Uster Castle is the city’s landmark. It stands on a vineyard-covered hill above the Reformed Church and is a distinctive feature of Uster’s landscape. From the Känzeli lookout point, you can see Uster’s new centre, the castle and the Reformed Church.
Cultural trails, art and Uster’s history
Uster can be explored along a variety of routes: the “Art in Architecture” cultural trail leads to artworks that shape and enliven public spaces. The “Industrial Buildings” trail traces the city’s industrial development through a selection of buildings. At Zellweger Park, contemporary art and modern architecture come together on the former industrial site of Zellweger Uster AG. Among the works on display are Sol LeWitt’s “Cube”, works by Fischli-Weiss and Tadashi Kawamata’s wooden bridge “Drift Structure”.
Uster also has tangible connections to railway and political history. The locomotive depot is linked to the beginnings and history of railways in Switzerland. The Ustertag memorial stone commemorates the assembly of 22 November 1830, when several thousand men from the Zurich countryside demanded a new constitution in the “Memorial of Uster”.
Music and art can be found at other venues, too. Swissjazzorama runs Switzerland’s only jazz archive in Uster and organises concerts and exhibitions in the Musikcontainer. The archive preserves Swiss jazz history through audio recordings, photographs, books, documents, sheet music, instruments and playback devices. The Zeughausareal offers studios, rehearsal rooms and places to eat, as well as a jazz museum, art exhibitions and food festivals; the H2U Openair Uster music festival has been held there since 2016.
The Bechtler Stiftung is a museum of contemporary art and houses Walter de Maria’s “The 2000 Sculpture”; the display may change. Themed exhibits at the Swiss Non-Commissioned Officers Museum honour the contributions of non-commissioned officers in the Swiss militia army. Objects on display include uniforms, equipment, vehicles, artillery and harnesses relating to Swiss military history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Check the current visitor information before your visit.
Lake Greifensee: lakeside trails and nature watching
From the Niederuster boat station, lakeside paths lead towards Greifensee or Riedikon. Along the way, you’ll find numerous small, natural, freely accessible coves. Lake Greifensee is a protected area; in most places, you may only walk on the hiking trails. The reed beds provide a habitat for around 400 plant species and more than 160 bird species. The Lake Greifensee protected area is the largest nature reserve in the Canton of Zurich.
The paths around the lake are suitable for hiking, jogging, cycling, wheelchair hiking and inline skating. One specific route is the Niederuster–Greifensee town wheelchair hiking trail: it follows the lakeshore, passes through forests and crosses Uster, and can also be walked. The Riedikon tower offers a spacious platform for observing nature. Uster’s landscape also includes largely undeveloped natural shores, the plain stretching from Riedikon to Niederuster and a hilly landscape with drumlins. The high ground around Freudwil-Wermatswil separates the Glatt Valley from the Pfäffikersee basin.
There are different ways to plan an outing, too: the hike from Uster to Maur alternates between forest and open fields. A scheduled passenger boat runs year-round on Lake Greifensee between Maur and Uster. Check the timetable before travelling. In the centre of Uster, the town park, with its pond and many trees, offers a different setting from the lakeside paths.
Plan visiting times and local shopping
Uster Castle is open during the summer season, from mid-June to the end of October, on Sundays from 2 to 5 pm, and can be visited without booking. Check the seasonal opening times again before your trip. This makes it easy to plan a visit to the castle, while the year-round passenger boat offers another way to spend time at Lake Greifensee.
The weekly market supplies residents with fresh foods such as vegetables, cheese, bread and pasta. Regional producers in particular also bring fish and cheese to the city. If you’re planning your visit around the market, check the latest market information, as arrangements may change.
Discover more destinations: Mönchaltorf, Dübendorf, Greifensee, Fällanden, Volketswil, Egg, Schwerzenbach, Maur
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