Archaeological findings prove that the region around Horgen was inhabited by pile-dwellers as long as 5000 years ago. Once the muleteers’ route over the Gotthard was opened, Horgen started to grow into a traffic hub on the north-south axis from 1230 onwards. Textile manufacture established a foothold in the 17th century, in the form of home spinning and weaving, but its golden era was the 19th century when the flourishing silk industry played a key part in the town's economic boom.

Nowadays, Horgen is a small but multi-faceted town with over 18,000 inhabitants. The large modern buildings in the centre give visual emphasis to Horgen's status as district capital, but a stroll through the vehicle-free Dorfgasse will soon show you that the urban landscape includes plenty of old and historic buildings as well. The town's emblematic landmark is the rococo-style Reformed Church: dating from 1782, its unusual feature is an oval nave. Also worth visiting: the splendid baronial villas built by the silk manufacturers dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Sust, a building which used to be a reloading and storage point on the muleteers’ route, now houses Horgen's local history museum. The historic half-timbered Agent's House is home to the Residential and Porcelain Museum, which features a major collection of Zurich porcelain. Horgen Mine, where coal was mined for several centuries, is the largest coal mine in Switzerland and you can tour it on an underground pit railway. Guided tours of all these historic locations are available. For an unusual experience, take a trip on the Zurich Museum Railway: a steam locomotive more than 100 years old hauls the train along the Zurich - Sihlbrugg route. Boats also take a you on a round trip from Horgen so that you can discover Lake Zurich.

For nature-lovers and visitors seeking recreation, Horgen offers extensive forests and a host of interesting hiking routes and destinations: the idyllic Aabach Gorge with its educational forest trail and waterfall is reputed to be a place that exudes special energy. A mountain pool on the Horgenberg is an inviting spot for a swim, and there are barbecue facilities on the shore as well. The signposted Hirzel muleteers’ route from Horgen to Sihlbrugg will take you in the footsteps of the mediaeval mule-drivers and past the museum dedicated to Johanna Spyri (author of 'Heidi', the world-famous regional novel or 'Heimatroman'). The path along the banks of the Sihl brings you to the gates of the Sihlwald Nature Centre. The Sihlwald forest together with the neighbouring wooded spinneys form the largest continuous mixed deciduous forest in the Swiss Mittelland. The original beech wood was crucially important as a source of timber for Zurich until well into the 19th century. It has been under protection since 1986 and is developing into a unique area of unspoiled forest in the heart of the densely populated Swiss Mittelland, with breathtaking viewpoints, trees towering to the skies, decaying fallen tree-stumps and young plants reaching upwards towards the light.