Sihl Valley (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Sihltal'') is a

river valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ...

and belongs to the

Zimmerberg The Zimmerberg (el. ) is a mountain and a region in the Horgen (district), district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Its name comes from the Old High German word ''zimbar'', meaning lumber. Geography Zimmerberg mountain is lo ...

-Sihltal

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

located in the district of Horgen in the

canton of Zurich 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 ...

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 ...

. Commonly ''Sihltal'' is used as the name of the Lower Sihl Valley, i.e. the area in the southwest of the city 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 ...

Geography

In common

The area alongside

Lake Zürich Lake Zurich (, ; ) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or can be used to describe the lake as a whole, or just that part of the lake downstream of the Hurden peninsula and ...

had been formed as the left

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), 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 gla ...

of the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

glacier, the bed of which is now the Lake Zürich and the valley of the Sihl. Sihl valley is extensively wooded, but also cultivated and heavily populated in its lower parts. The

Sihl The Sihl is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Druesberg mountain in the canton of Schwyz, and eventually flows into the Limmat in the centre of the Zürich, city of Zürich, after crossing the Zürich–Winterthur railway at . It has ...

() is the name of a long river located in the cantons of Schwyz (SZ) and Zürich (ZH). The valley compromises parts of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

of Einsiedeln (SZ) (upper Sihl valley), Horgen (ZH) and

. The region of the valley comprises about .

Upper Sihl Valley

Sihl rises at ''Drusberg'' near

Hoch-Ybrig Hoch-Ybrig is a skiing and hiking area in Canton of Schwyz in Switzerland (Municipalities of Unteriberg, Oberiberg). Hoch-Ybrig is dominated by the mountain range Forstberg - Druesberg (2282 metres) - Twäriberg. These mountains form a boun ...

in the canton of Schwyz, passes the long

Sihlsee __NOTOC__ The Sihlsee (in English sometimes called ''Lake Sihl'') is an artificial lake in the Swiss canton of Schwyz, near the town of Einsiedeln. The lake was created by damming the river Sihl and flooding a section of the upper Sihl Valley. Th ...

near

Einsiedeln Einsiedeln () is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and Districts of Switzerland#Schwyz, district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. Histor ...

, ''Sunnegg'' near

Biberbrugg Biberbrugg is a village in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It is shared by the municipality and district of Einsiedeln and the municipality of Feusisberg in the district of Höfe. History For centuries, the village was a small hamlet with ...

and

Schindellegi Feusisberg is a municipality in Höfe District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. History Feusisberg is first mentioned in the 13th century as ''Berg'' and ''Uffenberg''. In the 16th century it was known as ''Fessisskilch'' and in 1590 it ...

Lower Sihl Valley

Now it enters the canton of Zurich, nearby

Samstagern Samstagern is a village in the Municipalities of the canton of Zürich, municipality Richterswil in the Horgen (district), district of Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Zürich, Zürich in Switzerland. Hüttnersee is located ...

passing Hütten and the

rapid Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...

called ''Sihlsprung'' situated in Schönenberg, flowing through the valley between the

and

Albis The Albis is a chain of hills in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Localisation A paronamic tower allows to observe the landscape. Picture gallery Albis - Balderen IMG 3281.jpg, Hiking trail from Felsenegg to Uetliberg __NOTOC__ ...

chains. Near

Sihlbrugg Sihlbrugg is a Municipalities of Switzerland, village and important transportation node between the Cantons of Switzerland, cantons of Canton of Zug, Zug (ZG) and Canton of Zürich, Zürich (ZH) in Switzerland. Geography Sihlbrugg is located i ...

, the rivers passes the

Sihlwald The Sihlwald is a forest and nature reserve in the Sihl Valley of the Swiss canton of Zürich. It is a rare example of a large-scale and original forest, situated on the eastern slopes of the Albis hills to the west side of the Sihl river. Altho ...

, the largest remaining

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

forest of the Swiss Plateau, located between Sihlbrugg and Zürich-Leimbach. The Sihl flows in

underneath

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 ...

– parts of the train station are built below the Sihl – before joining the

Limmat The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, continuing a further 35 km until it reaches the river A ...

at ''

Platzspitz park Platzspitz, officially Platzpromenade, is a park in Altstadt (Zurich), District 1 of the city of Zurich, Switzerland. It is located next to the Swiss National Museum () and Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Central Station and bound by the rivers Sihl to the ...

'' located at the

Swiss National Museum The Swiss National Museum () is a museum in Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, adjacent to Central Station and the '' Platzspitz'' park. It is part of the ''Musée Suisse Group'', which is itself affiliated with the Federal Office of Culture ...

. The break of the concrete

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

of the

could lead, according to studies, to an high

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

wave reaching the city of Zürich, the biggest city in Switzerland, within 1.5 hours (Leimbach), its

inner city The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...

(2 hours) and

Zürich-Altstetten Altstetten is a quarter in district 9 (Zurich), district 9 of the city of Zurich in Switzerland. It was formerly a municipality in its own right, but was incorporated into Zurich in 1934. History Altstetten is first mentioned in 1249, at which t ...

within 3 hours.

Flora and fauna

Flora

As part of a floristic mapping, the territory of the Sihl Valley between the city of Zürich and Höhronen was mapped by the Institute for the conservation of the Canton of Zürich on an area of 249 km2. The so-called report "Flora des Sihltals von der Stadt Zürich bis zum Höhronen" includes 2109 species, including 611 frequent crops and ornamental plants or accidentally introduced species which grow wild at most locally and in the short term. 1498 species are, or were at least 30 years during the last 160 years in stable populations exist. Of which 177 or 13% are now extinct, and 284 have been re-introduced and introduced. In all, the flora has become more species-ric, however, 42% of the previous species have decreased and only 30% show an increasing trend.

Recreation

Sihltal is a well-known recreation area and popular for

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

and

biking Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

tours along Sihl and in the surrounding hills between the chains of

Höhronen The Höhronen (1,229 m) is a mountain of the Swiss Prealps, located on the border between the Swiss cantons of Zurich and Zug. It lies approximately halfway between Lake Zurich and Lake Ägeri. West of a secondary summit named ''Wildspitz'' (1 ...

Felsenegg Felsenegg (el. ) is a vantage point in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Geography Felsenegg is located some to the southwest of the city of Zürich on the Albis chain, between the municipalities of Stallikon and Adliswil. The hillto ...

and

Zimmerberg-Sihltal region

The term "Region

-Sihltal" usually refers to the mountain, the area and

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

between Kilchberg–

Richterswil Richterswil (Swiss German: ''Richtischwiil'' ) is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Richterswil is first mentioned in 1265 as ''Richtliswile''. During the 17th Century, a series of peasan ...

–

and the Shil valley. This

includes the municipalities respectively villages of

Adliswil Adliswil is a town and a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The official language of Adliswil is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the A ...

Hirzel Hirzel is a former municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. On 1 January 2018 the former municipality of Hirzel merged into the municipality of Horgen. History Hirzel is first mentioned in 1269 as ''Hir ...

Horgen Horgen () is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich. On 1 January 2018 the former municipality of Hirzel merged into the mu ...

, Hütten, Kilchberg,

Langnau am Albis Langnau am Albis is a Municipalities of Switzerland, village in the district of Horgen (district), Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. History Langnau am Albis is first mentioned between 1101 ...

Oberrieden Oberrieden is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Horgen (district), Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zurich in Switzerland. It is one of the towns along the south shore of Lake Zurich ...

Rüschlikon Rüschlikon is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Horgen District, Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. It is located on the west shore of Lake Zürich. Coat of ar ...

, Schönenberg,

Thalwil Thalwil is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and town in the district of Horgen (district), Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. The municipality includes two parts: Thalwil and Gatti ...

and

Wädenswil Wädenswil (locally often called ''Wättischwiil'', ''Wädischwiil'' or ''Wädi'') is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality located in the district of Horgen (district), Horgen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zürich (canton), Z� ...

Transportation

The lower Sihl valley has an excellent local transportation network:

Zimmerberg bus line The Zimmerbergbus is a bus network in the Horgen District in Switzerland, operated by the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU) and its local partner firms: ''AHW Busbetriebe AG'' in Horgen, ''Busbetriebe Bamert GmbH'' in Wollerau, ''Leuthold Tr ...

(''Zimmerbergbus'') and Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU) are providing the local public transportation in the Sihl valley, in addition to the

Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg The Adliswil-Felsenegg cable car (LAF; or ) is a cable car in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. The lower station is located in Adliswil in the Sihl Valley, whilst the upper station is located on the Felsenegg hill on the Albis ridge near ...

(LAF for short or commonly ''Felseneggbahn''), an

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, cable car or aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, ropeway, téléphérique (French), or Seilbahn (German) is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third movin ...

connecting

and

train station is a nodal point of the

SBB-CFF-FFS Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a government institution, but since 1999 it has been a special stock corpo ...

- Gotthardbahn and Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU) railways. ''Sihlbrugg Dorf'' (Sihlwald) is the terminal station 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 line S4 (SZU) and a stop on the line S21 to

(VBZ). Nearby the city of Zürich, additional bus lines are provided by the

Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ), the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its c ...

. It is also important as terminal of the A4 motorway between

Zug Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; ; ; ; )Named in the 16th century. is the largest List of cities in Switzerland, town and capital of the Swiss canton of Zug. Zug is renowned as a hub for some of the wealthiest individuals in the wor ...

and the canton of Zürich, and of five regional streets in the Sihltal to Zürich, Zug, Langnau am Albis and to Wädenswil ( Hirzel Pass).

References

External links

Region Zimmerberg-Sihltal
{{Coord, 47, 16, N, 8, 34, E, region:CH-ZH_type:mountain, display=title Landforms of the canton of Zürich Valleys of Switzerland Regions of Switzerland Sihl Landforms of the canton of Schwyz Landforms of the canton of Zug