Thalwil
Encyclopedia
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.
farmstead. Only a few graves remain from this period. In 1133 it was mentioned as Telwil.
The parish of Thalwil originally comprised four Wachten (hamlets):
In medieval times, the economy consisted mainly of farms, vineyards as well as a small amount of fishing, crafts and shipping (on the lake). This estate was once owned by the Dukes of Habsburg
and held by the Barons of Eschenbach
. The Abbeys of Muri
and Wettingen
also had significant interests and owned 12 and 3 farms respectively.
Thalwil also boasts the oldest wood corporation in the Canton of Zurich
, the Bannegg-Waldung. It was first mentioned in 1483, when Muri Abbey granted it to the twelve beneficiaries of the Abbey farms in Thalwil. Today the corporation is owned by 16 members as well as by the Thalwil Gemeinde.
It is located on the Zimmerberg
ridge between the western shore of Lake Zurich
and the Sihl
river. Thalwil borders on the communes of Rüschlikon
, Langnau am Albis
, Oberrieden
, Horgen
and (across the lake) Erlenbach
.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 28.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(19.7%), the FDP
(18.2%) and the CSP
(11.4%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.6%. In Thalwil about 81.5% 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 7,680 households in Thalwil.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
The earliest recorded church was dedicated to St Martin in 1159. In medieval times it was a dependency of Wettingen Abbey. Although it was frequently hit by lightning and also looted and set on fire during the War of Zurich (Alter Zürichkrieg), the original building survived for over six hundred years.
In 1845 the small and rather dilapidated chapel was demolished and replaced by a much larger church designed by Ferdinand Stadler
. A fire set off during repairs on the tower burnt down the new church almost 100 years later (1943) but the building was soon completely restored and has survived to this day.
there were 5382 Catholics
and 5881 Protestants
in Thalwil. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 41.5% were some type of Protestant, with 39.3% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
and 2.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 34.3% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 3.8% were Muslim, 5.8% belonged to another religion (not listed), 2.6% did not give a religion, and 15% were atheist or agnostic.
(1875) and Zug
(1897). Industrialisation brought new workers into the former farming villaged and increased the population from 1,318 (in 1833) to 6,791 (in 1900).
Today, Thalwil has an unemployment rate of 2.51%. , there were 53 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 807 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 115 businesses in this sector. 3721 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 651 businesses in this sector. 28.6% of the working population were employed full-time, and 71.4% were employed part-time.
Switzerland, which is also the largest employer in Thalwil (over 500 jobs). There is also a wide range of shops, mainly located around the Gotthardstrasse.
The main source of Thalwil's current prosperity lies in the large number of commuters (ca 7 000) who live here but work in the economic centres of Greater Zurich. Today Thalwil has mostly left its farming and industrial past behind and become a commuter base.
as well as on the main railway lines from Zurich to Chur, Lucerne
and Italy. In the summer there are regular boats to Zurich as well as along the lake to Rapperswil
,run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
. Thalwil railway station
is served by lines S2
, S8
, S21
and S24
of the Zürich S-Bahn
. 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....
. As of 2010 its population was of 17,189.
History
Thalwil is first mentioned around 1030 as Talwile villam, which is derived from Tellewilare, Tello's Farm, and indicates the early medieval origins of Thalwil as an AlemannicAlamanni
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...
farmstead. Only a few graves remain from this period. In 1133 it was mentioned as Telwil.
The parish of Thalwil originally comprised four Wachten (hamlets):
- Ludretikon, the oldest hamlet (mentioned in 915), bordering Rüschlikon
- Oberdorf (Upper Village), the area around the church
- Unterdorf (Lower Village), the area roughly south of the railway station
- LangnauLangnau am AlbisLangnau 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...
, which separated from Thalwil around 1713
In medieval times, the economy consisted mainly of farms, vineyards as well as a small amount of fishing, crafts and shipping (on the lake). This estate was once owned by the Dukes of Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
and held by the Barons of Eschenbach
Eschenbach
- People :* Wolfram von Eschenbach , German knight, poet and Minnesinger* Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach , Austrian writer* Christoph Eschenbach , German pianist and conductor...
. The Abbeys of Muri
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland...
and Wettingen
Wettingen
Wettingen is a residential community in the district of Baden in the Swiss canton of Aargau. With a population about 20,000, Wettingen is the largest municipality in the canton.-Geography:...
also had significant interests and owned 12 and 3 farms respectively.
Thalwil also boasts the oldest wood corporation in the Canton of Zurich
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...
, the Bannegg-Waldung. It was first mentioned in 1483, when Muri Abbey granted it to the twelve beneficiaries of the Abbey farms in Thalwil. Today the corporation is owned by 16 members as well as by the Thalwil Gemeinde.
Geography
Thalwil has an area of 5.5 km² (2.1 sq mi). Of this area, 18% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 56.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 42.3% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (13.7%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 1.4% of the area. 51.3% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.It is located on 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 :...
ridge between the western 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 ....
and the 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...
river. Thalwil borders on the communes of Rüschlikon
Rüschlikon
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.- Coat of arms :Its coat of arms features a white shield with a seerose, a red flower with a yellow center....
, 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...
, 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:...
, Horgen
Horgen
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.- History :Horgen is also the type-site of Switzerland's middle Neolithic archaeological culture...
and (across the lake) Erlenbach
Erlenbach, Switzerland
Erlenbach is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Erlenbach is first mentioned in 981 as Liber Heremi though this identification is questionable. Between 1173-90 it was mentioned as Erlibach....
.
Coat of arms
The Gemeindewappen (communal flag or coat of arms) consists of two diagonally crossed black bulrushes with green stems and leaves on a white background.Demographics
Thalwil has a population (as of ) of . , 21.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 48.5% male and 51.5% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 6%. Most of the population speaks German (84.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 4.5%) and English 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 28.5% 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....
(19.7%), 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 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...
(11.4%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.6%. In Thalwil about 81.5% 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 7,680 households in Thalwil.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1634 | 601 |
| 1762 | 1,100 |
| 1799 | 1,149 |
| 1833 | 1,318 |
| 1850 | 1,889 |
| 1880 | 3,293 |
| 1900 | 6,791 |
| 1950 | 8,787 |
| 1990 | 15,647 |
Churches in Thalwil
Thalwil is one of the oldest parishes on the shores of Lake Zurich. It also boasts one of the most spectacular church locations: the Platte with its spectacular views of the lake and its surroundings from Zurich to the AlpsSwiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
.
The earliest recorded church was dedicated to St Martin in 1159. In medieval times it was a dependency of Wettingen Abbey. Although it was frequently hit by lightning and also looted and set on fire during the War of Zurich (Alter Zürichkrieg), the original building survived for over six hundred years.
In 1845 the small and rather dilapidated chapel was demolished and replaced by a much larger church designed by Ferdinand Stadler
Ferdinand Stadler
Ferdinand Stadler was a Swiss architect of the generation before Gottfried Semper. All his buildings are in Switzerland, mainly Zurich, except for the Christuskirche in Nazareth and an apartment in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. His most notable designs include the City Church in Glarus and the...
. A fire set off during repairs on the tower burnt down the new church almost 100 years later (1943) but the building was soon completely restored and has survived to this day.
there were 5382 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 5881 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 Thalwil. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 41.5% were some type of Protestant, with 39.3% 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 2.2% belonging to other Protestant churches. 34.3% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 3.8% were Muslim, 5.8% belonged to another religion (not listed), 2.6% did not give a religion, and 15% were atheist or agnostic.
Industrialisation
In the late 1830s the lakeside road (Seestrasse) was opened. It soon attracted large silk, cotton and other textile factories to the former farming village, some run by local families such as Schwarzenbach, Schmid, and Kölliker. This growth was boosted by the new railway lines from Zurich to PfäffikonPfäffikon, 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...
(1875) and 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...
(1897). Industrialisation brought new workers into the former farming villaged and increased the population from 1,318 (in 1833) to 6,791 (in 1900).
Today, Thalwil has an unemployment rate of 2.51%. , there were 53 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 14 businesses involved in this sector. 807 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 115 businesses in this sector. 3721 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 651 businesses in this sector. 28.6% of the working population were employed full-time, and 71.4% were employed part-time.
Modern-day Thalwil
Today this industrial past has all but vanished. The economy of Thalwil is mainly supported by a variety of small and medium-sized businesses, many located in the Böhni commercial estate opened in 1971. The most prominent of these is UnisysUnisys
Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...
Switzerland, which is also the largest employer in Thalwil (over 500 jobs). There is also a wide range of shops, mainly located around the Gotthardstrasse.
The main source of Thalwil's current prosperity lies in the large number of commuters (ca 7 000) who live here but work in the economic centres of Greater Zurich. Today Thalwil has mostly left its farming and industrial past behind and become a commuter base.
Transportation
Thalwil is located along the A3 motorway from Zurich to ChurChur
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....
as well as on the main railway lines from Zurich to Chur, Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
and Italy. 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....
. Thalwil railway station
Thalwil railway station
Thalwil is a railway station in the municipality of Thalwil in the Swiss Canton of Zürich.The station is located on the Zürich to Lucerne main line. To the Zurich side of the station, the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel diverges from the original main line, whilst on the Lucerne side is the junction point...
is served by 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...
, 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 :...
, 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 :...
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...
. 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...
.
Sightseeing
- Church with magnificent views over the lake
- Pfisterhaus with the village museum
- Etzliberg viewing point and old half-timbered houses
- Villa Diana, the 19th-century neo-baroqueNeo-baroqueThe Baroque Revival or Neo-baroque was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture which displays important aspects of Baroque style, but is not of the Baroque period proper—i.e., the 17th and 18th centuries.Some examples of Neo-baroque architecture:*...
residence of factory owner Julius Schwarzenbach