Altendorf, Schwyz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Altendorf
Coat of arms
Altendorf Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Altendorf Location in Canton of Schwyz Show map of Canton of Schwyz
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Schwyz
District	March
Area
• Total	20.41 km2 (7.88 sq mi)
Elevation	421 m (1,381 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	7,111
• Density	348.41/km2 (902.37/sq mi)
Postal code	8852
Surrounded by	Einsiedeln, Freienbach, Galgenen, Jona (SG), Lachen, Rapperswil (SG), Vorderthal

Altendorf is a town in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It is part of the March District.

Discovering Altendorf's Past

Altendorf was first mentioned in old records in the year 972. Back then, it was called Rahprehteswilare.

Building the Etzelwerk Power Station

In 1932, people started building the Etzelwerk. This was a special power station designed to make electricity using water. It was built to power the trains of the Swiss Federal Railways. By 1937, the power station was finished and working. It still makes electricity today! The water for the power station comes from the Sihlsee reservoir, which is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) to the southwest.

Exploring Altendorf's Geography

Aerial view of Altendorf in 1953

Altendorf covers an area of about 20.5 square kilometers (7.9 square miles). A big part of this land, about 52.6%, is used for farming. Forests cover another 37.5% of the area. About 9.4% of the land has buildings or roads on it. The rest, a small 0.4%, is made up of rivers or mountains.

Where is Altendorf Located?

The town is located right on the Obersee, which is a part of Lake Zurich. It's easy to get to Altendorf because it's on the train line that connects Pfäffikon and Lachen. It's also right next to the A3 motorway, a major highway.

Altendorf includes the main village of Altendorf. It also has smaller areas called hamlets. These include Seestatt, which is right by the lake. Other hamlets like Muschelberg, Mittlisberg, Schlipf, and Vorderberg are found in the hills before the mountains. There's also a part of Altendorf called Steinegg, which is like a suburb of Lachen.

Who Lives in Altendorf?

The church of Altendorf

Altendorf has a population of 7,111 people. In 2007, about 16.8% of the people living here were from other countries. Over the past 10 years, the number of people living in Altendorf has grown quite a lot, by about 32.4%.

What Languages Do People Speak?

Most people in Altendorf speak German, about 91.1% of the population. Italian is the second most common language, spoken by 1.4% of the people. Albanian is the third most common, spoken by 1.3%.

Age and Gender in Altendorf

In 2000, about 51.1% of the people in Altendorf were male, and 48.9% were female. Looking at ages in 2008:

• About 25.8% of the population (1,196 people) were between 0 and 19 years old.
• About 29.6% (1,372 people) were between 20 and 39 years old.
• About 34.4% (1,597 people) were between 40 and 64 years old.
• About 6.2% (286 people) were between 65 and 74 years old.
• About 3.0% (141 people) were between 70 and 79 years old.
• About 0.99% (46 people) were over 80 years old.

There was even one person in Altendorf who was over 100 years old!

Homes and Families

In 2000, there were 1,786 homes in Altendorf. About 26.4% of these homes had only one person living in them. About 8.2% were large homes with five or more people.

Politics and Education

In the 2007 election, the most popular political party was the SVP. They received 47.1% of the votes. Other popular parties were the CVP (17.8%), the FDP (16.7%), and the SPS (13.9%).

Many adults in Altendorf (about 71.9% of those aged 25-64) have completed higher education. This means they went to a special school after high school, like a university.

Altendorf has a low unemployment rate of 1.76%. This means most people who want to work have jobs. In 2005, many people worked in different areas:

• 227 people worked in farming and related businesses.
• 857 people worked in manufacturing and industry.
• 1,238 people worked in services, like shops, offices, and tourism.

Religious Beliefs

According to the 2000 census:

• About 67.0% of the people (3,108 individuals) were Roman Catholic.
• About 17.5% (810 individuals) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.
• A small number of people belonged to the Orthodox Church (about 1.88%) or other Christian churches (about 0.13%).
• About 3.43% of the population (159 individuals) were Islamic.
• About 6.34% of the population said they did not belong to any church, or were agnostic or atheist.

How Altendorf's Population Has Grown

Here's a look at how the number of people living in Altendorf has changed over time:

Getting Around Altendorf

The Altendorf railway station is a stop for the Zurich S-Bahn train service. This train, called the S2, travels between Zurich and Ziegelbrücke, making it easy for people to travel to and from Altendorf.

See also

In Spanish: Altendorf para niños