Wädenswil (locally often called Wättischwiil, Wädischwiil or Wädi) is a municipality located in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.

Of this area, 59.3% is used for agricultural purposes, 9.6% is forested, 29.8% is settled (buildings or roads), and the remainder (1.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

As of 2007[update] 24.5% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction.

Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (85.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.9%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 1.9%).

Located on Zürichsee lakeshore, Wädenswil–Vorder Au is part of the 56 Swiss sites that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps,[7] and the settlement is also listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class A object.

[8] The Schloss Au on the Au Peninsula, its auxiliary buildings and the park are listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class B object of regional importance.

However, the tradition of Wädenswiler beer brewing continues since 1992 with the "Wadi-Brau-Huus AG».

Since the early 1500s, Wädenswil and nearby Richterswil have been home to groups of Anabaptists,[10] many of whom emigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1700s.

In summer, Wädenswil is served by regular ship services between Zürich and Rapperswil, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG) and calling at various lake side towns.

A passenger ferry, operated on an hourly basis throughout the year by the same company, links Wädenswil with both Männedorf and Stäfa on the opposite shore of the lake.

The wettest month was August during which time Wädenswil received an average of 163 mm (6.4 in) of precipitation.