Rapperswil-Jona technical center

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Location of the site

The Rapperswil-Jona Technical Center is the archaeological site of a wetland settlement in Lake Zurich in the area of ​​the Rapperswil district of the Rapperswil-Jona municipality in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The settlement remains are part of the lakeside settlements in the Alpine region (UNESCO World Heritage Site) .

Location and findings

Soapstone mold from the island village
More finds from the wetland settlement

The so-called island village is an early Bronze Age wetland settlement ( pile dwellings ) in a shoal near Heilig Hüsli on the northern bridgehead of the reconstruction of the prehistoric and historical lake crossings . The site is named after its location in the upper part of Lake Zurich near the Rapperswil University of Applied Sciences (Technikum). The site was discovered during dives in 1998 and archaeologically recorded in 1999, 2000 and 2006.

The settlement is located on a former island and has a diameter of 100 meters. The village was surrounded by several rows of palisades and, with an area of ​​3000 to 4000 m², is one of the larger settlements of the Early Bronze Age in the foothills of the Alps . The site is at risk from erosion, and as a long-term protective measure it is covered with geotextile and a 20 cm layer of gravel.

Individual finds and cultural layers from the 17th century BC Chr. (Around 1650 BC) indicate the same period as the prehistoric sea crossings between Rapperswil and Hurden . The settlement is assigned a regional center and presumably control function of this important transport route.

As part of archaeological explorations, the diving team of the city of Zurich's underwater archeology recorded several pile lines and strips in the summer of 2000, not far from today's lake dam. In all likelihood, these are prehistoric footbridges and bridges that ensured a cross connection between the banks. Some of the posts date to the Early Bronze Age around 1525 BC. BC and are likely to have been closely connected to the island village in the vicinity of the historical bridge connections over Lake Zurich.

The spectrum of finds includes ceramics and robe needles, daggers, arrowheads and bronze fishhooks, which were probably thrown into the lake as offerings. The individual finds are varied, including ceramic shards, an almost completely preserved ornate ceramic vessel, a stone and a bronze ax and a piece of gold wire; Until now, golden objects from the Bronze Age have rarely been discovered in Switzerland. A mold made of soapstone for razors of the so-called alpine type is considered remarkable . Such blades have so far only been found in the Alpine region, and the soapstone also comes from the mountains, so that indications of the important function of the settlement as a hub for trade relations with the Alpine passes are growing.

UNESCO World Heritage Site and Cultural Property of National Importance

Together with the sites of Seegubel , Freienbach-Hurden-Rosshorn and the prehistoric and historical lake crossings between Rapperswil and Hurden , the island village is one of the 111 sites with the greatest scientific potential . On June 27, 2011, the remains of the settlement were included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the lakeside settlements in the Alpine region .

In the Swiss inventory of cultural assets of national importance , the wet soil settlements as well as the area of ​​the so-called sea dam with the prehistoric and medieval bridges are listed as class A objects.

literature

  • Beat Eberschweiler: Prehistoric and early historical traffic routes across Lake Zurich: First results from the diving archaeological investigations at the Seedamm . In: Announcements of the Historical Association of the Canton of Schwyz, Edition 96, Schwyz 2004.

Web links

Commons : The lake tells  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Internet site UNESCO World Heritage Center (June 27, 2011), press release Six new sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List , accessed on February 15, 2013
  2. ↑ Website of the canton of St. Gallen: Office for Culture, Archeology, Rapperswil-Jona SG, Technikum (PDF file; 96 kB), accessed on February 19, 2013
  3. ↑ a b palafittes.org: Swiss sites in the UNESCO World Heritage Site ( Memento of the original from May 31, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Rapperswil-Jona / Hombrechtikon-Feldbach ( Seegubel , CH-SG-01), Rapperswil-Jona-Technikum (CH-SG-02), Freienbach-Hurden-Rosshorn (CH-SZ-01) in connection with the prehistoric and historical Sea crossings , accessed February 15, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.palafittes.org
  4. ↑ Internet site City of Zurich, Underwater Archeology ( Memento of the original dated August 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.stadt-zuerich.ch
  5. ↑ a b NZZ (January 20/21, 2001): The bridge on the bottom of Lake Zurich
  6. ↑ Traveling exhibition The lake tells , information boards in the town hall Rapperswil-Jona, January 24, 2011
  7. ↑ A – Objects SG 2018 . Swiss inventory of cultural assets of national importance. In: babs.admin.ch / kulturgueterschutz.ch. Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP - Department of Cultural Property Protection, January 1, 2018, accessed on December 26, 2017 (PDF; 87 kB, 15 pages, updated annually, no changes for 2018).

Coordinates: 47 ° 13 '19.3 "  N , 8 ° 48' 53.6"  E ; CH1903:  seven hundred and four thousand two hundred thirty-five  /  231034