Thalwil

Geschichte

Thalwil is a municipality and town in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. As of 2010 its population was of 17,189. Besides the town of Thalwil, the municipality includes the village of Gattikon.The official language of Thalwil is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.HistoryThalwil is first mentioned around 1030 as Talwile villam, which is derived from Tellewilare, Tello's Farm, and indicates the early medieval origins of Thalwil as an Alemannic farmstead. Only a few graves remain from this period. In 1133 it was mentioned as Telwil.The parish of Thalwil originally comprised four Wachten (hamlets): Ludretikon, the oldest hamlet (mentioned in 915), bordering RüschlikonOberdorf (Upper Village), the area around the churchUnterdorf (Lower Village), the area roughly south of the railway stationLangnau, which separated from Thalwil around 1713 In medieval times, the economy consisted mainly of farms, vineyards as well as a small amount of fishing, crafts and shipping (on the lake). This estate was once owned by the Dukes of Habsburg and held by the Barons of Eschenbach. The Abbeys of Muri and Wettingen also had significant interests and owned 12 and 3 farms respectively.