Freienbach
This is the sighted version that was marked on February 7, 2021. There are 2 pending changes that still need to be sighted.
The title of this article is ambiguous. For other meanings, see Freienbach (disambiguation).
Freienbach is a political municipality in the district of Höfe in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The main town and by far the largest district of the municipality of Freienbach is Pfäffikon SZ.
Situated on Lake Zurich, the municipality consists of five villages: Pfäffikon SZ, Freienbach, Wilen bei Wollerau, Bäch SZ and Hurden.
In terms of population, Freienbach is the largest community in Canton Schwyz. This is due not least to the strong development of recent decades, which was accelerated by the opening of the A3 motorway in 1968 and by new educational, shopping and recreational facilities. In addition, the exceptionally attractive residential location, the proximity to the city of Zurich and the exceptionally low tax burden attract numerous newcomers to the municipality. Although an urban development concept is being drawn up for the Pfäffikon SZ district, Freienbach does not define itself as a town, but as a municipality with five villages. These are to remain independent in the future. Freienbach is part of the Zurich agglomeration. A number of dominant high-rise buildings in the Pfäffikon SZ district are conspicuous. The municipality includes the two islands of Ufnau and Lützelau as well as the Frauenwinkel conservation area with the largest area of reeds in Lake Zurich (federal inventory), but also part of the Etzelpass.
Geography
The municipality of Freienbach lies on the left bank of Lake Zurich and at the foot of the Etzel. The two islands, Ufnau and Lützelau, in Lake Zurich belong to the municipality. The Ufenau can be reached by scheduled boats.
- Total area: 20.31 km²
- Cultivated land: 35.9
- Forest: 13.7
- Of the total area, there are:
- Pfäffikon district: 11.5 km²
- Freienbach district: 3.0 km²
- Wilen district: 2.5 km²
- District Bäch: 2.0 km²
- Hurden district: 1.31 km²
- Highest point: Schönboden 1022 m above sea level.
- Lowest point: Lake Zurich 406 m above sea level.
Coat of arms
The current municipal coat of arms was adopted by the Hofleute-Korporation in 1948 after decades of disputes and shows three golden lions striding to the right in a red field. The symbolism is closely related to the historical connection to the Duchy of Swabia, which carried the three lions striding over each other on shields and flags since the 13th century. The reference to the duchy comes from the Ufnau island saint Adelrich, his mother Reginlinde and a later monastery abbot who is also said to have belonged to the ducal dynasty of Swabia.
