Richterswil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richterswil
Coat of arms
Richterswil Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Richterswil Location in Canton of Zürich Show map of Canton of Zürich
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Zürich
District	Horgen
Area
• Total	7.53 km2 (2.91 sq mi)
Elevation	408 m (1,339 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	13,670
• Density	1,815.4/km2 (4,702/sq mi)
Postal code	8805
Localities	Richterswil, Burghalden, Samstagern
Surrounded by	Freienbach (SZ), Hütten, Männedorf, Schönenberg, Stäfa, Wädenswil, Wollerau (SZ)

Richterswil (Swiss German: Richtischwiil) is a town in Switzerland. It is a municipality located in the Horgen district. Richterswil is part of the Zürich canton, which is like a state in Switzerland. It sits on the left shore of the beautiful Lake Zürich.

History of Richterswil

Richterswil was first written about in the year 1265. Back then, its name was Richtliswile.

Early Conflicts and Revolts

In the 1600s, there were many farmer uprisings across Switzerland. One of these was the 1645/46 Wädenswiler Steueraufstand, or Wädenswil tax revolt. This revolt happened around Lake Zürich and included the village of Richterswil.

A leader from Richterswil, Rudolf Goldschmid, was part of this revolt. Sadly, he was executed in Zürich when the revolt failed.

Later, during the first Villmergen War in 1656, an army from Schwyz invaded Richterswil. But during the second Villmergen War, new forts built above the town helped stop another invasion.

French Influence and Changes

When the French created the Helvetic Republic, Richterswil became part of the Horgen District. During this time, Richterswil had higher taxes than nearby villages. Because of these taxes, the town had to house French soldiers in 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition.

After an uprising in 1804, called the Bockenkrieg, Richterswil faced harsh punishments from Zürich.

Modern Times and Growth

From 1803 to 1831, Richterswil was part of the Wädenswil District. But since 1831, it has been part of the Horgen District again. Also in 1831, the village of Samstagern became part of the Richterswil municipality.

In 1869, most people in Richterswil voted against a new democratic constitution for the canton. This shows how people in the town felt about big changes.

Geography and Nature

Richterswil covers an area of about 7.6 square kilometers (about 2.9 square miles). A large part of this land, about 54.7%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 7.8% of the area.

About 36.6% of the land is developed with buildings and roads. The rest, about 0.9%, is made up of natural features like rivers and lakes.

Lakes and Waterways

The northern shore of Hüttnersee is located within Richterswil. The town is also on the left side of the famous Lake Zürich.

Richterswil includes two main areas: Dorf (the village) and Berg (the mountain part), which is also part of Samstagern village. The Sternenweiher reservoir, a body of water that stores water, is also found in Richterswil.

People and Community

Richterswil has a population of about 13,647 people (as of 2020). About 17.6% of the people living here are from other countries. The population has been growing steadily over the past 10 years.

Languages and Beliefs

Most people in Richterswil speak German, which is about 89% of the population. Italian is the second most common language, and English is third.

In terms of religion, about 45% of the people are Protestant, and 34.5% are Catholic. There are also people of other religions, and some who do not follow a religion.

Education and Work

Many adults in Richterswil, about 80.8%, have completed higher education. This means they have gone to college or a special technical school.

Richterswil has different types of jobs. Some people work in farming (primary sector). Others work in factories or construction (secondary sector). Many more work in services like shops, offices, or healthcare (tertiary sector).

Population Growth Over Time

Here's how the population of Richterswil has grown over the years:

Getting Around Richterswil

Richterswil is easy to reach! It's located right on the A3 motorway, which is a major highway.

Train Connections

The town has four train stations. The main one is Richterswil station. It's on the main train line along Lake Zürich and is served by the Zürich S-Bahn trains S2 and S8. You can get to Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zurich's main train station) in about 33 minutes.

Other stations like Burghalden station, Grüenfeld station, and Samstagern station are on the line from Wädenswil to Einsiedeln. These stations are served by the S13 train.

Bus Services

The Zimmerberg bus line also serves the area. This bus connects the Zimmerberg region and parts of the Sihl valley, making it easy to travel locally.

Famous People from Richterswil

Many interesting people have connections to Richterswil:

• Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze (1739–1799) was born in Richterswil. He became a general in the Austrian army during the French Revolutionary Wars.
• John Caspar Wild (1804–1846) was an American painter and lithographer, born in Richterswil.
• Margrit Rainer (1914–1982) was a Swiss comedian, radio personality, and actress.
• Annelies Štrba (born 1947) is a Swiss multimedia artist who works with video and photography. She lives in Richterswil.
• André Blattmann (born 1956) was born in Richterswil. He became a Swiss Lieutenant General and was the Chief of the Armed Forces from 2009 to 2016.
• Marina Keller (born 1984) is a Swiss football (soccer) player who was born in Richterswil.
• Julia Jakob (born 1991) is a Swiss orienteer, a sport that combines running and navigation.

Images for kids

• 

  Aerial view of Richterswil from 200 meters, taken by Walter Mittelholzer in 1919.

• 

  Richterswil as seen from Lake Zürich.

• 

  The Schönenwirt island in Lake Zürich.

• 

  Friedrich von Hotze, a general born in Richterswil.

See also

In Spanish: Richterswil para niños