Uster
Encyclopedia
Uster is a city and capital of the district Uster in the Swiss
Canton
of Zürich.
It is the third largest city in the Canton of Zürich
, with over 30,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest cities in Switzerland. Uster is located next to lake Greifensee
.
The city of Uster received the Wakker Prize
in 2001.
von Bonstetten.
During the Old Zürich War
, in May 1444, the Old Swiss Confederacy
laid siege to the nearby town of Greifensee
, held by about 70 defenders, most of them inhabitants of the Amt Greifensee, and a few Habsburg
and Zürich
soldiers. The town was captured after four weeks, on May 27, and all but two of the surviving 64 defenders were beheaded on the next day, including the leader, Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg. Even in times of war, mass execution was widely considered a cruel and unjust deed. On May 29, the Castle of Greifensee and the city walls were broken.
On November 22, 1830 about 10,000 men of the Canton of Zurich
gathered near Uster and demanded a new constitution. This assembly, known as the Ustertag
, together with other assemblies in Switzerland led to the Restoration and the creation of the Swiss Federal State
.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 31.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(20.6%), the CSP
(13.3%) and the Green Party
(12.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.8%. In Uster about 73.9% 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 12605 households in Uster.
Uster has an unemployment rate of 3.28%. , there were 392 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 92 businesses involved in this sector. 3,204 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 238 businesses in this sector. 9475 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 1091 businesses in this sector. 51.5% of the working population were employed full-time, and 48.5% were employed part-time.
there were 9,366 Catholics
and 11,890 Protestants
in Uster. 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 3.3% belonging to other Protestant churches. 31.7% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 5.4% were Muslim, 7.2% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.4% did not give a religion, and 11.7% were atheist or agnostic.
. The wettest month is June during which time Uster receives an average of 137 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.1 days. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 13.1 days.
Uster received the Wakker Prize from the Swiss Heritage Society
in 2001 for the city's efforts to maintain an identity within the anonymous Swiss Agglomeration around Zurich. The Society noted that developed land was clearly separated from the neighboring farming land. They praised the efforts that the city had made to integrate old and new buildings and to build with harmonious architectural styles.
on the lines S9
, S14
, S15
and S5
. Its train station is a 14 minute ride (S5) from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.
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....
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.
It is the third largest city in the Canton of Zürich
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...
, with over 30,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest cities in Switzerland. Uster is located next to lake Greifensee
Greifensee
Greifensee is a small lake in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- Geography :Lake Greifen is located to the northeast of the city of Zurich, separated by the Pfannenstiel from Lake Zürich...
.
The city of Uster 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....
in 2001.
History
The village of Riedikon was first mentioned in year 741, while Uster was first mentioned in 775. The Burg Uster (castle) was first mentioned in 1267, in the possession of the FreiherrFreiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
von Bonstetten.
During the Old Zürich War
Old Zürich War
The Old Zürich War , 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zürich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg....
, in May 1444, the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
laid siege to the nearby town of Greifensee
Greifensee, Zurich
Greifensee is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Settlements in Greifensee date back in 4000 B.C.. In 1975, a Neolithic stilt house village located on the northern shore of the Lake Greifen area called Böschen was discovered by recreational divers...
, held by about 70 defenders, most of them inhabitants of the Amt Greifensee, and a few 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 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...
soldiers. The town was captured after four weeks, on May 27, and all but two of the surviving 64 defenders were beheaded on the next day, including the leader, Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg. Even in times of war, mass execution was widely considered a cruel and unjust deed. On May 29, the Castle of Greifensee and the city walls were broken.
On November 22, 1830 about 10,000 men of the Canton of Zurich
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...
gathered near Uster and demanded a new constitution. This assembly, known as the Ustertag
Ustertag
The Ustertag occurred on 22 November 1830, when 10,000 men of the Canton of Zurich gathered on Zimiker Hill and demanded a new constitution. Their primary concern was parity between the urban and rural areas...
, together with other assemblies in Switzerland led to the Restoration and the creation of the Swiss Federal State
Switzerland as a federal state
The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on September 12, 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution, which was created in response to a 27-day civil war in Switzerland, the Sonderbundskrieg...
.
Geography
Uster has an area of 28.5 km² (11 sq mi). Of this area, 44.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). housing and buildings made up 18.4% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7.8%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.4% of the area. 22.2% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.Demographics
Uster has a population (as of ) of . , 21.6% 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 14.2%. Most of the population speaks German (85.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 4.5%) and Albanian being third ( 1.7%).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 31.3% 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....
(20.6%), 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...
(13.3%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(12.2%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.8%. In Uster about 73.9% 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 12605 households in Uster.
Uster has an unemployment rate of 3.28%. , there were 392 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 92 businesses involved in this sector. 3,204 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 238 businesses in this sector. 9475 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 1091 businesses in this sector. 51.5% of the working population were employed full-time, and 48.5% were employed part-time.
there were 9,366 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 11,890 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 Uster. 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 3.3% belonging to other Protestant churches. 31.7% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 5.4% were Muslim, 7.2% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.4% did not give a religion, and 11.7% were atheist or agnostic.
Weather
Uster has an average of 135.4 days of rain per year and on average receives 1164 mm (45.8 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 June during which time Uster receives an average of 137 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.1 days. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 13.1 days.
Wakker Prize
Swiss Heritage Society
The Swiss Heritage Society is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of Switzerland’s architectural heritage. Its focus is on the preservation of important landmarks, the development of the structural environment, and the promotion of good architectural design.The SHS was founded...
in 2001 for the city's efforts to maintain an identity within the anonymous Swiss Agglomeration around Zurich. The Society noted that developed land was clearly separated from the neighboring farming land. They praised the efforts that the city had made to integrate old and new buildings and to build with harmonious architectural styles.
Transportation
Uster is a node of the Zürich S-BahnZürich 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 lines S9
S9 (ZVV)
The S9 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 :...
, S14
S14 (ZVV)
The S14 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland.- Route :...
, S15
S15 (ZVV)
The S15 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 St...
and S5
S5 (ZVV)
The S5 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, St...
. Its train station is a 14 minute ride (S5) from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.