Wald: Textile History, Customs and Trails

Wald lies in the Hinwil district of the Zurich Oberland, at the transition between the Zurich Oberland and Toggenburg, and around 25 kilometres southeast of Zurich. The municipality stretches across gentle hills and dense forests; the Jona flows through it. The rural surroundings are well connected to the city. The town’s profile for travellers is shaped by its local history, museums, customs and trails through the landscape.

History and townscape

Wald’s history encompasses more than textile production: agriculture and mills are also part of its historical heritage, and the first recorded mentions date back to the early Middle Ages. The townscape combines historic buildings and traditional homes with modern residential neighbourhoods.

Two museums, different focuses

The Wald Local History Museum is housed in the former office building of the Spoerry and Schaufelberger company. In 1943, the then owner, Spoerry, donated the building to the municipality of Wald. The permanent exhibition looks back at the past of the former textile metropolis, traces the history of local trades and presents local customs. Visitors and groups interested in the chronicle or exhibitions can visit the museum by arrangement.

The Lozzi Museum has around 180 sculptures; some are movable and can be set in motion by visitors. The museum is a four-minute walk from Wald ZH S-Bahn station. The museums have different focuses: the Local History Museum brings together topics relating to local history, trades and customs; at the Lozzi Museum, you can set some of the sculptures in motion yourself.

New Year’s Eve and carnival

At 6:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, nine pairs of Wald’s Silvesterchläuse gather at the railway station. The procession goes from there to Schwertplatz. During carnival, groups of Wald’s Umezüg parade through the area to the sound of drummers and pipers. Cash donations are acknowledged with loud shots from muzzle-loading pistols.

Hiking, walking and cycling

The landscape around Wald is ideal for long hikes, walks and bike rides. People jog, hike and have barbecues along the Schmittenbach in the Sagenraintobel gorge.

The “Zurich Oberland: Bachtel” route offers a specific hiking option. This moderately challenging summer hike is 17.4 kilometres long and takes 5 hours and 15 minutes. The route crosses the Bachtel summit before descending to Wald. On the descent, it passes the Bachtelspalt, a fissure around 15 to 20 metres deep in the Nagelfluh conglomerate rock. The route reaches Wald railway station via the “Bleiche” building complex. The stated duration can be planned as a separate block of time in your day.

The village fountain tour is numbered from stops 1 to 16; stop 1 is marked as the start and stop 16 as the finish.

When looking for a hotel in Wald, you can consider whether local history, customs or activities in the countryside are the main focus of your stay.

Discover more destinations: Bubikon, Dürnten, Wetzikon, Fischenthal, Bäretswil, Grüningen, Hinwil

More about the destination

Useful information for planning your trip:

Stay in Wald.

Return to the main travel overview: Hinwil.