Obfelden (
Swiss German: ''Obfälde'') 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
Affoltern in the
canton 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 ...
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
Politically, Obfelden is the youngest municipality in Affoltern, though settlements in the area date back to the Alemannic-Franconian period in the 5th century AD. Early activity coalesced around five hamlets: Bickwil (first mentioned in 1246 as ''Bickewilare''), Oberlunnern and Unterlunnern (1257 ''Lundenerun'' and ''Lunderun inferioris''), Wolsen (1311 ''Wolunsun''), and Toussen (1325 ''Thunsen'').
[ These five hamlets were known collectively as being ''ob dem Feld'' ("over the field") from neighbouring ]Ottenbach
Ottenbach is a municipality in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Ottenbach is first mentioned in 831 as ''in loco vocato marcha Hotumbacharia''. In 1169 it was mentioned as ''Arnoldus de Ottonbac''.
...
; most fell under the jurisdiction of Maschwanden
Maschwanden is a village in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Maschwanden is first mentioned in 1189 as ''Maswondon''. The Baron of Eschenbach owned a castle and the village, near the current municipal ...
, although Toussen and part of Unterlunnern came under the Zürich Freiamt
Freiamt is a town in the district of Emmendingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russi ...
. Both of these areas were merged into Knonau
Knonau is a municipality in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Knonau is first mentioned in 1045 as ''Chnonowa''. In 1223 it was mentioned as ''Knonowe''.
Geography
Knonau has an area of . Of this a ...
(today's Affoltern district) in the sixteenth century, when the hamlets of Obfelden became a part of the nearby parish of Ottenbach
Ottenbach is a municipality in the district of Affoltern in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
History
Ottenbach is first mentioned in 831 as ''in loco vocato marcha Hotumbacharia''. In 1169 it was mentioned as ''Arnoldus de Ottonbac''.
...
.[
In the nineteenth century, local authorities began to take steps toward creating their own separate community, and an independent ecclesiastical and municipal entity was formally created in 1847 under a new village church completed the following year. The original separate hamlet councils were officially dissolved in 1877. The town's coat of arms commemorates this history, with five ears of ]wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
symbolising the five hamlets, held together by a band representing their union to the new church.[ ]
Geography
Obfelden has an area of . Of this area, 54.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 20.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[
The municipality is located on the ]Reuss River
The Reuss (Swiss German: ''Rüüss'') is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland (after the Rhine, Aare and Rhône).
The upper Reuss forms the main valley of the canton o ...
and on the border with the Canton of Aargau
Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capit ...
. It consists of five smaller communities; Bickwil, Ober-, Unterlunnern, Wolsen and Toussen.
Demographics
Obfelden has a population (as of ) of . , 16.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.6%. Most of the population () speaks German (89.6%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.9%) and Albanian being third ( 1.7%).
In the 2007 election, the most popular party was the SVP which received 38% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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 ...
(15.6%), the FDP (12%) and the CSP (11.5%).
The age distribution of the population ()is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 25.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 64.4% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 9.7%. In Obfelden about 78.4% 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 ...
'').
Obfelden has an unemployment rate of 2%. , there were 90 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 26 businesses involved in this sector. 334 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 57 businesses in this sector. 659 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 130 businesses in this sector.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 24-Jul-2009
The historical population is given in the following table:
Notable residents
* Mirjam Indermaur
Mirjam Lydia Indermaur (born 1967) is a Swiss businesswoman and author. In 2019 she co-wrote the book ''Ich habe einen Knall - Sie auch?'' with her therapist, Denise Hürlimann, about her experience with psychotherapy.
Early life
Indermaur was ...
, Swiss author
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the canton of Zürich