Marthalen

Marthalen is a municipality in the district of Andelfingen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.

History

Marthalen is first mentioned in 858 as Martella.

Geography

Marthalen has an area of 14.2 km² (5.5 sq mi). Of this area, 49.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 39.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 10% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

The municipality is located in the Zürcher Weinland (Zurich's vineyards) between the Thur and Rhine Rivers. The village is known for its half-timbered houses. The municipality also includes the village of Ellikon am Rhein, and the hamlets of Niedermarthalen and Radhof.

Demographics

Marthalen has a population (as of 31 December 2014) of 1,986.As of 2007, 7.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 5.1%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (95.6%), with French being second most common ( 0.6%) and Italian being third ( 0.6%).