The Töss Valley (German: ''Tösstal'') is a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

and a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of the

canton of Zürich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Geography

The valley embraces parts of the

Zürcher Oberland The Zürcher Oberland ("Zürich highlands") in Switzerland, is the hilly south-eastern part of the canton of Zürich, bordering on the Toggenburg, including the districts of Uster, Hinwil, Pfäffikon as well as the Töss Valley as far as the di ...

including the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

Hinwil Hinwil is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Hinwil (district), Hinwil in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. History The village Hinwil from which the later municipality ...

, Pfäffikon and

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

, in addition to parts of the Zürcher Unterland (lower Töss valley). Usually ''Tösstal'' is the name of the upper Töss valley, i.e. its narrow, valley-like area in the southeast of the city of

. The river

Töss Töss is a district in the Swiss city of Winterthur. It is district number 4. The district comprises the quarters Schlosstal, Dättnau, Eichliacker and Rossberg. It is named after the river Töss which flows through the district. In the Middle A ...

rises at ''Tössstock'' mountain (el. 1,154 m) flows along the valley including the municipalities and villages of Steg, Lipperschwändi and Wellenau (villages of Fischenthal), Bauma, Juckern, Blitterswil, Saland, Tablat, Wila,

Turbenthal Turbenthal is a municipality in the district of Winterthur located in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Geography Turbenthal has an area of . Of this area, 34.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 57.6% is forested. Of the rest of ...

, Zell, Rikon, Kollbrunn, and Sennhof near Winterthur. The Tösstal is a popular recreation area and well known for

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

tours in the surrounding mountains as Schnebelhorn and Hulftegg pass, and for skating and biking along Töss. The lower Töss valley includes the widely flattened parts in the west of Winterthur; it compromises the quarters of Winterthur called

and

Wülflingen Wülflingen is a district in the Swiss city of Winterthur, situated in the lower Töss Valley. It is district number six, and comprises the quarters Weinberg, Oberfeld, Lindenplatz, Niederfeld, Neuburg, Hardau, Härti and Taggenberg. Wü ...

, the municipalities

Neftenbach Neftenbach is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Winterthur (district), Winterthur in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. Besides the village of Neftenbach itself, the municip ...

Pfungen Pfungen is a municipality in the district of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Pfungen is first mentioned in 993 as ''Funginga''. Geography Pfungen has an area of . Of this area, 32.3% is used for agricultural purpose ...

Dättlikon Dättlikon is a municipality in the district of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Dättlikon is first mentioned in 1241 as ''Tetelinkhoven''. Geography Dättlikon has an area of . Of this area, 43% is used for agricult ...

Embrach Embrach is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Bülach (district), Bülach in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. Coat of arms Blazon '' Gules, two keys argent in saltire.' ...

Rorbas Rorbas is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Bülach (district), Bülach in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. Geography Rorbas has an area of —where 35.7% is used for a ...

Freienstein Freienstein-Teufen is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Bülach (district), Bülach in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich in Switzerland. History Freienstein-Teufen is first mentioned ...

and Teufen where the Töss joins the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

at Tössegg.

History

First settlement of the upper Töss valley by Celts is considered probable. After the Romans had withdrawn from the area of Winterthur (Vitudurum), the Alemanni advanced into the Töss valley. In the 19th century, water power was the basis of a flourishing textile industry that settled along the course of the river. The poor

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technolo ...

population earned money by carving wooden spoons in addition to working in the factories, which earned the region the name Chellenland (Swiss German: Chelle = English: cooking spoon). The water power of the Töss, however, also repeatedly caused flooding and brought much destruction to the region. In 1876, the Töss Valley Railway was completed, connecting the cities of Winterthur and Rapperswil. The driving force behind its realisation was the Swiss railway builder Adolf Guyer-Zeller, who also initiated the construction of the Jungfrau Railway. Until 1956, the steam railway was one of the last still in operation in Switzerland; to this day, the Dampfbahn-Verein Zürcher Oberland still runs steam locomotives on the Hinwil-Bauma line.

Transportation

The ''Tösstalstrasse'' (

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

) was built in 1837, the ''Tösstalbahn'' ( S26) opened in 1872/76.

Literature

* Hans Bernhard: ''Wirtschafts- und Siedelungsgeographie des Tösstales''. In: Jahresberichte der Geographisch-Ethnographischen Gesellschaft in Zürich, Vol. 11, 1910-1911
Digitalisat
* Kurt Hutter ''et al.'': ''Das Tösstal''. Birkenhalde Verlag, 2007. .

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toss Valley River valleys of Switzerland Regions of Switzerland High Rhine basin Landforms of the canton of Zürich