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67-690: The importance of the town of Uster has grown considerably with the construction of the S-Bahn network of the Zürich Transport Network . With over 36,000 inhabitants, it is the third largest town in the canton and is one of the twenty largest towns in Switzerland. Along with Wetzikon , it forms one of the two centres of the Zürcher Oberland . Uster is located next to a lake, called Greifensee . The official language of Uster

134-845: A Federal Councillor led to moderates within the party splitting to form the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP), which later merged with the Christian Democratic People's Party into The Centre . As of 2024 , the party is the largest in the National Council with 62 seats. It has six seats in the Council of States . The early origins of the SVP go back to the late 1910s, when numerous cantonal farmers' parties were founded in agrarian , Protestant , German-speaking parts of Switzerland. While

201-466: A conservative society. It opposes the public financing of maternity leave and nursery schools . In its education policy, it opposes tendencies to shift the responsibility of the upbringing of children from families to public institutions. The party claims an excessive influence of anti-authoritarian ideas originating from the protests of 1968 . In general, the party supports strengthening crime prevention measures against social crimes and, especially in

268-432: A loss of prosperity in Switzerland due to immigrants. According to the opinion of the party, such benefits amount to waste of taxpayers' money. Numerous SVP members have shown themselves to be critical of Islam by having participated in the minaret controversy , during which they pushed for an initiative to ban the construction of minarets. In November 2009, this ban won the majority vote (57.5%) and became an amendment to

335-624: A merger of the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB) and the Democratic Party , while the BGB, in turn, had been founded in the context of the emerging local farmers' parties in the late 1910s. The SVP initially did not enjoy any increased support beyond that of the BGB, retaining around 11% of the vote through the 1970s and 1980s. This changed however during the 1990s, when the party underwent deep structural and ideological changes under

402-464: A new radical right-wing populist agenda. The Zürich wing began to politicise asylum issues, and the question of European integration started to dominate Swiss political debates. They also adopted more confrontational methods. The Zürich wing subsequently started to gain ground in the party at the expense of the Bern wing, and the party became increasingly centralised as a national party, in contrast to

469-427: A population (as of 31 December 2020) of 25,056. As of 2007 , 22.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. As of 2008 , the gender distribution of the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. Over the last 10 years, the population has grown at a rate of 18.8%. Most of the population (as of 2000 ) speaks German (83.8%), with Italian being second most common ( 5.7%) and Albanian being third ( 1.9%). In

536-415: A population (as of 31 December 2020) of 35,337. As of 2007, 21.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.As of 2008 the gender distribution of the population was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 14.2%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (85.0%), with Italian being second most common ( 4.5%) and Albanian being third ( 1.7%). In

603-651: Is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German , but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. The town of Uster received the Wakker Prize in 2001. The village of Riedikon was first mentioned in year 741, while Uster was first mentioned in 775, as Ustra villa . The toponym has been explained as reflecting Old High German *ustrâ or *uster- aha "voracious [river]" by Boesch (1978). First mentioned in 1099,

670-550: Is June during which time Uster receives an average of 137 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.1 days. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 13.1 days. Uster received the Wakker Prize from the Swiss Heritage Society in 2001 for the city's efforts to maintain an identity within

737-704: Is located in Uster. The Stadt- und Regionalbibliothek Uster and the Stadtarchiv und Kläui Bibliothek are located in the city limits. The Bibliothek Nänikon is located in Nänikon, also in the city limits. The municipality of Uster is served by two railway stations, both of which are served by trains of the Zürich S-Bahn . Uster railway station is in the centre of the city, and is served by lines S9 , S14 , S15 and S5 . Nänikon-Greifensee railway station

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804-544: Is on the border with adjoining municipality of Greifensee , and is served only by lines S9 and S14 . Uster is a 14-minute ride (S5) from Zürich Hauptbahnhof when travelling on the fastest trains. Wetzikon Wetzikon is a small town in the Zurich Highlands (Zürcher Oberland) area of Switzerland , in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich . The municipality Wetzikon has an area of 16.7 km (6.4 sq mi). Of this area, 42.4%

871-414: Is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). In 1996 housing and buildings made up 18.4% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7.8%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 0.4% of the area. As of 2007 22.2% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction. Uster has

938-416: Is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 27.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (12.1%) is non-productive (streams, lakes and non-productive vegetation). In 1996 housing and buildings made up 20% of the total area, while transportation infrastructure made up the rest (7.9%). Of the total unproductive area, water (streams and lakes) made up 3.3% of

1005-612: The 1979 federal election , with an increase from 11.3% to 14.5%. This was contrasted with the stable level in the other cantons, although the support also stagnated in Zürich through the 1980s. The struggle between the SVP's largest branches of Bern and Zürich continued into the early 1990s. While the Bern-oriented faction represented the old moderate style, the Zürich-oriented wing led by Christoph Blocher represented

1072-667: The Democratic Union of the Centre ( French : Union démocratique du centre , UDC ; Italian : Unione Democratica di Centro , UDC ), is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Switzerland . Chaired by Marcel Dettling , it is the largest party in the Federal Assembly , with 62 members of the National Council and 6 of the Council of States . The SVP originated in 1971 as

1139-558: The Free Democratic Party had earlier been a popular party for farmers, this changed during World War I when the party had mainly defended the interests of industrialists and consumer circles. When proportional representation was introduced in 1919, the new farmers' parties won significant electoral support, especially in Zürich and Bern , and eventually also gained representation in parliament and government. By 1929,

1206-552: The Old Swiss Confederacy laid siege to the nearby town of Greifensee , held by about 70 defenders, most of them inhabitants of the Amt Greifensee, and a few Habsburg and Zürich soldiers. The town was captured after four weeks, on May 27, and all but two of the surviving 64 defenders were beheaded on the next day, including the leader, Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg . Even in times of war, mass execution

1273-611: The Swiss Armed Forces as the institution responsible for national defense. They believe that the army should remain a militia force and should never become involved in interventions abroad. In June and July 2010, the party used the silly season for floating the notion of a "Greater Switzerland" , where instead of Switzerland joining the EU, the border regions of Switzerland's neighbours would join Switzerland, submitted in July in

1340-574: The Swiss Conservative People's Party and the Free Democratic Party. In 1971, the BGB changed its name to the Swiss People's Party (SVP) after it merged with the Democratic Party from Glarus and Grisons . The Democratic Party had been supported particularly by workers, and the SVP sought to expand its electoral base towards these, as the traditional BGB base in the rural population had started to lose its importance in

1407-589: The canton of Zürich gathered near Uster and demanded a new constitution. This assembly, known as the Ustertag , together with other assemblies in Switzerland led to the Restoration and the creation of the Swiss Federal State . Uster has an area of 28.5 km (11.0 sq mi). Of this area, 44.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.2%

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1474-420: The judiciary on politics. According to the SVP, this influence, especially through international law , increasingly puts the Swiss direct democracy in question. Public law which is legitimate by direct democracy standards should be agreed upon by the federal court. The European law, which according to the SVP is not democratically legitimate, shall always be subordinate to the Swiss law. The SVP also criticises

1541-399: The primary economic sector and about 41 businesses involved in this sector. 3486 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 255 businesses in this sector. 7054 people are employed in the tertiary sector , with 838 businesses in this sector. As of 2007 43.8% of the working population were employed full-time, and 56.2% were employed part-time. In Wetzikon about 69.4% of

1608-418: The secondary sector and there are 238 businesses in this sector. 9475 people are employed in the tertiary sector , with 1091 businesses in this sector. As of 2007 51.5% of the working population were employed full-time, and 48.5% were employed part-time. As of 2008 there were 9,366 Catholics and 11,890 Protestants in Uster. In the 2000 census, religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From

1675-771: The "Kanti" as the gymnasium level learning institution is known in Swiss German , is based in Wetzikon due to its central location in the Zürich Oberland, as well as the Zürcher Oberländer newspaper and the annual ZOM trade fair . The regional hospital, the Gesundheitsversorgung Zürcher Oberland is also located there. Wetzikon has an unemployment rate of 2.9%. As of 2005 , there were 134 people employed in

1742-424: The 1930s. In the party's fight against left-wing ideologies, sections of party officials and farmers voiced sympathy with, or failed to distance themselves from, emerging fascist movements. After World War II , the BGB contributed to the establishment of the characteristic Swiss post-war consensual politics, social agreements and economic growth policies. The party continued to be a reliable political partner with

1809-559: The 2000 census , religion was broken down into several smaller categories. From the 2000 census, 45% were some type of Protestant, with 40.3% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church and 4.7% belonging to other Protestant churches. 31.3% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 6.5% were Muslim, 8.7% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.6% did not give a religion, and 10.6% were atheist or agnostic. The Kantonschule Zürcher Oberland (KZO), or

1876-644: The 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 31.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (20.6%), the CSP (13.3%) and the Green Party (12.2%). The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 22.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 12.8%. In Uster about 73.9% of

1943-542: The 2007 election, the most popular party was the SVP which received 37.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (16.1%), the CSP (12.2%) and the Green Party (10.5%). The age distribution of the population (as of 2000 ) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 23.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 62% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15%. There are 7929 households in Wetzikon. As of 2008 there were 6385 Catholics and 7772 Protestants in Wetzikon. In

2010-522: The Bilateral I agreements with the EU which include provisions on the reduction of trade barriers as well as barriers in agriculture, land transport and civil aviation. Swiss voters rejected the referendum with 61.7% against. Only four cantons voted in favor. The SVP supports supply-side economics . It is a proponent of lower taxes and government spending. The SVP is not as liberal in terms of its agricultural policy since, in consideration of it being

2077-468: The Free Movement of Persons bilateral agreement within one year of passage. It would also bar the government from concluding any agreements that would grant the free movement of people to foreign nationals. The initiative was opposed by the other major parties in Switzerland. Other parties were concerned that because of the "guillotine clause" in the bilateral agreements, this would terminate all of

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2144-463: The SVP has gained a reputation as a party that maintains a hard-line stance. In its foreign policy the SVP opposes the growing involvement of Switzerland in intergovernmental and especially supranational organisations , including the UN , EEA , EU , Schengen and Dublin treaties, and closer ties with NATO . The party stands for a strict neutrality of the country and the preservation of the strong role of

2211-450: The SVP opposes governmental measures for environmental protection . In its transportation policy, the party therefore endorses the expansion of the Swiss motorway network and is against the preference of public transportation over individual transportation. It supports the construction of megaprojects such as AlpTransit but criticizes the cost increases and demands more transparency. In

2278-537: The SVP's popularity, the party gained a second ministerial position in the Federal Council in 2003, which was taken by Christoph Blocher . Before this, the only SVP Federal Councillor had always been from the moderate Bern wing. The 2007 federal election still confirmed the SVP as the strongest party in Switzerland with 28.9% of the vote and 62 seats in the National Council, the largest share of

2345-570: The Swiss Constitution. However, the four existing minarets are not affected by the new legislation. The party has been active in the counter-jihad movement, participating in the 2010 international counter-jihad conference. Other recent victories of the SVP in regards to immigration policy include the federal popular initiatives " for the expulsion of criminal foreigners " (52.3%), and " Against mass immigration " (50.3%) in 2010 and 2014 respectively, all injecting counter-jihad policies into

2412-758: The anonymous Swiss Agglomeration around Zürich. The Society noted that developed land was clearly separated from the neighboring farming land. They praised the efforts that the city had made to integrate old and new buildings and to build with harmonious architectural styles. Primarschule Uster serves primary school children, while Sekundarschulverwaltung Uster serves students at the secondary school level. The Bildungszentrum Uster includes three institutions: Berufsfachschule Uster (vocational school), Kantonsschule Uster ( gymnasium ), and Höhere Fachschule Uster . The Japanese School in Zurich , Switzerland's sole primary and junior high Japanese international day school ,

2479-422: The area. As of 2007 30.5% of the total municipal area was undergoing some type of construction. It is located near Lake Pfäffikon in the Zürcher Oberland , between Uster and Rapperswil-Jona . The Robenhauser Ried wetland is a nature reserve of national importance and is situated between Seegräben , Kempten and Irgenhausen covering an area of about 2 km (0.77 sq mi). Wetzikon has

2546-404: The cantonal branches adopted the agenda of the Zürich wing. In the 1999 federal election , the SVP for the first time became the strongest party in Switzerland with 22.5% of the vote, a 12.6% share increase. This was the biggest increase of votes for any party in the entire history of the Swiss proportional electoral system, which was introduced in 1919. As a result of the remarkable increase in

2613-493: The census, 45% were some type of Protestant, with 41.8% belonging to the Swiss Reformed Church and 3.3% belonging to other Protestant churches. 31.7% of the population were Catholic. Of the rest of the population, 5.4% were Muslim, 7.2% belonged to another religion (not listed), 3.4% did not give a religion, and 11.7% were atheist or agnostic. Uster has an average of 135.4 days of rain per year and on average receives 1,164 mm (45.8 in) of precipitation . The wettest month

2680-562: The church as a benefice. In 1473 the church comrades, based on an older Jahrzeitbuch (Latin: libri anniversariorum ) which now is lost, created a new one which is among the best preserved of the Canton of Zürich. With the dissolution of the monastery Ruti during the Reformation in Zürich its rights fell on the government of the city of Zürich in 1525. In 1824 the new Reformed church was consecrated. On 22 November 1830 about 10,000 men of

2747-471: The coalition of farmers' parties had gained enough influence to get one of their leaders, Rudolf Minger , elected to the Federal Council. In 1936, a representative party was founded on the national level, called the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB). During the 1930s, the BGB entered the mainstream of Swiss politics as a right-wing conservative party in the bourgeois bloc. While

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2814-458: The continuous progression of the SVP since 1987. The party drew 26.6% percent of the vote, a 2.3-point decrease from the previous elections in 2007. This loss could be partly attributed to the split of the BDP, which gained 5.4% of the vote in 2011. However the SVP rebounded strongly in the 2015 federal election , gathering a record 29.4% of the national vote and 65 seats in parliament. Media attributed

2881-613: The donation of the St. Andreas Church was given by the House of Rapperswil as a spacious three-naved country church. The Burg Uster (castle) was first mentioned in 1267, as being in the possession of the Freiherr von Bonstetten. On 7 January 1300 Elisabeth von Rapperswil sold the pledge of the reign Greifensee to the knight Hermann II. von Landenberg , including the Greifensee castle,

2948-421: The first opposition group in Switzerland since the 1950s. In 2008, the SVP demanded that Widmer-Schlumpf resign from the Federal Council and leave the party. When she refused, the SVP demanded that its Grisons branch expel her. Since Swiss parties are legally federations of cantonal parties, the federal SVP could not expel her itself. The Grisons branch stood by Widmer-Schlumpf, leading the SVP to expel it from

3015-410: The form of a motion to the Federal Council by Dominique Baettig , signed by 26 SVP Councillors. Some, such as newspaper Die Welt , have also speculated that the initiative could be a response to the suggestion by Muammar al-Gaddafi to dissolve Switzerland and divide its territory among its neighbouring countries . Another key concern of the SVP is what it alleges is an increasing influence of

3082-523: The former branch represented the centrist faction, and the latter looked to put new issues on the political agenda. When the young entrepreneur Christoph Blocher was elected president of the Zürich SVP in 1977, he declared his intent to oversee significant change in the political line of the Zürich SVP, bringing an end to debates that aimed to open the party up to a wide array of opinions. Blocher soon consolidated his power in Zürich, and began to renew

3149-495: The influence of Christoph Blocher ; the SVP then became the strongest party in Switzerland by the 2000s. In line with the changes fostered by Blocher, the party started to focus increasingly on issues such as Euroscepticism and opposition to mass immigration . Its vote share of 28.9% in the 2007 federal election was the highest vote ever recorded for a single party in Switzerland until 2015 , when it surpassed its own record with 29.4%. Blocher's failure to win re-election as

3216-428: The judiciary as undemocratic because the courts have made decisions against the will of the majority. In its immigration policy, the party commits itself to make asylum laws stricter and to reduce immigration. The SVP warns of immigration into the social welfare system and criticises the high proportion of foreigners among the public insurance benefit recipients and other social welfare programs. It addresses fears of

3283-493: The most popular party among farmers, it refuses to reduce agricultural subsidies or curtail the current system of direct payments to farmers, to ensure larger farming businesses do not dominate the marketplace. The expansion of the Schengen Area eastward was looked at skeptically by the SVP, which it associated with economic immigration and higher crime rates. In terms of the environment, transportation and energy policy

3350-541: The municipality. Wetzikon railway station is a node of the Zürich S-Bahn on the lines S3 , S14 , S15 and S5 . Kempten railway station is on the S3 line only. The town is a 20-minute (S5) ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof . In addition, the Dampfbahn-Verein Zürcher Oberland heritage railway provides seasonal excursion service at Ettenhausen-Emmetschloo . The oldest surviving document about

3417-587: The name Wetzikon is from the year 1044, where three nobles of "Wezzinchova" are mentioned; before that the village and castle were known by the name Ratpoldskilch. Older history is known from excavations of prehistoric pile dwellings in Robenhausen and a Roman villa rustica in Kempten. Swiss People%27s Party The Swiss People's Party ( German : Schweizerische Volkspartei , SVP ; Romansh : Partida populara Svizra , PPS ), also known as

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3484-415: The organisational structures, activities, campaigning style and political agenda of the local branch. The young members of the party was boosted with the establishment of a cantonal Young SVP (JSVP) in 1977, as well as political training courses. The ideology of the Zürich branch was also reinforced, and the rhetoric hardened, which resulted in the best election result for the Zürich branch in fifty years in

3551-590: The party opposed any kind of socialist ideas such as internationalism and anti-militarism , it sought to represent local Swiss traders and farmers against big business and international capital. The BGB contributed strongly to the establishment of the Swiss national ideology known as the Geistige Landesverteidigung (Spiritual Defence of the Nation), which was largely responsible for the growing Swiss sociocultural and political cohesion from

3618-477: The party's election gains. The SVP adheres to national conservatism , aiming at the preservation of Switzerland's political sovereignty and a conservative society. Furthermore, the party promotes the principle of individual responsibility and is skeptical toward any expansion of governmental services. This stance is most evident in the rejection of an accession of Switzerland to the European Union ,

3685-475: The party. Shortly afterward, the Grisons branch reorganised itself as the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP). Soon afterward, virtually all of the SVP's Bern branch, including Schmid, defected to the new party. The SVP regained its position in government in late 2008, when Schmid was forced to resign due to a political scandal, and was replaced with Ueli Maurer . The 2011 federal election put an end to

3752-451: The political mainstream. The 2014 referendum resulted in a narrow victory for the SVP. Following the vote, the Swiss government entered into negotiations with the EU and, in 2016, concluded an agreement that would provide for preferences for Swiss citizens in hiring. The SVP criticized the agreement as weak. In response, in 2020, the party placed the ballot a referendum called the "For Moderate Immigration" initiative, which would terminate

3819-573: The population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). The prehistoric settlement Wetzikon–Robenhausen at the Robenhausen wetland which was discovered and researched by Jakob Messikommer is part of the serial site Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps , an UNESCO World Heritage Site . There are two railway stations within

3886-408: The population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). There are 12605 households in Uster. Uster has an unemployment rate of 3.28%. As of 2005, there were 392 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 92 businesses involved in this sector. 3,204 people are employed in

3953-500: The post-war era. As the Democratic Party had represented centrist , social-liberal positions, the course of the SVP shifted towards the political centre following internal debates. The new party however continued to see its level of support at around 11%, the same as the former BGB throughout the post-war era. Internal debates continued, and the 1980s saw growing conflicts between the Bern and Zürich cantonal branches, where

4020-470: The rejection of military involvement abroad, and the rejection of increases in government spending on social welfare and education. The SVP "does not reject either democracy or the liberal order," and the terms "right-wing populist" or "far-right" are rarely used to describe it in Switzerland. The emphasis of the party's policies lies in foreign policy, immigration and homeland security policy as well as tax and social welfare policy. Among political opponents,

4087-528: The rise to concerns over the European migrant crisis . The party received the highest proportion of votes of any Swiss political party since 1919, when proportional representation was first introduced, and it received more seats in the National Council than any other political party since 1963, when the number of seats was set at 200. The SVP gained a second member in the Federal Council again, with Guy Parmelin replacing Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf after

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4154-417: The scope of environmentalism and energy policy, the SVP is against the carbon tax and supports the use of nuclear energy . In the context of reductions of CO 2 emissions, the SVP cites the limited impact of Switzerland and instead supports globally, and legally binding agreements to address global climate change . In social welfare policy the SVP rejects expansion of the welfare state , and stands for

4221-638: The town and the lake of the same name, and a larger number of farms, as well as the pastoral rights ( Kirchrecht ) in Uster. In 1438 the church rights ( Kirchrecht ) were sold to the Rüti Monastery . The church was considered as a part of the so-called "Laubishof" estate that possibly was located at the nearby plateau where the Uster Castle is situated. During the Old Zürich War , in May 1444,

4288-412: The traditional Swiss system of parties with loose organisational structures and weak central powers. During the 1990s, the party also doubled its number of cantonal branches (to eventually be represented in all cantons), which strengthened the power of the Zürich wing, since most new sections supported their agenda. In 1991, the party for the first time became the strongest party in Zürich, with 20.2% of

4355-427: The vote for any single party ever in Switzerland. However, the Federal Council refused to re-elect Blocher, who was replaced by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf of the moderate Graubünden branch. In response, the national SVP withdrew its support from Widmer-Schlumpf and its other Federal Councillor, fellow SVP moderate Samuel Schmid , from the party, along with Widmer-Schlumpf's whole cantonal section. The SVP thus formed

4422-469: The vote. The party broke through in the early 1990s in both Zürich and Switzerland as a whole, and experienced dramatically increasing results in elections. From being the smallest of the four governing parties at the start of the 1990s, the party by the end of the decade emerged as the strongest party in Switzerland. At the same time, the party expanded its electoral base towards new voter demographics. The SVP in general won its best results in cantons where

4489-471: Was widely considered a cruel and unjust deed. On May 29, the Castle of Greifensee and the city walls were broken. Among many other transfers of lands and goods, on 25 April 1448 Beringer von Landemberg von Griffensee confirmed, with permission of his sons Hug and Beringer dem Jungen that at the place where all his ancestors have been buried, a long list of money, goods and lands have to be transferred to

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