Maschwanden

Maschwanden against the Lindenberg

Maschwanden is a municipality in the district of Affoltern the canton of Zurich in Switzerland.

Coat of arms

" In gold a curly, black tip, occupied and beseitet of three planet earth signs (2, 1 ) in confused colors. "

The coat of arms was used by the former Zurich's bailiwick Maschwanden already in 1406.

Geography

Maschwanden is located in the extreme southwest of the Canton of Zurich on the edge of the Reuss level near the mouth of the Lorze into the river. To the west of the municipality of the Lorze forms a natural border with the Canton train. The nature reserve Rüssspitz beyond the Lorze part of the sprawling municipality giant mountain. To the north is bordered Maschwanden to the community Obfelden, on the northeast by Mettmenstetten, to the east by Knonau and on the south by the supplied generic Cham community.

With 4.67 km2 Maschwanden is the area the second smallest municipality in the district Affoltern. The Agriculture serve 61 % of the municipality, 24 % is forested, 3% are trafficked areas and 5% takes the settlement.

Population

With about 650 inhabitants Maschwanden is the municipality with the smallest population in the district Affoltern and one of the smallest municipalities in the canton of Zurich. In 2000, approximately one- third of the population were employed in the first sector in Maschwanden still. The motto of Maschwanden reads: " We want to remain a farming village with cows ."

Policy

Mayor Andreas Binder (2012 ).

History

Maschwanden is ( written in 1160, handed in a copy of the 14th century ) in the oldest foundation charter of the monastery of Muri in the Acta Murensia as Maswanden first mentioned. DC local, there is another mention as Maswandon which is expected to go directly to an original document of 1189. The Old High German basic form is derived either from the South German diminutive Mani and was ze Manines swanton or based on the weak deklinierten personal names Mano and told ze Manin swanton ( " at the grubbing of Mani and the Mano ").

In a document of 1260 Maschwanden is attested as a castle town ( " in castro dicto Maswandon "). Castle and town Maschwanden were almost the same size as rain mountain. It was on a hill at the edge of the swamp area at the Lorze. As with many such towns the exterior facades of the houses formed the ring wall. There was a defense tower, Sodbrunnen and trades such as blacksmith and pottery.

The city Maschwanden was in the territory of the Barons von Eschenbach. Because of their involvement in the murder of King Albert I, the city Maschwanden was destroyed in 1309 by the Habsburgs and never rebuilt. Maschwanden came under Habsburg rule. In 1406, the Zurich city acquired the court rule on the mach hiking Office. The upper bailiwick Maschwanden - free Office 1512 was part of the newly created bailiwick Knonau.

North and east of it even before the destruction of the town was the present village Maschwanden with the mill in Oberndorf and a guest house in the center. During construction of the village church in 1505 stones of the former city and castle can be used again.

The former castle hill was completely removed by gravel mining in the 19th and 20th centuries. Recent archaeological rescue excavations took place in 1934. The profits from the community-owned gravel pit made ​​in 1890 from approximately 20% of municipal revenue, which was thus able to fund a variety of otherwise viable projects.