Interesting sights and facts
Km 3.5 | From Wädenswil we hike along the pretty Lake side to Richterswil. From Wädenswil Railway Station the easiest way to get to the Lake shore is to follow the Main Street for about one kilometer and then cross over the railway lines. From here the path goes along the Lake shore. Follow the signpost Richterswil Seeuferweg.
In Richterswil we can admire some well-maintained half-timbered houses and the railway station, which is a listed building. Lakeside path between Wädenswil und Richterswil Those who prefer an easy but somewhat busy route continue to follow the lakeside path. Between Richterswil and Bäch it follows the main road, which we unfortunately have to follow for about 2.5 km. The lakeshore is built up by large estates that border directly on the lake and do not allow any passage. From Freienbach we walk along the railway tracks to Pfäffikon. The more attractive, but more strenuous path, which is also marked on the map, leaves the lake in Richterswil on path 84 (Zürichsee-Rundweg) and climbs about 150 metres in altitude between the houses. Soon the „Pilgerweg“ (see the signposts) picks us up and we cover the next few metres in altitude. At the signpost „Schwalbenboden“ at 525müM we leave trail 84 and hike between vineyards towards Wollerau. The signpost shows us the way to go: Freienbach and Pfäffikon. |
Km 9 | Freienbach is in Canton Schwyz. The islands Ufenau and Lützelau belong to the local council area as does a part of the Etzel Pass (which crosses over to Einsiedeln, also a part of the St James’ Way). Both islands are mentioned in a document from the St Gallen Monastery dated 741 AD. |
Km 11.5 | Pfäffikon. A boardwalk on the other side of the Lake dates from around 1500 BC. A Lake dam to Rapperswil has existed since 1878. Pfäffikon has always been a traffic junction: east-west along the Lake of Zurich and north-south from Rapperswil-Jona in the direction of Einsiedeln. However, Rapperswil is also a junction. The two routes of the St James’ Way from Konstanz and Rorschach link up here.
From Pfäffikon the Columbanus Way follows the return route of the St James’ Way. Our short walk to Rapperswil, our goal for today, is along the Lake Dam. Wooden boardwalk towards Rapperswil |
Km 17 | Because our walk today has been short, we can take the train from Rapperswil to Einsiedeln. The journey time is 30-45 minutes. There are several trains every hour. The largest and most famous place of pilgrimage, Einsiedeln is most definitely worth a visit.
Rapperswil. Our stopover for today is Rapperswil, which looks back over 5000 years of history. An island settlement was established here in around 1650 BC. The findings of stakes lead us to believe that a connecting bridge to the shore of the Lake once existed here around the same period. The Celts and the Romans settled here and numerous findings along the shoreline suggest that this region was densely populated. Rapperswil offers quite a few sights worth visiting: the Town Hall (once a lookout tower from the first half of the 13th Century), the Castle (built 1220-1230) with the Polen museum, the Heilighüsli (the small Holy house) next to the Lake and the Capuchine Abbey as well as numerous beautiful houses from the 17th and 18th Centuries. The history of the town is described in the local museum. The coat of arms indicates Rapperswil as a Rose Town thanks to its many rose gardens. Rapperswil also has a Technical College as well as Circus Knie, the Swiss national circus, founded in 1803, with its children’s zoo. It’s worth taking a day off here in Rapperswil as we’ve already been on the trail for a week. Furthermore, the trip to Einsiedeln could last somewhat longer than anticipated. And a second outing is possible to Tuggen, the place where Gallus threw pictures of Allemanni heathen symbols into the Lake resulting in all the monks being driven out. There are good public transport connections to Tuggen from Rapperswil: trains every 30 minutes to Uznach where there is a bus connection to Tuggen. The journey time is just 20 minutes. |