Bülach

Bülach

Coat of arms
Bülach
Bülach
Coordinates: 47°31′N 8°32′E / 47.517°N 8.533°E / 47.517; 8.533Coordinates: 47°31′N 8°32′E / 47.517°N 8.533°E / 47.517; 8.533
Country Switzerland
Canton Zürich
District Bülach
Government
 • Executive Stadtrat
with 7 members
 • Mayor Stadtpräsident
Mark Eberli EVP (Evangelische Volkspartei)
 • Parliament Gemeinderat
with 28 members
Area[1]
 • Total 16.09 km2 (6.21 sq mi)
Elevation (Kreisel Marktgasse) 416 m (1,365 ft)
Population (Dec 2016[2])
 • Total 19,503
 • Density 1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s) German: Bülacher(in)
Postal code 8180
SFOS number 0053
Localities Nussbaumen, Eschenmosen, Wisli,
Surrounded by Bachenbülach, Eglisau, Embrach, Glattfelden, Hochfelden, Höri, Rorbas, Winkel
Twin towns Santeramo in Colle (Italy)
Website www.buelach.ch
SFSO statistics

Bülach (Alemannic German pronunciation: [ˈbylɑχ]) is historic town and a municipality in Switzerland in the canton of Zürich, located in the district of the same name, and belongs to the Glatt Valley (German: Glattal) to the east of the small river Glatt and about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the High Rhine and about 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the Airport Zurich.

The official language of Bülach is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.

History

Bülach is first mentioned in 811 as Pulacha.[3] From early times it fell within the province of the Alamanni: Joachim Werner's description of the early cemetery excavated there was published in 1953.[4]

Geography

Bülach has an area of 16.1 km2 (6.2 sq mi). Of this area, 33.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 39.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[5]

The municipality is located around the lower Glatt Valley. The town of Bülach and the village of Niederflachs are in the valley. Around the town are the hamlets of Heimgarten am Rinsberg, Eschenmosen (since 1919, earlier part of Winkel) and Nussbaumen am Dettenberg. The municipality of Bachenbülach was part of Bülach until 1849 when it became an independent municipality. Bülach is located on the old road from Zürich through Kloten to Eglisau.

Demographics

Bülach has a population (as of 31 December 2016) of 19,503.[2] As of 2007, 22.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 17.8%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (83.9%), with Italian being second most common ( 4.7%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 2.5%).

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 38.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (17%), the CSP (12.5%) and the FDP (11.2%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is as follows: children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 64.8% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.2%. In Bülach about 73.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).[5]

The historical population is given in the following table:[3][6]

year population
Late Middle Ages less than 500
16-18th Centuries about 1,000
1836 1,278
1850 1,545
1900 2,175
1920 3,239
1950 4,634
1970 11,043
2000 13,999
2005 14,815
2006 15,571
2008 16,589
2010 17,478
January 2012 17,457
May 2012 17,667

Attractions

The Reformed Church and the popular Sigristenkeller gallery stand on a small hill, and are surrounded by pretty old buildings, including the Pfarrhaus and the old Tithe Barn. The church is named after Saint Laurentius, to whom the town's coat of arms is dedicated. Saint Laurentius was deacon to Pope Sixtus II, and became a martyr when he was condemned to death by fire in 258 AD. The church forms a well-matched unit with the Town Hall, and has a tower rising above it to a height of 74 meters. Also on the first Saturday of every month at 6pm, trumpeters play for half an hour from the top of the tower.

Duke Leopold III of Austria (Habsburg) granted Bülach a town charter in 1384, including its own jurisdiction and the right to hold its own market.

Economy and transport

One of its most important institutions and its biggest employer (over 700 employees) is the regional hospital Spital Bülach with 200 acute beds. Other important employers include the traditional glass producer Vetropack, civil engineering firm Mageba, and the Zürcher Unterländer newspaper.

Bülach has an unemployment rate of 3.07%. As of 2005, there were 130 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 36 businesses involved in this sector. 1893 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 133 businesses in this sector. 5596 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 607 businesses in this sector.[5]

Bülach railway station is a node of the Zürich S-Bahn on the lines S22, S41 and S5. Its train station is a 24-minute (S5) ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.

It also has a direct bus link from Zürich Airport which takes 25 minutes on 530 service.

Education

The primary schools include Schuleinheit Böswisli,[7] Schuleinheit Schwerzgrueb,[8] Schuleinheit Lindenhof,[9] and Schuleinheit Hohfuri.[10]

Lower secondary schools include Schule Hinterbirch and Schule Mettmenriet.[11][12]

The Kantonsschule Zürcher Unterland (KZU) is located in Bülach.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
  2. 1 2 Canton of Zurich Statistical Office (in German) accessed 15 June 2017
  3. 1 2 Bülach in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  4. ↑ J. Werner, Das alamannische Gräberfeld von Bülach, (Monographs in Ur- und Frühgeschichte Schweiz), Basel 1953.
  5. 1 2 3 Swiss Federal Statistical Office Archived January 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. accessed 29-Jul-2009
  6. ↑ accessed 17-Jun-2012 Archived February 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Schuleinheit Böswisli." Primarschule Bülach. Retrieved on April 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Schuleinheit Schwerzgrueb." Primarschule Bülach. Retrieved on April 23, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Schuleinheit Lindenhof." Primarschule Bülach. Retrieved on April 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Schuleinheit Hohfuri." Primarschule Bülach. Retrieved on April 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Schule Hinterbirch." Sekundarskule Bülach. Retrieved on April 23, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Schule Mettmenriet." Sekundarskule Bülach. Retrieved on April 23, 2015.
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