Wald, Zürich Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Wald

Coat of arms

Wald

Location in Switzerland

Wald

Location in Canton of Zürich

Switzerland

Area

• Total

25.27 km² (9.76 sq mi)

Elevation

763 m (2,503 ft)

Population

(Dec 2020 )

• Total

10,200

• Density

403.6/km² (1,045/sq mi)

Postal code

8636

Surrounded by

Dürnten, Eschenbach (SG), Fischenthal, Goldingen (SG), Hinwil, Rüti

Wald, as seen from the upper Töss Valley

The Dorfkirche (Protestant church) in Wald

The Roman Catholic Church

Wald railway station

Wald is a village and a town in the Hinwil area. It is located in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.

History of Wald
- Early Education and Traditions
- Wald's Textile Industry
Geography of Wald
Population and People
Transportation
Gallery
See also

History of Wald

Aerial view of Wald in 1948

Wald was first mentioned in old documents in 1217. In 1621, the town was given 'market rights.' This meant it could hold its own markets.

Around 1820, Wald was a small village with about 60 to 70 houses. In the 19th century, factories started to appear. This made Wald an important place for business. Many spinning and weaving factories opened here.

Early Education and Traditions

In 1851, Wald was the first rural town in the canton of Zurich to offer weapons training. This was for students in secondary school. This old tradition is still seen today. It appears in "boys' parades" (Umezug) with muzzle-loading shooting during carnival time.

Wald's Textile Industry

Around the year 1900, Wald had 16 factories. All of these factories made textiles, which are fabrics and clothes. Because of this, Wald was known as the "Manchester of the Canton of Zurich." Manchester was a famous textile city in England.

In the 1860s, the Oberholzer family owned many factories. They helped their workers by building homes and daycares. Factories grew in Wald because of its natural features. The town has many rivers and streams. These waterways provided power for machines starting in the mid-1800s.

Mechanical spinning factories were built first along Wald's rivers. Later, people built reservoirs to store water. This helped produce electricity. Soon, many weaving factories were built. This made Wald the main textile center in the Zurich Oberland region.

Geography of Wald

Wald covers an area of about 25.2 square kilometers (9.7 square miles). A large part of this land, about 53.9%, is used for farming. Forests cover 33.4% of the area.

About 12% of Wald's land is developed. This includes buildings and roads. The remaining small part (0.8%) is made up of non-productive areas. These are places like rivers or mountains. In 1996, buildings made up 8% of the total area. Roads and other transport areas made up 4.1%. Rivers and lakes covered 0.2% of the non-productive land. As of 2007, about 8.6% of the town's area was being built on.

Population and People

Wald has a population of about 9,900 people. As of 2007, about 23.5% of the people living in Wald were from other countries. In 2008, the population was split evenly, with 50% male and 50% female. Over the past 10 years, the population has grown by about 6.9%.

Languages Spoken in Wald

Most people in Wald speak German, about 83.9%. Italian is the second most common language, spoken by 5.2% of the population. Serbo-Croatian is the third most common, spoken by 2.8%.

Age Groups in Wald

As of 2000, the population of Wald was divided into age groups:

Children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 26.2% of the population.
Adults (20–64 years old) make up 57.6% of the population.
Seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.2% of the population.

Education in Wald

In Wald, about 65.2% of adults (aged 25-64) have finished higher education. This includes either non-mandatory upper secondary education or a university degree. There are 3,369 households in Wald.

Jobs and Work in Wald

Wald has a low unemployment rate of 2.46%. In 2005, 235 people worked in the primary economic sector. This sector includes farming and forestry. There were 98 businesses in this area.

The secondary sector employs 959 people. This sector includes manufacturing and construction. There were 113 businesses in this sector. The tertiary sector employs 1,806 people. This sector includes services like shops, hospitals, and schools. There were 269 businesses in this sector. As of 2007, 45.5% of working people had full-time jobs. The other 54.5% worked part-time.

Religions in Wald

As of 2008, there were 2,779 Catholics and 3,377 Protestants in Wald. In the 2000 census, 43.9% of the population were Protestant. Most of these, 41.2%, belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Another 2.7% belonged to other Protestant churches. About 32.6% of the population were Catholic.

Of the remaining population, 10.5% belonged to other religions. About 4.2% did not state a religion. And 8.4% said they were atheist or agnostic.