1.
Lake Zurich, Illinois
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Lake Zurich is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago. The population was 19,631 at the 2010 census, the village is named after a water body named Lake Zurich which is completely located inside the village. In 2015, personal website, NerdWallet. com, rated Lake Zurich number one in Illinois for young families. In 2006, Lake Zurich was named by Frommers as one of the top hundred Best Places to Raise Your Family, in 2013, Lake Zurich achieved national recognition when Sandra Bullocks character in Gravity name-dropped the village as her characters hometown. Lake Zurich is located at 42°11′32″N 88°5′17″W, with an elevation of 850 feet above sea level. According to the 2010 census, Lake Zurich has an area of 7.187 square miles. As of the census of 2000, there were 18,104 people,5,746 households, the population density was 2,792.3 people per square mile. There were 5,828 housing units at a density of 898.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 92. 31% White,0. 81% African American,0. 17% Native American,3. 82% Asian,0. 01% Pacific Islander,1. 97% from other races, and 0. 92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5. 55% of the population,12. 4% of all households were made up of individuals and 3. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the family size was 3.42. In the village, the population was out with 34. 1% under the age of 18,5. 0% from 18 to 24,34. 1% from 25 to 44,21. 0% from 45 to 64. The median age was 35 years, for every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males, according to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the village was $101,872, and the median income for a family was $108,108. Males had an income of $63,909 versus $43,047 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,287, about 2. 0% of families and 2. 5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2. 9% of those under age 18 and 5. 9% of those age 65 or over. The area of Lake Zurich was first settled by European descendants in the 1830s, two early pioneers were George Ela, after whom the Ela township is named, and Seth Paine, who established a number of commercial ventures in the town. New England farmers moved to the area in the 1830s and 1840s, the lake now known as Lake Zurich was once named Cedar Lake in the 19th century
2.
Sihl Valley
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Sihl Valley is a river valley and belongs to the Zimmerberg-Sihltal region located in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Commonly Sihltal is used as the name of the Lower Sihl Valley, the area alongside Lake Zürich had been formed as the left moraine of the Ice Age glacier, the bed of which is now the Lake Zürich and the valley of the Sihl. Sihl valley is extensively wooded, but also cultivated and heavily populated in its lower parts, the Sihl is the name of a 68 km long river located in the cantons of Schwyz and Zürich. The valley compromises parts of the districts of Einsiedeln, Horgen, the region of the valley comprises about 250 km2. Sihl rises at Drusberg near Hoch-Ybrig in the canton of Schwyz, passes the 8.5 km long Sihlsee near Einsiedeln, Sunnegg near Biberbrugg and Schindellegi. Now it enters the canton of Zurich, nearby Samstagern passing Hütten, near Sihlbrugg, the rivers passes the Sihlwald, the largest remaining deciduous forest of the Swiss Plateau, located between Sihlbrugg and Zürich-Leimbach. The Sihl flows in Zürich underneath Zürich Hauptbahnhof – parts of the station are built below the Sihl – before joining the Limmat at Platzspitz park located at the Swiss National Museum. 1498 species are, or were at least 30 years during the last 160 years in stable populations exist, of which 177 or 13% are now extinct, and 284 have been re-introduced and introduced. In all, the flora has become more species-ric, however, 42% of the species have decreased. Sihltal is a recreation area and popular for hiking and biking tours along Sihl. The term Region Zimmerberg-Sihltal usually refers to the mountain, the area, Sihlbrugg train station is a nodal point of the SBB-CFF-FFS-Gotthardbahn and Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn railways. Sihlbrugg Dorf is the station of the Zürich S-Bahn on the line S4. Nearby the city of Zürich, additional bus lines are provided by the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich. It is also important as terminal of the A4 motorway between Zug and the canton of Zürich, and of five regional streets in the Sihltal to Zürich, Zug, Langnau am Albis and to Wädenswil
3.
Felsenegg
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Felsenegg is a vantage point in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Felsenegg is located some 7 km to the southwest of the city of Zürich on the Albis chain, the hilltop station of Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg aerial tramway is situated on Felsenegg. The Albis area is one of the most important recreation areas of greater Zürich, the area is mostly wooded, but also has extensive fields, often reaching to the summit, some cultivated, some used as pastures for cows or sheep. Being close to the city of Zürich, the area is heavily visited, Felsenegg includes a restaurant located at the summit overlooking the Sihl Valley and Lake Zürich to the east, and Reppisch valley, Türlersee and the so-called Säuliamt to the west. Well maintained hiking trails from Uetliberg and Uetlibergbahn mountain station to the north, Türlersee and Säuliamt are popular hiking destinations, too, as well as a mountain pass and a trail, built between 1908 and 1912, heading for Adliswil respectively Hausen am Albis. Among other touristic attractions is the Planet trail which starts near Uetliberg Kulm, Felsenegg coincides with the midpoint of Plutos elliptical orbit, as represented by the Planet trail, and the Pluto mound can be found approximately 20m from the Restaurant Felsenegg. Another landmark is the Felsenegg-Girstel TV-tower located nearby the Felseneggbahn mountain station and it is owned by Swisscom and generally not accessible by the public. The tower was built in 1959 for broadcasting of radio and television programs, Restaurant Felsenegg website Felsenegg webcams on Swisswebcams. ch
4.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
5.
Inflow (hydrology)
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In hydrology, the inflow of a body of water is the source of the water in the body of water. It can also refer to the volume of incoming water in unit time. All bodies of water have multiple inflows, but often, one inflow may predominate, however, in many cases, no single inflow will predominate and there will be multiple primary inflows. For a lake, the inflow may be a river or stream that flows into the lake. Inflow may also be, strictly speaking, not flows, but rather precipitation, inflow can also be used to refer to groundwater recharge. The dictionary definition of inflow at Wiktionary
6.
Linth
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The Linth is a Swiss river that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the canton of Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of Lake Zurich. It is about 50 kilometres in length, the water power of the Linth was a main factor in the creation of the textile industry of the canton Glarus, and is today used to drive the Linth–Limmern power stations in its upper reaches. The river and its upper valley forms the boundary between the ranges of the Glarus Alps, to its east and south, and the Schwyzer Alps. The river rises to the south-west of the village of Linthal, the last of these is dammed to create the Limmerensee, a part of the Linth–Limmern hydro-electric scheme. In Schwanden, the Linth is joined by one of its tributaries, the Sernf. From Schwanden, the continues to flow north through the villages of Mitlödi and Ennenda. In Netstal, the Linth is joined by the Löntsch, which drains the Klöntalersee, as a result of the river regulation works, the river is today diverted down an artificial channel in an easterly direction into Lake Walen. Another artificial channel then takes the outfall of Lake Walen at Weesen and flows west through the Linth Plain and this caused frequent floodings and backing up of water which made the level of Lake Walen rise several meters and turned the whole countryside into swamps. Agriculture became more and more difficult, the poverty increased, and diseases like Tuberculosis, the statesman, scientist, painter and manager Conrad Escher from Zurich developed and executed the plan of channeling the Linth into Lake Walen, where the gravel could be deposited without damage. A second channel, the Linth Channel connected the lakes of Walen and Zurich, replacing the former Maag
7.
Discharge (hydrology)
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In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow that is transported through a given cross-sectional area. It includes any suspended solids, dissolved chemicals, or biologic material in addition to the water itself, GH Dury and MJ Bradshaw are two hydrologists who devised the models showing the relationship between discharge and other variables in a river. The units that are used to express discharge include m³/s, ft³/s and/or acre-feet per day. For example, the discharge of the Rhine river in Europe is 2,200 cubic metres per second or 190,000,000 cubic metres per day. A commonly applied methodology for measuring, and estimating, the discharge of a river is based on a form of the continuity equation. In storm hydrology, an important consideration is the streams discharge hydrograph, the stream rises to a peak flow after each precipitation event, then falls in a slow recession. Because the peak flow also corresponds to the water level reached during the event. The amount of precipitation correlates to the volume of water that flows out of the river. The relationship between the discharge in the stream at a given cross-section and the level of the stream is described by a rating curve, average velocities and the cross-sectional area of the stream are measured for a given stream level. The velocity and the give the discharge for that level. After measurements are made for different levels, a rating table or rating curve may be developed. Once rated, the discharge in the stream may be determined by measuring the level, if a continuous level-recording device is located at a rated cross-section, the streams discharge may be continuously determined. Larger flows can transport more sediment and larger particles downstream than smaller flows due to their greater force, larger flows can also erode stream banks and damage public infrastructure
8.
Limmat
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The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a direction, after 35 km reaching the river Aare. The confluence is located north of the town of Brugg. The main towns along the Limmat Valley downstream of Zurich are Dietikon, Wettingen and its main tributaries are the Linth, via Lake Zurich, the Sihl, in Zurich, and the Reppisch, in Dietikon. The hydronym is first attested in the 8th century, as Lindimacus and it is of Gaulish origin, from *lindo- lake and *magos plain, and was thus presumably in origin the name of the plain formed by the Linth. Like many Swiss rivers, the Limmat is intensively used for production of power, along its course of 35 km. These include, Historically, the Limmat was an important navigation route, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, voyages from Zurich to Koblenz are recorded. In 1447, the Emperor Frederick III granted the privilege of free navigation on the Limmat, because of the current, navigation was typically downstream only, with the barges being sold on arrival. Today, the Limmat is navigable for much of its length by small craft only, the traditional boat type used on the river is the weidling, a flat-bottomed vessel that is usually 10 metres long. The uppermost stretch of the river through the centre of Zurich is navigable by larger vessels. On this stretch of the river the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft operates its Limmat boat service, from the Landesmuseum to Lake Zurich, zürich–Enge Alpenquai is located on Zürichsee lakeshore in Enge, a locality of the municipality of Zürich. Media related to Limmat at Wikimedia Commons Media related to Limmat in Zürich at Wikimedia Commons Limmat in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
9.
Drainage basin
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A drainage basin or catchment area is any area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet, such as into a river, bay, or other body of water. Drainage basins connect into other drainage basins at elevations in a hierarchical pattern, with smaller sub-drainage basins. Other terms used to describe drainage basins are catchment, catchment basin, drainage area, river basin and water basin. In closed drainage basins the water converges to a point inside the basin, known as a sink, which may be a permanent lake. The drainage basin acts as a funnel by collecting all the water within the covered by the basin. Each drainage basin is separated topographically from adjacent basins by a perimeter, drainage basins are similar but not identical to hydrologic units, which are drainage areas delineated so as to nest into a multi-level hierarchical drainage system. Hydrologic units are defined to allow multiple inlets, outlets, or sinks, in a strict sense, all drainage basins are hydrologic units but not all hydrologic units are drainage basins. Drainage basins of the oceans and seas of the world. Grey areas are endorheic basins that do not drain to the oceans, the following is a list of the major ocean basins, About 48. 7% of the worlds land drains to the Atlantic Ocean. The two major mediterranean seas of the world also flow to the Atlantic, The Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico basin includes most of the U. S. The Mediterranean Sea basin includes much of North Africa, east-central Africa, Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe, Turkey, and the areas of Israel, Lebanon. Just over 13% of the land in the world drains to the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Oceans drainage basin also comprises about 13% of Earths land. It drains the eastern coast of Africa, the coasts of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent, Burma, antarctica comprises approximately eight percent of the Earths land. The five largest river basins, from largest to smallest, are the basins of the Amazon, the Río de la Plata, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mississippi. The three rivers that drain the most water, from most to least, are the Amazon, Ganga, endorheic drainage basins are inland basins that do not drain to an ocean. Around 18% of all land drains to endorheic lakes or seas or sinks, the largest of these consists of much of the interior of Asia, which drains into the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea, and numerous smaller lakes. Some of these, such as the Great Basin, are not single drainage basins but collections of separate, in endorheic bodies of standing water where evaporation is the primary means of water loss, the water is typically more saline than the oceans. An extreme example of this is the Dead Sea, drainage basins have been historically important for determining territorial boundaries, particularly in regions where trade by water has been important
10.
Water cycle
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The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle or the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. In doing so, the water goes through different forms, liquid, solid, the water cycle involves the exchange of energy, which leads to temperature changes. For instance, when water evaporates, it takes up energy from its surroundings, when it condenses, it releases energy and warms the environment. The evaporative phase of the cycle purifies water which then replenishes the land with freshwater, the flow of liquid water and ice transports minerals across the globe. It is also involved in reshaping the geological features of the Earth, the water cycle is also essential for the maintenance of most life and ecosystems on the planet. The sun, which drives the cycle, heats water in oceans. Water evaporates as water vapor into the air, ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapour. Evapotranspiration is water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil, the water vapour molecule H 2O has less density compared to the major components of the atmosphere, nitrogen and oxygen, N2 andO2. Due to the significant difference in mass, water vapor in gas form gains height in open air as a result of buoyancy. However, as increases, air pressure decreases and the temperature drops. The lowered temperature causes water vapour to condense into a liquid water droplet which is heavier than the air. A huge concentration of these droplets over a space up in the atmosphere become visible as cloud. Fog is formed if the water vapour condenses near ground level, as a result of moist air, air currents move water vapour around the globe, cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the upper atmospheric layers as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow or hail, sleet, and can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, most water falls back into the oceans or onto land as rain, where the water flows over the ground as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape, runoff and water emerging from the ground may be stored as freshwater in lakes. Not all runoff flows into rivers, much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration, some water infiltrates deep into the ground and replenishes aquifers, which can store freshwater for long periods of time. Some infiltration stays close to the surface and can seep back into surface-water bodies as groundwater discharge. Some groundwater finds openings in the surface and comes out as freshwater springs
11.
Ufenau
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Ufenau is an island located, with the neighbouring island of Lützelau, in Lake Zürich in Switzerland between Freienbach and Rapperswil. Highlights on Ufenau include St. Peter & Paul church, St. Martins chapel, Ufenau lies in Höfe district in the Canton of Schwyz. The island measures 112,645 m2 in all,470 m from east to west and 220 m from north to south, the highest point of the island is 423 m above sea level or 17 m above lake level on 406 m. Swimming, camping and other activities are forbidden, as it is a protected area. On occasion of the formation of the Alps, the fossilized material of the body of water between the Ricken and Etzel chains unfolded. There arose the typical rock bands that form the Lindenhof hill in Rapperswil, or the islands of Ufnau, Lützelau, during the last Ice Age the island was under a thick layer of ice. Ufnau consists of two parallel ridges, the hard layers of conglomerate rock in the south and the northern sandstone ridge survived the sanding by the glacier. The first steamship stopped at the shore in 1857. Tourist boat trips, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, sail between Zürich-Bürkliplatz and Rapperswil, but probably not be provided from 29 August 2016 to May 2018. In 1st and 2nd century, the remains of a Roman temple are dated, in 5th or 6th century, a first Christian church was built on this probably pre-Roman sacred area. Ufenau is first mentioned in 741 as «Hupinauia», and in 744 as «Ubinauvia» – island of Huppan or Huphan, probably between 900 and 920, the early Christian church was destroyed by the Huns. On 23 January 965, the island was given by Emperor Otto I to Einsiedeln Abbey, reginlinda died in 958 and is buried in Einsiedeln. In 973 later Saint Adalrich died on Ufenau, in 1798 the Helvetic Republic secularized the Einsiedeln Abbeys property, and Ufenau was given to the non-durable Canton of Linth. In 1805 Ufenau was given by the merchant Family Curti from Rapperswil to the Einsiedeln Abbey,5800 Vitis vinifera Blauburgunder were planted in 1986. The Einsiedeln Abbey owns 1 hectare of the Ufenau vineyards which are cultivated by its winery, on 7 December 2003 the Ufenau association was founded, one year later «Freunde der Insel Ufnau». Friends of Ufenau island is a club to finance some projects for maintenance of the buildings located on the island. It supports a long-time idea called «Insel der Stille», inlcluding a path way for disabled people around the island, the present St. Peter & Paul church was built in 1141/42 and renewed in 1958/59. For hundred of years, it was the church for the people living in the surrounding villages of Lake Zürichs upper shores
12.
Swiss German
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Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy bordering Switzerland. Linguistically, Swiss German forms no unity, the linguistic division of Alemannic is rather into Low, High and Highest Alemannic, varieties of all of which are spoken both inside and outside of Switzerland. The only exception within German-speaking Switzerland is the municipality of Samnaun where a Bavarian dialect is spoken, the dialects of Swiss German must not be confused with Swiss Standard German, the variety of Standard German used in Switzerland. Most people in Germany do not understand Swiss German, therefore, when an interview with a Swiss German speaker is shown on German television, subtitles are required. Unlike most regional languages in modern Europe, Swiss German is the everyday language of all social levels in industrial cities. Using the dialect conveys neither social nor educational inferiority and is done with pride. There are a few settings where speaking Standard German is demanded or polite, e. g. in education, in multilingual parliaments and this situation has been called a medial diglossia, since the spoken language is mainly the dialect, whereas the written language is mainly Standard German. Swiss German speakers on TV or in films are usually dubbed or subtitled if shown in Germany. Dialect rock is a music genre using the language, many Swiss rock bands, however, the Swiss Amish of Adams County, Indiana and their daughter settlements also use Swiss German. Swiss German is a regional or political umbrella term, not a linguistic unity, for all dialects, there are idioms spoken outside Switzerland that are more closely related to them than some Swiss German dialects. Low Alemannic is only spoken in the northernmost parts of Switzerland, in Basel, High Alemannic is spoken in most of the Swiss Plateau, and is divided in an eastern and a western group. Highest Alemannic is spoken in the Alps, each dialect is separable into numerous local subdialects, sometimes down to a resolution of individual villages. Speaking the dialect is an important part of regional, cantonal and national identities, in the more urban areas of the Swiss plateau, regional differences are fading due to increasing mobility, and a growing population of non-Alemannic descent. Despite the varied dialects, the Swiss can still understand one another, but may particularly have trouble understanding Walliser dialects. Most Swiss German dialects, being High German dialects, have completed the High German consonant shift, that is, they have not only changed t to or and p to or, There are, however, exceptions, namely the idioms of Chur and Basel. Basel German is a Low Alemannic dialect, and Chur German is basically High Alemannic without initial or, North of the Benrath line up to the North Sea, this consonant shift did not happen. The Walser migration, going on between the 12th and 13th centuries, spread upper Wallis varieties towards the east and south, into Grisons and even further to western Austria and northern Italy. Informally, a distinction is made between the German-speaking people living in the canton of Valais, the Walliser, and the migrated ones, so, the Walser were pioneers of the liberalisation from serfdom and feudalism
13.
Alemannic German
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Alemannic is a group of dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. The name derives from the ancient Germanic alliance of tribes known as the Alemanni. S, ISO 639-3 distinguishes four languages, gsw, swg, wae and gct. At this level, the distinction between a language and a dialect frequently is considered a cultural and political question, in part because linguists have failed to agree on a clear standard, the following variants comprise Alemannic, Swabian. Unlike most other Alemannic dialects, it does not retain the Middle High German monophthongs û, î, for this reason, Swabian is sometimes used in opposition to Alemannic. Retain German initial /k/ as rather than fricativising to as in High Alemannic, subvariants, Lake Constance Alemannic Upper-Rhine Alemannic in Southwestern Baden and its variant Alsatian Alemán Coloniero Basel German High Alemannic. Complete the High German consonant shift by fricativising initial /k/ to, subvariants, Bernese German Zürich German Vorarlbergisch Liechtensteinisch Highest Alemannic does not have the hiatus diphthongisation of other dialects of German. For example, instead of, instead of, subvariants, Walliser German Walser German Note that the Alemannic dialects of Switzerland are often called Swiss German or Schwiizertüütsch. The oldest known texts in Alemannic are brief Elder Futhark inscriptions dating to the sixth century, in the Old High German period, the first coherent texts are recorded in the St. Gall and Reichenau Island, a considerable part of the Old High German corpus has Alemannic traits. Alemannic Middle High German is less prominent, in spite of the Codex Manesse compiled by Johannes Hadlaub of Zürich, the rise of the Old Swiss Confederacy from the fourteenth century leads to the creation of Alemannic Swiss chronicles. Huldrych Zwinglis bible translation of the 1520s was in an Alemannic variant of Early Modern High German, the 1665 revision of the Froschauer Bible removed the Alemannic elements, approaching the language used by Luther. Johann Peter Hebel published his Allemannische Gedichte in 1803, Swiss authors often consciously employ Helvetisms within Standard German, notably Jeremias Gotthelf in his novels set in the Emmental, and more recently Tim Krohn in his Quatemberkinder. The diminutive is used frequently in all Alemannic dialects, northern and eastern dialects use the suffix -le, southern dialects use the suffix -li. Depending on dialect, thus, little house could be Heisle, Hüüsle, a significant difference between the high and low variants is the pronunciation of ch after the front vowels and consonants. In Standard German and the variants, this is a palatal, whereas in the higher variants
14.
German language
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German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, the German-speaking Community of Belgium and it is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg. Major languages which are most similar to German include other members of the West Germanic language branch, such as Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Luxembourgish and it is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English. One of the languages of the world, German is the first language of about 95 million people worldwide. The German speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of publication of new books. German derives most of its vocabulary from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, a portion of German words are derived from Latin and Greek, and fewer are borrowed from French and English. With slightly different standardized variants, German is a pluricentric language, like English, German is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects, with many unique varieties existing in Europe and also other parts of the world. The history of the German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the migration period, when Martin Luther translated the Bible, he based his translation primarily on the standard bureaucratic language used in Saxony, also known as Meißner Deutsch. Copies of Luthers Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region that translated words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Roman Catholics initially rejected Luthers translation, and tried to create their own Catholic standard of the German language – the difference in relation to Protestant German was minimal. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that a widely accepted standard was created, until about 1800, standard German was mainly a written language, in urban northern Germany, the local Low German dialects were spoken. Standard German, which was different, was often learned as a foreign language with uncertain pronunciation. Northern German pronunciation was considered the standard in prescriptive pronunciation guides though, however, German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire, which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe. Until the mid-19th century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of the Empire and its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Some cities, such as Prague and Budapest, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain, others, such as Pozsony, were originally settled during the Habsburg period, and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest and Bratislava as well as cities like Zagreb, the most comprehensive guide to the vocabulary of the German language is found within the Deutsches Wörterbuch. This dictionary was created by the Brothers Grimm and is composed of 16 parts which were issued between 1852 and 1860, in 1872, grammatical and orthographic rules first appeared in the Duden Handbook. In 1901, the 2nd Orthographical Conference ended with a standardization of the German language in its written form
15.
Lake
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A lake is an area of variable size filled with water, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land, apart from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, and therefore are distinct from lagoons, Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. Most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams, natural lakes are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers, in some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them. The word lake comes from Middle English lake, from Old English lacu, from Proto-Germanic *lakō, cognates include Dutch laak, Middle Low German lāke as in, de, Moorlake, de, Wolfslake, de, Butterlake, German Lache, and Icelandic lækur. Also related are the English words leak and leach, none of these definitions completely excludes ponds and all are difficult to measure. For this reason, simple size-based definitions are used to separate ponds. One definition of lake is a body of water of 2 hectares or more in area, however, others have defined lakes as waterbodies of 5 hectares and above, or 8 hectares and above. Charles Elton, one of the founders of ecology, regarded lakes as waterbodies of 40 hectares or more. The term lake is used to describe a feature such as Lake Eyre. In common usage, many bear names ending with the word pond. One textbook illustrates this point with the following, In Newfoundland, for example, almost every lake is called a pond, whereas in Wisconsin, the majority of lakes on Earth are fresh water, and most lie in the Northern Hemisphere at higher latitudes. Canada, with a drainage system has an estimated 31,752 lakes larger than 3 square kilometres and an unknown total number of lakes. Finland has 187,888 lakes 500 square metres or larger, most lakes have at least one natural outflow in the form of a river or stream, which maintain a lakes average level by allowing the drainage of excess water. Some lakes do not have an outflow and lose water solely by evaporation or underground seepage or both. Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for power generation, aesthetic purposes, recreational purposes, industrial use. Globally, lakes are greatly outnumbered by ponds, of an estimated 304 million standing water bodies worldwide, 91% are 1 hectare or less in area
16.
Switzerland
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Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
17.
Seedamm
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Seedamm is the partially artificial causeway and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden and Rapperswil. The Seedamm carries a road and a railway across the lake, with the railway being used by the S5 and S40 lines of the S-Bahn Zürich, the Seedam is based on an ice age moraine located between the three Swiss cantons of Schwyz, St. Gallen and Zürich. The causeway and bridges span this area of water, are 1 kilometre in length and carry a road. To the east of the causeway and bridge, there is the Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden. By 1358, ferry services between Rapperswil and Hurden are mentioned, a small wooden bridge from Ufenau island to Hurden is mentioned around 1430, so-called Kilchweg in die Ufenau. In 1873 the Swiss federal parliament approved the construction of the todays stone causeway, construction works have been begun in 1875 and finished in 1878. The construction costs the sum of 1,462,000 Swiss Francs, in 1878 the Zürichsee-Gotthardbahn established the railway line from Rapperswil railway station via Seedamm. In 1939 and 1951 the now called Seedamm causeway was reinforced to meet the growing demands and this canal is spanned by the Sternenbrücke, which also carries both road and railway. This bridge was renewed between March and November 2010 to allow 40 ton trucks to cross the Seedamm, in 2001 a new wooden footbridge was opened alongside the causeway for the first 840 metres of the crossing. It was built in quite the same place as the historical lake bridge linking Rapperswil with the nearby Heilig Hüsli bridge chapel that was built in 1551 and this connection for centuries has been part of old pilgrimage routes, the so-called Jakobsweg to the Einsiedeln Abbey. At the beginning of the 21st-century, about 75 passenger trains and 24,000 vehicles crossed the causeway and the town of Rapperswil-Jona every day, and as of 2016, an average of 26,000 vehicles. In order to relieve the traffic on road and rail during rush hours, because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around 4 metres to 7 metres under the water level of 406 metres. Geneviève Lüscher, Brücken und Wege der Bronzezeit, beat Eberschweiler, Ur- und frühgeschichtliche Verkehrswege über den Zürichsee, Erste Ergebnisse aus den Taucharchäologischen Untersuchungen beim Seedamm. In, Mitteilungen des Historischen Vereins des Kantons Schwyz, No, hans Rathgeb, Brücken über den See
18.
Rapperswil
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The towns main sights are concentrated in the Altstadt of Rapperswil and can be seen while strolling through the medieval alleys. Rapperswil is often referred to as the town of roses because of its displays of roses in three designated parks. No less than 15,000 plants of 600 different kinds may be viewed between June and October, there is also a rose garden in the town center, accessible to blind and disabled people. The old town is dominated by the Schloss Rapperswil located at the peninsula called Endingen, Lindenhof, the castle dates back to the early 13th century. In 1350, it was destroyed by Rudolf Brun, the mayor of Zürich, deer inhabit lands surrounding the castle. Since 1870, the castle has been home to the Polish National Museum created by Polish émigrés, including the castles lessee and restorer, a small Capuchins monastery was established in 1606 at the lakeside Endingerhorn as a Catholic counterpart to the Reformations centre in the city of Zürich. The monastery buildings belong to the citizens of Rapperswil rather than to the monks who inhabit it, the main churches in town include the Roman Catholic St. Johns Church, the cemetery chapel and a small Protestant church. The locational advantage of the place attracted the national Circus Knie who built its headquarters in Rapperswil in 1919, the circus is now also responsible for the Circus Museum and the Knies Kinderzoo located in Rapperswil which is particularly aimed at children. Rapperswil also hosts the Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil HSR and an Economics school for parts of the cantons Zürich, settlements in the region of Rapperswil date back to at least 5000 years ago. The three neighbouring Prehistoric settlements, as well as the early crossings, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps. The neolithic bridge between Hurden and Rapperswil was renewed by the Romans at least around 165 AD, St. Martin Busskirch is one of the oldest churches around uper Lake Zürich. Even the citizens of Rapperswil had to attend services in Busskirch until Count Rudolf II built the Stadtpfarrkirche on Herrenberg next to Rapperswil Castle on Lindenhof hill. Known members of the family are Countess Elisabeth von Rapperswil, her sons Wernher von Homberg, Reichsvogt and minnesang poet, in 1415, the town bought freedom for itself. In 1442, during Old Zurich War, Rapperswil was in alliance with Zürich, because of its strategic location along important infrastructure lines, and because of flourishing trade, the town grew rich. This allowed a degree of freedom within the Swiss Confederation which ended with the formation of the Swiss cantons by Napoleon in 1799. In 1656 and 1712, Rapperswil was involved in wars between the Catholic and Reformed cantons of the Old Swiss Confederation, Rapperswil was at first part of the Helvetic and the canton of Linths capital city. After the 1803 Act of Mediation, it joined the canton of St. Gallen, on January 1,2007, the former municipalities of Rapperswil and Jona merged to form a new political entity, Rapperswil-Jona has a population of 25,777. This makes it the second-largest town in the canton after the capital of St. Gallen itself, ironman 70.3 Switzerland and the Triathon Challenge took place in Rapperswil-Jona on 6 June 2010, and was repeated several times
19.
Glacier
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A glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight, it forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. Glaciers slowly deform and flow due to stresses induced by their weight, creating crevasses, seracs and they also abrade rock and debris from their substrate to create landforms such as cirques and moraines. Glaciers form only on land and are distinct from the much thinner sea ice, between 35°N and 35°S, glaciers occur only in the Himalayas, Andes, Rocky Mountains, a few high mountains in East Africa, Mexico, New Guinea and on Zard Kuh in Iran. Glaciers cover about 10 percent of Earths land surface, continental glaciers cover nearly 13,000,000 km2 or about 98 percent of Antarcticas 13,200,000 km2, with an average thickness of 2,100 m. Greenland and Patagonia also have huge expanses of continental glaciers, Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth. Within high altitude and Antarctic environments, the temperature difference is often not sufficient to release meltwater. A large piece of compressed ice, or a glacier, appears blue as large quantities of water appear blue and this is because water molecules absorb other colors more efficiently than blue. The other reason for the color of glaciers is the lack of air bubbles. Air bubbles, which give a color to ice, are squeezed out by pressure increasing the density of the created ice. The word Glaceon is a loanword from French and goes back, via Franco-Provençal, to the Vulgar Latin glaciārium, derived from the Late Latin glacia, the processes and features caused by or related to glaciers are referred to as glacial. The process of establishment, growth and flow is called glaciation. The corresponding area of study is called glaciology, Glaciers are important components of the global cryosphere. Glaciers are categorized by their morphology, thermal characteristics, and behavior, cirque glaciers form on the crests and slopes of mountains. A glacier that fills a valley is called a valley glacier, a large body of glacial ice astride a mountain, mountain range, or volcano is termed an ice cap or ice field. Ice caps have a less than 50,000 km2 by definition. Glacial bodies larger than 50,000 km2 are called ice sheets or continental glaciers, several kilometers deep, they obscure the underlying topography. Only nunataks protrude from their surfaces, the only extant ice sheets are the two that cover most of Antarctica and Greenland. They contain vast quantities of water, enough that if both melted, global sea levels would rise by over 70 m
20.
Glarus Alps
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The Glarus Alps are a mountain range in central Switzerland. They are bordered by the Uri Alps and the Schwyz Alps to the west, the Lepontine Alps to the south, the eastern part of the Glarus Alps contains a major thrust fault which was declared a geologic UNESCO world heritage site. The Glarus Alps extend well beyond the canton of Glarus, including parts of the cantons of Uri, Graubünden, and St Gallen. The main chain of the Glarus Alps can be divided into six groups, separated from each other by passes. The westernmost of these is the Crispalt, a range including many peaks of nearly equal height. The highest of these are the Piz Giuv and Piz Nair, the name Crispalt is given to a southern, but secondary, peak of Piz Giuv, measuring 3,070 m. West of the group is the Rienzenstock, while a northern outlyer culminates in the Bristen. East of the Crispalt, the Kreuzli or Chrüxli Pass separates this from the higher mass of the Oberalpstock. Here occurs a partial break in the continuity of the chain, two glacier passes lead over this part of the chain — one to west, over the Brunnigletscher to the Maderanertal, the other to the north-east, over the Sand Glacier, to the Linthal. The Tödi, the highest of the range and of north-eastern Switzerland, is attended by numerous secondary peaks that arise from the extensive snow-fields surrounding the central mountain, a less important branch encloses the Biferten Glacier, and terminates in the Selbsanft, south of Tierfehd. Towards the valley of the Vorderrhein a high promontory stretches nearly due south from the peaks of the Tödi. Another considerable ramification of the same mass terminates farther to the east in the peak of the Cavistrau. The Kisten Pass separates the Tödi group from the Hausstock, whose summit attains 3,158 m, the Hausstock is cut off from the rather lower but more extended mass of the Vorab by the Panixer Pass. Numerous summits, of which the Vorab proper and Piz Grisch are the most important, approach very near, but do not quite attain to 10,000 feet. Main glaciers, Hüfi Glacier Limmern Glacier Biferten Glacier Vorab Glacier The chief passes of the Tödi Range, from the Oberalp Pass to the Klausen Pass, are, Note, road status as of 1911. Swiss Alps This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh. Swisstopo maps Swiss official cartography, on-line version, map. geo. admin. ch Media related to Glarus Alps at Wikimedia Commons The Glarus Alps on SummitPost
21.
Walensee
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The Walensee is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland. About 2/3 of its surface in the Canton of St. Gallen and it is also known as Lake Walen or Lake Walenstadt, after Walenstadt. Other towns and villages at the lake include, Weesen, Quinten, Quarten, the three main rivers leading to this lake are the Seez, Murgbach, and Linth. The latter continues its course from Walensee to Lake Zurich, the Schnittlauchinsel, located at the eastern end of the lake, is the only island in the Walensee. The Churfirsten range raises steeply on the side from the lakes level at 419 m to 2,306 m above sea level. On the south, the lake is overlooked by the massif of the Mürtschenstock, the highest point of the lakes drainage basin is the Tödi. The lake provided the inspiration for a piano piece by Hungarian romantic composer Franz Liszt. The piece is part of a collection of piano works inspired by the composers travels in 1830s Switzerland. Media related to Walensee at Wikimedia Commons Waterlevels of Walensee at Murg
22.
Ulrich von Hutten
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Ulrich von Hutten was a German scholar, poet, satirist and reformer. He was a critic of the Roman Catholic Church and a bridge between the Renaissance humanists and the Lutheran Reformation. He was a leader of the Imperial Knights of the Holy Roman Empire and his life may be divided into four parts, his youth and cloister life, his wanderings in pursuit of knowledge, his strife with Ulrich of Württemberg, and his connection with the Reformation. Hutten was born in Steckelberg Castle, now in Schlüchtern, Hesse and he was the eldest son of a poor and not undistinguished knightly family. The monastic school there was regarded in Germany, and he received an excellent education. However, he disliked the mode of life, and in 1505 fled to Cologne and he thus obtained his freedom, but incurred the undying anger of his father. In Cologne, Hutten met Hoogstraten, Johannes Rhagius, and other scholars, in 1506, he went to Erfurt, but soon after rejoined Rhagius at Frankfurt an der Oder where a new university was opening. There he took his masters degree and published his first poem, in 1507, he followed Rhagius to Leipzig. In 1509, he was studying theology at the University of Greifswald, however his burgher patrons could not tolerate the poets airs and vanity and ill-timed assertions of his higher rank. Wherefore Hutten left Greifswald, and as he went was robbed of clothes and books, his only baggage, in the dead of winter, half starved, frozen, penniless, he reached Rostock. Rostock could not hold him long, and he wandered on to Wittenberg, where in 1511 he published his Ars Versificatoria, a work on versification. His next stop was Leipzig, and thence to Vienna, where he hoped to win the emperor Maximilians favour by an elaborate national poem on the war with Venice, but neither Maximilian nor the University of Vienna would lift a hand for him. So he went on to Italy, and settled at Pavia to study law. In 1512, his studies were interrupted by war, in the siege of Pavia by papal troops and Swiss, on his recovery, he served for a short time as a private soldier in the emperors army, but by 1514 was back in Germany. Thanks to his poetic gifts and the friendship of Eitelwolf von Stein, he won the favour of the elector of Mainz, Archbishop Albert of Brandenburg. Here high dreams of a learned career rose on him, Mainz should be made the metropolis of a grand humanist movement and these works made him known throughout Germany. Epistolæ Obscurorum Virorum was written in support of Huttens mentor, the prominent theologian Johannes Reuchlin, Epistolæ contained a series of fictitious letters addressed to Hardwin von Grätz, which sarcastically attacked the scholastic theologians who were acting against Reuchlin. Hutten went again to Italy to take the degree of doctor of laws, there the emperor took Hutten under his protection and bestowed on him the honors of a poets laureate crown and knighthood
23.
Au Peninsula
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The Au Peninsula is located on the Swiss Zürichsee lake shore in the municipality of Au, Canton of Zürich. Au is a situated on the southwestern Zürichsee lake shore on the slope of the Zimmerberg plateau. In its south, between the headland and the peninsula, a small lake respectively a reed landscape to the north is situated, the area is located in the municipality of Au between Wädenswil and Horgen. Although technically a peninsula, the Halbinsel Au is considered by some scholars simply part of the Zürichsee coastline, located on the Au peninsula, the Neolithic site named Wädenswil–Vorder Au was one of the numerous sites of Prehistoric pile dwellings around Zürichsee. At Au numerous pottery and textile finds from the period between the Pfyn and Horgen were excavated, as well as relics of the Bell Beaker culture. The roughly 0.5 square kilometres large peninsula is first mentioned in the year 1316 as «Owe» belonging to the commandry of the Knights Hospitaller in Bubikon and its name may be derived from the German term Au, meaning an inland island because its southern small lake. Sold by the Knights Hospitallers in 1550, until 1835 it was a domain of the old city republic of Zürich, the farm Au was acquired by the Swiss General Hans Rudolf Werdmüller in 1550. In 1951 the vineyards at the slope of the Au hill were re-established for education. Around the old Au farm an historical orchard was established in 1976, the peninsula has also a renowned restaurant. The Au lake and the vineyards on the side were also part of the extensive estate which was sold by Werdmüllers son in 1678. The estate went over into the possession of Colonel Hans von Schulthess-Bodmer, among the famous residents was the author Mentona Moser who was born on the Au peninsula, „Ich habe gelebt“ is one of her published books. Though the buildings usually just partially are accessible to the public, the spacious park. In 1978 the Weinbaumuseum am Zürichsee was opened at the foot of the Au peninsula to allow an insight into the wine of the region from the beginning to the present. Tourist boat trips, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, sail between Zürich-Bürkliplatz and Rapperswil, because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around 4 metres to 7 metres under the water level of 406 metres. Schloss Au, its buildings and the park are listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class B object of regional importance. Weinbaumuseum am Zürichsee Landgasthof Halbinsel Au
24.
Horgen
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Horgen is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. It is one of the towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich. Horgen is also the type-site of Switzerlands middle Neolithic archaeological culture, the settlement there, the so-called Horgner Kultur, produced examples of a type of crude pottery with parallels to the Seine-Oise-Marne culture of northern France. Horgen is first mentioned in 952 as Horga, Horgen has an area of 21.1 km2. Of this area,27. 7% is used for agricultural purposes, of the rest of the land,20. 4% is settled and the remainder is non-productive. In 1996 housing and buildings made up 12. 5% of the total area, of the total unproductive area, water made up 1. 6% of the area. As of 2007, 16% of the municipal area was undergoing some type of construction. It includes the villages of Horgen, Arn and Horgenberg, until 1773, Horgen included the now separate municipalities of Oberrieden and Hirzel. The Sihl forest became part of the city of Zürich in 1803, however the Horgen city council refused to acknowledge this until 1877. Horgen has a population of 20,164, as of 2007,27. 1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. As of 2008 the gender distribution of the population was 49% male, over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10. 7%. Most of the population speaks German, with Italian being second most common, in the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 35. 6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS, the FDP and the CSP, the age distribution of the population is children and teenagers make up 20. 7% of the population, while adults make up 64. 1% and seniors make up 15. 2%. In Horgen about 73% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education, there are 7850 households in Horgen. Horgen has an unemployment rate of 2. 66%, as of 2005, there were 213 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 39 businesses involved in this sector. 2017 people are employed in the sector and there are 167 businesses in this sector. 6892 people are employed in the sector, with 623 businesses in this sector. As of 200756. 5% of the population were employed full-time
25.
Adlisberg
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Adlisberg, with an elevation of 701 metres, is a wooded mountain in Switzerland overlooking Zürichsee to the northwest near the Zürichberg. Adlisberg mountain is located to the east of the city of Zürich and its highest point is about 200 metres above the Lake Zürich. The mountain range is part of a chain of hills — among them Käferberg, Forch, on the southern and western flanks of the Adlisberg are located the Zurich quarters Hottingen, Hirslanden and Witikon. The upper part of Hottingen is called Dolder and is a quarter of Zürich. On a terrace on the side of the city of Zurich are situated the hamlets Tobelhof, Gockhausen and Geeren. It is a location and the lower western side of the hill is now part of the residential district of Zürich. The Zürich Zoo and FIFAs headquarters are located to the northwest and it is also the location of restaurants, hotels, among them the high-levelled Grand Hotel Dolder. At the Grand Hotel Dolder, a golf course was built. Waldschule Adlisberg aims at children, provided by the city of Zürich, the upper part of the hill is mostly woodland and a popular recreational area for hiker and biker enthousiasts. On the northeastern side of the Adlisberg the ruins of the Dübelstein castle are situated, from 1487 to 1489 the home of Hans Waldmann, former mayor of the city of Zürich. Thus a completely car-free settlement on the surface would have occurred, but the project was opposed, mainly for ecological reasons, Dübelstein in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
26.
Forch
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Forch is a village and a mountain pass located in the municipalities of Küsnacht and Maur in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Forch is located approximately 10 km in the southeast of Zürich, nearby Zumikon and it includes the hamlets Aesch and Scheuren, and Kaltenstein in the east of the pass, Wangen and Neue Forch, which are villages of the municipality of Küsnacht. The forested hill called Guldenen on Pfannenstiel belongs to the Forch area, Hinter Guldenen to the municipality of Maur, the mountain pass named Forch connects Küsnacht on Lake Zürich and Maur on Greifensee respectively in the Glatt Valley. A monument called Wehrmännerdenkmal commemorating World War I is located nearby Neue Forch and Wassberg hill, the population of the village of Forch is about 3,004. The village has preserved its rural character, since 1912, Forch is a stop of the Forchbahn, a tramway of the S-Bahn Zürich, between the Stadelhoferplatz in Zürich and the municipality of Esslingen. Forch village is connected by the A52 highway to Zumikon and Hinwil heading to the Zürcher Oberland, thanks to these good conditions, Forch is the biggest village within the municipality of Maur. The tavern Zur Krone was built in 1783 on the summit of the Forch pass, 1836-1901 a horses station, on the post route from Zürich to the municipality of Egg, which was in 1905 replaced by a bus line. Around 1900, a settlement of eight houses was established,12 years later the train station of the Forchbahn was built. The war memorial was built in 1922, around 1960 the region became part of the growing agglomeration of the city of Zürich, and the villages of Forch, Scheuren and Aesch turned to an upscale residential district. Points of interest include the so-called Drachenhöhle towards the Wulp Castle besides the gorge, the so-called Dorfbach stream is also one of the most important spawning grounds for lake trout, although the number of spawning animals was as of 2013 very modest. Some glacial erratics respectively the so-called Findlingsgarten at the end of the gorge towards Küsnacht. Official website of the municipality of Maur Martin Illi, Forch in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland,8 December 2005
27.
Greifensee
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Greifensee is a lake in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Greifensee is located 11 km to the east of the city of Zurich, as the second largest lake in the canton of Zurich, it is about 6 km long and 1.6 km at the widest point, with a maximum depth of 32 m. The Aabach is the main supplying river, while its outlet is the Glatt, a boat connects small towns along the edge of the lake, Maur, Niederuster, Fällanden, Mönchaltorf and the town Greifensee with its charming Altstadt and Greifensee castle. Greifensee is the scene of the Greifensee-Lauf, a semi-marathon around the lake every year. Greifensee is a recreation area for biking and inline skating on the paved recreation path around the lake. Easy hiking trails follow the water and pass Greifensee castle before entering a nature preserve, there are well maintained bicycle roads all around the lake as well as on the banks of Aabach. The lakeside is under UNESCO protection, and buildings are not allowed, resulting in reed bed, the nature reserves are important for the birds breeding there including more than 120 migratory species. This was adopted as the name of the lake by the 16th century, because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around 4 metres to 7 metres under the water level of 406 metres. Media related to Greifensee at Wikimedia Commons Greifensee in German, French, schifffahrts-Genossenschaft Greifensee, Boat schedules Waterlevels at Greifensee
28.
Zimmerberg
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Zimmerberg is a mountain and a region located in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Its name bases on the Old High German word zimbar in the meaning of lumber, Sihl river borders Zimmerberg on its southern side, on the northeastern side it is bordered by the Lake Zürich. The area is wooded, but also has fields, some cultivated. Being near the city Zurich, the area is a recreation area. The area alongside Lake Zürich had been formed as the left moraine of the Ice Age glacier, the bed of which is now the Lake Zürich, the soil is mostly a conglomerate of gravel, some of it large, and glacial loess. The term Region Zimmerberg usually refers to the mountain, the area, the Zimmerberg, a small motor ship of the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, is named after the mountain. Alamannic grave mounds have been found on the Zimmerberg
29.
Etzel (mountain)
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The Etzel is a mountain on the south side of Lake Zürich in Switzerland. Although its elevation, of 1,098 metres, is relatively modest, it is notable for its aspect when viewed from the lake and it is also well known for its views over the lake, and there is a mountain inn at the summit. The mountain forms part of the Schwyzer Alps mountain range, and its summit and slopes are divided between the municipalities of Feusisberg, which lies to the north, and Einsiedeln, which lies to the south. The mountain has given its name to the 1934-built MV Etzel, media related to Etzel at Wikimedia Commons Etzel on Hikr
30.
Canton of St. Gallen
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The canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. Located in Northeastern Switzerland, the canton has an area of 2,026 km² and it was formed in 1803 as a conflation of the city of St. Gallen, the territories of the Abbey of St. Gall and various former subject territories of the Old Swiss Confederacy. The canton of St. Gallen is a construct of various historical territories. About half of the area corresponds to the acquisitions of the abbey of St. Gallen over centuries. The city of St. Gallen became independent of the Abbey in 1405, at the same time, the Abbey lost control of the Appenzell. Conversely, the Toggenburg was acquired by the Abbey in 1468, both the City and the Abbey were associates of the Old Swiss Confederacy, but unlike Appenzell never joined as full members. The territories at Lake Zürich, Walensee and Rheintal remained independent until 1798, in the Helvetic Republic, the northern parts of the modern canton together with Appenzell became the Canton of Säntis, while its southern parts together with Glarus became the canton of Linth. The founding of St. Gallen is based on the Irish monk Gallus, around 720, one hundred years after Galluss death, the Alemannic priest Othmar built an abbey and gave it the name Abbey of St. Gallen. In 926 Hungarian raiders attacked the abbey and surrounding town, about 1205 the abbot became a prince of the church in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1311 St. Gallen became a Free imperial city, by about 1353 the guilds, headed by the cloth-weavers guild, gained control of the civic government. In 1415 the city bought its liberty from the German king Sigismund, in 1405 the Appenzell estates of the abbot successfully rebelled and in 1411 they became allies of the Old Swiss Confederation. A few months later the town of St. Gallen also became allies and they joined the everlasting alliance as full members of the Confederation in 1454 and in 1457 became completely free from the abbot. However, in 1451 the abbey became an ally of Zürich, Lucerne, Schwyz, in early 1490 the four cantons supported the Abbot against the rebellious city and the Appenzell. Following their victory the Confederation took ownership of the city of St. Gallen, starting in 1526 then-mayor and humanist Joachim von Watt introduced the reformation in the city of St. Gallen. The town converted to the new reformed religion while the Abbey remained Roman Catholic, while iconoclastic riots forced the monks to flee the city and removed images from the citys churches, the fortified Abbey remained untouched. The Abbey would remain a Catholic stronghold in the Protestant city until 1803, in April 1798, the territories of the later canton of St. Gallen were divided between the Cantons of Säntis and Linth of the Helvetic Republic (along with Appenzell, Glarus and parts of Schwyz. However, the two new Cantons had immediate financial problems and were forced to institute a number of unpopular taxes, the Abbey was secularized on 17 September 1798 and the Prince-Abbot Pankraz Vorster fled to Vienna. The unpopular laws and the closing of the Abbey caused unrest throughout the area, when the War of the Second Coalition broke out in 1799, an Austrian army marched into eastern Switzerland and returned the Prince-Abbot to his throne at the Abbey
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Canton of Schwyz
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Schwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centered on and named after the town of Schwyz. It is one of the cantons of Switzerland, Switzerlands Standard German name, die Schweiz, is derived from the name of the canton. For the history of the name, see Schwyz, the Swiss Federal Charter is on display in Schwyz. Northeast of the town of Schwyz is the Einsiedeln Abbey, the earliest traces of humans in Schwyz are from the Upper Paleolithic and Early Mesolithic or about 12,500 BC. An excavation of the karst caves in the valley of the Muota river revealed numerous sites, the alpine meadows at Bödmeren, Twärenen and Silberen were stone age hunter-gatherer camps. Ibex and red deer bones along with charcoal indicate that the animals were butchered and cooked in these camps, in 2009 the first stone age tool in the canton, a stone drill, was discovered. During the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age there were a number of pile dwellings, the two settlements at Hurden in Freienbach are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Hurden sites are related to the western Cortaillod culture, sites on the island of Lützelau and the shore zone at Freienbach are eastern Pfyn culture and Corded Ware culture. During the Bronze Age several bridges were built between the promontory of Endingen in Rapperswil, St. Gallen and the settlements at Hurden, over 200,000 posts and seven bridges have been discovered, along with several settlements and ritual sites. On the Schwyz side of the lake, ten different settlements from 4300-2700 BC have been discovered, however, after 1200 BC there is very little evidence for further Bronze Age settlements in the canton. Only eight Iron Age sites have been discovered in the canton from the 8th to 1st centuries BC, during the Roman era a Roman Vicus was established at Kempraten in Rapperswil around the massive bridge at Seedamm which crossed into Schwyz. A Gallo-Roman temple was built on Ufenau island around AD200 on the site of the present chapel of Sts, a few Roman coin hoards were discovered at Küssnacht and Rickenbach bei Schwyz and Küssnacht may have been the site of a Roman estate. In 561 Schwyz became part of the Ducatus alamannorum and remained independent under the Alemanni dukes until the second quarter of the 8th century. The Alemanni began to settle into the valleys around 680, but for centuries the Germanic speaking Alemanni, Romansh remained the main language in Einsiedeln until the 10th century. In the 8th and 9th centuries the land was under the Counts of the Zürichgau, the low-laying land along Lake Zürich was relatively easy to reach and was settled throughout the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the Muotathal area was used by seasonal herders, Küssnacht was first mentioned in the 9th century, but it is likely that there were earlier settlements. The forests around Einsiedeln were lightly settled, a visit of the Irish monks, Gallus and Columbanus in 611 is mentioned in the Gallusviten. However, their efforts were unsuccessful in Schwyz
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Ferry
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A ferry is a merchant vessel used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate regular return services, a passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi. Ferries form a part of the transport systems of many waterside cities and islands. However, ship connections of much larger distances may also be called ferry services, the profession of the ferryman is embodied in Greek mythology in Charon, the boatman who transported souls across the River Styx to the Underworld. Speculation that a pair of oxen propelled a ship having a wheel can be found in 4th century Roman literature Anonymus De Rebus Bellicis. Though impractical, there is no reason why it could not work and such a ferry, see When Horses Walked on Water, Horse-Powered Ferries in Nineteenth-Century America. The Marine Services Company of Tanzania offers passenger and cargo services in three of the African Great Lakes viz, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa. It also operates one of the oldest ferries in the region, Ferries from Great Britain also sail to Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Ireland. Some ferries carry mainly tourist traffic, but most also carry freight, in Britain, car-carrying ferries are sometimes referred to as RORO for the ease by which vehicles can board and leave. The busiest single ferry route is across the part of Øresund. Before the Øresund bridge was opened in July 2000, car and car & train ferries departed up to seven times every hour, in 2013, this has been reduced, but a car ferry still departs from each harbor every 15 minutes during daytime. The route is around 2.2 nautical miles and the crossing takes 22 minutes, today, all ferries on this route are constructed so that they do not need to turn around in the harbors. This also means that the ferries lack natural stems and sterns, due to the same circumstances, starboard and port-side are dynamic and depending of in what direction the ferry sails. Despite the short crossing, the ferries are equipped with restaurants, cafeteria, kiosks, large cruiseferries sail in the Baltic Sea between Finland, Åland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Saint Petersburg, Russia and from Italy to Sardinia, Corsica, Spain and Greece. In many ways, these ferries are like cruise ships, also many smaller ferries operate on domestic routes in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. The south-west and southern parts of the Baltic Sea has several routes mainly for heavy traffic, on the longer of these routes, simple cabins are available. In Istanbul, ferries connect the European and Asian shores of Bosphorus, as well as Princes Islands, in 2014 İDO transported 47 million passengers, the largest ferry system in the world. Due to the numbers of freshwater lakes and length of shoreline in Canada
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Roll-on/roll-off
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This is in contrast to lift-on/lift-off vessels, which use a crane to load and unload cargo. RORO vessels have either built-in or shore-based ramps that allow the cargo to be rolled on. While smaller ferries that operate across rivers and other short distances often have built-in ramps, the ramps and doors may be located in stern, bow or sides, or any combination thereof. At first, wheeled vehicles carried as cargo on oceangoing ships were treated like any other cargo, automobiles had their fuel tanks emptied and their batteries disconnected before being hoisted into the ship’s hold, where they were chocked and secured. This process was tedious and difficult, and vehicles were subject to damage, an early roll-on/roll-off service was a train ferry, started in 1833 by the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, which operated a wagon ferry on the Forth and Clyde Canal in Scotland. The first modern train ferry was Leviathan, built in 1849, the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway was formed in 1842 and the company wished to extend the East Coast Main Line further north to Dundee and Aberdeen. The company hired the civil engineer Thomas Bouch who argued for a train ferry with an efficient roll-on/roll-off mechanism to maximise the efficiency of the system. Custom-built ferries were to be built, with lines and matching harbour facilities at both ends to allow the rolling stock to easily drive on and off the boat. To compensate for the tides, adjustable ramps were positioned at the harbours. The wagons were loaded on and off with the use of steam engines. ”The company was persuaded to install this train ferry service for the transportation of goods wagons across the Firth of Forth from Burntisland in Fife to Granton. The ferry itself was built by Thomas Grainger, a partner of the firm Grainger and Miller, the service commenced on 3 February 1850. Train-ferry services were used extensively during World War I and this involved three train-ferries to be built, each with four sets of railway line on the main deck to allow for up to 54 railway wagons to be shunted directly on and off the ferry. These train-ferries could also be used to transport vehicles along with railway rolling stock. Later that month a second train-ferry was established from the Port of Southampton on the South East Coast, in the first month of operations at Richborough,5,000 tons were transported across the Channel, by the end of 1918 it was nearly 261,000 tons. There were many advantages of the use of train-ferries over conventional shipping in World War I and it was much easier to move the large, heavy artillery and tanks that this kind of modern warfare required using train-ferries as opposed to repeated loading and unloading of cargo. The increase of traffic because of the war effort meant that economies. After the signing of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, train ferries were used extensively for the return of material from the Front, indeed, according to war office statistics, a greater tonnage of material was transported by train ferry from Richborough in 1919 than in 1918. As the train ferries had space for motor transport as well as rolling stock, thousands of lorries, motor cars
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Meilen
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Meilen is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Archaeological findings in Meilen date back more than 4,000 years, in January 1854 the level of lake Zürich was particularly low and the locals took the chance to gain some land. During this undertaking prehistoric objects from the Pfyn, Horgen and early Bronze Age cultures were unearthed providing clear evidence of early settlement, the locals also unearthed coins from Roman times. One of the Roman roads connected Turicum with places up to Chur, many findings were discovered during more recent road building. Parts of Meilen were possessions of monasteries, including the monastery of St. Gallen, Meilen is first mentioned between 820-880 as Meilana. It is guessed that this goes back to a gallic name Mediolanum, the coats of arms shows two castle towers which represent the castle of Friedberg, the local castle. The castle was built around 1200 but extended in the 14th century, some remains are still visible, including the fountain which reaches down 29 metres. Winegrowing in Meilen dates back for centuries, in 1384 Meilen became a bailiwick of Zürich. Thanks to the reeve Meilen enjoyed relative autonomy until 1798, since the Middle Ages local trade and handicraft was established in Meilen. There were at least four mills to support the local agriculture, towards the end of the 18th century, industrialisation arrived in Meilen in form of textiles, but this form of production disappeared in the 19th century. With the arrival of the railway in 1894 local trade and industry blossomed, the ferry to Horgen was opened in 1933. Meilen has an area of 11.9 square kilometers, of this area,46. 9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 24. 4% is forested. Of the rest of the land,27. 2% is settled, in 1996 housing and buildings made up 21. 4% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest. Of the total area, water made up 0. 2% of the area. As of 200726. 5% of the municipal area was undergoing some type of construction. It is located on the bank of the lake of Zürich. Meilen is located halfway between Zürich and Rapperswil. Meilen is connected to Horgen across the lake by ferry, in the local dialect it is called Meile
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Wangen, Schwyz
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Wangen is a municipality in March District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality includes Wangen itself, together with the hamlet of Nuolen, Wangen has an area, as of 2006, of 8.5 km2. Of this area,64. 9% is used for agricultural purposes, of the rest of the land,21. 3% is settled and the remainder is non-productive. The Buechberg hill is located on the area of the municipality, Wangen has a population of 4,884. As of 2007,13. 9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 4. 1%. Most of the population speaks German, with Albanian being second most common, as of 2000 the gender distribution of the population was 50. 1% male and 49. 9% female. The age distribution, as of 2008, in Wangen is,1,247 people or 27. 5% of the population is between 0 and 19. 1,399 people or 30. 8% are 20 to 39, the senior population distribution is 310 people or 6. 8% are 65 to 74. There are 143 people or 3. 1% who are 70 to 79 and 41 people or 0. 90% of the population who are over 80, as of 2000 there are 1,753 households, of which 453 households contain only a single individual. 128 or about 7. 3% are large households, with at least five members, in the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 50. 3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS, the FDP and the CVP, in Wangen about 68. 9% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education. Wangen has an unemployment rate of 1. 21%, as of 2005, there were 158 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 56 businesses involved in this sector. 387 people are employed in the sector and there are 70 businesses in this sector. 645 people are employed in the sector, with 138 businesses in this sector. From the 2000 census,3,166 or 69. 7% are Roman Catholic, there are 174 who are Islamic. There are 19 individuals who belong to church,209 belong to no church, are agnostic or atheist. The historical population is given in the table
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Coolidge, William Augustus Beevoort (1911). "Zürich, Lake of". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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