Mettmenstetten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mettmenstetten
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 Mettmenstetten
Location in Switzerland
Mettmenstetten
Location in Canton of Zurich
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| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | Zurich | |
| District | Affoltern | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 13.03 km2 (5.03 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 460 m (1,510 ft) | |
| Population
(Dec 2020 )
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| • Total | 5,380 | |
| • Density | 412.9/km2 (1,069.4/sq mi) | |
| Postal code |
8932
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| Surrounded by | Aeugst am Albis, Affoltern am Albis, Kappel am Albis, Knonau, Maschwanden, Obfelden, Rifferswil | |
Mettmenstetten (in Swiss German: Mäpmischtette) is a village located in the Affoltern district of the Zürich canton in Switzerland. It's a charming place with a rich history and a growing community.
Contents
The Story Behind the Name and History
The name Mettmenstetten means "in the middle." People believe it got this name because it was located between two other places, though we don't know exactly which ones. It was also a popular stop for travelers going between Zurich and Luzern, as it was about halfway along their journey.
Mettmenstetten was first written about in 1116 as Metemunstat. Later, in 1240, it was called Mettmonstetten, and by 1255, it was known as Metamonstetten or Methemonstettin.
In the 1500s, during a time of big religious changes called the Reformation, Mettmenstetten was near the border between Protestant and Catholic areas. In 1525, it's said that the villagers, who were becoming Protestant, weren't happy with their new minister. They even threw stones at him after his first sermon!
A famous scientist, Albert Einstein, spent a summer holiday here in 1899. He was a student at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich at the time. During his stay, he went on walks and studied "electric force," which is another name for electromagnetism.
Geography of Mettmenstetten
Mettmenstetten covers an area of about 13.1 square kilometers (about 5 square miles). A large part of this land, almost 68%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 19% of the area. The rest of the land, about 13%, has buildings and roads. Only a tiny bit, 0.1%, is made up of rivers or mountains.
The village is conveniently located. It's about a 10-minute drive from the city of Zug and about 25 minutes from Zurich. The town of Affoltern is even closer, just about 5 minutes north.
Mettmenstetten includes the main village, which has two parts: Ober- and Untermettmenstetten. It also includes smaller areas like Dachlissen, Eigi, Grossholz, Herferswil, Hübscheren, Rossau, and Wissenbach. The village sits at an elevation of about 460 meters (1,509 feet) above sea level.
People and Population
Mettmenstetten has a population of about 5,093 people (as of 2018). In 2007, about 15% of the people living here were from other countries. The population has been growing quite a bit, increasing by 15% in the five years leading up to 2007.
Most people in Mettmenstetten speak German (about 93%). Serbo-Croatian is the second most common language (1.7%), followed by Italian (1.6%).
In the 2015 election for the National Council, the most popular political party was the SVP, which received about 36% of the votes. Other popular parties included the SPS (18.8%), the FDP (13.2%), the GLP (9.6%), and the GPS (5.1%).
Looking at the age groups (as of 2000), children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23% of the population. Adults (20–64 years old) are the largest group at 60%. Seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17%.
Many adults in Mettmenstetten have a good education. About 83% of people aged 25-64 have finished either advanced high school or gone on to higher education like university.
The unemployment rate in Mettmenstetten is low, at 1.3%. In 2018, about 47 people worked in farming, and there were 54 farming businesses. The manufacturing sector employed 521 people with 45 businesses. The service sector, which includes jobs like retail and healthcare, employed 939 people with 105 businesses.
Here's how the population has changed over the years:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1836 | 1,405 |
| 1850 | 1,450 |
| 1900 | 1,396 |
| 1950 | 1,710 |
| 2000 | 3,724 |
| 2018 | 5,093 |
Education for Kids
Mettmenstetten offers different levels of schooling for children. There's a daycare, kindergarten, primary school, and secondary school. In kindergarten, there are 124 kids, 327 in primary school, and 145 in secondary school.
The daycare, called Domino, is right in the school area. The school also has an indoor swimming pool, two indoor sports halls, and a big outdoor grassy area for sports and games.
Getting Around (Transport)
The Mettmenstetten railway station is a stop on the Zürich S-Bahn train line S5. It's a quick 13-minute train ride to Zug, about 36 minutes to Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zurich's main train station), and 45 to 55 minutes to Zürich Flughafen (Zurich Airport).
If you're driving, it's only about 10 minutes to the A4 highway, which connects Zurich with Luzern.
Local Airport and Noise
Close to Mettmenstetten is a private airport called Hausen am Albis. More than 16,000 flights happen there each year, mostly on weekends and during the summer.
Even though the official flight paths are not supposed to go over Mettmenstetten, pilots of private planes sometimes fly over the village anyway. They also fly lower than the recommended height of 300 meters (about 984 feet) for populated areas. This creates more noise for the people living in Mettmenstetten and nearby villages, causing them to take action to reduce the noise.
Notable People from Mettmenstetten
- Hannah Pfalzgraf (born in 1997), a Swiss politician.
See also
In Spanish: Mettmenstetten para niños
