Freienbach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Freienbach
Coat of arms
Freienbach Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Freienbach Location in Canton of Schwyz Show map of Canton of Schwyz
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Schwyz
District	Höfe
Area
• Total	13.8 km2 (5.3 sq mi)
Elevation	418 m (1,371 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	16,520
• Density	1,197/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Postal code	8807
Localities	Bäch, Freienbach, Hurden, Pfäffikon, Wilen
Surrounded by	Altendorf, Einsiedeln, Feusisberg, Hombrechtikon (ZH), Jona (SG), Rapperswil (SG), Richterswil (ZH), Stäfa (ZH), Wollerau

Freienbach is a lovely town, also called a municipality, located in the Höfe District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It's a beautiful place with a mix of nature and modern life.

What is Freienbach's History?

Freienbach has a long history! It was first mentioned way back in the year 972. Back then, it was known by a slightly different name: Friginbach.

Where is Freienbach Located?

Freienbach with the Etzel (mountain) in the background

Freienbach covers an area of about 13.8 square kilometers (about 5.3 square miles). A big part of this land, about 40.7%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 23.8% of the area.

About 31% of the land has buildings or roads. The rest, about 4.5%, includes rivers or mountains.

This municipality is right on the beautiful Lake Zurich. It stretches from the lake, which is about 406 meters (1,332 feet) above sea level, all the way up to the Etzel mountain, which is 1,098 meters (3,602 feet) high.

Freienbach includes several villages:

• Freienbach
• Pfäffikon (be careful not to confuse it with another Pfäffikon in the canton of Zurich!)
• Wilen
• Bäch
• Hurden (which is located on the Seedamm, a causeway across the lake)

It also includes two islands in Lake Zurich: Lützelau and Ufenau (also called Ufnau).

Who Lives in Freienbach?

Freienbach has a population of 16,520 people. About 23.2% of the people living here are from other countries. The population has grown quite a lot, by about 23.8%, in the last 10 years.

Most people in Freienbach speak German, about 87.9%. Italian is the second most common language, spoken by 2.3% of the people. Serbo-Croatian is third, spoken by 2.0%.

In 2008, about 22.7% of the population was between 0 and 19 years old. About 32% were between 20 and 39 years old. People aged 40 to 64 made up about 33.9% of the population. Older adults, aged 65 and above, made up about 11.4% of the population.

What About Jobs and Education?

Freienbach has a low unemployment rate of 1.7%. Many people here have a good education. About 74.7% of adults (aged 25-64) have finished high school or gone on to higher education, like university.

In 2005, there were 184 people working in farming and related jobs. About 2,718 people worked in manufacturing and construction. The largest number of people, 7,174, worked in service jobs like shops, offices, and healthcare.

The Roman Catholic church in Freienbach

What Religions Do People Follow?

In 2000, most people in Freienbach were Roman Catholic, about 58.5%. About 22.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

Some people belonged to other Christian churches, like the Orthodox Church. About 4.85% of the population followed Islam. About 8.82% of people did not belong to any church or had no specific religion.

How Has the Population Changed Over Time?

Here's a look at how Freienbach's population has grown over the years:

How to Get Around Freienbach?

Freienbach has six railway stations, which makes it easy to travel around!

• Pfäffikon SZ is the busiest station. It has trains that go long distances and also local trains called Zurich S-Bahn trains.
• Other stations like Bäch, Freienbach SBB, Freienbach SOB, Hurden, and Wilen bei Wollerau are served by different S-Bahn lines.

What Sports are Popular?

If you love football (soccer), you'll be interested to know that Freienbach has its own football club called FC Freienbach.

Important Historical Sites

Freienbach is home to several important historical places, called heritage sites of national significance. These are places that are very important to Switzerland's history and culture.

Some of these sites include:

• A very old lakeside settlement at Hurden/Seedamm and Ufnau.
• The parish church of St. Peter and Paul, which also has Martin's Chapel.
• The Seedamm Cultural Center of Pfäffikon.
• Pfäffikon Castle.

Also, some prehistoric settlements at Hurden Rosshorn and Hurden Seefeld are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps. This is a special group of sites recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site because they show how people lived a very long time ago.

See also

In Spanish: Freienbach para niños