Küsnacht is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the district of
Meilen in the
canton of
Zurich in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
History
![Zürichsee - Küsnacht Terlinden IMG 2116](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Z%C3%BCrichsee_-_K%C3%BCsnacht_Terlinden_IMG_2116.JPG)
Küsnacht is first mentioned in 1188 as ''de Cussenacho''.
[
Earliest findings of settlement date back to the stone age. There are also findings from the Bronze Age. During Roman times, a mansion was located on the commons. It was called ''fundus Cossiniacus'' which is probably the origin of the name of Küsnacht. In the 7th century the name was recorded as ''Chussenacho''. The coat of arms shows a golden cushion on a red background. It is probably a derivate of the coat of arms of the aristocrats of Küssnacht am Rigi.
In the Middle Ages, the land was governed by the ]House of Regensberg
Regensberg was a family of counts from the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The family had possessions in the medieval Zürichgau from the probably mid-11th century and became extinct in 1331 AD. With the extinction of the male line, the city ...
who lived in the castle of Wulp in Küsnacht. After 1531 Küsnacht was governed by Zurich.
Like most other municipalities along Lake Zürich
__NOTOC__
Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
, Küsnacht started to become a suburb of the city of Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
with the development of the railway link in 1896.
The psychiatrist Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...
had his clinic in Küsnacht, which attracted patients from all over the world. Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
lived in Küsnacht between 1933 and 1939, after he was forced to leave Germany by the Nazis. The most famous resident of the town is Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
.
Geography
Küsnacht has an area of . Of this area, 34.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 32.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 32.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[ housing and buildings made up 25.6% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7%).][ Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.4% of the area. 33% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.][
It is located on the north-east bank (also known as ''Goldküste'') of the ]Lake Zurich
__NOTOC__
Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
in the Pfannenstiel region. The local dialect is called ''Züridütsch''.
Demographics
Küsnacht has a population (as of ) of . , 19.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 47.4% male and 52.6% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 6.6%. Most of the population () speaks German (86.1%), with English being second most common ( 3.6%) and Italian being third ( 2.5%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 32.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (30.5%), the SPS
SPS may refer to:
Law and government
* Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the WTO
* NATO Science for Peace and Security
* Single Payment Scheme, an EU agricultural subsidy
* The Standard Procurement System, fo ...
(12.4%) and the CSP (8.9%).
The age distribution of the population () is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 17.7% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 59.1% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 23.2%. In Küsnacht about 84.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a ''Fachhochschule
A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...
''). There are 5843 households in Küsnacht.[
Küsnacht has an unemployment rate of 1.51%. , there were 167 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 43 businesses involved in this sector. 849 people are employed in the ]secondary sector
In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructi ...
and there are 91 businesses in this sector. 3794 people are employed in the tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
, with 664 businesses in this sector.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 10-Aug-2009 40% of the working population were employed full-time, and 60% were employed part-time.
accessed 4 August 2009
there were 3578 Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and 5417 Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
in Küsnacht. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 49.5% were some type of Protestant, with 48% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...
and 1.5% belonging to other Protestant churches. 26.6% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 2% were Muslim, 4.4% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.7% did not give a religion, and 15.2% were atheist or agnostic.[
The historical population is given in the following table:]
Weather
Küsnacht has an average of 136 days of rain per year and on average receives of precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
. The wettest month is August during which time Küsnacht receives of precipitation. During that month, there is precipitation for an average of 12.3 days. The month with the most precipitation days is June, with an average of 13.3 days, and of precipitation.[, the weather station elevation is 412 meters above sea level.]
Transport
There are four railway stations within the municipality of Küsnacht. Küsnacht ZH
Küsnacht is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland.
History
Küsnacht is first mentioned in 1188 as ''de Cussenacho''.
Earliest findings of settlement date back to the stone age. There are also find ...
and Küsnacht Goldbach stations are both on the Lake Zürich right-bank line, and are served by S-Bahn Zürich
The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban-suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble c ...
services S6 and S16. Neue Forch and Forch
Forch is a village and a mountain pass (el. ) located in the municipalities of Küsnacht and Maur in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
Geography
Forch is located approximately in the southeast of Zürich, nearby Zumikon and Maur. It in ...
stations are on the inland Forchbahn line, and are served by service S18.
In the summer there are regular boats to Zurich as well as along the lake to Rapperswil
Rapperswil ( Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dia ...
, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
The ''Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft'' or Lake Zürich Navigation Company (commonly abbreviated to ZSG) is a public Swiss company operating passenger ships and boats on Lake Zürich.
The company operates services connecting lake-side towns ...
(ZSG).
Sport
The ZSC Lions' affiliates, the GCK Lions
Grasshopper Club Küsnacht Lions known as GCK Lions is a Swiss professional ice hockey team founded in 1932. They are currently playing in the Swiss League (SL), Switzerland's second tier ice hockey division, as the affiliate to the ZSC Lions.
Th ...
, play in the Swiss League
The Swiss League is the second tier of the main professional ice hockey league in Switzerland, behind the National League. The winners of the league each season plays a best-of-seven series against the bottom team of the NL, and if they win, th ...
(SL). Their home arena is the 2,200-seat Eishalle Küsnacht.
Sites of interest
Apart from Lake Zurich, popular sites to visit include
* C. G. Jung Institute
* the Cistercian abbey
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...
of Kappel am Albis
* Küsnachter Tobel Küsnachter Tobel (literally: Küsnacht gorge) is a small river canyon respective gorge on the southwestern slope of the ''Pfannenstiel'' mountain in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
Geography
Located on the southwestern slope of th ...
with hiking trails among glacial moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...
with rare flora and fauna
* Johanniterkomturei building (today housing the Kantonsschule)
* Oberen Mühle, a mill that now houses the local museum
* Seeclub Küsnacht boathouse dating from at least 1290
* the dating from the 12th century
* Ruins of Wulp Castle
The ruins of Wulp Castle (german: Ruine Wulp or ''Burg Wulp'') is a castle located besides Küsnachter Tobel in the municipality of Küsnacht and the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. It was built during the high Middle Ages. Despite this, the ...
* Küsnachter Horn, a park close to the lake and the Küsnacht ship stop, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
The ''Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft'' or Lake Zürich Navigation Company (commonly abbreviated to ZSG) is a public Swiss company operating passenger ships and boats on Lake Zürich.
The company operates services connecting lake-side towns ...
(ZSG)
Notable people
; 19th century
* Conrad Ferdinand Meyer
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (11 October 1825 – 28 November 1898) was a Swiss poet and historical novelist, a master of literary realism who is mainly remembered for stirring narrative ballads like "Die Füße im Feuer" (The Feet in the Fire).
Biog ...
(1825–1898) a Swiss poet and historical novelist, (Seehof, Hornweg 28)
* Julius Maggi
Julius Michael Johannes Maggi (9 October 1846 – 19 October 1912) was a Swiss entrepreneur, inventor of precooked soups and Maggi sauce. He is best known for founding Maggi, which was merged with Nestle in 1947.
Biography
Julius was born i ...
(1846–1912) a Swiss entrepreneur, inventor of precooked soups and Maggi
Maggi ( or ) is an international brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that originated in Switzerland in the late 19th century. The Maggi company was acquired by Nestlé in 1947.
History
Early history
Julius Maggi (1846–1912) ...
sauce
* Eugen Sutermeister (1862–1931) a Swiss graveur and writer, founded the Sonos
SONOS, short for "silicon–oxide–nitride–oxide–silicon", more precisely, " polycrystalline silicon"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon nitride"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon",
is a cross sectional structure of MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconduc ...
Society
* Paul Sutermeister
Paul Sutermeister (6 June 1864, in Küsnacht – 2 February 1905, in Bern) was a Swiss theologian, pastor and contributing editor of the Berner Tagblatt.
Biography
Paul Sutermeister's father was Otto Sutermeister; his family came from Zofingen. ...
(1864 in Küsnacht – 1905) a Swiss theologian, pastor and editor
* Meinrad Lienert (1865-1933) a Swiss writer, poet and journalist
* Otto Frederick Hunziker
Otto Frederick Hunziker (25 December 1873 – 16 November 1959) was a pioneer in the American and international dairy industry, as both an educator and a technical innovator. Hunziker was born and raised in Switzerland, emigrated to the U.S., a ...
(1873–1959) Swiss-born American educator and innovator in the dairy industry
* Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
(1875–1955) writer, Nobel Prize in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
1929, lived in Küsnacht 1933-1939 (Schiedhaldenstrasse 33)
* Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...
(1875-1961) psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (Seestrasse 228)
* Albin Zollinger (1895–1941) writer
;20th century
* Albert Frey-Wyssling (1900 in Küsnacht – 1988) Swiss botanist, initiated the study of molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...
* Bernard von Brentano
Bernard von Brentano (15 October 1901, in Offenbach am Main – 29 December 1964, in Wiesbaden) was a German writer, poet, playwright, storyteller, novelist, essayist and journalist.
Life
Brentano was a son of the Hessian Interior and Justice ...
(1901–1964) a German writer, poet and playwright; lived in Küsnacht 1933-1949
* Hermann Haller (1914–2002) composer
* Marie-Louise von Franz (1915–1998) Jungian psychologist and scholar
* Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
(born 1939) American-born singer and entertainer, has lived in Küsnacht since 1994 [ IMDb Database]
retrieved 3 February 2019
* Ursula Biemann
Ursula Biemann (born 8 September 1955) is a Swiss video artist, curator, educator, and art theorist.Yvonne Volkart (2010, 2016).
Biography
Born on 8 September 1955 in Küsnacht. Biemann trained in art in Boston, Mexico and New York, graduating ...
(born 1955 in Küsnacht) a Swiss video artist, curator and art theorist
* Rolf Dörig
Rolf Hugo Dörig (born 19 May 1957) is a Swiss manager. He is Chairman of the Board of the Swiss Life Group. He was also Chairman of the Adecco Group from 2009 to 2020.
Early life and education
Dörig graduated from the Cantonal School Enge and ...
(born 1957) a Swiss entrepreneur, CEOn of the Swiss Life Group and Adecco
The Adecco Group, is a Swiss-French company based in Zurich, Switzerland, and is the world's second largest Human Resources provider and temporary staffing firm, and a Fortune Global 500 company.
They directly employ 700,000 people a day ...
* Daniel Aegerter (born 1969) chairman of Armada Investment Group
* Monisha Kaltenborn
Monisha Kaltenborn ( Narang; born 10 May 1971) is the former team principal of the Sauber Formula One team and held a 33.3% stake in the outfit until it was taken over by Longbow Finance S.A. in July 2016. She was the team's chief executive office ...
(born 1971) the former team principal of the Sauber Formula One team
* Georg C. F. Greve (born 1973) physicist, author and entrepreneur
; Sport
* Severino Minelli
Severino Minelli (6 September 1909 – 23 September 1994) was a Swiss footballer who played as a defender. He participated in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He played a total of 80 matches for Switzerland.
He played as a ...
(1909 in Küsnacht – 1994) a Swiss footballer, participated in the 1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
and 1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and was held in France from 4 June until 19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, beat ...
* Martin Studach
Martin Andreas Studach (17 May 1944 – 24 March 2007) was a Swiss rower who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Studach was born in Küsnacht, Zurich, the son of Eugen Studach who had been a champion single sc ...
(1944 in Küsnacht – 2007) a Swiss rower, competed in the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
* Karl Grob (born 1946 in Küsnacht) a retired football goalkeeper for FC Zürich
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football club based in Zürich. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The most recent titles a ...
, 513 club caps
* Ari Sulander
Ari Juhani Sulander (born 6 January 1969), nicknamed Sulo, is a retired Swiss-Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender.
Career in Finland
Sulander played nine seasons for Jokerit Helsinki in Finland's SM-liiga, winning four league champions ...
(born 1969) a retired Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender
* Hannu Tihinen
Hannu Tihinen (born 1 July 1976) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He has worked since January 2014 as a sports director at the Football Association of Finland.
He has played for clubs in Finland, Norway, E ...
(born 1976) a retired Finnish football defender
* Kimi Räikkönen (born 1979) a Finnish racing driver in Formula One
References
External links
Official page
(German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kusnacht
Cities in Switzerland
Municipalities of the canton of Zürich
Populated places on Lake Zurich