Zug
| Zug | ||||||||||
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| Population | 25,726 (Dec 2009)[1] | |||||||||
| - Density | 735 /km2 (1,904 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 35 km2 (14 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 425 m (1,394 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 6300 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 1711 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Dolfi Müller SPS/PSS | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Cham, Baar, Walchwil, Steinhausen | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Fürstenfeld (Austria) | |||||||||
| Website | www.stadtzug.ch SFSO statistics |
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  Zug
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| View map of Zug | ||||||||||
Zug (German: Zug) is the capital of the canton of Zug in Switzerland. It is situated at the northeastern corner of Lake Zug, at the foot of the Zugerberg (1039 m (3408 ft)), which rises gradually, its lower slopes thickly covered with fruit trees. Its population, 6,508 in 1900, numbered 23,000 in 2004; the town is mainly German-speaking and predominantly Roman Catholic.
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History
The town, first mentioned in 1240, was called an "oppidum" in 1242 and a "castrum" in 1255. In 1273, it was bought by Rudolph of Habsburg from Anna, the heiress of Kyburg and wife of Eberhard, head of the cadet line of Habsburg. Part of its territory, the valley of Aegeri, was pledged by Rudolph in 1278 as security for a portion of the marriage gift he promised to Joanna, daughter of Edward I of England. She was betrothed to his son Hartmann, but his death in 1281 prevented the marriage from taking place. The town of Zug was governed by a bailiff, appointed by the Habsburgs, and a council, and was much favored by that family. Several country districts (e.g., Baar, Menzingen, and Aegeri) each had its own "Landsgemeinde" but were governed by one bailiff, also appointed by the Habsburgs; these were known as the "Aeusser Amt," and were always favorably disposed to the Swiss Confederation.
On June 27, 1352, both the town of Zug and the Aeusser Amt entered the Confederation, the latter being received on exactly the same terms as the town, and not, as was usual in the case of country districts, as a subject land; but in September 1352, Zug had to acknowledge its own lords again, and in 1355 was obliged to break off its connection with the league. About 1364, the town and the Aeusser Amt were recovered for the league by the men of Schwyz, and from this time Zug took part as a full member in all the acts of the league. In 1379, the Holy Roman Emperor Wenceslaus exempted Zug from all external jurisdictions, and in 1389 the Habsburgs renounced their claims, reserving only an annual payment of 20 silver marks, which came to an end in 1415. In 1400 Wenceslaus gave all criminal jurisdiction to the town only. The Aeusser Amt, in 1404, then claimed that the banner and seal of Zug should be kept in one of the country districts and were supported in this claim by Schwyz. The matter was finally settled in 1412 by arbitration, and the banner was to be kept in the town. Finally in 1415, the right of electing their landammann was given to Zug by the Confederation, and a share in the criminal jurisdiction was granted to the Aeusser Amt by German king Sigismund.
In 1385, Zug joined the league of the Swabian cities against Leopold III of Austria and shared in the victory of Sempach, as well as in the various Argovian (1415) and Thurgovian (1460) conquests of the Confederates, and later in those of Italy (1512), having already taken part in the occupation of the Val d'Ossola. Between 1379 (Walchwil) and 1477 (Cham), Zug had acquired various districts in its own neighborhood, principally to the north and the west, which were ruled till 1798 by the town alone as subject lands. At the time of the Reformation, Zug clung to the old faith and was a member of the Christliche Vereinigung of 1529. In 1586, it became a member of the Golden League.
In 2001, 11 members of the local (cantonal) parliament and three members of the (cantonal) government were shot and killed in Zug by the assassin Friedrich Leibacher.
Today
Zug is a low tax region, and is headquarters for a number of multinational enterprises.
Zug's best known agricultural product is kirsch.
Situation and features
The lake shore has been embanked and forms a promenade, from which glorious views of the snowy peaks of the Bernese Oberland, as well as of the Rigi and Pilatus, are gained. Towards its northerly end, a monument marks the spot where a part of the shore slipped into the lake in 1887.
The older part of the town is rather crowded together, though only four of the wall towers and a small part of the town walls still survive.
The most striking old building in the town is the parish church of St Oswald (late 15th century), dedicated to St Oswald, king of Northumbria (d. 642), one of whose arms was brought to Zug in 1485. The town hall, also a 15th-century building, now houses the Historical and Antiquarian Museum. There are some quaint old painted houses close by. A little way higher up the hillside is a Capuchin convent in a striking position, close to the town wall and leaning against it. Still higher, and outside the old town, is the fine new parish church of St Michael, consecrated in 1902.
The business quarter is on the rising ground north of the old town, near the railway station. Several fine modern buildings rise on or close to the shore in the town and to its south, whilst to the southwest is a convent of Capuchin nuns, who manage a large girls' school and several other educational establishments.
The Museum of Prehistory Zug houses an important collection of archaeological remains, especially from the late Bronze Age (urnfield culture) settlement of Zug-Sumpf. Many of Catharine II of Russia's relatives descended from Zug and became known as the Volga Germans.
Geography
Zug has an area, as of 2006[update], of 21.7 square kilometers (8.4 sq mi). Of this area, 35.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 38.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 23.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[2]
Demographics
Zug has a population (as of 31 December 2009) of 25,726.[1] As of 2007[update], 26.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 11.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (81.8%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.8%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 3.2%).[2]
In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 24.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (23.3%), the Green Party (22%) and the CVP (18.7%).[2]
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Zug about 76% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).[2]
Zug has an unemployment rate of 2.28%. As of 2005[update], there were 172 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 51 businesses involved in this sector. 5,821 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 269 businesses in this sector. 21,445 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 3,205 businesses in this sector.[2]
Weather
Zug has an average of 136.1 days of rain per year and on average receives 1,224 mm (48.2 in) of precipitation. The wettest month is August during which time Zug receives an average of 158 mm (6.2 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.7 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is June, with an average of 13.7, but with only 156 mm (6.1 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is January with an average of 67 mm (2.6 in) of precipitation over 12.7 days.[3]
Sport
Zug has a professional men's ice hockey team EV Zug, an association football team, Zug 94, which was formed in 1994 and a Rugby Team, Rugby Club Zug, which has a junior team, The Saints Rugby School.
Economy
As a low tax region, Zug is home to corporate offices for a number of large and small companies. Even though Zug has a population of about 25,000 there are about 24,000 jobs and 12,000 registered companies in the city. Some of the registered firms include:
- Transocean[4], the world's largest offshore drilling contractor (despite Switzerland being land locked).
- Xstrata[5] an international mining company and currently the world's fourth largest producer of copper.
- Biogen Idec[6] a biotechnology company specializing in drugs for neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and cancer.
- Crypto AG[7] a Swiss company specialising in communications and information security.
- Rothschild Continuation Holdings AG a holding company that controls much of the Rothschild investment bank for the Rothschild family.
- Alliance Boots[8] a retail pharmacist and pharmaceutical wholesaler in several European countries.
- Nord Stream[9] managing a planned natural gas offshore pipeline from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany.
- Landis+Gyr[10] a company focused on metering and other technologies which deal with management of scarce resources.
- Partners Group[11] a global alternative asset management firm.
- Expert International GmbH[12] a Swiss consumer electronics retail chain with more than 7400 stores.
Transportation
Zug acts as an important transportation node.
The SBB-CFF-FFS and other railways link at Zug Railway Station for Cham - Horgen - Zürich, Steinhausen - Affoltern am Albis, Arth-Goldau - St. Gotthard - Ticino and Italy, and Rotkreuz - Luzern. Zug is a terminal station of the Zürich S-Bahn on the lines S9 and S21.
The A4 motorway and other main roads connect Zug with the rest of the nation.
Water transportation has its node on Lake Zug at Zug.
Heritage sites of national significance
There are a number of Swiss heritage sites of national significance in Zug. These include two libraries, the Library of the former Capuchin monastery and the library of the parish church of St. Michael. One archeological site, the Sumpf a late Bronze Age lake shore settlement, is included, as are three museums; the Burg (Castle museum), Kunsthaus (Art museum) and Museum für Urgeschichte (Museum for ancient history). There are three archives that are included in the list; Bürgerarchiv Zug (Citizen's archive of Zug), Staatsarchiv Zug (State/Canton of Zug archive) and the Unternehmensarchiv der Landis & Gyr AG (Landis & Gyr AG company archives). The rest of the sites are the Catholic Church of St. Oswald with Charnel house, the Seminary of St. Michael, the city walls and several buildings in the old city of Zug.[13]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Swiss Federal Statistical Office, MS Excel document – Bilanz der ständigen Wohnbevölkerung nach Kantonen, Bezirken und Gemeinden (German) accessed 25 August 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 22-Sep-2009
- ↑ "Temperature and Percipitation Average Values-Table, 1961-1990" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology - MeteoSwiss. http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/de/klima/klima_schweiz/tabellen.html. Retrieved 8 May 2009., the weather station elevation is 435 meters above sea level.
- ↑ Transocean website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Xstrata website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Biogenidec website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Crypto AG website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Alliance Boots Website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Nord Stream website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Landis+Gyr website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Partners Group website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Expert website accessed 13 May 2010
- ↑ Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance 21.11.2008 version, (German) accessed 22-Sep-2009
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press. Please update as needed.
External links
- http://www.stadtzug.ch (German) Official city website
- Pictures Zug
- http://www.zytturm.com/ Pictures and history Zytturm (klick "english" and "clocktower")
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