Erlenbach is a village in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland, on the north bank of the lake of Zürich. The area of Erlenbach is 297 hectares. It has a population of 4500 of which 15% is of foreign nationality (2002). In the local dialect it is called Erlibach.
Archeological digs have showed that there were settlements in Erlenbach more than 5000 years ago. During Roman times an important road passed through what is now Erlenbach. The Alemanni settled in this village in the 6th century. In 981 the name Erlibach was first mentioned when the monastery of Einsiedeln acquired the land. Around 1400 the city of Zürich bought the land. Two castles Balp and Dachsberg are mentioned in old writings, but there is no evidence left.
On 6 October 1445 a small battle (Schlacht bey Ehrlibach) took place in Erlenbach. Troops from Zürich defeat wine thieves. In 1798 the village housed in turn French, Austrian, Russian, and eventually again French troops.
Until the middle of the 19th century Erlenbach remained a small village with less than 1000 inhabitants, mainly engaged in wine growing. In 1835 the first school was built, but it had just two classrooms.
The development of a railway link between Zürich and Rapperswil had a great impact on the village. Bit by bit the village turned from an agricultural village to part of Zürich's agglomeration. After World War II the village was very sought after and the population grew dramatically.
