Weiach

Weiach
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Zurich (ZH)
District :	Dielsdorf
BFS no. :	0102
Postal code :	8187
UN / LOCODE :	CH ZHW
Coordinates :	675 179  /  267 991 coordinates: 47 ° 33 '30 "  N , 8 ° 26' 15"  O ; CH1903:  six hundred seventy-five thousand one hundred seventy-nine  /  two hundred sixty-seven thousand nine hundred ninety-one
Height :	390  m above sea level M.
Height range :	332–624 m above sea level M.
Area :	9.58  km²
Residents:	1810 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	189 inhabitants per km²
Proportion of foreigners : (residents without citizenship )	25.8% (December 31, 2018)
Website:	www.weiach.ch
Location of the municipality

Weiach is a municipality in the district of Dielsdorf , Canton of Zurich , Switzerland . It is called Weyach or Weych by the locals ( ey or [ ɛɪ̯ ] is pronounced as a diphthong with an emphasis on the e ).

The municipality is located about 25 km as the crow flies north of Zurich city ​​center . It has been known since 1962 primarily through Weiacher Kies AG , the first company in Switzerland to use industrial processes to mine gravel. For the first time in its history, the exploitation of Switzerland's only natural resource in significant quantities made the municipality forget its financial problems. In 1995 Weiach made headlines as the most tax-efficient municipality in the canton.

geography

The community is located in the north-western corner of the Zurich Unterland , on the Zurich- Aargau canton border . The Rhine , which flows a few hundred meters north of the village and forms the natural border line with the Federal Republic of Germany , marks the lowest point in the canton of Zurich ( 332  m above sea level ). The highest point in the municipality is the Haggenberg plateau ( Stadlerberg ) at 623 m above sea level. M.

Neighboring communities are clockwise, starting in the west: Fisibach and the small town of Kaiserstuhl in the canton of Aargau, Hohentengen on the High Rhine in the district of Waldshut (Federal Republic of Germany), and Glattfelden , Stadel (town of Raat ) and Bachs in the canton of Zurich.

The community includes the core settlement in the center of the territory, some individual farms (including Felsenhof on the road to Raat, Ofen on Hauptstrasse 7 to Glattfelden, Rheinhof on the river bank), as well as two industrial and commercial areas in the area of ​​the old train station and the gravel works. The new development areas (mostly multi-family houses with flat roofs) west of the Swissgrid high-voltage line between Bedmen and the old train station, also known as Neu-Weiach, have been added since 2015 .

The core settlement is protected between forested hills, embedded in a terrain chamber that was densely populated with fruit trees until a few years ago and opens towards the north towards the Rhine. Forests covering an area of ​​461 hectares cover almost half of the entire municipal area. Large parts of the forest belong to the political community.

In 1996, 36.9% of the municipal area was used for agriculture (including areas temporarily used for gravel extraction), 49.1% were planted with forest, the traffic areas were 2.8%, the water bodies comprised 2.0% and the settlement area was 8.8%.

The plain in the northeastern municipal area is one of the gravel terraces of the Rafzerfeld deposited in the foreland of the Worm Ice Age Rheingletscher , which have been exploited on an industrial scale since the early 1960s (see section Industry ).

Coat of arms and logo

Fig. 1: Coat of arms of the municipality of Weiach from 1931

Blazon

Divided diagonally by silver and blue, with an eight-pointed star in mixed up colors

The star has no particular relationship to the Zürcherschild (divided diagonally to the right by silver and blue)

Fig. 2: Logo of the political community Weiach

The dean's book of the Regensberg chapter, which was created in the second decade of the 18th century, documents a community coat of arms for the first time . This shows the claim to power of the city of Zurich and a connection to the only authentic (that is, officially licensed) inn with accommodation rights in the municipality, the old tavern "zum Sternen". It is unclear whether the name and sign of the inn were taken from an older sign of the community or, conversely, the star was later transferred to the community as an inn sign. The heraldically unfavorable blazon of the document in the deanery book: the golden, faceted star on the Zurich shield , which is divided into blue and silver, was rejected by the municipal coat of arms commission in the 20th century.

In the 19th century, a six-pointed gold star on a blue background was also in use (similar to the current Dietlikon coat of arms ). The star could be derived from the coat of arms of the patrician family Heggenzer from Schaffhausen , who were co-owners of the lower jurisdiction until they died out in the male line in 1587.

In its current form with the eight-pointed star in alternating colors, the Weiach coat of arms with the coat of arms of Krauer became popular and was officially recognized by the municipal council at the end of November 1931 on the recommendation of the coat of arms commission of the Antiquarian Society in Zurich.

The logo , which has been used on communal printed matter and on the website since May 1, 2000, shows the communal area with the Rhine and forest cover in a stylized form, as it appears from a great height on satellite photos.

history

Fig. 3: Weiach in the Siegfried Atlas from 1880

Prehistory and early history

Numerous archaeological sites make it clear that the territory of today's municipality of Weiach has been an important settlement area since the end of the last Ice Age because of its location on the Rhine and its topography .

Inventories of flint fragments were discovered at various locations on the Rhine Terraces , which are dated to the Middle and Neolithic . A stone ax from the Neolithic Age is one of the individual finds in the municipality . Possible Neolithic hill settlements are suspected on the plateaus of the Stein and Stadlerberg . Large ramparts ( refuges ) that must exist due to the Fund position since prehistoric times, can on a rocky spur of Wörndel (called Leuechopf ) and in Ebnet above the Fasnachtflue be determined. Prospecting on the Leuechopf also gave clues to the foundations of a tower.

The archaeological finds also include grave goods such as bronze clasps and needles as well as a dagger from the Middle Bronze Age (approx. 1500-1300 BC). They come from several early Bronze Age burial mounds that lie on the Hard plain . Seven of them were first inventoried in 1855 and three examined in 1866 by Ferdinand Keller , President of the Antiquarian Society in Zurich . During the gravel extraction was established in early 2001 rescue excavations by the Kantonsarchäologie the territory angle meadows discovered on the northeast of the village a Bronze Age settlement. In addition to various house layouts, a paved path was also found (Dorfstrasse made of Bollensteinen), which is dated to the Late Bronze Age (approx. 1300-800 BC).

Two watchtower foundations are reminiscent of the Roman era ( well preserved in Hard and preserved in 1969 ( KGS -Nr. 11679), in the Leebern / Heidenbuck area badly disintegrated (KGS-No. 11678); see the list of cultural assets of national importance ). The towers were below the Western Roman Emperor I. Valentinian to 370 n. Chr. Along the high Rhine between the Lake and the Rheinknie at Basel as part of a defense system ( Donau-Iller-Rhein-Limes ) against the from the north advancing Alamannen erected. In addition to several mammoth teeth , the gravel extraction in 1979 also unearthed an early medieval burial ground. As grave goods one found u. a. a skramasax (short sword).

While today's village center lies in the stream valleys on the southern edge of the Rhine plain, the Bronze Age graves, which have been known for a long time, can be found in the middle of the plain. The Bronze Age settlement excavated in 2001 in the southwestern mining area of Weiacher Kies AG was also laid out in the immediate vicinity of the Dorfbach. It was thus adjacent to the swamp meadows, which used to be popular as cattle pastures, which were cultivated until the end of the 19th century and then drained.

Place naming

The oldest surviving written mention of the place is dated to 1271 : in Wiâch . Today there is broad agreement about the meaning of the name: In the 19th century, a connection with the Alemannic word stem wey was assumed as a name for the consecration , a small bird of prey , with the second component aha (for: stream, river , see: Aa ) . The more recent research reckons with a name of a manor located here, which was formed in Roman times : this not attested * Veiacus or * Veiacum ( add : fundus or praedium , i.e. country estate ) contains the name of the first owner (Veius) and the owner- indicating customary in the Gallo-Roman settlement area Suffix -acus / -acum ; Veiacus (fundus) or Veiacum (praedium) therefore means estate of Veius . Remains of such an ancient manor have not been found to this day, but the name fits into a whole series of place names in the north of the canton of Zurich, all of which are also likely to have originated from manor names (see Windlach , Bülach , Flaach and Neerach ) and which were founded to supply Roman settlements such as the vicus Vitudurum ( Oberwinterthur ) and the legionary camp Vindonissa ( Windisch ).

Political Affiliation

In 1295 the minstrel Jakob von Wart sold the lower courts of his Meierhof in Wiach as well as those of the village of Wiach to the Bishop of Constance , who was entitled to lower jurisdiction until the dissolution of the prince-bishopric with the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss 1803. At a time that can no longer be determined, Konstanz pledged half of its rights to the Schaffhausen patrician family Heggenzer and bought them back in 1605.

The high courts went to the city-state of Zurich in 1424 when the county of Kyburg was pledged . In 1442 the people of Zurich gave large parts of the county back to the Habsburgs , but they kept their areas west of the Glatt river , which from then on were called Obervogtei Neuamt and, in contrast to the other parts of the county, which was again transferred to Zurich in 1452, were continuously under the rule of Zurich.

The Zurich authorities were represented in Weyach by a subordinate , the bishop by a village master. Weyach only came to Zurich with all rights in Helvetica . In 1798 the community was assigned to the Bülach district, and after the end of the mediation constitution in 1814 to the Regensberg District Office . With the state constitution of 1831, the Oberamt became the Regensberg district , and with the relocation of the capital to the valley in 1871, it became the Dielsdorf district .

Church conditions

Fig. 4: Historical ensemble with church and parish barn

In the Middle Ages, Wiach belonged to the parish of Hohentengen (actually: Dengen near the high church ) and probably had a branch chapel early on (first mentioned in 1594). With the Zurich Reformation , Weyach was detached from the old parish association and received his predicants from Zurich. Only the obligations ( church tithes on newly cleared land ) to the bishop as the holder of the lower jurisdiction remained. In 1540, the villagers ultimately asked for their own people's priest , which they also received because the Zurich authorities , which had been Protestant and reformed under Ulrich Zwingli since 1525, did not want to risk their subjects going to mass in the re-Catholicized Kaiserstuhl .

Weyach became a parish with a resident pastor by council resolution at the latest in 1591 (the date is disputed in research: the dates are 1540, 1542, 1549 and 1591). The collature had been with the city of Zurich since 1520.

In later years (e.g. 1602) residents of Weyach were punished several times for paying homage to the Bishop of Constance : an expression of a classic power struggle between the owners of the high and low jurisdictions.

The reformed parish church , built in a new place in 1705/1706 - today the symbol of the community - was completely restored with financial support from the federal government, canton and many donors for the last time from 1966 to 1968 and placed under federal monument protection on December 8, 1970 . Together with the rectory, the parish barn, the cemetery and the old parish hall, the church forms a harmonious building group in the center of the village (cf. KGS number 10339 ).

The close collaboration between the Weiach parish and the Evangelical Reformed church cooperative Kaiserstuhl / Fisibach , which began in 1942, was ended by the termination of the pastoral agreement on December 31, 2005.

On March 19, 2017, the merger of the Evangelical Reformed parish of Weiach with the parishes of Bachs and Stadel to form the new parish of Stadlerberg was rejected by a large majority. The Weiach parish remains independent for the time being, despite pressure from the church council of the Zurich regional church.

Fortified churchyard

Fig. 5: The Weyach churchyard around 1716 by Heinrich Meister

As a place on the border of the Zurich dominated area, Weyach served as a corp assembly point for part of the Unterland troops. The cemetery created by the church was presumably expanded into a base with or shortly after the construction of the church, which also integrated the parish barn and the rectory into the defense system. The well-preserved loopholes in the cemetery walls, the church, the rectory and the parish barn are still reminiscent of the time of religious disputes. Only in the last few decades have denominational differences with neighbors no longer an obstacle to good ecumenical cooperation.

Great damage in the Second Coalition War

After the collapse of the Ancien Régime of the Old Confederation and the occupation of Switzerland by French troops, one of the worst times in its history began for the municipality. Several times in the course of the Second Coalition War , the front line passed over Weiach and the Zürcher Unterland, and each time thousands of soldiers - Helvetian and French on the one hand, Austrians and Russians on the other - had to be fed and provided with firewood and fodder for their horses be asked. In the course of one of these billets , the parish hall burned down. The oak forest, which according to contemporary reports was one of the most beautiful in the canton of Zurich, was largely devastated and cut down. The time of shortage continued well into the second decade of the 19th century. In 1817, after a bad harvest in the previous year, many residents could only be saved from starvation thanks to public soup kitchens . The cause was the year without a summer 1816, which was triggered by the eruption of Tambora in 1815.

Overcrowded farming village

The Zürcher Unterland is a traditional arable farming region that maintained the medieval Flurzwang and the Haufendorfsiedlung well into the 19th century . In contrast to the scattered settlements in the Zurich Oberland, no strong tradition of domestic industry could develop. By the 17th century at the latest, the capacity of the agricultural land was reached. Many Weiacher had to emigrate temporarily or permanently (see section Population ). In 1850 only 2 farmers owned over 10 hectares of arable and meadow land, everyone else had to get by with significantly less. Almost 60% of the farmers owned only 5 Juchart (1.8 ha) or less. Around the middle of the 19th century - especially after the state upheaval of 1831 ( Ustertag ) - various efforts were made to increase the yield of agricultural production. Nevertheless, the dependence on the plaice remained strong, which after the Vienna stock market crash of 1873 cost many small farmers their existence. There were hardly any other earning opportunities, and the stately brickworks that had previously flourished thanks to monopoly also suffered severely from competition and the crisis. It is therefore no coincidence that there was a recruiting office for Swiss troops in Hohentengen in the service of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies . In this context, it is astonishing that in 1877 the community nevertheless afforded a pressurized water supply that was expensive for the time.

Crisis of the First World War and the interwar period

Fig. 6: Aerial photo from 600 m by Walter Mittelholzer (1925)

After the long depression in the last quarter of the 19th century, the economy picked up at the beginning of the 20th, abruptly interrupted by the First World War , which drove Switzerland to the brink of civil war . The farmers in Weiach had no understanding for the class struggle ideas of the foreign construction workers who built the power station near Rheinsfelden . However, since they suffered from the border situation and the war-related interrupted exchange in small border traffic with Baden communities, political groups formed in the community for a short time ( young farmers' movement ), which however disbanded again after the end of the war.

Collateral damage in World War II

The fighting did not affect the community in World War I , and the community was largely spared in World War II . However, border guards were stationed in Weiach almost all the time. They built fortifications and bunkers for the Weiach barrier so that the passage to the south could be blocked if necessary - the bank of the Rhine became a barbed-wire-reinforced bulwark against Hitler's Germany. Despite largely closed borders, the construction of the Swiss-German power station near Rekingen was completed in the middle of the war, which also turned the Rhine into a sluggish river in the Rekingen-Rheinsfelden section. In the final phase of the war in 1944, Allied fighters attacked trains, rail infrastructure and power plants in and around the community several times. After the official end of the war, the German neighbors in Hohentengen suffered from the French occupation, which encouraged the smuggling of rare and high exchange value goods (such as coffee) from Switzerland to Germany.

Boom in the 20th century

After the war ended, Switzerland, which was largely undestroyed, had a head start. The Weiach farmers were also able to largely replace their draft animals with agricultural machinery that was previously unaffordable for many . In spite of this, many young people migrated to Zurich and other urban centers because their earnings were much better there. This structural change was intensified by the founding of Weiacher Kies AG in 1961. Large areas were withdrawn from agricultural use for decades. Today there are de facto no smallholders working full-time or part-time, which ultimately also simplified land consolidation (amelioration). The municipal treasury benefited most from gravel mining. Especially since the active mining areas are located where the political community itself is the landowner, but also thanks to the steadily flowing tax revenue of the gravel company. These made it possible to make long-overdue investments in the infrastructure.

Plane crash on November 14, 1990

On November 14, 1990, a Douglas DC-9 -32 of the Italian airline Alitalia crashed into runway 14 of Zurich Airport in the Surgen area at 520 m above sea level while approaching . M. in the Haggenberg. All 46 passengers and crew on flight AZ 404 were killed. It is the worst disaster in community territory in living memory. At the crash site, a simple memorial stone reminds of the fatal November night. The cause of the crash was an instrument defect that caused the pilots to the beacon , but in fact anflogen mentioned over 300 meters deep. (see also: Section position in the aircraft noise debate ).

See also : Alitalia flight 404

population

year	Residents	year	Residents
1634	361	1850	716
1640	428	1860	720
1650	483	1870	737
1670	624	1880	743
1689	767	1888	643
1695	583	1900	601
1711	668	1910	583
1754	547	1920	655
1759	573	1930	642
1790	530	1941	610
1793	540	1950	590
1799	548	1960	646
1820	550	1970	688
1824	671	1980	692
1827	700	1990	719
1836	675	2000	994

Development of the population

Fig. 7: Population development in the community of Weiach from 1630 to 2000

In the Zurich tax books there is only a complete entry for the jurisdiction of Weiach for 1470. At that time the village had 16 households with a total of 48 taxable adults over the age of 15. In 1590 the fees for the salary of one's own pastor were set, with a total of 65 households counted.

From 1634 to 1760, the pastors compiled detailed population registers at irregular intervals on behalf of the Zurich authorities. Later figures are taken from the following sources: 1790 Werdmüller's Memorabilia Tigurina , 1799 the Pastor's Enquête of the Helvetic Government , 1820 Ernis Memorabilia Tigurina, 1827 Lutz's complete description of the Swiss country. The number from 1836 is based on the Zurich cantonal census, all data from 1850 onwards were collected in the federal census . (Over the centuries the criteria for recording the resident population have changed significantly. Depending on the interpretation, the number of residents can vary significantly. The figures come from different sources. For the years 1710 to 1820, hardly any data are available.)

For centuries, the population development was closely linked to the productivity of the soil, and there was hardly any exporting craft. The resident population was between 500 and 750 people, making Weiach one of the larger communities in the Neuamt. From the end of the 17th century, many Weiacher looked for a livelihood outside of their home community, some emigrated. The destination of their trip was often the USA . The ancestors of many US citizens with names like Bombgardner originally came from Weiach.

As early as the 1960s and 1970s, individual new blocks of flats were built. However , Weiach did not find its way into the agglomeration of Zurich until the mid-1980s. New building areas for residential purposes were developed by means of district plans, which triggered a real building boom, first on the flank of the Sanzenberg, then under the Fasnachtflue. 30 percent of the existing apartments in 2000 were built in the previous ten years. With the 80 new residential buildings built between 1991 and 2000, the population grew by over 35 percent. Never before in history have so many people lived at the same time in the area of ​​today's Weiach community. The beginning of urbanization can also be seen in the explosive increase in the number of single-person households by 132 percent from 1990 onwards.

On December 31, 2005, 959 people lived in Weiach (civil law residence; excluding weekly residents, asylum seekers, etc.). A major construction project with 55 apartments in the Bedmen area planned at the end of 2007 was delayed for several years and was only completed in 2017. With the development of the See-Winkel building area, south of the former Weiach-Kaiserstuhl train station and the main road Winterthur-Basel, the population has since increased continuously to 1942 inhabitants (as of the end of December 2019). These areas have been popularly known as Neu-Weiach .

languages

In the census of December 2000 was a foreign population of 9.7% determined, slightly less than in previous decades. The proportion of foreigners is thus far below the cantonal average of 22%. The distribution of the language mainly used by the inhabitants gives an indication of their origin: the most common main language in the 2000 census was German (93.56%), the second and third most frequent were Albanian (1.51%) and Serbo-Croatian (1, 21%).

religion

The Weiachers used to be almost exclusively Protestant and Reformed. As a result of immigration from the rest of Switzerland and abroad, the proportion of residents with a Protestant denomination has decreased since 1800. The proportion of Reformed people increased significantly between 1990 and 2000. In the 2000 Federal Census, 65.6% of the approximately 1000 inhabitants were Reformed and 17.5% Catholic; 9.1% said they did not have a religious denomination, and another 1.3% said they had no denomination. With the new development areas between Bedmen and the train station, the percentage of Protestants fell to well below 50% from 2012 onwards.

economy

Agriculture

Since the early Middle Ages , livestock and agriculture were the main sources of income for the inhabitants. In the years from 1846 onwards, the agricultural association worked intensively on the "improvement of the situation" under the leadership of the pastor at the time. Among other things, the association promoted the introduction of silkworm breeding , had an orchard planted by the schoolhouse and actively participated in the competitions of the cantonal agricultural association. In 1855, at the suggestion of the association, a municipality-owned loan office was founded.

While the silk factory could not hold up and other attempts at growing hops and tobacco failed , fruit growing was more successful, as can still be seen around the village center today. Also the viticulture played a significant role until the 19th century. After the liberalization of around 1831, many wine growers also ran a small tavern in which they were allowed to sell their own products.

Today, a company from Wil ZH is once again operating professional viticulture on the slopes of the Stein and the Fasnachtflue . The products Weiacher Fluetröpfli (red) and Weiacher Weissherbst (Rose), from Pinot Noir vinified grapes.

As of December 31, 2018, according to the Statistical Office of the Canton of Zurich, there were still 11 farms, 9 of which were full-time. The agricultural area (UAA) at the same time comprised 271 ha.

Inns

Fig. 8: Former Star Inn

The " Sternen ", which has been located at the junction of the main road No. 7 Basel - Winterthur and the state road to Raat and Stadel since the 1830s , ceased operations in 1991. Since 2004, only two of the previously existing inns have been left: The " Linde " on the state road to Stadel and the " Wiesental " on the main road no. 7 to Kaiserstuhl.

The " train station ", also located on this main street opposite the disused train station, had been for sale since 2003 and was no longer actively operated after various party club projects had failed. In March 2008, the building constructed in 1876 was demolished and the site was leveled. Since 2007 there has been a containerized snack bar on the opposite side of the street.

At the end of August 2008 the “ Caffè-Bar Chamäleon ” was opened in the warehouse of the Baumgartner-Jucker-Haus at Büelstrasse 18 . The non-smoking restaurant occupies a niche that is not covered by the meadow valley and the linden tree .

trade

Of the original three acts in the village center today, the branch of is only VOLG left. The depot of the Agricultural Cooperative Weiach is located near the former train station Weiach-Kaiserstuhl (today Landi Surb shop ). There has been no bakery since 1958, the last butcher gave up in 2003 after a joint venture with the VOLG did not bring the desired success. In the premises of the former Weibel train station garage at Kaiserstuhlerstrasse 47 (now a BP petrol station), an Aperto store has been operating since December 2017, which is also open on Sundays and public holidays.

Business

Commercial enterprises (SMEs) shape the economic image of the municipality. There is a branch of a timber dealer (Heinrich Benz AG), a branch of a tire dealer (Pneu Müller AG, today FirstStop ), as well as various smaller technology and craft businesses . Thanks to the proximity to the border, there are two petrol stations along the main road , one near the village and one near the former train station. The saddlery Fruet AG , which had been in the premises of the former uppers sewing shop Walder (1920-1965) at the Weiach-Kaiserstuhl station and supplied the Swiss Army with leather goods , had to cease operations in 2000 due to a lack of orders. For this purpose, some small service companies have emerged, some of which are strongly Internet-based.

Industry

From 1962 , the large-scale gravel plant of Weiacher Kies AG was built in Hard , on the plain between Rheinsfelden and the village of Weiach , whose bulk goods and excavation trucks now carry the name of the community out to the wider area of Switzerland . The company is the only industrial company and the largest taxpayer in the municipality. Not least because of this, Weiach was one of the most tax-efficient communities in the Zürcher Unterland . The respective municipality president acts as vice president of the board of directors .

Other smaller companies in the building materials industry are located on the Weiacher Kies AG site (including Fixit AG ). In 2001 Weiacher Kies AG had the main road Basel-Winterthur moved south to the foot of the slope in order to be able to extract further gravel reserves. They also planned to develop new areas in Hasli , a plain northwest of the village in the direction of Kaiserstuhl and Fisibach.

After replenishment and recultivation, large areas were returned to agricultural use. However, there were also deliberately uncultivated, near-natural zones. Large areas with gravelly-stony soils were left fallow. Substitute habitats for the biotopes of plants and animals worthy of protection that were built over during the 5th construction phase of Zurich Airport can develop on this basis. In consultation with the canton and municipality, a total of around 23 hectares of ecological compensation areas ( ponds , biotopes , dry sites, meadows and hedges ) will be created on the Weiacher Kies AG site . The renatured areas become habitats for rare pioneer plants as well as threatened bird and insect species. The little ringed plover has started breeding successes. However, according to the cantonal structure plan, the area mentioned is marked as a possible waste dump for the long term, which led to objections from nature conservation organizations during the 2007 revision of the structure plan. At the beginning of February 2008 a committee for the Rüteren gravel pit biotope was founded.

The gravel pit biotope still exists. The inert material dump with a capacity of 1.3 million m³ in the area of ​​the north pit, created by the new owner Eberhard AG, Kloten, who is active in the field of building material recycling and urban mining, was built in 2011 on the site of a mud pond and does not affect the nature reserve.

Exploratory drilling

In the first half of the 1980s, Weiach was the site of an investigation by NAGRA (National Cooperative for the Storage of Radioactive Waste ). The borehole, which was driven to a final depth of 2,482 m from January to November 1983, sparked heated controversy in the community and was the reason for the foundation of the citizens' initiative WAG (Weiacher Action Group). She fought against a possible choice of Weiach as a repository site .

Thanks to the NAGRA boreholes, the presence of the northern Switzerland permocarbonate trough, filled with sedimentary rocks of the ancient world, was proven (at Weiach the crystalline basement begins at a borehole depth of 2112 m and not - as expected - around 1000 m depth).

Drill results encouraged the Texas firm Forest Oil , exploratory boreholes to search for natural gas - deposits made. Well-known natural gas deposits in neighboring southern Germany gave hope for further discoveries in Weiach. At great depth, namely is also a coal - seam . After the drilling, which Forest Oil aborted in 2000 , a consortium led by SEAG Aktiengesellschaft für Schweizerisches Erdöl began another drilling attempt in May 2004 , which should provide information about the size of the expected natural gas reservoirs. In June 2004 the natural gas tests were stopped. A commercially viable extraction is not possible because the rock layers are too dense.

In connection with NAGRA's plans for a deep geological repository for low and intermediate level waste (SMA) as well as for high level waste (HAA), Weiach (together with the village of Windlach) in the north Lägern region has been in focus as the most promising location since 2018. Therefore, exploratory boreholes are being sunk again in the municipal area.

Position in the aircraft noise debate

Recently, the community has been actively involved in the dispute over the distribution of aircraft noise caused by the international airport in Zurich . Since the completion of the 3rd expansion phase in 1976, the community has been in the approach lane of runway 14. Due to its border location, the night's quiet is disturbed by late take off jets that turn over the community area in order not to violate German airspace. In the first years of IG-Nord , an amalgamation of several communities north of Zurich Airport , a former mayor of Weiach played a decisive role, which is why the IG-Nord secretariat was also located in Weiach until the end of 2002 . The IG-Nord fights including against the imposition of building bans which would necessary by the channeling of takeoffs and landings in the north of the airport (see also: Section plane crash 14 November 1990 ).

From the farming village to the agglomeration community

Fig. 9: Old house on Oberdorfstrasse, before 1812

Weiach was able to maintain its character as a farming village into the second half of the 20th century. However, many single-family houses were built on the slopes northwest of the Chälen in the 1970s and under the Fasnachtflue from 1990, which gives the community only a semi-agricultural character today. The development of further building areas was blocked for decades by the aircraft noise zoning and court proceedings, but with the See-Winkel neighborhood plan in the area south of the former train station, it triggered a lot of construction activity (mainly apartment buildings). With the completion of the agricultural improvement , for the first time resettler farms emerged - a development that took place decades earlier in other communities.

The massive influence of the agglomeration of Zurich is becoming increasingly noticeable. Many residents commute to work in the greater Zurich region , to which Weiach has officially been a part since the turn of the millennium: According to the criteria of the Federal Statistical Office, the results of the Federal Statistical Office led to the allocation to the sixth suburb of the agglomeration of Zurich ( Neue Zürcher Zeitung , July 25, 2003).

Supply of public services

Church and cemetery

Fig. 10: Fuori le mure, New part of the cemetery 2004

From 1977 to 2010 existed on the territory of the municipality two churches: the old Evangelical - Reformed Church of 1706 and a New Apostolic Chapel . The latter was not used for years and demolished in 2010 as part of a new building project. The expansion of the cemetery outside the historical fortification walls (project name Fuori le mure ) was completed in summer 2004 and sets new accents in the landscape in terms of landscape architecture. In March 2006, the cemetery expansion was one of eight projects nominated for the European Prize for Landscape Architecture . However, the new cemetery concept met with rejection from a significant part of the village population.

Schools and libraries

Fig. 11: Old school building, built in 1836

A schoolhouse already existed in 1721. A building standing by the cemetery wall, probably combined as a community, school and syringe house, was cremated during the French occupation and rebuilt in 1802 in the same place. In 1836 the community built an enlarged new building - the schoolhouse built after the fire was used to accommodate the poor. In the course of the school year 1861/62 the Weiach youth and public library was founded, it still exists as a community and school library and is housed in the school building from 1836 (old school building) .

A new school complex with a gym was completed in 1976, the shell of the originally planned indoor swimming pool in the basement of the gym wing was expanded into a community hall in 1994/95.

There has been a kindergarten since 1966, housed in a building sponsored by Weiacher Kies AG (demolished and replaced by residential buildings). Currently (2020) there are three kindergartens in operation, one in the new Kindergarten Color Dab on the school premises, one in the Weiach rectory and one in Fisibach.

The primary school in Weiach is housed in the Hofwies school building, which was given a new facade in 2015. She leads the first six classes of the Zurich elementary school .

To complete the compulsory schooling, the Weiach youths attend the upper school in Stadel or the canton school in Bülach .

In 2015, the neighboring communities of Fisibach and Kaiserstuhl in Aargau signed contracts with the primary school community of Weiach and the upper school community of Stadel for their children to attend school in Weiach and Stadel, respectively. The school location Weiach is strengthened by the influx from the two neighboring communities.

On June 28, 2020, those eligible to vote in Weiach rejected a large-scale project by the primary school community together with the political community to redesign and expand the Hofwies school complex with an investment volume of 19.7 million CHF.

Post / telephone / telegraph / cable network

At the time of the cantonal post office, around 1840, a post box was set up in Weiach (there were messengers to Zurich as early as 1800). In 1895 the first public telephone station and a connection to the Federal Telegraph Service ( PTT ) were created. In the 1980s, the community was connected to the cable television network of Cablecom , whose connections extend to Hohentengen. Recently, the post office had to struggle to survive, but remained as a branch with reduced opening hours. On March 1st, 2009 the post office was closed and replaced by a post office in the VOLG store.

Railway and post bus

In 1876 which opened Nordostbahn the railway line Winterthur-Bülach-Koblenz with the station Weiach-Kaiserstuhl . This railway line could already be electrified in 1945. In 1995 the station, located between the main areas of the settlement on Weiacher Boden, was closed by the Swiss Federal Railways and moved to Kaiserstuhl as a stop . The S36 line of the Zurich S-Bahn from Bülach via Eglisau to Waldshut is now operated by the THURBO railway company.

There has been a bus connection to Bülach since 1974 . Today the PostBus line 510 of the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV) runs to Zurich Airport - with the option to change to line 515 to Bülach in Stadel . In the mornings and evenings at peak times, line 515 condenses the timetable by running to Kaiserstuhl.

Water supply / sewage treatment

In 1877 the community received a pressure network for the drinking and extinguishing water supply with house connections and hydrants . The system of private and public wells that has existed in parallel to this day will continue to be operated as an emergency water network.

After 1950 the construction of a sewer system was gradually taken by hand, which was finally connected to the Weiach wastewater treatment plant built in 1970 . The refurbishment of this WWTP was not carried out in November 2004. As a replacement, the municipality joined the cross-border association of Kaiserstuhl and Hohentengen with a large sewage treatment plant on the north side of the Rhine in April 2006 .

Electricity Cooperative Weiach

After preliminary investigations for its own small power plant had shown that such a plant would not be profitable, the Electricity Cooperative Weiach (EGW), registered in the commercial register on August 23, 1912, had electrical house connections and street lighting installed . At Christmas 1912 the community received electricity from the public grid for the first time. The electricity has been supplied by the electricity works of the Canton of Zurich (EKZ) since the start of operations .

District heating network

Since the late autumn of 1995, the community has had a district heating network that is fed by a wood chip-fired system . The wood chips come from the municipality's own forest. This is the most important material contribution of the Weiach community to sustainable development within the framework of the local Agenda 21 .

Community leadership, fire brigade and civil defense

The Weiach local fire brigade has been combined with the military services of Stadel and Glattfelden in a security association since 1998 . This is all the more necessary since 1991 in the canton of Zurich the general conscription in the fire department was abolished. The association with Glattfelden and Stadel resulted from the already well-functioning cooperation within the framework of the civil protection organization Glattfelden-Stadel-Weiach . The community management organizations (GFO) of the participating communities have become regional management organizations (RFOs) and are supported by a core staff jointly funded by the fire brigade and civil defense.

societies

Because of the somewhat remote location, club life was traditionally well developed. The following larger associations still exist:

• Weiach women's association . He has a charitable goal, organizes bazaars and cultivates the community among women. The association developed from the women's association of the Weiach work school , which supported the handicraft classes. It has existed in its current form since 1929.
• Shooting Society Weiach . It was founded in 1904 with the aim of achieving better section ranks at various shooting events. The company has had its own shooting range in Hasli since 1907 .
• Gymnastics Club Weiach . It was founded in 1917 and today includes the active male gymnast. The older men do gymnastics in the men’s ranks , the women can choose between women's gymnastics and women 's gymnastics .

Sports

Successful cyclists come from the community again and again. In 2004, Sereina Trachsel from Weiach surprisingly won the Swiss road championship in the elite category. In June 2005 she was able to successfully defend her title. From 2003 to 2013, Weiach hosted a national criterion organized by Veloclub Steinmaur at the beginning of July . The approx. 1 km long circuit led through the streets of Oberdorf and Bühl .

Personalities

• Albert Meierhofer-Nauer (1887–1967), Cantonal Councilor, Mayor from 1941 to 1966, Lieutenant Colonel of the Swiss Army, Weiacher Posthalter, President of the Weiach Shooting Society, initiator of the gravel mining in Hard by Weiacher Kies AG . In his honor, the Albert Meierhofer commemorative shooting has been held on the Weiach shooting range since 1969 , in which around 800 shooters take part.
• Marie Meierhofer (1909–1998), citizen of Weiach, Swiss pediatrician and founder of the Institute for Mental Hygiene in Childhood (since 1978: Marie Meierhofer Institute for Children ).
• Fritz Näf (* 1943), conductor, artistic director of the Swiss Chamber Choir and the Basel Madrigalists .
• Walter Baumgartner (* 1953), racing cyclist
• Sereina Trachsel (* 1981), cyclist, Swiss champion women elite on the road, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

Official publication medium

The newsletter (until January 2019: notifications for the Weiach community ), published by the local council, has been published monthly since June 1982 and is distributed to all households (since 2019 only on a one-off basis). The print edition of 360 copies (as of July 2020) is printed in A4 format in color on both sides and provided with simple stapling. The cover picture has been designed by the local artist Hans Rutschmann-Griesser (* 1928) since it was founded.

Since November 1, 2018, the website of the political municipality has had the status of the official publication organ in accordance with a municipal council resolution. In the handout is on already published electronically Publications Official not mentioned in the rule.

politics

Characteristic for the community of Weiach is the complete lack of local parties until a few years ago. Party politics does not in fact play a role for local politics, all offices are occupied by non-party members.

• Political community : The 5-member local council (executive) is determined every four years in a secret ballot based on the majority principle .
• Primary school municipality : It is territorially identical to the area of ​​the political municipality and is managed by the primary school administration.
• Upper school community : It is run jointly with the political communities of Bach , Stadel and Neerach . The school buildings are near Schüpfheim .
• Municipal assembly (legislature). It consists of all voters for all of the above-mentioned Weiach communities. Votes on community matters are usually carried out with an open hand.

Electoral and voting behavior

In Weiach traditionally conservative elections and voting take place. European policy proposals are particularly heavily rejected, mostly in stark contrast to the economically free-spirited areas on Lake Zurich and the larger cities that are more dominated by social democrats. Examples are the federal referendums of June 5, 2005 on Switzerland's accession to the Schengen / Dublin treaties (64.3% against) and on the extension of the free movement of persons agreement to the new EU member states of September 25, 2005 (64.3% against) , 6% no).

This basic attitude is also reflected in the proportions of the voters in the 2007 National Council elections: SVP 54.8% (2003: 51.5%), SP 12.8% (2003: 15.9%), FDP 8.0% (2003 : 7.7%), GP 5.8% (2003: 6.3%), green liberals 5.1%, CVP 4.7% (2003: 4.5%), EVP 4.3% (2003: 6 , 8%), EDU 1.88%, PS / AP 0.88% and SD 0.87%.

The picture was similar in the 2003 Cantonal Council elections in Zurich: SVP 52.8%, SP 15.1%, FDP 9.3%, GP 6.7%, CVP 3.1%, EVP 8.0%. The results of the 2007 cantonal elections: SVP 45.4%, SP 14.6%, FDP 11.3%, GP 6.8%, CVP 3.6%, EVP 7.3%, EDU 3.4%, SD ( Swiss Democrats, formerly: National Action) 2.49%, AL (Alternative List) 0.05%, GLP (Green Liberals) 4.93%, confirm the familiar picture.

In the 2011 National Council elections, the SVP was no longer represented with an absolute majority of the votes cast for the first time: SVP 49.9%, SP 10.3%, FDP 9.7%, GP 1.9%, CVP 3.7%, EPP 4 , 4%, EDU 3.1%; SD 0.3%; the green liberals received 5.9%, the new center party BDP (split from the SVP) received 7.1% of the votes.

The 2015 cantonal elections brought the SVP back to its former strength: SVP 59.77%, SP 10.57%, FDP 6.21%, Greens 4.61%, glp 3.13%, CVP 2.14%, EVP 5.84%, BDP 3.13%, EDU 4.57%, AL 0.04%, pirates 0.00%

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Weiach

Fig. 12: Weiach Evangelical Reformed Parish Church seen from the Staatsstrasse to Stadel, on the right the Baumgartner-Jucker-Haus

Fig. 13: The Baumgartner-Jucker House

Fig. 14: The attic of the Baumgartner-Jucker House

• Of particular interest is the “church district”, the compact ensemble of church (1706), parsonage (1564d), parish barn (1707d with doorstep 1515d; converted 2000–2001 into a parish hall and meeting center), the cemetery wall with loopholes and the old parish hall (1857 ) in the village center. The Baumgartner-Jucker House (1820; see Fig. 13), which was renovated in the 1990s , and its granary (see Fig. 14), both of which belong to the political community, are in the immediate vicinity .
• To the south of it in the Oberdorf is a stately semi-detached farmhouse in private ownership from the first half of the 17th century with a facade painted by Eugen Fauquex in the 1950s (see Fig. 9).
• A small farmhouse from the middle of the 17th century, the Liebert-Haus in Oberdorf was bought by the municipality in 1966 and today houses the local museum .
• The sculpture path along both banks of the Rhine between Kaiserstuhl , Hohentengen and Glattfelden , as well as the
• Gottfried-Keller - Dichterweg , which leads from Glattfelden along the left (southern) bank of the Rhine to the site of the former Schwarzwasserstelz castle .

literature

• Hermann Fietz: The art monuments of the canton of Zurich, Volume II: The districts of Bülach, Dielsdorf, Hinwil, Horgen and Meilen. (= Art Monuments of Switzerland. Volume 15). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1943. DNB 365803049 .
• Walter Zollinger: Weiach 1271–1971. From the past of the village of Weiach. Weiach municipal council office (1st edition, Dielsdorf 1972; 2nd edition, Weiach 1984).
• Ulrich Brandenberger: Weiacher story (s) . Local historical articles. In: Notices for the community of Weiach . Weiach 1999-2009.
• Ulrich Brandenberger: Weiach - From the history of a village in the Unterland . 3rd, revised edition of Walter Zollinger's «Weiach. 1271–1971 ». Municipal Council Chancellery, Weiach 2003. 4th edition, print-on-demand, 2004–2016. 5th edition, Wiachiana-Verlag, Trub 2017. 6th edition, Wiachiana-Verlag, Trub 2018.
• Ulrich Brandenberger: “A new church building here in Weyach”. 300 years of Weiach Church, 1706–2006. Published by the Evangelical Reformed Church Community of Weiach and the Weiach Local Museum Commission. Weiach 2006.
• Willi Baumgartner-Thut: 100 years of the Weiach Electricity Cooperative. The Chronicle 1912–2012. Published by the Weiach Electricity Cooperative, Weiach 2012.

Web links

Commons : Weiach  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Weiach community
• Statistical data for the community of Weiach
• Martin Illi: Weiach. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Weiach story (s): Local historical articles, local history documentation about the community of Weiach
• WeiachBlog . Weblog about the past and present of the Weiach community
• WeiachTweet . Tweets on the past and present of the community Weiach ZH
• WeiachWeb - a list of links

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Data on the resident population by home, gender and age (community profile). Statistical Office of the Canton of Zurich, accessed on December 22, 2019 . 
3. ↑ Höber, H .: Weiach receives the lowest tax rate in the canton. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, No. 292, December 15, 1995 - p. 55.
4. ↑ Acten- and Decanats book a Ehrwürd. Regensberger Capituls (created on the year 1719); Signature: StAZH E IV 5.16.
5. ↑ See Brandenberger, U .: village sign, coat of arms and logo. How our church got its distinctive marks (part 1) . Weiach story (s) No. 84. In: Communications for the community of Weiach, November 2006. As well as: 75 years of officially recognized coat of arms. How our church got its distinctive marks (part 2) . Weiacher Geschichte (n) Nr. 85. In: Mitteilungen für die Gemeinde Weiach, December 2006.
6. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: 1271. The shadow of a document . WeiachBlog No. 1379, November 2, 2018.
7. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: Where was the old chapel? Pasture dispute document 1594 revisited WeiachBlog No. 1353, October 31, 2017.
8. ^ Brandenberger, U .: "The collage belongs to the little council in Zurich" . Weiacher story (s) No. 116.
9. ^ Brandenberger, U .: Church rift at the canton border . WeiachBlog No. 33, December 5, 2005. And again: Kirchgenossenschaft definitely divorced from Weiach WeiachBlog No. 396, February 23, 2007.
10. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: Clear vote: Weiach parish remains independent . WeiachBlog No. 1339, March 20, 2017.
11. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: Every third person only survived thanks to the soup kitchen . WeiachBlog No. 435, April 23, 2007.
12. ↑ Documented in 1855, cf. Brandenberger, U .: "Ales helped me to take on foreign services". The long way to a total ban (rice walking - part 2) . Weiacher story (s) No. 29 - complete edition p. 48.
13. ^ Brandenberger, U .: "... in the Dielsdorf district the most perfect system". 125 years of domestic and extinguishing water supply Weiach (1877-2002) part 4 . Weiacher story (s) No. 33 (Parts 1–3: Nos. 30–32).
14. ^ Brandenberger, U .: American «aerial gangsters»? September 9, 1944: US Air Force bombarded freight trains near Rafz and Weiach . Weiacher story (s) No. 41.
15. ↑ Final report of the Federal Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (PDF, 3.61 MB).
16. ↑ Information sheet for the Weiach community, February 2020 - p. 8.
17. ↑ WeiachTweet No. 2031, February 3, 2019 .
18. ↑ Zrinski, S .: Weiacher Friedhof: The experts praise, the population criticizes. In: Tages-Anzeiger, December 12, 2008 - p. 57 Unterland.
19. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: 59 percent no. Project «Balance» sunk in the urn. WeiachBlog No. 1535 BC June 28, 2020
20. ↑ Change of route as of 2015 timetable change, cf. Brandenberger, U .: ZVV line 510. New number for our public transport umbilical cord. WeiachBlog No. 1250, December 13, 2015.
21. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: "When the opening takes place, God is known". 125 years of the Winterthur – Koblenz railway line. Weiacher story (s) No. 20
22. ^ Brandenberger, U .: Community fountain - our emergency water supply . WeiachBlog No. 1300 BC August 25, 2016.
23. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: Groundbreaking ceremony for wastewater export . WeiachBlog No. 25 v. November 26, 2005. And again: Wastewater export has been going on for a year . WeiachBlog No. 413 v. April 1, 2007.
24. ↑ GlaStaWei Security Association Glattfelden-Stadel-Weiach .
25. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: charitable status written on the flag. 75 years of Weiach women's association, 1929-2004 . Weiacher story (s) No. 59.
26. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: "Practice eye and hand for the fatherland!". The first years of the Weiach shooting club, 1904-1913 . Weiacher story (s) No. 60. As well as this: Overcome the storms of time. 100 years Schützengesellschaft Weiach - the years 1914 until today . Weiacher story (s) No. 61.
27. ^ Brandenberger, U .: When librarians have to get creative . WeiachBlog No. 1398, May 7, 2019 (with a list of links on the subject of the newsletter).
28. ↑ Brandenberger, U .: The tree rings bear witness. How old is the "Lieberthaus"? - On the building history of the local museum. Weiacher story (s) No. 63 (as of April 2019).

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on January 13, 2005 in this version .