Greifensee () is a municipality in the district of Uster in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland.

History

thumb|left|upright|Castle of Greifensee

Early history

Settlements in Greifensee date back in 4000 B.C. In 1975, a Neolithic stilt house village located on the northern shore of the Lake Greifen area called Böschen was discovered by recreational divers. Initially, they found ceramics, lavishly decorated pots and bowls, and simple, large food tanks. In scientific dives, the remains of a village with 24 huts have been revealed. The excellent condition of the timber relicts allows dendrochronological dating to the year 1051 B.C. Weaving spindles made of clay, tools, needles and fishing hooks from bronze, charred wild apples and cereals have been conserved. Ten years after its construction, the settlement was destroyed by a fire and not rebuilt. For the subsequent years, in the canton of Zürich various archaeological relicts have been found, such as heavy bronze bracelets, glass, mainly bronze fibulas and flint blades probably from the Mediterranean and France. Relicts dating to the Roman period have been found in neighbouring municipalities, in Riedikon (Uster), and about nine kilometers away near Pfäffikon ZH located at Lake Pfäffikon (Irgenhausen Castrum).

Middle Ages

thumb|left|Execution of the defenders of Greifensee during the Old Zurich War, from Schodeler's chronicle, .

Probably in the late 12th century, a tower house (later Castle of Greifensee) was built at the location of a small village, estimated to be a settlement by the Counts of Rapperswil. On April 29, 1260, «R. et H. minstri de Grifense» are mentioned.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! year

! population

|-

| 1634

| 133

|-

| 1799

| 278

|-

| 1836

| 406

|-

| 1850

| 396

|-

| 1900

| 289

|-

| 1950

| 279

|-

| 1960

| 421

|-

| 1970

| 2,674

|-

| 1980

| 5,423

|-

| 2000

| 5,242

|-

|}

Cultural Heritage

Located on Greifensee lakeshore, Greifensee–Storen–Wildsberg is part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, and the settlement is also listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class object. Because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around to under the water level of .

Industry

Mettler Toledo has one of its world headquarters in Greifensee and is also the towns biggest employer.

Greifensee has an unemployment rate of 1.92%. , there were 21 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 7 businesses involved in this sector. 557 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 21 businesses in this sector. 548 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 99 businesses in this sector. 43.8% of the working population were employed full-time, and 56.3% were employed part-time.

Transport

Nänikon-Greifensee railway station is a stop of the Zurich S-Bahn on the lines S9 and S14. It is a 16-minute (S9) ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.

Notable people

  • Johann Jakob Bodmer (1698 in Greifensee – 1783) a Swiss author, academic, critic and poet
  • Sándor Végh (1912–1997) a Hungarian, later French, violinist and conductor; lived in Greifensee from 1971

References

  • Official website
  • Greifensee Openair