Uster

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For other uses, see Uster (disambiguation).
Uster
Country Switzerland
Canton Zurich
District Uster
47°21′N 8°43′E / 47.350°N 8.717°E / 47.350; 8.717Coordinates: 47°21′N 8°43′E / 47.350°N 8.717°E / 47.350; 8.717
Population 32,710 (Dec 2012)[1]
- Density 1,145 /km2 (2,966 /sq mi)
Area 28.53 km2 (11.02 sq mi)[2]
Elevation 464 m (1,522 ft)
Postal code 8610
SFOS number 0198
Mayor (list) Martin Bornhauser (as of 2008) SPS/PSS
Localities Kirchuster, Freudwil, Nänikon, Niederuster, Nossikon, Oberuster, Riedikon, Sulzbach, Wermatswil, Werrikon, Winikon-Gschwader
Surrounded by Fehraltorf, Gossau, Greifensee, Maur, Mönchaltorf, Pfäffikon, Seegräben, Volketswil
Twin towns Prenzlau (Germany)
Website www.uster.ch
SFSO statistics
Uster

Uster is a city and capital of the district Uster in the Swiss Canton of Zürich.

It is the third largest city in the Canton of Zürich, with over 30,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest cities in Switzerland. Uster is located next to lake Greifensee.

The city of Uster received the Wakker Prize in 2001.

History

Ustertag on 22 November 1830

The village of Riedikon was first mentioned in year 741, while Uster was first mentioned in 775. The Burg Uster (castle) was first mentioned in 1267, in the possession of the Freiherr von Bonstetten.[3]

During the Old Zürich War, in May 1444, the Old Swiss Confederacy laid siege to the nearby town of Greifensee, held by about 70 defenders, most of them inhabitants of the Amt Greifensee, and a few Habsburg and Zürich soldiers. The town was captured after four weeks, on May 27, and all but two of the surviving 64 defenders were beheaded on the next day, including the leader, Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg. Even in times of war, mass execution was widely considered a cruel and unjust deed. On May 29, the Castle of Greifensee and the city walls were broken.

On November 22, 1830 about 10,000 men of the Canton of Zurich gathered near Uster and demanded a new constitution. This assembly, known as the Ustertag, together with other assemblies in Switzerland led to the Restoration and the creation of the Swiss Federal State.[4]

Geography

Niederuster, located at the Greifensee

Uster has an area of 28.5 km2 (11.0 sq mi). Of this area, 44.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[5] In 1996 housing and buildings made up 18.4% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7.8%).[6] Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.4% of the area. As of 2007 22.2% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.[6]

Demographics

Uster panorama with Uster castle
Schloss (castle) Uster

Uster has a population (as of 31 December 2012) of 32,710.[1] As of 2007, 21.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. As of 2008 the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 14.2%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (85.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 4.5%) and Albanian being third ( 1.7%).

Nationalities in Uster[7] 12-31-2007 12-31-2008 12-31-2009 12-31-2010 12-31-2011 11-30-2012
  Switzerland 77,67 %77,92 %78,53 %78,67 %78,43 %78,03 %
 Germany 3,90 %4,41 %4,42 %4,53 %4,87 %5,01 %
 Italy 4,47 %4,31 %4,12 %4,06 %3,94 %3,87 %
 Portugal 1,46 %1,52 %1,56 %1,55 %1,60 %1,68 %
Serbia /  Montenegro 3,29 %2,81 %2,04 %1,42 %1,19 %0,99 %
 Turkey 1,13 %1,06 %0,99 %0,94 %0,94 %0,96 %
Kosovo ---0,76 %0,81 %0,94 %
 Macedonia 0,95 %0,88 %0,94 %0,95 %0,91 %0,92 %
 Austria 0,71 %0,76 %0,73 %0,76 %0,68 %0,73 %
 Spain 0,78 %0,72 %0,67 %0,64 %0,67 %0,69 %

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 31.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (20.6%), the CSP (13.3%) and the Green Party (12.2%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.8%. In Uster about 73.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). There are 12605 households in Uster.[6]

Uster has an unemployment rate of 3.28%. As of 2005, there were 392 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 92 businesses involved in this sector. 3,204 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 238 businesses in this sector. 9475 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 1091 businesses in this sector.[5] As of 2007 51.5% of the working population were employed full-time, and 48.5% were employed part-time.[6]

As of 2008 there were 9,366 Catholics and 11,890 Protestants in Uster. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the census, 45% were some type of Protestant, with 41.8% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church and 3.3% belonging to other Protestant churches. 31.7% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 5.4% were Muslim, 7.2% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.4% did not give a religion, and 11.7% were atheist or agnostic.[6]

Weather

Uster has an average of 135.4 days of rain per year and on average receives 1,164 mm (45.8 in) of precipitation. The wettest month is June during which time Uster receives an average of 137 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.1 days. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 13.1 days.[8]

Wakker Prize

The roundhouse in Uster train station, Switzerland

Uster received the Wakker Prize from the Swiss Heritage Society in 2001 for the city's efforts to maintain an identity within the anonymous Swiss Agglomeration around Zurich. The Society noted that developed land was clearly separated from the neighboring farming land. They praised the efforts that the city had made to integrate old and new buildings and to build with harmonious architectural styles.[9]

Education

The Japanese School in Zurich, Switzerland's Japanese international school, is located in Uster.[10]

Transportation

The municipality of Uster is served by two railway stations, both of which are served by trains of the Zurich S-Bahn. Uster railway station is in the centre of the city, and is served by lines S9, S14, S15 and S5. Nänikon-Greifensee railway station is on the border with adjoining municipality of Greifensee, and is served only by lines S9 and S14. Uster is a 14 minute ride (S5) from Zürich Hauptbahnhof by the fastest trains.[11][12]

Gallery

  • Church and castle of Uster

  • Kirchuster and inner city

  • Nossikon and Riedikon (to the right)

  • Wil and Niederuster, Greifensee, Pfannenstiel and Forch in the background

  • City park

  • Uster S-Bahn Zürich station

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Canton of Zurich Statistical Office (German) accessed 1 May 2013
  2. ↑ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
  3. ↑ City of Uster website-History (German) accessed 5 January 2010
  4. ↑ Volkstage in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 14-Aug-2009
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Statistics Zurich (German) accessed 4 August 2009
  7. ↑ http://www.uster.ch/de/verwaltung/dienstleistungen/?dienst_id=19514 (Retrieved 12th Dec 2012).
  8. ↑ "Temperature and Precipitation Average Values-Table, 1961-1990" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology - MeteoSwiss. Retrieved 8 May 2009. , the weather station elevation is 440 meters above sea level.
  9. ↑ Wakker Prize (German) accessed 14 August 2009
  10. ↑ Home page (Archive). Japanese School in Zurich. Retrieved on 2 January 2014. "住所：Florastrasse 18a　8610 Uster Switzerland"
  11. ↑ Swiss Confederation. map.geo.admin.ch (Map). http://map.geo.admin.ch/?selectedNode=node_ch.swisstopo.gg25-gemeinde-flaeche.fill1&Y=694470&X=247040&zoom=7&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo.pixelkarte-farbe&layers=ch.swisstopo.gg25-gemeinde-flaeche.fill&layers_opacity=1&layers_visibility=true&lang=en. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  12. ↑ "S-Bahn trains, buses and boats". ZVV. Retrieved 2011-12-02. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uster.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Uster.
Municipalities in the district of Uster, Switzerland


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