between 1101 and 1150 as Langenow . Between 1133 and 1167 it was mentioned as Langenouw.-Geography:Langnau am Albis has an area of...
. A steep slope rises from lake Zurich towards 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 :...
and, at its peak, the hill called Chopf, then slopes down towards the river Sihl
Sihl
The Sihl is a river of Switzerland. It rises at Drusberg in the Canton of Schwyz. It passes through the Sihlsee near Einsiedeln, and then enters the Canton of Zurich, flowing through the Sihl valley at the foot of the Albis, passing the Sihlwald, the largest remaining deciduous forest of the Swiss...
. Although mostly a bedroom community for Zurich, Rüschlikon has a very small but characteristic town center, parks by the lake and considerable wooded areas and farms, mostly in the hills. The farms include cattle, horses, sheep, and a few exotic animals, as well as areas under cultivation.
Demographics
Rüschlikon has a population (as of ) of . , 22.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 47.9% male and 52.1% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10.4%. Most of the population speaks German (85.1%), with English being second most common ( 3.9%) and Italian being third ( 2.3%).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 32.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(26.8%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(13.5%) 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...
(9.3%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.7% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 21.3%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Rüschlikon about 85.9% 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 2243 households in Rüschlikon.
Rüschlikon has an unemployment rate of 2.28%. , there were 27 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 378 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 37 businesses in this sector. 1781 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 207 businesses in this sector. 60% of the working population were employed full-time, and 40% were employed part-time.
there were 1475 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 1853 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 Rüschlikon. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 44.7% were some type of Protestant, with 43.3% 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 1.4% belonging to other Protestant churches. 28.6% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 0% were Muslim, 5.7% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.7% did not give a religion, and 16.6% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1467 | 40 households |
| 1671 | 515 |
| 1836 | 825 |
| 1850 | 909 |
| 1900 | 1,567 |
| 1950 | 3,316 |
| 2000 | 4,858 |
IBM Zürich research laboratory
Rüschlikon is home to the IBM Zurich Research Lab, part of IBM ResearchIBM Research
IBM Research, a division of IBM, is a research and advanced development organization and currently consists of eight locations throughout the world and hundreds of projects....
, which has brought to Rüschlikon the Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
awarded to Heinrich Rohrer
Heinrich Rohrer
Heinrich Rohrer is a Swiss physicist who shared half of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics with Gerd Binnig for the design of the scanning tunneling microscope .-Biography:...
and Gerd Binnig
Gerd Binnig
Gerd Binnig is a German physicist, and a Nobel laureate.He was born in Frankfurt am Main and played in the ruins of the city during his childhood. His family lived partly in Frankfurt and partly in Offenbach am Main, and he attended school in both cities. At the age of 10, he decided to become a...
in 1986 and to Karl Alexander Müller
Karl Alexander Müller
Karl Alexander Müller is a Swiss physicist and Nobel laureate. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987 with Johannes Georg Bednorz for their work in superconductivity in ceramic materials.-Biography:...
and Johannes Georg Bednorz
Johannes Georg Bednorz
Johannes Georg Bednorz is a physicist at the IBM Zürich Research Laboratory. He is best known for his role in the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity, for which he shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics.-Life and work:...
in 1987. The park im Grüene was donated by Adele Duttweiler, widow of Gottlieb Duttweiler
Gottlieb Duttweiler
Gottlieb Duttweiler was a Swiss businessman and politician, founder of both the Migros chain of grocery stores and the party....
, the founder of the Migros
Migros
Migros is one of Switzerland's largest enterprises, its largest supermarket chain and largest employer. It co-founded Turkey's largest retailer, Migros Türk, which became independent of Migros Switzerland in 1975....
chain of grocery stores.
Transport
The town is served by frequent rail connections (4 an hour to Zurich in 2008) provided by the SBB-CFF-FFSSBB-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...
and S-Bahn Zürich, by bus service with the 165 bus to Zurich Bürkliplatz, and (in the summer) boat service to the other lakeside communities. Rüschlikon railway station
Rüschlikon railway station
Rüschlikon is a railway station in Switzerland, situated near to the banks of Lake Zurich in the municipality of Rüschlikon. The station is located on the original Zürich to Lucerne main line, although most main line trains now use the alternative Zimmerberg Base Tunnel routing. It is served by...
is a stop of the S-Bahn Zürich on the 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 :...
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 :...
lines. Tourist boat trips, 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....
, also sail from Zürich and 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...
. The town is also well-linked by regular roads and the A3 highway
A3 (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....
.
External links
- Official website
- IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Rüschlikon
- Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV), responsible for public transportation in Rüschlikon.
- Gottlieb Duttweiler Institut in Rüschlikon