Forch
| Forch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Elevation | 682 m (2,238 ft) |
| Traversed by | Road |
| Location | Canton of Zürich,Switzerland |
| Range | Pfannenstiel (Zürich) |
| Coordinates | 47°19.5′N8°39.2′E/ 47.3250°N 8.6533°E |
  Forch Location in Switzerland | |
Forchis a village and amountain pass(el. 682 m (2,238 ft)) located in themunicipalitiesofKüsnachtandMaurin thecanton of Zürich,Switzerland.
Geography
[edit]Forch is located approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) in the southeast ofZürich,nearbyZumikonandMaur.It includes thehamletsAeschandScheuren(villages of the municipality Maur), andKaltensteinin the east of the pass,WangenandNeue Forch,which are villages of the municipality of Küsnacht. The forested hill calledGuldenenonPfannenstielbelongs to the Forch area,Hinter Guldenento the municipality of Maur andVorder Guldenenis part of the municipality ofEgg.
The mountain pass namedForchconnects Küsnacht onLake Zürichand Maur onGreifenseerespectively in theGlatt Valley.A monument calledWehrmännerdenkmalcommemoratingWorld War Iis located nearbyNeue ForchandWassberghill (el. 851 metres (2,792 ft)), which is also a popular recreation area for the people of the city of Zürich.
Village of Forch
[edit]The population of the village of Forch is about 3,004 (as of 2013[update]).[1]The village has preserved its rural character. Since 1912, Forch is a stop of theForchbahn,atrainwayof theS-Bahn Zürich,between theStadelhofenin Zürich and the municipality ofEsslingen.Forch village is connected by theA52 highwaytoZumikon(to the northwestwest) andHinwil(to the southeast) heading to theZürcher Oberland.Thus Forch is the biggest village within the municipality of Maur. Nevertheless, its infrastructure, apart fromKindergarten,primary school, small retail facilities and hospitality is modest, i.e. most infrastructure facilities are located in the surrounding villages, e.g.Eggand Maur.
History
[edit]The tavern "Zur Krone" (crown) was built in 1783 on the summit of the Forch pass,[2]1836-1901 a horse's station, on the post route from Zürich to the municipality of Egg, which was in 1905 replaced by a bus line. Around 1900, a small settlement of eight houses was established, 12 years later the train station of theForchbahnwas 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.
Attractions
[edit]The main attractions on the northwestern slope of the primeval landscape of thePfannenstielarea, there are sometimes rock slides occurring there, the last on 24 April 2013 when a 250-tonne (551,156 lb) boulder crashed on the pathway of theKüsnachter Tobel.[3]Nevertheless, the pathway is very popular for hiking, usually starting in Forch and ending at the landing gate of the Zürichsee lake transportation companyZürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft(ZSG) in Küsnacht. Points of interest include the so-calledDrachenhöhletowards theWulp Castlebesides the gorge: The literallyDragon's Denis a small cave that was washed out of the glacialNagelfluhconglomerate.[4]The so-calledDorfbachstream is also one of the most important spawning grounds forlake trout,although the number of spawning animals was as of 2013 very modest.[5]Someglacial erraticsrespectively the so-calledFindlingsgartenat the lower end of the gorge towards Küsnacht, as well as the idyllic landscape, are further points of attraction. Towards Küsnacht there are the local historical museum and the historical core of Küsnacht, located at the southern entrance of the ravine, and the early medievalZehntenhausgranary on the lake shore landing gate,[4]where theForchand other motor ship of theZürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaftprovide public transport betweenRapperswilandBürkliplatzin Zürich.
Transport
[edit]Forch railway stationlies within the village and is the principal intermediate station and headquarters of theForchbahn(FB), which is operated asZürich S-BahnserviceS18and provides links betweenZürich-Stadelhofenand the village ofEsslingen.
Bus Service
[edit]There are three frequent bus lines starting from the southernmost station in Forch, Scheuren. Two are headed north, for Klusplatz and Stettbach respectively, while the last one is bound south for Esslingen.
References
[edit]- ^"Zahlen und Fakten"(in German). maur.ch.Retrieved2015-01-15.
- ^"Die Geschichte"(in German). kroneforch.ch.Retrieved2015-01-15.
- ^"Grosser Brocken: 250 Tonnen stürzten ins Küsnachter Tobel"(in German).Schweiz aktuell.2013-04-24.Retrieved2014-11-07.
- ^abMichel Wenzler."Sagenhafte Wege: Wandern im Küsnachter Tobel"(in German).Zürcher Verkehrsverbund(ZVV). Archived fromthe originalon 2014-11-07.Retrieved2014-11-08.
- ^"Forellen wandern bald ungehindert ins Tobel"(in German).Zürichsee-Zeitung.2013-04-24. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-11-08.Retrieved2014-11-08.
External links
[edit]
- Official website of the municipality of Maur(in German)
- Martin Illi:ForchinGerman,FrenchandItalianin the onlineHistorical Dictionary of Switzerland,8 December 2005.
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