Dübendorf is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the district of
Uster in the
canton of
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
It is a suburb of
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
with a population of about 30,000 (2021). It is the fourth largest city in the canton, after
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
,
Winterthur
Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...
, and
Uster
Uster (; , ) is a town and the capital of the Uster District in the Swiss canton of Zürich.
The importance of the town of Uster has grown considerably with the construction of the S-Bahn network of the Zürich Transport Network. With over 36,0 ...
.
History
Artifacts have been discovered in the Dübendorf municipality, with the earliest dating back to prehistoric times. These include isolated relics from the
Stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
and
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
s, as well as known burial sites. However, the original graves have been destroyed, leaving only the grave goods, which are estimated to be from approximately 1400 to 700 BCE.
Dübendorf is first mentioned in 946 as ''Tuobilindorf''.
In the 8th century, it is likely that the village and the church were already under the ownership of the
Reichenau Abby situated on Lake Constance. This monastery held a significant position as the primary landowner in Dübendorf for an extended period and also wielded legal authority. Additionally, there is evidence of a forgotten castle site known as the "Schyterburg," believed to have been constructed in the 10th or 11th century, located within Dübendorf's municipal boundaries.
On the northeastern side of the
Adlisberg the ruins of the ''Dübelstein'' castle are situated; from 1487 to 1489 the home of
Hans Waldmann, former mayor of the city of Zürich. After Waldmann's execution in 1489, all his possessions fell to the city of Zürich. Dübelstein Castle went up in flames in 1615. The ruined mound, which is a listed building and open to the public, with the remains of its foundations excavated and restored in 1942/43, was sold to the Pro Waldmannsburg association in 1998 for the symbolic price of one
Swiss franc
The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) iss ...
.
Geography
Dübendorf has an area of . Of this area, 37.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 19.5% is forested. Regarding the rest of the land, 41.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
[ housing and buildings made up 29.6% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (12.3%).] Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 1% of the area.
The city is situated roughly north east of Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
. It is bisected by the Glatt river which runs from the Greifensee (Lake Greifen) which lies directly to the southeast. Dübendorf is located in the Glatt Valley
The Glatt Valley (German: ''Glattal'' or ''Glatttal'') is a region and a river valley in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
Geography
The Glatt (Rhine), Glatt is a tributary to the Rhine in the Zürcher Unterland area of the canton of Zuric ...
(German: ''Glattal''). Dübendorf is located on the northern side of the Adlisberg, as well, on a terrace on the northern side of the city of Zürich the hamlets ''Gockhausen'' and ''Geeren''.
Demographics
Dübendorf has a population (as of ) of . , 28.2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. the gender distribution of the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10.5%. Most of the population () speaks German (81.8%), with Italian being second most common ( 4.5%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 2.1%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 39.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CSP (17.5%), the SPS (16.1%) and the FDP (10.4%).
The age distribution of the population () is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 19.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 67.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.3%. In Dübendorf about 73.6% 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 (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...
'').[ There are 10,786 households in Dübendorf.]
there were 7,733 Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and 7,553 Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
in Dübendorf. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the , 39.2% were some type of Protestant, with 37.1% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...
and 2.1% belonging to other Protestant churches. 33.6% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 6% were Muslim, 9.4% belonged to another religion (not listed), 4.6% did not give a religion, and 12.4% were atheist or agnostic.
The historical population is given in the following table:
For more up-to-date population figures:
http://www.duebendorf.ch/de/portrait/portraitfacts/factsbevoelkerung/
Industry
Dübendorf is the home of two research institutions that are part of th
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology domain (ETH-Bereich)
;Empa
The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa; :de:Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt, German: ''Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt'', :fr:Laboratoire fédéral d'essai des ...
: Empa is a materials science and technology research institution with 5 programs: Nanotechnology, Adaptive Materials Systems, The Healthy Human, Materials for Energy Technology and Technosphere - Atmosphere.
; Eawag: Eawag is the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. There are a variety of topics researched at Eawag: Applied Aquatic Ecology, Chemical Pollutants, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Toxicology, Fish Ecology and Evolution, Limnology, Surface Waters, Systems Analysis/Integrated Assessment and Modeling, Urban Water Management, Water and Agriculture, Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries (SANDEC), and Water Resources and Drinking Water.
Givaudan
Givaudan S.A. () is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of flavours, fragrances and active cosmetic ingredients. As of 2008, it was the world's largest company in the flavour and fragrance industry.
Overview
The company's scents and flavours ...
, producer of flavors and fragrances, has a part of its R&D department located in Dübendorf. Hewlett-Packard
The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...
's main Switzerland office is in Dübendorf.
The Aeromedical Center of the Swiss Air Force and the headquarters of the virtual reality aviation simulation company Loft Dynamics (formerly VRM Switzerland) are located in Dübendorf.
Dübendorf has an unemployment rate of 3.09%. , there were 196 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 31 businesses involved in this sector. 2410 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 234 businesses in this sector. 11663 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 ...
, with 897 businesses in this sector.[Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 14-Aug-2009 76.1% of the working population were employed full-time, and 23.9% were employed part-time.
accessed 4 August 2009
Education
The ''Primarschulverwaltung Dübendorf'' serves primary school students. The ''Sekundarschule Dübendorf-Schwerzenbach'' serves secondary level students. The '' Kantonsschule Uster'' in Uster
Uster (; , ) is a town and the capital of the Uster District in the Swiss canton of Zürich.
The importance of the town of Uster has grown considerably with the construction of the S-Bahn network of the Zürich Transport Network. With over 36,0 ...
has gymnasium education and serves Dübendorf.
The '' Lycée Français Marie Curie de Zürich'' (LFZ), a French international school, is located on four campuses in the municipality.
Th
Bildungslandschaft Dübendorf
starts with early childhood. It organizes a wide range of information, meeting and educational opportunities for families and subsidizes playgroup places. It is important to sensitize all parents to the fact that the first four years of life are central to the educational biography.
Through the Bildungslandschaft, stakeholders from the pre-school, social, health, integration and school sectors also network with each other. This creates a sustainable network around young children with the aim of giving them a fair chance of a good education.
Places of interest
The town of Dübendorf is quite small and easy to get around on foot. Crossing from one side of the city to the other can be done within a half hour of casual walking. Apart from the city center and the river, an interesting place to visit is th
museum of military aviation
displaying not just various military planes, but also various demonstration material (for instance, how helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
control systems function) and two of the last original Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...
vintage aircraft in flying condition, which are used to provide sightseeing trips.
Transport
Dübendorf is served by both rail and bus links with the Zürich center (10 min), Winterthur
Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...
(via Stettbach, 20 min) and other places in the canton of Zürich
The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...
. Dübendorf railway station
Dübendorf is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Zurich. It is situated in the municipality of Dübendorf on the Wallisellen–Uster–Rapperswil line. It is located close to the Dübendorf Air Base.
Service
The station is located in t ...
is a stop of the Zürich S-Bahn
The Zurich S-Bahn () system is a network of rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighbouring cantons (Aargau, Glarus, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, ...
on the lines and and is a 13-minute (S9) ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof
Zürich Hauptbahnhof, often shortened to Zürich HB or just HB, and known in English as Zurich Main Station, is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe. It is a major railway hub, with services to and from a ...
. Stettbach railway station is a stop of the S-Bahn Zürich
The Zurich S-Bahn () system is a network of rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighbouring cantons (Canton of Aargau, Aargau, Canton of Gla ...
on the lines , , , and .
The military airport hosts one of the Rega bases. It currently is no longer used as the base of military jets.
Gallery
File:Dübendorf - Bahnhofstrasse IMG 0974 ShiftN.jpg, ''Bahnhofstrasse'' and inner city as seen from Dübendorf train station
File:Bevel gear.jpg, Technical solutions of the Glatt floodgates
File:Swiss Air Force P-51 Mustang side view.jpg, Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force (; ; ; ) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914, three days after the outbreak of World War I, as a part of the Swiss Army, army and in October 1936 as an independent service.
In peaceti ...
's P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...
in the Dübendorf museum of military aviation
File:Ju52 dub.JPG, Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...
of the ''JU-AIR'' airline
Notable people
* Hans Waldmann (1435–1489), Mayor of Zurich, a military leader and Squire of Dubelstein
* Wilhelm Meyer-Lubke (1861–1936), philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
of the Neogrammarian
The Neogrammarians (, , ) were a German school of linguists, originally at the University of Leipzig, in the late 19th century who proposed the Neogrammarian hypothesis of the regularity of sound change.
Overview
According to the Neogrammarian ...
school of linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
* Oskar Bider (1891–1919 in Dübendorf), aviation pioneer
* Ruedi Walter (1916–1990), comedian and actor
* Peter von Matt
Peter von Matt (20 May 1937 – 21 April 2025) was a Swiss philologist, specialist in German studies, and author. He was an authority in literary education.
Life and career
Born in Lucerne on 20 May 1937, Peter von Matt grew up in Stans in the ...
(1937–2025), philologist and author, lived in Dübendorf
* Guerino Mazzola
Guerino Bruno Mazzola (born 1947) is a Swiss mathematician, Musicology, musicologist, jazz pianist, and writer.
Education and career
Mazzola obtained his PhD in mathematics at University of Zürich in 1971 under the supervision of Herbert Groß a ...
(born 1947), mathematician, musicologist, jazz pianist and author
* Michael Lammer
Michael Lammer (born 25 March 1982) is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. At the 2009 Allianz Suisse Open in Gstaad, he won the doubles tournament with compatriot Marco Chiudinelli. It was his only ATP tour title.[< ...]
(born 1982) a retired professional tennis player, lives in Dübendorf
* Leandra Columberg (born 1999), Swiss politician
See also
* Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project, and also the name of the project's two operational aircraft. The privately financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss ...
References
External links
Official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubendorf
Cities in Switzerland
Municipalities of the canton of Zürich