Kappel am Albis 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 , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

in Switzerland. Its name of Kappel (german: chapel) is specified by "on the

Albis The Albis is a chain of hills in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland, stretching for some 19 km from Sihlbrugg in the south to Waldegg near Zürich in the north. The chain forms, among others, the border between the Affoltern and Horgen di ...

" to distinguish it from two other villages called Kappel in Switzerland.

History

Kappel am Albis is first mentioned in 1185 as ''de Capella''. The settlement was founded in 1185 as a Cistercian

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

which today houses a seminar centre, hotel, cafe and a restaurant. It was the location of the Wars of Kappel in 1529 and 1531, during the turmoils that accompanied the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system. He attended the Univ ...

. A monument to Zwingli is located nearby at the hamlet of Näfenhäuser.

Geography

Kappel am Albis has an area of . Of this area, 70.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 21% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

Demographics

Kappel am Albis has a population (as of ) of . , 8.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -0.7%. Most of the population () speaks German (96.1%), with English being second most common ( 1.3%) and French being third ( 0.7%). In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 54.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CSP (12.7%), the SPS (10.9%) and the FDP (7.4%). The age distribution of the population () is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 28.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 11.1%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Kappel am Albis about 83.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a '' Fachhochschule''). Kappel am Albis has an unemployment rate of 1.09%. , there were 75 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 29 businesses involved in this sector. 65 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 18 businesses in this sector. 124 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 25 businesses in this sector.Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 22-Jul-2009 The historical population is given in the following table:

Notable people

Josias Simmler Josias Simmler (Josiah Simler; la, Iosias Simlerus) (6 November 1530 – 2 July 1576) was a Swiss theologian and classicist, author of the first book relating solely to the Alps. Life The son of the former prior of the Cistercian convent of ...

(1530 in Kappel am Albis – 1576) a theologian and classicist, author of the first book relating solely to the Alps. *

Ernst Nievergelt Ernst Nievergelt (23 March 1910 – 1 July 1999) was a cyclist from Switzerland. He was born in Affoltern, Zurich, Switzerland, and died in Kappel am Albis. In 1935 Nievergelt won the amateur standings in the Championship of Zurich. He ...

(1910 in Affoltern – 1999 in Kappel am Albis) a cyclist who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics

References

External links

Official webpage
*
Statistics
* {{Authority control Municipalities of the canton of Zürich