Wetzikon

Wetzikon (Zurich German Wetzike [ˈʋetsikχə]) is the largest political municipality in the district of Hinwil in the Swiss canton of Zurich. The town has 24990 inhabitants, making it the sixth largest town in the canton.

Wetzikon lies on Lake Pfäffikon and in the immediate vicinity of the mountain landscape of the Zurich Oberland. Together with the former civil parishes of Robenhausen, Kempten, Oberwetzikon, Unterwetzikon, Ettenhausen and Robank, Wetzikon forms the largest village in the district of Hinwil.

The town of Wetzikon is divided into the central zone, residential quarters, industrial quarters and adjacent recreational areas. The commercial center of Wetzikon is located in Oberwetzikon around the Reformed Church (1895-1897). The centre of Unterwetzikon with its railway station is an important hub in the transport network of the Zurich Oberland, linking the buses of the Lake Zurich and Oberland Transport Authority (VZO) with the SBB commuter railway.

With over 1,100 companies and around 11,000 jobs, Wetzikon is a driving economic force in the region. The top industries include companies in the fields of mechanics, mechanical engineering and apparatus engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, logistics, trade fairs, architecture and design. Wetzikon is also regarded as a regional educational location with the Zürcher Oberland KZO cantonal school, the commercial vocational school and the industrial vocational school. As the centre of the Zürcher Oberland GZO health care system, Wetzikon serves the entire region.

Coat of arms

The municipal coat of arms of Wetzikon is blazoned as In black a golden pole, topped with three green lanterns with red flames. The coat of arms dates from the 16th century; the colors black and yellow go back to the arms of the barons of Wetzikon-Kempten, the three lanterns are apparently a transformation of the three rings in the arms of the Landenbergs and symbolize "the eternal light of the Christian faith".

Geography

Wetzikon is located in the district of Hinwil. Wetzikon shares Lake Pfäffikon with the municipalities of Seegräben and Pfäffikon ZH. Other neighbouring municipalities are Bäretswil, Hinwil, Gossau ZH and Mönchaltorf (exclave Heusberg, with a common border of just under 500 m).

Climate

The Zurich Oberland lies on the border between cold and warm air and has a varied climate. Due to its higher altitude (535 m above sea level), it is not quite as warm in Wetzikon as on Lake Zurich, but there is less fog between autumn and spring than at lower altitudes. The warmest months are between June and August with an average of 23.5 °C during the day and 13 hours of sunshine. The coldest months are December and January with an average of 2.5 °C.

Geology

To the north, Wetzikon borders on the Riet, an extensive recreational area that leads to the Pfäffikersee lake. To the south, the settlement area interlocks with an extensive cultivated landscape. To the west, the topography consists of characteristic drumlins, ice-age formations created by the advance of the glaciers. And to the east, one encounters a pre-Alpine mountain range. In the historical development of Wetzikon, the early settlement nuclei emerged at traffic intersections. Along the streams, hydroelectric power was used as a source of energy in the course of early industrialization (cf. Industrial history).

Lido Auslikon on Lake Pfäffikon