Pfäffikon, Schwyz
Encyclopedia
Pfäffikon is the principal town of the Municipality of Freienbach
in canton Schwyz in Switzerland. Together with Wollerau, Pfäffikon is considered the principal town of the borough Höfe and the center of the region of Ausserschwyz. The former farm town is known today as cultural, economic and service center with its main focus on hedge funds. With 7,200 residents Pfäffikon is the third biggest town of the canton after Küssnacht SZ and Einsiedeln.
, Bäch SZ and Hurden form the Municipality of Freienbach, but being the main traffic junction in the area it is the most important town in the municipality. 1848 Pfäffikon lost its independent status and was subsequently added to Freienbach. With important administrative and educational centers as well as one of the two fire departments of the canton in town, Pfäffikon became the second, northern center of the
canton, especially since the principal town Schwyz across in the foothills of the Alps is relatively difficult to reach (via Biberbrugg-Rothenthurm). This resulted in Pfäffikon orienting itself more towards Zürich than Schwyz, causing political tensions. The closeness to Zürich as well as the low tax rates led to Pfäffikon's position as economic center of the canton.
as well as the low tax rates were also responsible for the rapid development, leading to some major financial institutions to relocate to Pfäffikon. The biggest and best known companies in Pfäffikon are OC Oerlikon, Man Group
, Pamasol and LGT Group , Glacier Reinsurance, Charles Vögele and Markant AG.
Pfäffikon SZ railway station
is a terminal of the Zürich S-Bahn
on the line S5
, a stop on the line S40
heading to Rapperswil
, and on the lines S2
and S8
via Horgen
on the left side of the Lake Zürich
. The station is a 23 minute (RE Glarner Sprinter
), 29 minute (InterRegio), 34 minute (S2), 43 minute (S5) respectively 42 minute (S8) ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.
Freienbach
Freienbach is a municipality in Höfe District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.-Geography:Freienbach has an area, , of . Of this area, 40.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23.8% is forested...
in canton Schwyz in Switzerland. Together with Wollerau, Pfäffikon is considered the principal town of the borough Höfe and the center of the region of Ausserschwyz. The former farm town is known today as cultural, economic and service center with its main focus on hedge funds. With 7,200 residents Pfäffikon is the third biggest town of the canton after Küssnacht SZ and Einsiedeln.
Politics
Pfäffikon, together with Wilen SZ, FreienbachFreienbach
Freienbach is a municipality in Höfe District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.-Geography:Freienbach has an area, , of . Of this area, 40.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23.8% is forested...
, Bäch SZ and Hurden form the Municipality of Freienbach, but being the main traffic junction in the area it is the most important town in the municipality. 1848 Pfäffikon lost its independent status and was subsequently added to Freienbach. With important administrative and educational centers as well as one of the two fire departments of the canton in town, Pfäffikon became the second, northern center of the
canton, especially since the principal town Schwyz across in the foothills of the Alps is relatively difficult to reach (via Biberbrugg-Rothenthurm). This resulted in Pfäffikon orienting itself more towards Zürich than Schwyz, causing political tensions. The closeness to Zürich as well as the low tax rates led to Pfäffikon's position as economic center of the canton.
Business location
With the lowest tax burden for companies and private individuals and ideally located between the dynamic Zurich economic area and attractive recreation areas, Pfäffikon represents one of the best business locations in Switzerland.Taxation
Pfäffikon has very sensible government spending and has managed to always maintain a positive balance sheet. The large increase of tax payers and the amount of taxes paid by mainly the financial industry made it possible to lower taxes to the residents and businesses of Pfäffikon for 5 years in a row, resulting in the lowest tax rates of Switzerland.Economy
In the last 10 years Pfäffikon became an important financial center, especially for the Hedge Fund Business, and is considered today one of the most important fund-of-hedge-funds centers of the world with more than $90 billion assets under management. The economic boom started in Pfäffikon in the 1990s when Swiss banking regulations eased up. The closeness to ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
as well as the low tax rates were also responsible for the rapid development, leading to some major financial institutions to relocate to Pfäffikon. The biggest and best known companies in Pfäffikon are OC Oerlikon, Man Group
Man Group
Man Group plc is a British alternative investment management business. It provides a range of funds for institutional and private investors globally. The company manages about US$68 billion and employs around 1,700 people in 15 locations worldwide.Man’s headquarters are at Riverbank House...
, Pamasol and LGT Group , Glacier Reinsurance, Charles Vögele and Markant AG.
Education
Pfäffikon offers 8 kindergarten, 3 primary schools and one secondary school as well one of the two cantonwide schools and an open university.Transportation
The municipality is located on the A3 motorway.Pfäffikon SZ railway station
Pfäffikon SZ railway station
Pfäffikon SZ railway station is a junction station serving Pfäffikon, the principal town of the municipality of Freienbach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland....
is a terminal of the Zürich S-Bahn
Zürich S-Bahn
The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighboring cantons The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been...
on the line S5
S5 (ZVV)
The S5 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Zürich, St...
, a stop on the line S40
S40 (ZVV)
The S40 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, in the cantons of Schwyz, St...
heading to Rapperswil
Rapperswil
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
, and on the lines S2
S2 (ZVV)
The S2 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Zürich with Schwyz, Glarus and St...
and S8
S8 (ZVV)
The S8 is a regional railway line of the S-Bahn Zürich on the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund , Zürich transportation network, and is one of the network's lines connecting the cantons of Thurgau, Zürich and Schwyz.- Route :...
via Horgen
Horgen
Horgen is a village in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich.- History :Horgen is also the type-site of Switzerland's middle Neolithic archaeological culture...
on the left side of the Lake Zürich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
. The station is a 23 minute (RE Glarner Sprinter
Glarner Sprinter
The Glarner Sprinter is a named passenger train of the Swiss Federal Railways . It runs from Zürich into the Canton of Glarus, where it terminates in Schwanden on weekdays or Linthal on weekends. This is a RegioExpress service....
), 29 minute (InterRegio), 34 minute (S2), 43 minute (S5) respectively 42 minute (S8) ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.