History of the city of Rapperswil
This article deals with the history of the city of Rapperswil until January 1st, 2007, the time when the municipality merged with Jona (SG) under the new name Rapperswil-Jona .
The history of settlement in the immediate vicinity of Rapperswil, a district of the Swiss municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen , goes back at least 5000 years. The settlement location in the vicinity of the castle hill (Lindenhof) can be historically traced back to the late 10th century - the city was first mentioned in a document in 1229.
Name, coat of arms and founding legend
The name Rapperswil is derived from the Old High German personal name “Ratbrecht” (Ratpendet) and the place name ending “wilari”; the basic form is “ratpendet-wilare”, ie “ at the farmstead of the council ”. Historically, the name Rapperswil goes back to a multiple name transfer. The original name of today's Altendorf on the opposite lakeshore was first transferred to the "Alt-Rapperswil" castle there and then to the "Neu-Rapperswil" castle.
The city coat of arms shows two red roses with red calyx tips, golden lugs and red, straight, mirror-image stems on a silver background . It is modeled on the three rose coat of arms of the Rapperswil counts. Rapperswil is therefore also called the «city of roses». Of the 2636 municipalities in Switzerland, around one hundred have one or more roses in their coat of arms, many of which have their origins in the early days of heraldry . One of the most famous is the rose coat of arms of Rapperswil, which, along with the former city coat of arms of Estavayer, which shows a red, gold-trimmed rose on a silver background, is one of the oldest local coats of arms in Switzerland. Which one is really the older one has not yet been clarified.
An explanation for the coat of arms of Rapperswil and Uznach that is not beyond doubt is that the Toggenburger Diethelm VI. Between 1180 and 1195 Guta von Rapperswil married and the county of Uznach and a rose from the Rapperswil coat of arms is said to have received as a dowry: The old coat of arms of the Rapperswil family had three roses, the one-rose town of Uznach still has a rose in its coat of arms and Rapperswil is known to have two. The coat of arms of Altendorf, which shows a rose, also goes back to the Counts of Rapperswil.
Originally the coat of arms of the Rapperswiler only contained one rose, later three. In the city seal of 1346 it is already depicted in its current form with two roses and was the official city coat of arms of the independent municipality from 1918 to December 31, 2006.
Rapperswil coat of arms
Angel console with rose coat of arms, around 1440–1450
Supraporta Castle, around 1500
Coat of arms of the Rapperswiler
The development of today's little town - originally «Neu-Rapperswil» - is described in a legend :
- « One morning in the morning the Lord von Rapperswil [Rudolf II. Von Neu-Rapperswil] drove across the lake with his wife and some farmhands (von Altendorf) to hunt. As soon as they reached the bank, his dogs found a doe and chased her up to the top of the ridge (Schlossberg). Here the animal hid in a cave. When the hunters came to the cave, they saw that there were two calves in addition to the doe. The wife took pity on the animals and got her husband to withdraw the dogs and give the doe his life. At lunchtime the count and his wife were resting in the shade, when the doe appeared and laid her head in the woman's lap to thank her for saving her life. The count was touched and ordered the three animals to be brought to Altendorf and raised in an enclosure. He saw a sign from heaven in this incident and decided the next day to found a new castle on the rock and a small town on the southern slope . "
Today the deer park near the castle is a reminder of this 800 year old tradition.
Early history
Numerous archaeological finds show that the area around Rapperswil, Jona and Kempraten has been inhabited for at least 5000 years - even before the turn of the century by the Celts and later by the Romans .
In the early summer of 2006, the office investigated for Underwater Archeology of the city of Zurich, near the technology center (HSR) , the Early Bronze Age settlement which on a shoal in the upper Lake Zurich lies. The so-called island village of Rapperswil-Jona-Technikum near Heilig Hüsli is almost completely preserved in its extension, has a diameter of around 110 meters and is surrounded by at least five palisades in the southern area . Since the site is at great risk from erosion, the remaining piles were measured, all finds were documented, recovered and the remains of the settlement were covered with a layer of gravel. The settlement is dendrochronologically to the year 1650 BC. Dated. The range of finds consists mainly of ceramics, some bronze and flint artifacts (fish hooks, arrowheads, daggers).
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As part of archaeological soundings the diving team of stadtzürcherischen underwater archeology has already in the summer of 2000, near the present-day Seedammes recorded several pole lines. These are prehistoric footbridges and bridges that ensured a cross connection between the shores of Lake Zurich . Some of the posts date to the Early Bronze Age around 1525 BC. BC and are likely to have been closely related to the island village. The finds lying between the pillars are even more remarkable: bronze decorative needles, as they are known elsewhere from rivers and moors and how they undoubtedly document offerings in naturally sacred, magical places. The Neolithic settlement of Hurden is a long-drawn-out village for the time with the inventory of finds typical of that time. The most notable find is a flint dagger that originated in western France. The prehistoric pile remains and heaps of ashlar stones suggest a bridge connection between the settlements near Hurden and Rapperswil.
Other highlights of archaeological finds are in Kempraten a Neolithic Beilwerkstatt in Seegubel and from the Latènezeit body burials, which point to an early settlement of the immediate surroundings of Rapperswil on the Upper Lake: In Benken -Kastlet finds are a Bronze Age occupied settlement between Schmerikon and Eschenbach were carefully laid out burial mounds from roughly the same time period discovered. From the pre-Roman era is a variety of archaeological findings before, who however were the residents of this area, it shows only indirectly - probably Helvetier or Rhaetians .
Rapperswil at the turn of the century
Around 15 BC After the conquest by Drusus and his brother Tiberius , both step-sons of Augustus , the area was on the right bank of Lake Zurich in the border area of the Roman provinces of Raetia and Germania superior . In the vicinity of a presumably Rhaetian or Celtic settlement, the supra-regionally important Vicus Centum Prata was built on the Kempraten Bay , which was a military and economic center of the region from the 1st to the 4th century. Further remains of Roman buildings can be found at the St. Ursula chapel (Kempraten) , on the Römerwiese, on Meienbergstrasse, the Villa Rustica Wagen-Salet and near Busskirch - the church of St. Martin Busskirch , the mother church of Rapperswil until 1253 , is an early Christian church founded on the Obersee on the site of a pagan building , under which Roman excavations can be visited.
Assumptions about a wooden bridge in Roman times can be scientifically proven and dated: During archaeological investigations in autumn 2004, the remains of mighty piles made of silver fir and oak were discovered between the modern bridge piers . The planks like Weisstannen date according to C14 analyzes the early Middle Ages - the oaks were around 165 AD, at the beginning of the reign of Emperor.. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus , like.
The Roman settlers contributed to the probably dense settlement of the region, and various sites between Kempraten and Uznach were secured. These include coin finds and walls of Roman watchtowers, which prove an early fortification of the upper right bank of Lake Zurich and presumably also in the urban area: A Roman fortification of today's castle hill with its strategically favorable position through the nearby Vicus Centum Prata (Kempraten) is considered very likely, albeit so far not proven archaeologically .
Early middle ages
After the Roman troops and administration withdrew to Italy around the year 401, only a few reliable findings are available for the immediate vicinity of today's Rapperswil. As elsewhere, the settlement in Kempraten-Lenggis continued to exist, and the Gallo-Roman population is believed to have merged with the Alamannic wave of immigration in the 5th century - body graves from the 7th century were found in the Roman ruins. Around 741, Beata, the daughter of Rachinbert and Landoalt's wife, gave goods to the women's monastery " in insula minore juxta Hapinavium " ( Lützelau ) in Mönchaltorf, Uznach, Schmerikon, Kempraten, Bäretswil and on the Lützelau, which are still owned by the local community of Rapperswil. Jonah stayed. On the island of Ufenau (Ufnau), which is still owned by the Einsiedeln Monastery today, settlement with the church of St. Peter and Paul can be dated to the 12th century, but the first church is said to have existed as early as around 500, which in turn was based on the foundations of one Gallo-Roman temple was built. Even before the city was founded, fiefs of the monasteries Einsiedeln , St. Gallen , Pfäfers and Reichenau existed on the peninsula or in the immediate vicinity .
The hermit's house at the so-called Endingerhorn , at the western end of the Rapperswil peninsula , like the settlement on the Kempraten Bay, probably served the pilgrims who wanted to cross the lake here even before 981 with its own ship landing stage. The vineyard on the Schlossberg, originally owned by the Einsiedeln Monastery, is also said to have been mentioned for the first time in 981, which means that the settlement location Rapperswil is once again historically documented.
Rapperswil under the Counts of Rapperswil (1220–1352)
"Alt-Rapperswil" and "Neu-Rapperswil"
The Rapperswilers were an aristocratic family from eastern Switzerland whose genealogy and the related Habsburg-Laufenburg and Hombergers are controversial in research and can no longer be completely reconstructed. Originally the Rapperswilers were wealthy in today's March , around the Greifensee , around Uster , Wetzikon and Hinwil . Castle "Alt-Rapperswil" (" the vestize of the old Rapreswile ") in Altendorf was built around 1040 - but is said to go back to a Raprecht as the progenitor of Castle St. Johann or to "Rahpendeteswilare", mentioned in 972. After the death of According to modern research, Vogtes Rudolf II. († after 1192) is said to have lacked a direct legacy and a feud with the Toggenburgers over the legacy of the Rapperswil family . In the literature, a distinction is sometimes made between " Alt-Rapperswil " (before 1200) and "Neu-Rapperswil". After the feud was settled, the lords of Neu-Rapperswil were able to assert themselves as the main heirs of the Alt-Rapperswil estates from 1210 onwards. Under the Neu-Rapperswilern Rudolf II. And Rudolf III. the change of dynasty also manifested itself through the relocation of the seat of power from Altendorf to Endingen and with the establishment of «Neu-Rapperswil».
As the bailiffs of Einsiedeln, the Rapperswilers played an important role in the so-called march dispute between the Einsiedeln monastery and the residents of the Schwyz valley , especially when it escalated after 1214. Temporary calm returned when Count Rudolf II. Von Habsburg , Vogt von Schwyz, awarded the Schwyzers the rear Sihl valley as well as the valleys of the Waag , Minster and the upper Alptal on June 11, 1217 . The original manor benefited from the important trade route along the left bank of Lake Zurich, the Zurich over the mountain passes to the Lombardy and Venice combined. The opening of the Schöllenen Gorge around the year 1200 opened a direct north-south trade route. Together with the important pilgrimage route ( Schwabenweg ) to Einsiedeln and the still smoldering Marchenstreit, the circumstances already mentioned in the beginning of the 13th century may have influenced the construction of the castle and town of «Neu-Rapperswil». After the establishment of the new headquarters under Rudolf II. And Rudolf III. became for «Alt-Rapperswil» (Altendorf) «Altes Dorf» ( Vetus-Villa ) in use.
Between 1225 and 1232/33 the noble house succeeded with Rudolf III. as a supporter of the Hohenstaufen the rise to the count class . Part of their possessions were separated from the Landgraviate of Zürichgau and now formed their own county : Rapperswil as the administrative center, Jona, Kempraten and Wagen, as well as the March with the Wägital and the farms of Pfäffikon , Wollerau and Bäch , as fiefs from Einsiedeln Monastery. The umbrella bailiwick as well as the blood jurisdiction over the collectively named farms belonged to the Rapperswilers from 1250 to 1342, when the monastery Einsiedeln sold the bailiwick rights to Jakob Brun, the brother of the Zurich mayor Rudolf Brun , respectively Count Johann II. Pledged the Höfner Vogtei to him.
Foundation of the city of Rapperswil
Rapperswil was built on the east of Lake Zurich , on a peninsula jutting out into Lake Zurich. The striking Nagelfluhrippe of the elongated hill called Lindenhof formed the ideal place for a castle and the adjoining town on the site of the former fishing settlement of Endingen . At the same time here is the narrowest point of Lake Zurich, a bottleneck of goods between the two shores on the waterway Zurich Lake Walen and the presumably more used Roman road and an important stage of the pilgrim traffic on the Way of St. James to the monastery of Einsiedeln.
The first documentary mention of Neu-Rapperswil - Rudolf junior (III.) Von Rapperswil and cives (citizens) as the founder of the Endingen locus - dates from 1229: With the transfer of the St. Pankratius Church in Bollingen to the Rüti monastery , Rapperswil becomes First mentioned by name, in a document presumably dated back to 1229, in which Rudolf I of Rapperswil assigned the church to the Rüti monastery. In the deed of donation to the Rüti monastery, written in Latin , “ cives de Rathprehenswiler ” (citizens of Rapperswil) are named as witnesses for the first time (free translation):
- « Because of the insubordination of his next of kin, Vogt Rudolf von Rapperswil donated the Bollingen church, including tithes and all its members, to the Rüti monastery. So that this donation cannot be challenged by his heirs in the future, the present document is drawn up and given Rudolf's seal. »
Numerous knights appear among the witnesses, for example Diethelm von Toggenburg , Ulrich von Landenberg as well as the citizens and patricians of the city, publicly displayed in the house of the bailiff Peter. This document dated 1229 as the "official" founding date of the city of Rapperswil.
The city area, which was probably already settled by local fishermen, shipmen, craftsmen and knightly servants and fortified with a surrounding wall, expanded rapidly. Probably the oldest core of the old town of Rapperswil are the buildings on Hintergasse , the former Burggasse with the residence of the servants of the Counts of Rapperswil , including the Bleulerhaus from the 13th century. It is likely to have arisen with the first city fortifications in the early first half of the 13th century and developed into a preferred residential area in the old town. In today's Hintergasse there are an above-average number of private rose gardens in Rapperswil . Endingen has the oldest houses from the time after the city was founded, as well as some of the most beautiful gardens in the old town: the monastery garden and the Schlossberg house with the vineyards. The city charter Rapperswil received around the year 1250th At that time, the walled settlement area extended from the hermit's house to the east to the present town hall, and the northern boundary was formed by the southern castle hill (Herrenberg) with the heavily fortified castle.
City fortifications of Rapperswil
Count Rudolf III. von Rapperswil (* 1180/90, Jerusalemfahrt 1217; † 1251) is considered to be the actual founder and builder of the castle town and completed the construction of the new headquarters , which Rudolf II. - together with Lütold IV. von Regensberg participant in the Fifth Crusade - began. Rapperswil Castle , on the rocky spur of the Schlossberg , which extends far into Lake Zurich , is surrounded by water on three sides and was thus well protected for centuries. Visible from afar with its high towers, it dominates the cityscape of the old town below. Today's castle, rebuilt around 1352, forms an almost equilateral triangle, with each corner reinforced with a tower. On the north side, a supervised deer park with around a dozen fallow deer stretches down to the lake and is reminiscent of the legend of the city's foundation. At the end of the 13th century, Rapperswil with its castle, defense and residential towers - Breny Tower , Bubikerhaus , Haldenturm , Endingerturm and Müseggturm - and the city wall of Rapperswil reached the extent of today's old town with the Herrenberg in the northwest and the lake-side fortifications between today's Fischmarktplatz and the hermit house .
The structural structures of the Breny House and the city wall connecting with the Breny Tower date back to the late 13th century, when the Lords of Russikon (Russinger) built a residential tower and lived in it as Rapperswil servants ( Ministeriale ) into the 15th century . In its current form as the Rapperswil-Jona City Museum , the tower and house were built around 1492 by the knight Hans von Landenberg , who came from the Töss Valley , in place of the former seat of the Russingers. The Landenbergers served as mayors and councilors until 1530 . The former castle complex with the 28 meter high residential tower marked the north-east corner of the former city fortifications up to the eastern expansion of the city and the construction of the bulwark ( Haus zum Alten Sternen ) on Engelplatz in the 16th century and was in the southward (seaward) city wall with the "Herrenbergor" " integrated.
The fortress section with the attached semicircular Endinger tower is the historically most important remnant of the former city fortifications in the west of the city. With the construction of the monastery, it was expanded from 1603 to the Endingerhorn , the western tip of the peninsula, and the hermit's house has been within the city walls ever since.
Churches and monasteries
Even before the city was founded, the Rapperswil rulership and high jurisdiction were united , and the inhabitants of the surrounding area, which remained rural until the 19th century - today's Jona with Busskirch, Wagen, Bollingen, Wurmsbach, Kempraten-Lenggis and Meienberg - belonged to the estate until 1798 the "courtiers" respectively to the subject area. The Rapperswiler founded the monasteries Wettingen (1227) and Wyden (1259). In 1227 and 1290 they gave or sold their goods to the Wettingen monastery in Uri , including Göschenen . The Mariazell-Wurmsbach Cistercian convent, located in the municipality, was founded by Count Rudolf IV in 1259, as was a small women's convent at the St. Meinrad Chapel in Bollingen , initially subordinate to the Rüti monastery, and integrated into the Wurmsbach monastery from 1267. The Rapperswilers were also involved in the founding of the Johanniterkommende Bubikon - from 1303 until the dissolution of the Kommende in 1789, the Johanniter had their office in the so-called Bubikerhaus on Herrenberg.
The first church, today's parish church St. Johann , in the shadow of the castle was built on behalf of Rudolf III. at the same time as the city and the castle were built. For the Count's House, as mentioned, the construction of the town church was just one of a number of well-known ecclesiastical and monastic foundations and foundations: This not entirely unselfish, but at the time customary charity ensured the salvation of the soul and earthly goods and income for the members of the House of Rapperswil. Until 1253, St. Johann was legally under the parish of Busskirch and thus under the Pfäfers Benedictine monastery . Count Rudolf IV caused the separation from the parish Busskirch in 1253 and was the founder of the parish Rapperswil. Northwest of the parish church is the Liebfrauenkapelle (built in 1489), including the ossuary from 1253, when Rapperswil became an independent parish and was given a cemetery . John the Baptist has been the patron saint of the parish of St. Johann since 1253 , and Kunigunde von Rapperswil can be regarded as the city saint .
Extinction of the male line of the Counts of Rapperswil
The male line of the Neu-Rapperswilers ended in 1283 with the death of the underage Rudolf V (* around 1265; † January 15, 1283). After his death, King Rudolf I of Habsburg took over the imperial fiefs of the Rapperswilers. He handed over the fiefs that fell back to the monastery of St. Gallen to his sons. In this way Rudolf von Habsburg received the cast vogtei over Einsiedeln, the imperial bailiwick over the Urserental and thus control over the strategically important Graubünden passes. The monastery archive in Einsiedeln explains this serious change in the balance of forces in the Zurichgau in more detail in the abbots' book of professions :
- « ... The Counts of Rapperswil also threatened to die out. Abbot Anselm had a good relationship with the then Count Rudolf [IV]; because he appears several times as a witness in the Count's documents, for example when the church of Rapperswil [Count Rudolf III] was separated from the one in Wurmsbach, at the foundation of the Wurmsbach monastery and on the occasion of a donation to this monastery. Since he did not have a male heir, the count wanted the bailiwick, which he held as a fief over the estates outside the Etzel, to go to his wife Mechtild [von Neifen] first as a personal property, but then to his daughter Elisabeth . Abbot Anselm admitted this on January 10, 1261. But since Rudolf [IV.] Had a son after his death on July 27, 1262, the contract lapsed… »« … According to a report by Abbot John I, [Peter I von Schwanden] transferred the newborn Son [Rudolf V.] of Count Rudolf [IV.] Von Rapperswil, the bailiwicks that would otherwise have passed to his sister Elisabeth ... »« ... Of great importance for the further history of the monastery was that under this abbot [Heinrich II. Von Güttingen ] the bailiwick passed over the house of worship to the Habsburgs. The young Count of Rapperswil mentioned above died on January 15, 1283. Since his sister resp. whose husband, Ludwig von Homberg, did not lose the fiefdom, the abbot transferred it to his own brother, Rudolf von Güttingen . However, King Rudolf did not agree with this, because the acquisition of this bailiwick fit perfectly with his plans with which he carried himself towards the Waldstätten. He therefore had the fiefs, which in and of themselves could only inherit in the male line, move in through Wetzel, the mayor of Winterthur , in the hands of the king. Rudolf von Güttingen received a sum of money. But now the Hornberger did not want to miss the fiefdom. Therefore a great dispute arose between him and the king, from which the monastery also suffered, which was even attacked by the mayor of Winterthur, Dietrich. He therefore incurred the excommunication , the execution of which was entrusted to the parish vicar on the Ufnau by Abbot Heinrich in 1288 on behalf of Bishop Rudolf von Konstanz and the king himself. But when Count Ludwig von Homberg died on April 27, 1289, the king transferred the farms of Stäfa, Erlenbach, Pfäffikon and Wollerau, as well as the Pfäfer farms in Männedorf and Tuggen, to his widow Elisabeth's request. The other courts and the bailiwick remained with the Dukes of Austria ... In general, Abbot Heinrich had many worries about the estate entrusted to him. Countess Elisabeth von Homberg-Rapperswil raised claims to the farms in Brütten and Finstersee , but waived her claims on November 20, 1293 ... »
Countess Elisabeth as ruler of the County of Rapperswil
Elisabeth von Rapperswil seems to have had a decisive influence on the fate of the County of Rapperswil, if not largely alone in the years 1289 to 1309, and in 1291 she entered into an alliance with the city of Zurich against Habsburg Austria to gain the rights of the Rapperswil residents true. It is mentioned repeatedly in documents and historical writings, for example again in the Einsiedeln monastery archives, on the transfer of the bailiwick over Pfäffikon and the monastery Einsiedeln: « … The bailiff over Pfäffikon etc. gave Abbot Johannes in 1296 to Countess Elisabeth von Rapperswil, who is in second marriage with Rudolf III. von Habsburg-Laufenburg had married. But her son from her first marriage, Werner von Homberg, received part of it; Habsburg Austria also pledged the bailiwick of Einsiedeln to this in 1319; later all fiefdoms went to Habsburg-Laufenburg according to the contract… »Elisabeth von Rapperswil (* around 1251 or 1261; † 1309 probably in Rapperswil), sister of Rudolf IV., was with Count Ludwig von Homberg († April 27, 1289) and later Count Rudolf von Habsburg-Laufenburg († 1315) married. Like her mother and father, she was one of the patrons of the Oetenbach monastery in Zurich : Cäcilia von Homberg (* probably before 1300; † after 1320), daughter of Elisabeth, and prioress of the abbey, supported its further expansion from 1317, and her brother Wernher donated the Chapel of Our Lady to the Dominican Sisters around 1320 . In 1290 Elisabeth sold the rest of the property in Uri and around 1300 pledged the Greifensee rule . In 1291 she entered into an alliance with the city of Zurich, which was presumably directed against the main line of the House of Habsburg. Around 1303 it divided the county, so that the property on the left bank of Lake Zurich fell to the descendants of Ludwig von Homberg, while the property on the right bank remained with the Habsburg-Laufenburg family. After the death of her husband, these were her son Johann I (* before 1295/96; † 1337), then her grandson Johann II (* around 1330; † 1380) von Habsburg-Laufenburg. After the Hombergs died out, their part also fell to Habsburg-Laufenburg in 1330, but as a fief of the Habsburg family .
Little is known about courtly life in Rapperswil, but the Count's House seems to have attached great importance to love : Albrecht von Rapperswil is a minnesinger mentioned in the Codex Manesse ( folio 192v ) , as is Count Werner von Homberg ( folio 43v ), Elisabeth's Son from his first marriage, who was Imperial Count , Imperial Bailiff of the Waldstätte and Imperial Field Captain of Emperor Henry VII in Lombardy from 1309 . . Elizabeth's grandson John II which is Minnelied "Blümli blawe" narrated the Goethe the ballad "The little flowers Beautiful: Song of the captive Count" has inspired.
Feud of the city of Zurich with Count Johann I and II (1336–1350)
Rudolf Brun expels the previous council from Zurich
The banishment of the so-called notables , the members of the Zurich city council provided by the traders, and some Constaff members of the council that ruled until June 1336 led to a feud lasting several years with the city of Zurich. In June / July 1335 at least twelve councilors, the vast majority of whom came from the merchant patrimony, were banned from the city of Zurich with their families after the guild revolution . Most of the exiles fled to Rapperswil to see Count Johann I von Habsburg-Laufenburg, the son of Countess Elisabeth, who had already entered into an alliance with the city council of Zurich in 1291. Johann I probably hoped for his debts to be repaid to some of the displaced persons if they were to regain their old offices. Under the protection of Count Johann I, the exiles formed a counter-government of the "outer Zurich" with the aim of destabilizing the Brunsche regime. Mayor Brun was able to secure the support of the Counts of Toggenburg , since Count Kraft III. endeavored to occupy a profitable middle position between the Confederation and Habsburg , and was also at odds with Count Johann I because of Grynau Castle , which secured a strategically important crossing over the Linth between Lake Zurich and Lake Walen. Under the leadership of Count Kraft III. On September 21, 1337, in the Battle of Grynau , the people of Zurich defeated the army of Count Johann I, who was killed in the process. This in turn provoked the intervention of the I. Johann related Duke Albrecht II. Of Austria . He forced Brun to renounce all conquests and hand over their property to the exiles, which the city of Zurich refused. After Albrecht II's intervention, there was relative peace for a few years. Meanwhile, Brun tried to secure himself with peace and aid alliances with neighboring towns and aristocratic families, and finally Zurich joined the Swabian League of Cities in 1349 . Even Count Johann II, who had come of age, who was still a minor when his father died, is said to have been offered the repayment of all debts and the redemption of the Wollerau and Pfäffikon farms pledged to the city of Zurich by the exiled councilors, according to Zurich historiography . Johann II presumably continued the feud in the second half of the 1340s and, like his father, became the leader of the coalition against Mayor Brun. The Einsiedeln monastery archive goes into these events in more detail than other contemporary sources: « ... Worse were the events that took place in Pfäffikon, where Count John II of Rapperswil united between July 31, 1347 and June 26, 1348 The Pfäffikon fortress attacked with the citizens of Rapperswil, robbed them completely and carried away the abbot who was just there with him. In any case, the events are related to the political upheavals that took place in Zurich at the time ... Abbot Konrad, at least well acquainted with Brun - one of his sons held the Rued Abbey Parish (Canton Aargau) - recognized the changes made with other gentlemen. That is probably why the abbot incited the hatred of Rapperswil. Count Johann I fell near Grynau on September 21, 1337, but his son Johannes II continued the feud and, as I said, attacked Pfäffikon, and even the abbot fell into his hands. How long Abbot Konrad was imprisoned cannot be determined; surely he was free again on June 26, 1348 and Pfäffikon was back in his hands, because on this date a reconciliation between the abbot and the Rapperswiler came about through the mediation of some gentlemen. The damage had to be replaced, for which Abbot Johannes paved the way for lifting the ban that had apparently been imposed. Count Johann II and his brothers promised to take the house of God, its people and goods under their special protection. »
On the night of 23 to 24 February 1350, the 1,336 displaced after Brunschen Guild revolution out of town nobles tried night fee bi slafender diet Zurich to bring back under its control, or as another source reported: " ... A counter-coup of the external opposition in 1350 it was brutally suppressed (so-called Zurich Murder Night ) ». Contemporary images and traditions suggest that both sides fought extremely bitterly and the street war ended with the victory of Mayor Brun's supporters: a total of 28 deaths were reported, including 15 “outsiders”. Brun had 18 wheels and 17 beheaded of the numerous prisoners - Count Johann II von Rapperswil-Laufenburg remained incarcerated in the city of Zurich's Wellenberg for around two years.
Interesting for the city's history are passages from the chronicle of the city of Zug , which is allied with Zurich , which summarizes the events from their perspective: “ The councilors who had been driven out of the city - not all of them suffered this fate - fled to Rapperswil. They found an ally in the local lord of the city, Count Johannes von Habsburg-Laufenburg, with whom they in turn attempted a violent and bloody but unsuccessful attempt at overthrowing the city on what would later become known as the Murder Night of Zurich in 1350. From Zurich's point of view, this breach of the peace was seen as a cause of feud and was rewarded with the conquest of Rapperswil and the capture of Johannes von Habsburg-Laufenburg [Count Johann II], who was held responsible for the bloodshed. Since the latter refused to accept a corresponding peace offer from Zurich, the feud could not be ended ... »The then Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian had sided with Brun and his regime after the overthrow. Unlike the Franciscan and Augustinian orders, the Zurich preachers ( Dominicans ) confessed to the Pope and therefore had to leave the city for several years. His exile led the convent first to Winterthur, Kaiserstuhl and later, like the exiled Zurich councilors, to Rapperswil. The return of the preachers to Zurich probably coincided with the height of the crisis in 1349/50, not unlikely with the destruction of Rapperswil.
Destruction of Rapperswil
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One of the greatest catastrophes in the city's history was to change the future of the county and Switzerland permanently, the destruction of Rapperswil : Rudolf Brun and his troops probably already moved on February 24, 1350 - «p. Matthis »- in front of Rapperswil, which surrendered out of concern for Count Johann II, who was being held captive in Zurich and was presumably set on fire by the Zurich troops on the same evening . Zurich historiography tells us that the Count's brothers hoped for the Habsburg relatives to intervene and "sabotaged" a peace agreement. With this reason, Brun destroyed the castle "Alt-Rapperswil" (Altendorf) and razed the city walls and the castle so that Rapperswil could no longer be defended. Troops from the city of Zurich also occupied the lower March and thus gained control of the Bündner passes .
The richly illustrated topographical and historical chronicle of the Old Confederation by Johannes Stumpf explains the destruction of Rapperswil as follows: « ... [an] no dom [ini] 1350, an S. Matthis evening. But his people were cut off / and Graaff Hans himself was caught / zů Zürych long contained in fenugreek / of which we will say afterwards. Rapperswyl was conquered and occupied by the Zurichers instead and closed. But when the other Graven von Habspurg did not have a friendship with Zürych annemmen woltend / and the Zürycher ires zůsatzes ... » Description fol.140 from vol. II of the Swiss Chronicle 1548. The accompanying woodcut illustrates the pillage in 1350 and is also one of the earliest accurate illustrations of the city. The silhouette of Rapperswil is reproduced exactly in its first north elevation: from the Halsturm the house front extends westward to the church and castle. The watchtower at the west end (Endingerhorn) of the castle hill is integrated into the crenellated circular wall of the city fortifications. The woodcut was probably made by Rudolf Wyssenbach based on a drawing by Hans Asper. Numerous other vedute are dependent on this illustration, which were made based on it or as direct copies. Directly attached to the western watchtower, you can see the hermit's house , the oldest preserved building in the city, probably built before 981.
The still practiced Eis-zwei-Geissebei on Shrove Tuesday to the siege and destruction of the city by decline. At that time, compassionate city dwellers would have served hungry children food from the windows of their houses, which is a reminder of today's custom : after the traditional "gentlemen's meal" in the town hall with guests of honor and a cabaret program, hundreds of children gather in the main square. Exactly at 3:15 p.m. the windows of the council chamber open and a fanfare can be heard. When asked: “Are alli mini Buebe doo?” There is the polyphonic answer: “Joo! Ice - two - goats! " and sausages, rolls and beavers fly out of the hall windows down to the children in the square.
Rapperswil under Habsburg Austria (1352-1458)
Cornerstone against the expanding Swiss Confederation
A direct consequence of the destruction of Rapperswil was the accession of the city of Zurich to the emerging Confederation on May 1, 1351. Despite an arbitration award by King Agnes of Hungary , the conflict escalated again after Duke Albrecht II of Habsburg had restored the destroyed fortresses in August 1351 demanded that both were Habsburg fiefdoms . When Albrecht began a siege of the city of Zurich in September 1351, Brun consented to arbitration that was in favor of the Habsburgs, but was not accepted by the Waldstätten. The "Brandenburg Peace" between Zurich, the Habsburgs and Rapperswil came about through the mediation of the Margraves of Brandenburg : Count Johann II was released, Zurich was to evacuate all Habsburg and Rapperswil territories and Rapperswil would not accept any Ausburger in the future . In 1353 the Waldstätte continued the fighting, and it was only when Emperor Charles IV marched with an army in front of Zurich that Brun consented to the "Regensburg Peace" of 1355. In fact, the House of Habsburg emerged victorious from the turmoil surrounding the Brunsche guild constitution: its supremacy in northern Switzerland was clearly confirmed, and Rapperswil became the property of the Habsburgs.
Count Johann's brothers, Rudolf (IV.) And Gottfried II., Signed a peace treaty with Zurich on September 1, 1352. Rapperswil could not afford the high costs of rebuilding the destroyed city and the fortresses, and so around 1354 Johann II sold the goods on the upper Lake Zurich with the city and castle to Duke Albrecht of Austria. From then on, Austrian bailiffs had their official residence in the castle. In 1358 Johann II also sold the property on the left bank and the hermit fiefs to Albrecht. During his imprisonment in the Wellenberg in Zurich, Count Johann II composed a minnelong that inspired Goethe to write the ballad “Das Blümlein Wunderschön: Lied des Gefangen Graf”, which is the last mention of the Counts of Rapperswil in the city's history.
As the new owner, Duke Albrecht II of Habsburg Austria had the castle and town expanded, presumably as early as 1352, into a base against the expanding Swiss Confederation. Until 1458, the castle and town were the cornerstones of Habsburg Austria against the territorially expanding Confederation.
Construction of the wooden bridge between Rapperswil and Hurden
In 1358 Rudolf IV (Rudolf the Spiritual) of Habsburg Austria initiated the construction of a wooden bridge to Hurden , the wooden bridge Rapperswil – Hurden . Decisive for the planning and construction were probably military and economic reasons: the pier enabled a direct connection to the Austrian foreland , to the Habsburg possessions in eastern Switzerland, in southern Germany and to the Gotthard Pass , bypassing the federal city of Zurich, which had been in place since May 1, 1351 .
- «He had just bought Alt-Rapperswil, March, Wägital, Wollerau and Bäch for 1,100 silver marks. He now came up with the bold plan to connect the new areas with Rapperswil by a bridge. In this way the traffic could be increased, and he saw the farmers from the March come to the market in Rapperswil with their grain and the other fears of the fields. The city just had to welcome that! It may be that Rudolf also thought of the pilgrims. So the builders went with their fins on the lake and looked for the little deep spots between Rapperswil and Hurden. The plan for the bridge was drawn up, and on July 24, 1358 the men rammed the first oak stakes into the lake bed ... How amazed at Rudolf's work; it was a miracle at that time ... »
Duke Rudolf transferred the construction costs of 1025 guilders to the Vogt of Rapperswil, Johann von Langenhart, and on October 27, 1365 pledged him the rights of use over Rapperswil, Kempraten, Jona, Mittelmarch, Altendorf, the Wägital and the Vogtei Einsiedeln. The construction of the wooden bridge, which was completed around 1360, and its maintenance were covered by road tolls until 1850 . In 1368 Rapperswil received the bridge toll for the first time for a period of twelve years, and in 1415 permanently, for the maintenance of the public buildings that were associated with the increased traffic. In its more than 500-year history up to its demolition in 1878, the wooden bridge was repeatedly dismantled, destroyed, burned - completely or partially - and rebuilt over and over again during mostly armed conflicts, as a symbol of the eventful history of Rapperswil.
Rapperswil's heyday under the Habsburgs
« The fantastic city vedute of Rapperswil with its tinned bridge and bridge gate stands out on the vines. On the left is Duke Rudolph IV of Habsburg (1358–1365), the builder of the Rapperswil pier, dressed with a scepter and sword, in a tinned tower. Next to him, diagonally to the right (heraldic), a binding shield with a pot helmet and a peacock's hat and behind, occupying the upper half of the seal, the three rose banner of the Counts of Rapperswil. Crowning roll of tape with the inscription ‹nAT + DE + hABSPG›. Transliteration between granulated seams in Gothic majuscule : <+ s + CIVITAS + IN + RAPRESWIL QUAM + + REFORMAVIT RUDOLFFUS + + DUX Austrie>. The Great City Seal had been in use since 1361. The seal , cast in bronze, was re-engraved and gilded in the details. The large city seal is considered one of the most beautiful city seals in Switzerland and was probably commissioned by Duke Rudolf in Vienna. "
Rapperswil enjoyed great autonomy under the Habsburgs, received market rights from Duke Albrecht , its own jurisdiction, free choice of mayor and was able to appoint the castle bailiff from among its own ranks. The city remained loyal to Habsburg even after the battle of Näfels (1388), when the rose city had to lament 66 casualties in Näfels and the central Swiss tried unsuccessfully to storm the city walls . Probably in the second half of 1388, troops from Rapperswil are said to have devastated the village of Freienbach in retaliation for the help of the Höfner. Since the pledge of 1388, after the unsuccessful siege in April, townspeople have made a pilgrimage to Einsiedeln on the first Sunday in July every year. During the Appenzell Wars (1401–1408) the town received lucrative maritime and land tariffs on May 27, 1403, shortly after the Austrian defeat in the Battle of Vögelinsegg . As a result of the Battle of the Stoss , in which numerous citizens lost their lives on the part of Habsburg-Austria, Rapperswil was given the right to freely choose the mayor in 1406 and to use court fines for the structural maintenance of the city. Despite a short-term pledge of the castle and city to Zurich, Rapperswil remained Habsburg.
After the outlawing of Duke Frederick IV. In 1415 ordered Emperor Sigismund also Rapperswil to turn away among other Habsburg places in Aargau and Thurgau Friedrich. In return for his loyalty he granted imperial immediacy and direct rule over the three court communities Jona / Busskirch, Kempraten and Wagen as well as the custody of the Cistercian monastery Wurmsbach. He established the territorial rule of the city of Rapperswil . The town hall on the main square was first mentioned in 1419 and 1433 as a council chamber and is now owned by the local community.
Rapperswil in the Old Zurich War (1436–1450)
During the Old Zurich War , Rapperswil returned to the rule of the House of Habsburg Austria on September 24, 1442 and at the same time entered into an alliance with Zurich. In May 1443, Rapperswil was the starting point for the first fighting in this phase of the war (→ Battle of Freienbach ). In the second half of June 1443, as night fell, more than forty men from the Grüningen garrison appeared in front of the city gate and asked to be admitted. The occupation had handed over the castle and town of Grüningen to the Central Swiss without a fight. However, they were refused entry because they “had not honestly and honestly maintained Grüningen as a Zurich property. They now had to spend the whole night outside the city of Rapperswil; The Rosenstadters only let the gunsmith in because he had apologized that he was not to blame for the surrender of Grüningen. The following day, the Grüninger team moved on to Zurich, where they were immediately put in prison and severely fined. »
After the battle of St. Jakob an der Sihl on July 23, 1443, the federal army, which was not equipped for a siege of the city of Zurich, moved on to Rapperswil, which was not captured because of its good fortifications, as did Winterthur in the following weeks . In this stalemate, the Bishop of Konstanz , Heinrich IV. Von Hewen and the Abbot of Einsiedeln brokered an eight-month armistice on August 9, 1443, the "Peace of Rapperswil", also called "Elender Frieden" in Zurich literature. On March 22nd, 1444, the warring parties met in Baden for peace negotiations. Following the unsuccessful peace negotiations in Baden , the Central Swiss Army of the Eight Old Places again invaded the Zurich hinterland ( Landvogteien Grüningen and Greifensee ) under the Schwyzer Landammann Ital Reding the Elder . Bypassing the city of roses, they reached the town of Greifensee on May 1, 1444 . After four weeks of siege, on May 27, 1444 the surviving 62 mostly peasant defenders under the leadership of Wildhans von Breitenlandenberg had to surrender . Except for two, on May 28, 1444, the surviving crew of Greifensee was executed by the Central Swiss during the " Blood Night of Greifensee " in Nänikon in a fast-track trial . Meanwhile, Zurich troops set fire to the free offices . However, neither party was able to take decisive action. After lengthy negotiations on the initiative of three electors in Constance under the direction of the Count Palatine and Imperial Vicar Ludwig IV in Constance, the hostilities ceased on June 12, 1446.
For Rapperswil, Habsburg and the city of Zurich allied with them, the control of Lake Zurich was a decisive factor throughout the war. Zurich had numerous war rafts and barges, some of which were equipped with firearms. As a result, Zurich was able to supply itself as well as Rapperswil, which was besieged in 1443 and from April 1444 to December 1445, with food and reinforcements. Schwyz tried to break the supremacy of Zurich by building its own fleet, and there were sea battles, for example at Männedorf (October 1445) or a rare example of amphibious warfare (November 1440) near Pfäffikon. Both sides attempted further sea-land operations several times during the war, which were unsuccessful. Landing attempts in Zurich were rejected, for example, in Hurden and on the Ufenau (→ also Battle of Wollerau ), just as the attempt by the Confederates failed to shoot Rapperswil from the lake ready for a storm.
The peace negotiations lasted another four years, and it was not until April 8, 1450 that a final settlement was reached in the Kappel monastery, which provided for arbitration under the mediation of the Bernese mayor Heinrich von Bubenberg. On July 13th, he made the arbitration decision in Einsiedeln: Zurich had to establish its alliance with Friedrich III. quit and recognize the "Kilchberg Peace" of 1440. Both sides waived reparations : On August 24, 1450, they ceremoniously renewed the old leagues by oath in a meadow near Einsiedeln Monastery and exchanged the flags captured in the war.
The long road to independence (1456–1798)
Rebellion of 1456 and the guardianship of the Waldstätte
With the Einsiedeln arbitration on July 13, 1450, the formal end of the Old Zurich War, Rapperswil remained heavily in debt and hoped in vain for financial support from Habsburg Austria. This is why some townspeople under the leadership of the town clerk Johannes Hettlinger saw their future under the federal umbrella and started an uprising in late summer 1456. According to the Zurich court of arbitration on December 21, 1457, the riots ended with Rapperswil's oath of allegiance to Habsburg Austria, but there could be no question of a real return under the Habsburg umbrella.
When the federal troops of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden returned from Constance on September 20, 1458 after the so-called Plappart War, they sought admission to Rapperswil and brought about the victory of the pro-federal party. At the end of 1458 Hettlinger was reinstated in his office; Thanks to his initiative, the first blood court records, the regiment book and the first urban register of new citizens are to be thanked. On September 20, 1460 citizens from leaving Unterwalden and Rapperswil of town clerk Hettlinger in Rapperswil the rejection letter to Duke Sigismund put, and in the same year, Rapperswil involved with the seven federal locations Zurich , Lucerne , Uri , Schwyz , Unterwalden, train and Glarus on the conquest of the Habsburg Landgraviate of Thurgau . On January 10, 1464, shortly after the death of Duke Albrecht VI. and the assumption of power by his cousin Duke Sigmund, Johannes Hettlinger wrote the umbrella letter ( umbrella governor ) with Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Glarus, which formally existed until 1798. This made Rapperswil a protectorate of the Swiss Confederation - a castle bailiff acted as a connection to the federal umbrella locations. On May 26, 1489, Johannes Hettlinger was beheaded on the occasion of a riot against the city regime .
In the same year, the hospital in Rapperswil was first mentioned as the Heiliggeistspital , although the building called the hospitium was built when the city was founded. Since the 16th century, the complex on the fish market square served as an urban poor and beneficiary house . The " Heilig Hüsli ", a pilgrim chapel of the earlier wooden bridge that still exists , dates from 1511; Before that, there were wooden prayer houses on the boardwalk - the historically significant remnant of the old pilgrimage route over the historic piers is a listed building and is the property of the local community . The chapel was incorporated into the lines of the pilgrim's footbridge , which was built in 2001 .
On June 24th, 1512 the papal " Juliusbanner " with golden roses was awarded by Cardinal Schiner in recognition of the mercenary services of Rapperswiler Landsknechten for Pope Julius II in the so-called "Great Pavier Campaign " ( Italian wars / Battle of Ravenna ). In 1512, the Pope's federal soldiers had won a quick victory over the French who had broken into Lombardy. According to a document dated June 24, 1512, the participating team from Rapperswil received a banner from Cardinal Schiner with an “improved” city coat of arms: golden instead of red rose studs and a depiction of the baptism of Christ by Johannes in the corner quarter , a reference to the Johannes patronage of the parish church of Rapperswil.
Reformation and Counter Reformation
Dissolution of the monastery in the reformed places
Abbot Felix Klauser seemed to have foreseen the dangerous situation and the impending iconoclasm in Rüti , because he fled to Rapperswil on April 22, 1525 before the Rüti monastery was sacked . The next day the farmers in the Oberland plundered the abbey, took the requested distribution of the monastery property by hand and destroyed the extensive library of the monastery. The Johanniter Commandery in Bubikon was not spared either.
In the abbot's luggage was the monastery treasure - including documents, the miter , the crook , the cross-particle monstrance and pontifical objects - which has since remained in the possession of the local community of Rapperswil and the Catholic parish. After his death, the sacred objects should have been returned to the Rüti monastery, although Rapperswil is also able to prove legal ownership. Because the monastery was secularized in July 1525 , the Catholics from Rapperswil saw no reason to part with the treasures. Around 1530 the last abbot of the monastery Rüti Felix Klauser died in Rapperswil and in 1557 the last Rütner conventual , Sebastian Hegner, found refuge in Rapperswil. 450 years later, Rüti reclaimed the treasures, but Rapperswil referred to the local community and the Catholic parish as the legal owner of the cultural assets and to the Rapperswil City Museum , where some of the items are kept.
During the turmoil of the Reformation , Huldrich Zwingli's apprenticeship also won enthusiastic supporters in Rapperswil, and the umbrella locations had cannons transported to Rapperswil and the castle garrison reinforced. Incited by the city of Zurich's grain ban and predicant policy , supporters of the Reformation stormed the Rapperswil town hall in July 1531, expelled the council, elected Zurich's Stapfer as mayor and appointed a reformed pastor. Iconoclasm and arson destroyed the municipal churches in Busskirch, Kempraten, Jona and Wagen. The Battle of the Gubel in the Second Kappel War finally made the decision in favor of the Catholic towns, and with the Second Kappel Peace on November 20, 1531, the further spread of the Reformation in German-speaking Switzerland was ended. Rapperswil returned to the old faith, the deposed mayor and those who had converted to the Reformed faith left the town. The four umbrella sites confiscated the property of the subversive, forbade further meetings and punished the leaders of the Reformed party with pillory , tongue slits and executions. Rapperswil has now monitored by a central Swiss crew and lost the grace letter of 1532 some of his old rights. From then on Rapperswil formed a Catholic bulwark, but had to accept the curtailment of its rights through the patronage of the Catholic cantons.
In 1521, to “ avoid greater evil ”, the spiritual and secular authorities ordered the sisters of the Franciscan nunnery Wyden, founded in 1259, to take up residence in the Rapperswil hospital - in fact, the convent was dissolved and the buildings in the Joner Forest were demolished by decision of the Rapperswil council . The dissolution of the so-called Wydenchlösterli was regulated in an agreement between the city and the “ swöster huser der third rule sant Franicissen oders ” on December 21, 1521. On April 16, 1544, a letter from the three umbrella locations was issued in Einsiedeln about the responsibility of the mayor and the city council of Rapperswil to the nuns, after the daily statute on October 29, 1543 in the matter of " those from Rapperswil do not want the monastery in Wieden (Wyden) how since time immemorial let the old people stay and refuse to seek advice from their Lord “in favor of the religious community. On March 8, 1544, Vogt Heini Ulrich appeared before the Rapperswil council and invited him to the meeting. Katharina Scheucher ( Kathrin Schüchterin ), the last superior of the monastery community, expressed herself so ignorantly after a fire in the stable of the Rapperswil hospital that it was interpreted as witchcraft : on false accusations, she was accused of being a witch in 1563 and sentenced to death , cruelly tortured and handcuffed and drowned at Heilig Hüsli in Obersee. Her body was shamefully buried under the gallows in Rapperswil. The monastery chapel, which still existed, was demolished in the same year, and the monastery property probably passed into the ownership of the city.
Rapperswil as a bulwark of Catholicism
The Catholic rulers tried “ to consolidate the town internally in the old faith and to protect it against the influences of the nearby Zwingli town ”, and the Council of Trento (1545–1563) initiated the “ longed-for revival of religious life ”. The Catholic places were represented by their own envoys in the last conference period. In addition to Melchior Lussi, Mayor of Stans, they also sent Abbot Joachim Eichhorn von Einsiedeln - he was elected as their delegate in Rapperswil by the assembled prelates - to the reform synod , which the historian Aegidius Tschudi in Rapperswil followed with interest. In 1564, the city of roses was among the first to declare acceptance of the council. At the Diocesan Synod of Constance in 1567, Lucerne called for a Swiss seminary in Rapperswil. With the support of the federal conference members, attempts were made from 1568 to win Jesuits for the school - the Jesuit College was founded in Lucerne in 1576. Due to Rapperswil's important religious and political location - just 28 kilometers from the center of the Reformation movement in Zurich - the Uri, Schwyz and Glarus umbrella locations were extremely motivated to secure their important bridgehead at Zurich's gates.
The idea of a Capuchin monastery in Rapperswil was presented in February 1596 by Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden to the Provincial in Lucerne and the Order's leadership in Rome, and it was accepted by the Capuchin Province and the newly elected General of the Order . Nuncio Giovanni della Torre managed to get the council to take the building decision on September 2nd, 1602 " to increase and reveal the holy, Christian Roman-Catholic faith " and to motivate private and church patrons to donate the necessary funds. As the owner of the area around the Einsiedlerhaus, Einsiedeln Monastery provided the land, Rapperswil the building materials, and the citizens participated in the construction of the Endingerhorn . The dimensions of the first monastery were modest and calculated for only twelve brothers. The space required for the construction had to be blasted out of the rock so that the oldest parts of the monastery fit into the western castle hill. Four fathers and three brothers moved in there in 1607, with whom the history of the Rapperswil Capuchin community began, which continues to this day. The importance of Rapperswil as a bulwark against the Reformation in Switzerland is evident from the long list of patrons and donors of the Capuchin monastery: « ... is opened by widow Verena Züger. Their donation of land at Krützli and another 1000 guilders from other citizens set a great start, which neither the donation of one of the eight abbots or the Catholic towns, nor the contributions of the mayor of Rapperswil or the French king ... the papal nuncio, the abbots of Einsiedeln , St. Gallen, St. Blasien, Muri, Rheinau, Wettingen, Pfäfers and the Fischingen monastery as well as political rulers who invested in a Catholic Rapperswil: the King of France, whose pay alliance Rapperswil had joined in 1521, the umbrella locations Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Glarus, the Land of Appenzell and Schultheiss Pfyffer from Lucerne. Other contributions came spontaneously to the emerging monastery. For example, an Alsatian pilgrim, who later walked past the building site on the way to Einsiedeln, paid for the water supply from the city well and donated around 100 guilders. ». The rifle house, also built in 1607 on the castle hill, where the able-bodied team of citizens and courtiers got together for shooting exercises with muskets on Sunday and holiday afternoons , was a center of social life. The location is said to be “ not wished for the Capucin fathers, because of the riflemen excessive tumult ”, reports the Chronicle Rothenflue. The rifle house, which burned down in 1866, was built with a reduced number of windows facing the monastery due to the shooting noise.
In 1642, Rapperswil hosted the Dominican Provincial Chapter , which met annually, where delegates from all the monasteries decided the important questions of their lives and further policy. From 1650 to 1655, Capuchins in the Swiss provinces led 1750 people back to the Catholic Church. The best-known Rapperswil converts include the Zurich cavalry captain Brendli and Georg Jenatsch , the son of a preacher and theologian Martin Schädler, before he was executed in front of the city. As with the consecration of the monastery, Zurich threatened to boycott the Rapperswil market and forced the departure of the two brothers involved.
Siege of Rapperswil and Villmerger Wars
In the next Swiss religious war, the First Villmerger War , known by the people of Zurich as the “Rapperswilerkrieg” or “Schwyzerkrieg”, General Hans Rudolf Werdmüller failed with the siege of Rapperswil . At his side was Mayor Waser as an assistant councilor in the field and a force of over 7,326 men and 19 artillery pieces. Werdmüller closed the land-side siege ring from Busskirch to Kempraten. The houses in the surrounding villages were looted and the chapels devastated once more. Rapperswil withstood the siege that began on January 7, 1656 and was occupied in time by Catholic troops who were subordinate to Hieronymus Riget von Schwyz. Guns secured the fortifications at the Schützenhaus and Endingerhorn , guarded by Unterwaldners and Rapperswilern. Schwyzer groups defended the wooden bridge from their headquarters in Pfäffikon. Nocturnal operations kept the passage from the lower to the upper Lake Zurich to Altendorf free of icing. On January 24th, the message of the victory at Villmergen over the Bernese troops arrived, followed by days under heavy artillery fire with a total of 700 shells, which completely or partially destroyed 34 houses. After an assault on February 3 failed again, the besiegers raged again in the rural area and withdrew on February 10, 1656. The farms in Kempraten, Busskirch and Wagen also suffered severe devastation and looting. Rapperswil and the Catholic troops complained about 189 dead and about 300 wounded, like many of them among the civilian population, has never been clarified. Begging trips to Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich, Landshut and the Danube alleviated the hardship of the hard-pressed city and its surroundings, and the Capuchins were able to request 7,000 silver crowns from the Pope . As the Zurich troops remained bound by the siege of Rapperswil and the Catholics were able to defeat the Bernese, led by General Sigmund von Erlach , on January 24, 1656 near Villmergen, Rapperswil played an important role in the First Villmerger War. The Villmerger or Third Land Peace of March 7, 1656 secured the agreements reached by the Second Kappeler Land Peace of 1531 and the Catholic hegemony in the Confederation.
Expansion of the fortifications in Rapperswil
The acquisition of two warships by the Zurich residents aroused fears that they would be easily vulnerable in the event of a new attack, as the Rosenstadt residents were lucky enough to escape a bombardment from the seaside in the First Villmerger War thanks to the sea frost. The enclosing walls at the Endingerhorn were expanded like a fortress in 1659. Colonel Reding von Schwyz had already ordered military improvements in September 1657: u. a. In the monastery, the fortifications most endangered on the lake side, the outer walls were reinforced on all sides with palisades and protected with battlements , and the small fort was provided with loopholes. Zurich wanted to counter the fortification of the monastery in the summer of 1659 on the Fluh above Feldbach with a counter-fortress from which the Endingerwerk could be taken under artillery fire. In 1662, the Rapperswil council agreed to replace the closing block tower with the square bulwark that ships could easily fire at. In March 1664 the council asked a competent Capuchin brother to go to Rapperswil to expand the bulwark. In 1669 the protective palisades were removed and the walls raised. The reinforced fortifications made it possible to guarantee the protection of the most exposed part of Rapperswil with a small team. An additional bulwark, which in 1710 would have placed an M-shaped bastion in front of the Endingerhorn , was not implemented.
Protective bailiwick of the reformed places
In the Toggenburg War , also known as the “War of the Twelve” or the Second Villmerger War , of 1712, the Central Swiss occupation offered no resistance to the Reformed troops from Bern and Zurich. In the Peace of Aarau , the fourth rural peace in the history of the Confederation, on August 11, 1712, the Reformed cantons secured supremacy in the common rulers . This ended the hegemony of the old places in the administration of the county of Baden , the lower free offices and Rapperswils , which had existed since 1458 and 1531 respectively . Rapperswil was still deprived of its full independence; instead of the Catholic umbrella sites, the Reformed towns of Bern, Glarus and Zurich appeared from 1712 to 1798.
But peaceful events can also be reported: The Brotherhood of St. John, founded in 1737 by some “ Gentlemen Musicians ”. Caecilia und Katharina »(Caecilia Music Society) still provides high quality church music in the parish church of St. Johann. Her repertoire also includes compositions by the church musician and composer Carl Greith (* 1828; † 1887), cathedral music director in Munich, who was born in Rapperswil . More than 1000 compositions are known by him and his father Franz Josef Greith . In 1740 the council of Rapperswil had a bridge built over the Jona, which was replaced by a covered wooden bridge (1829–1911) for Rickenstrasse . On October 6, 1740, the publicist and enlightenment theologian Dominikus von Brentano was born. Marianne Ehrmann (née Brentano), writer, journalist and editor of the early German-language women's magazines "Amaliens Erholungsstunden" and "Die Einsiedlerin aus den Alpen", Dominikus' niece, was another prominent city resident (born November 25, 1755).
In the run-up to the battle near Wollerau on April 30, 1798, the Governor of Schwyz Alois von Reding had Lucerne and Rapperswil troops under Colonel Paravicini captured by Schwyzern and allied Glarnern troops around April 21, but evacuated again on April 30, 1798. With the advance of the French revolutionary troops under General Nouvion (see Helvetic Republic ), a freedom tree was erected in the main square and the troops were presumably greeted as liberators. In 1799 the French withdrew, 8,000 Austrians moved into Rapperswil, and the English Captain William docked a warship. The «Helvetic Legion», a troop of aristocratically-minded Swiss who fought with Austria against Napoleon, and Russian troops camped at the gates of the city, and the population suffered severe war damage. The first community meeting was held in Jona, and with it the beginning of the independence of the former "city lords" and their "subjects" alike followed.
Helvetic and mediation
The Helvetic Republic was established as early as 1798 ; the residents (courtiers) in the surrounding area, in the subject areas of the city roughly in the area of the municipality of Jona, which was independent until 2006, fought for the same rights as the city citizens. As a result, Rapperswil lost its subject areas , but briefly became the capital of the new canton of Linth . With the new constitution, Rapperswil and Jona became two independent municipalities with all rights and obligations. The transition from the former subject area to the autonomous municipality turned out to be very difficult, especially the financial burdens, such as poor relief, road maintenance, but also insufficient tax income, were new problems for Rapperswil and Jona, which remained rural during the city rule. In addition, there was the unwillingness of the former “masters of the rich city” to balance the burden .
Just five years after its formation, the Helvetic Republic collapsed in 1803, and with the mediation constitution , Rapperswil and Jona were now definitely incorporated as separate communities in the canton of St. Gallen . The Curti family acquired the island of Ufenau for 4,000 guilders from the estate of the canton of Linth and donated it to Einsiedeln Monastery, which had to cede the island to the Helvetic Republic after the French invaded.
Rapperswil in the 19th century
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Jonah claimed all territory " as far as her parishes extend, " and in 1804 the government council finally set the parish boundaries. Rapperswil was limited to the area of the late medieval city, and the entire surrounding area now belonged to the independent municipality of Jona SG . Only the derivation of the city stream from the Jona (river) remained in Rapperswil's possession, as its water power became vital for the rapidly growing factories. Jonah had to buy himself free from the former taxes and basic interest. From the sale of some of the city's properties in the municipality of Jona, Rapperswil achieved significant income for the city's treasury. Jona was forced to sell the commons to his citizens, while the Rapperswil estates remained in the hands of the municipality and were administered and cultivated by the “Comrades Community” (local council). Therefore, the local community is still considered to be a rich land and forest owner: The income is no longer distributed among the citizens, but used for cultural and social tasks. The distribution of the Allmeinden led to another controversial issue in 1818: The Rapperswil citizens agreed to the distribution of the "pastures", but not those of the "forests". And so the local residents, the local community of Rapperswil-Jona, own their "Joner Wald" between Rapperswil-Jona and Rüti to this day.
Due to the limitation to the late medieval city limits (municipal code of 1804), further urban development unfolded mainly in the municipal area of Jona, which in the first half of the 19th century largely remained a collection of farms and hamlets in the northwest, north and east outside the city walls was. Until 1800 the inhabitants of the rural area lived mainly from agriculture, some small farmers also worked as day laborers, tailors, shoemakers and weavers. During the whole of the 19th century, Jona remained mostly a farming community with dairy farming and viticulture, but the number of inhabitants tripled between 1800 and 1900.
The increasing industrialization brought Rapperswil the construction of spinning mills, weaving mills, dye works, a hammer forge and an iron foundry along the Stadtbach. Christian Näf from St. Gallen built one of the first cotton mills in the country at the hammer mill in 1803. Jakob Braendlin-Näf († 1845 in Rapperswil) and brothers founded a larger cotton spinning mill in the paper mill (built in 1684) in 1811, then a brewery , food and inns and other businesses in Kempraten . Master tanner Hermann Freudenberg built a leather factory on the Fluh in 1816. The industrialists became citizens of Jona in 1815, where they could still buy enough land, and this is how the first manufacturer's villas were built . Johann Jakob Staub (* 1783; † 1852) acquired a plot of land on the Meienberg in 1823 , built an elegant country estate in a classicist style and combined it with other plots to form an extensive landscape park . Staub's daughter married the industrialist Jakob Braendlin-Näf, who was already living on Meienberg, and lived in the neighboring Villa Grünstels . In 1815 the first school building on the Lenggis could be moved into, then in Wagen (1828) and Bollingen (1837). In later years the secondary schools Bollwies, Burgerau and Weiden, the secondary schools Kreuzstrasse and Rain as well as the primary schools Hanfländer, Bollwies, Schachen, and Weiden followed. Joachim Raff (* 1822; † 1882), the well-known composer - orchestration of the symphonic poems by Franz Liszt and his secretary - and music teacher , worked as a teacher at the primary school in Rapperswil around 1817. Beginning in 1829, the city walls from north to south-east and the gates as obstacles to the increasing through traffic - the fortifications in the west and north-west have been preserved - were largely razed and Rickenstrasse was extended into the city. The castle remained a cantonal prison until 1820. After the dissolution of the Uznach district, Rapperswil became part of the newly formed See district in 1831 until the new St. Gallen canton constitution was adopted (2001) . Alois Fuchs was a teacher at the Latin school and hospital priest in Rapperswil from 1828 to 1834 . Here he came into conflict with the Bishop of Chur and St. Gallen because of his liberal outlook and had to answer before an episcopal heretic court . Felix Maria Diogg , probably the most important classicist portraitist in Switzerland, died in Rapperswil in 1834.
The medieval "inner harbor" on the Fischmarktplatz was filled in between 1837 and 1840, and the port area in its present-day appearance began to emerge. The German lyric poet, poet and translator Ferdinand Freiligrath settled in 1845 with his wife and their sister Marie Melos for two years on the Meienberg. He made the acquaintance of Gottfried Keller , who fell unhappily in love with Marie Melos without declaring his love for her. During his stay in Switzerland, Freiligrath also made the acquaintance of Franz Liszt . In 1848 the "non-profit society from the lake district", the "Wochenblatt vom Seebezirk und Gaster" ( "Linth" newspaper ) and the "Credit and Sparanstalt" (Bank Linthgebiet-Sarganserland) were founded. In the same year, Theodor Curti was born, the internationally known journalist, national councilor , historian ("History of Switzerland in the XIXth Century", 1902), editor of the St. Galler Zeitung and head of the Frankfurter Zeitung .
The first steam train operated in Rapperswil as early as 1859 - as the junction of the railway lines from Rapperswil to Rüti and from Rapperswil to Schmerikon. In 1866 the Federal Singers' Festival was a guest in Rapperswil. The Jona-Rapperswil Agricultural Association and the Lenggis cheese dairy were established in Kempraten in 1867, in Busskirch in 1868, in Jona in 1871 and in 1886, as the last of a series of dairy and dairy cooperatives . In the presence of 10,000 Poles from all over the world, a Polish Freedom Column was erected on the Lindenhof in 1868 and the course was set for the Polish National Museum . In 1869 the local community signed a 99-year lease for the castle with the Polish patriot Count Wladislaw Plater from Kilchberg: between 1870 and 1927, the “Polish National Museum” found a home here. From 1936 to 1952 the rooms of the castle were used a second time for a museum of contemporary Poland, and during the Second World War it took over the cultural care of Polish soldiers interned in Switzerland in 1940. The museum's collection was transported to Poland in 1952, but since the renovation in 1975, a Polish museum has been located within the walls of the castle for the third time, the “Poland Museum” founded by Polish emigrants. In 1874/1876 and 1910 the Jona floods devastated the municipality. The silk manufacturer Hans Heinrich Weidmann (* 1851; † 1914), who came from Zurich-Selnau, founded a paper factory in the old town mill in January 1877, which has since been the most important industrial company in town. With 86.21 hectares, Jona was the largest wine-growing community in the canton of St. Gallen in 1886.
Development of tourism in Rapperswil
The arrival of the first steamship “Minerva” on July 29, 1835 in the Rapperswil harbor is considered to be the trigger for the development of tourism. Franz Carl Caspar, a citizen of Rorschach, founder of the “Steamship Company for Lake Constance and Rhine”, was also interested in introducing steam navigation on Lake Zurich and Lake Walen , together with Johann Jakob Lämmlin from Schaffhausen as a technical expert. On March 19, 1834, the two pioneers founded the company "Caspar and Lämmlin, entrepreneurs of steam shipping on Lake Zurich and Lake Walen". They ordered the first Lake Zurich steamship, the "Minerva", from the William Fairbairn machine works in Manchester. From this first touristic development of the Lake Zurich area, today's Zurich Lake Schiffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG, since 1957) emerged, whose fleet of a total of 17 ships (as of 2007) guarantees year-round passenger traffic on Lake Zurich , the Obersee and the Limmat River, which runs through the city of Zurich. From May to September there is an "island taxi" that takes guests with the "Taucherli" from Rapperswil to Lützelau and back between May and the end of September.
Change from a medieval town to a modern town (1834-1892)
The open fish market square and the lakeside inns Schwanen, Steinbock, Schwert, Bellevue, Anker and Du Lac were created with the rise of tourism after 1834. The medieval fortified "inner harbor", which was razed together with most of the city fortifications from 1834, was located on the site of today's fish market square. Until the stone dam and the railway line went into operation, the main traffic connection in the region, the wooden bridge to Hurden, led to the former southern bridge gate at what was then the fish market. The traffic, mostly merchants and pilgrims, through the city of Rapperswil ran from the eastern Halstor over the main square through Fischmarktstrasse to the fortified gate at the fish market (inns Hecht and Hirschen). Until 1834, fortification walls protected the inner harbor, which was located in the area of today's parking garage and in turn blocked the ship's approach through the wooden portcullis in the protective gate tower, which was expanded in 1610. The razing of the city walls and gates was followed by the filling of the inner harbor and the creation of the new outer harbor with two striking breakwaters. Up until that point in time, Lake Zurich reached as far as the city walls, which stretched over the main square , the fish market square on what is now the front of the houses with the hotels and restaurants, to the Endingerhorn. The north-eastern axis of the Fischmarktplatz has been determined by the classicist hospital building by Felix Wilhelm Kubly since 1844, today's retirement home in place of the medieval Heilig-Geist-Spital and since 1845 the bowl fountain made from Solothurn's Jura stone. At Endingerplatz, the Curti-Haus, the core of which goes back to at least the 16th century, forms the interface between the old town, the monastery district and the lake. One of the oldest photos of Rapperswil shows the building sold to Baron von Scherer in 1889. He had it rebuilt and the facade decorated with mosaics and frescoes in 1894, which still bear witness to the joy of design of the fin de siècle today.
To increase tourism and to create the quay, the “Residents' Association” was founded in 1867, followed by the “Beautification Association” in 1886 and the “Tourist Association” in 1892, which merged in 1892. The “Bühler-Allee” around the Capuchin monastery and the castle hill, begun in 1886, is thanks to the initiative of Johann Heinrich Bühler-Honegger (* 1833 - † 1929), an industrialist, founding member of the Südostbahn , National Council and at that time the city's most important taxpayer. The umbrella manufacturer August Baumann supported the quay facilities at the seaport. A very popular pergola adorned the fish market square from 1913 to 1964; today it forms the top surface of the underground car park and restaurant of the tourist office, which was completed in 1996. On the north side of the palace Gustav Adolf Closs made two large wall paintings in 1896, which are to be regarded as two of his main works in the field of wall painting, not only because of their flawless condition. Rapperswil owes its reputation as an internationally popular excursion and holiday destination to its lakeshore, the historic old town with Rapperswil Castle and the children's zoo.
Rapperswil in railway fever
The first steam train operated in Rapperswil as early as 1859 - as the junction of the railway lines from Rapperswil to Rüti and from Rapperswil to Schmerikon . Turntables and cranes enabled goods to be handled on the ships at the fish market square. The legendary Arlberg-Orient-Express drove for a while from Bucharest , Budapest , Vienna via Rapperswil to Zurich and on to Basel , Paris and Calais - but without a scheduled stop. The railway lines to the left and right of Lake Zurich were built in 1875 and 1894, respectively. The Left Bank Zurich Sea Railway ( "Seebahn") is a railway line opened in 1875 by the Swiss Northeast Railway (NOB) between Zurich main station and Ziegelbrücke or Näfels . With the nationalization of the NOB in 1901, the «Seebahn» became part of the newly founded Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). Before the railway line was opened along the left bank of Lake Zurich, the first express trains ran between Zurich and Chur via Uster . When the right bank Zurichseebahn - from Zurich via Meilen to Rapperswil - was opened in 1894, the term "Seebahn" had long been established in Zurich for the route on the left bank, and it has been preserved to this day through corresponding street and property names.
Rapperswil has been an important junction of today's Südostbahn (SOB) since 1877 . In 1877 the first of the two forerunners of the SOB was founded, the Wädenswil-Einsiedeln-Bahn (WE). The Zürichsee – Gotthard Railway (ZGB) followed as early as 1878, building the railway line across the Rapperswil embankment, which was opened at the same time, and operating a large railway depot. In 1891 the connection to the Gotthard Railway was opened and the sea dam line was connected to the main SOB network. Due to the different points of contact, both the BT and the SOB worked together with the SBB from an early stage. The continuous trains from Romanshorn via Rapperswil and Arth-Goldau to Lucerne have been operated under the name Voralpen-Express since 1992 . The present-day station building in neo- renaissance style was built in 1894/95 according to plans by architect Karl August Hiller and even back then it underlined the growing tourist importance. The goods sheds and the temporary wooden station were in existence until 1894. The outer facade of the "Swan Hall" (Hotel Schwanen) was redesigned as it is today. The important importance as a traffic junction for public transport is evident in the 21st century in addition to the aforementioned railway lines with the Glatthalbahn and the Tösstalbahn ( Thurbo ) of the Zurich S-Bahn , the extensive depot and the stationing of a fire extinguishing and rescue train (LRZ) of the SBB .
The wooden bridge from Rapperswil to Hurden remained one of the most important traffic arteries in Rapperswil from its construction until the beginning of the 19th century. At that time, it was no longer able to cope with the increasing traffic of people and goods, for example carts could only drive at walking pace, and if one of the axles broke, there was no further progress (the wooden bridge was too narrow for that).
- « We are building a wide dam out of stones! said clever men. The small council of the city of Rapperswil had previously commissioned chief engineer Hartmann to work out a plan for a better bridge. This plan was pulled out of the drawer again. But the people who lived on the Obersee were already complaining. They believed that the stone dam dammed the water in such a way that their fields and meadows would be flooded. In Giessen near Benken these like-minded people came together for a heated meeting in August 1864, and they protested violently against the construction of the dam. The council then obtained new reports. They confirmed that there was no congestion and that people at Obersee should therefore not be afraid, and the plan was presented to the government. But again there was a storm in the March. Some people said: when the lake is high, Lachen and Schmerikon are under water. When it passes through, the water flows so strongly that steamships can no longer sail into the Obersee. The devil bring the plan of a sea dam! It was a long back and forth of opinions. The idea of the stone dam over the lake finally won, but only when the train was supposed to cross the lake. The railroad bug at that time was stronger than any concern; We owe to him the final decision to build the dam. »
In 1878 the railway line and road were opened over the new stone (bricked) lake dam in Rapperswil , which replaced the old wooden bridge. The Dreiländerstein (Obelisk) was inaugurated as early as 1875 after border regulation.
Rapperswil in the 20th century
The 20th century brought Rapperswil and Jona the founding of the electricity works (stock corporation) in Jona in 1902 and a private gas works taken over by the municipality in 1908 . 1914 is the year of birth of Josef Müller-Brockmann (* 1914 Rapperswil; † 1996), author, teacher and leading theorist and practitioner of Swiss typography . Circus Knie is now called the Swiss National Circus . It was founded in 1919 as the Swiss National Circus Gebrüder Knie by Friedrich Knie, directed by Fredy Knie senior from 1941 and has been firmly in the hands of the Knie dynasty since it was founded. The establishment was preceded by more than a century of fairground activity with an open ring. In the founding year of 1919, the Knies established permanent winter quarters in Rapperswil on Lake Zurich, where animal training and other program numbers were practiced during the non-performance period (end of November to mid-March). In the same year the Knies bought their first circus tent. A two-mast tent with 2500 seats.
The publicist , correspondent, editor and Cantonal Councilor Hans Rathgeb († 2000) was born in Rapperswil in 1922. He is the author of numerous books on the history of Rapperswil and has received several awards for his commitment. Hans Rathgeb is considered one of the most important sponsors of the Polish Cultural Foundation and the reopening of the Poland Museum in Rapperswil in 1975, as well as one of the initiators of the reconstructed historic wooden bridge between Rapperswil and Hurden . The Hans-Rathgeb-Weg is named after him. Gerold Späth was born in Rapperswil in 1939: “ Rapperswil is the room in which my stories live, this is where I grew up, this is where I have the overview and the view. “In 1942 the voters of Rapperswil elected Ferdinand Fürer as the first mayor in full office. In 1943, under the patronage of the Rapperswil-Jona Tourist Association, parts of the Paulina and Heinrika Breny property were set up as a “local museum of local history and art”. The property (Obere Halsgasse until 1960) came into the possession of the local community of Rapperswil-Jona in 1958 as a legacy of the siblings. Since then, the names Breny-Haus and Breny-Turm have been common for today's Rapperswil-Jona City Museum . Today's Ice Hockey National League A Club Rapperswil-Jona Lakers was founded in 1945 as the "Rapperswil-Jona Ice Skate Club", the FCRJ football club as early as 1928. In 1945 the parish of Busskirch was integrated into the parish of St. Johann, which celebrated its 750th anniversary 2003 celebrated. The official protocol of the building commission of the city council of December 16, 1946 is considered the founding document of today's Rapperswil-Jona sea rescue service , and from 1967 the neighboring Hombrechtikon (ZH) was also included. Since January 1, 2011, the Rapperswil-Jona sea rescue service has been integrated into the Rapperswil-Jona fire brigade as a water rescue train . The artificial ice rink (the Lido ) - since 1986 the permanent ice rink in Rapperswil and Jona - opened private investors in 1961. In the same year, they joined the Zurich Oberland waste disposal service (KEZO), a special-purpose association of 39 Zurich Oberland municipalities. a. operate six waste incineration plants after the Rapperswil-based company had been disposing of their waste using the Ochsner system since 1949 .
The nationally known Zoological Garden Knies Children's Zoo was opened by Fredy Knie and Rolf Knie , the sons of Fredy Knie senior, on June 15, 1962. The focus is on the encounter between the visitors and the animals. Not only various pets can be petted and fed with zoo food, but also, for example, a tame rhinoceros can be petted behind the ears. Therefore, no predators are deliberately shown, but mainly species that are pet- friendly. The zoo is part of the winter quarters of the Knie Circus and also houses the animals that cannot go on tour.
In 1964, Rapperswil and Jona am Meienberg inaugurated a joint retirement home, and in 1990 the Bühl retirement and nursing home opened its doors in Jona. From 1968 Max Lehmann († 2002) conducted the town music in Rapperswil, with which he felt particularly connected and composed the Rapperswil March in 1974 . In 1972, Rapperswil celebrated the opening of the Rapperswil Intercantonal Technical Center (today's HSR), for the construction of which the local community and the political community of Rapperswil donated the building land. The school is supported by the cantons of Zurich, St. Gallen, Schwyz and Glarus. The University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil (HSR) with 1000 students and 150 teachers in all departments is the University of Applied Sciences in Eastern Switzerland with a focus on electrical engineering , IT , mechanical engineering, civil engineering , landscape architecture and spatial planning and is involved in the implementation of strongSwan in addition to numerous projects . In the same year, after intermittent arbitration proceedings since 1908, the Capuchins lost their orchard at the " Einsiedlerhaus " on the Endingerhorn, which was leased by the city and converted into a garden for antique roses. Rapperswil promised the brothers in a solemn certificate that they would replace the fruit loss "in kind" every year. Since 1973, the Intercantonal Lehrmittelzentrale (ILZ) has been coordinating the requirements for the procurement of teaching materials in accordance with the cantonal curricula for a concordat of 18 German-speaking cantons and the Principality of Liechtenstein at its publishing house in the heart of the old town . 1976 saw the inauguration of the “vocational school for commercial and industrial apprentices and apprenticeship daughters”, today's vocational and advanced training center (BWZ). The Sonnenhof shopping center opened its doors in September 1978 .
In 1979 the city of roses celebrated 750 years of Rapperswil . The fountain in the monastery garden is a donation from the neighboring communities for the anniversary; an old fountain bowl made of Jura limestone, artfully restored and redesigned. The Schanz multi-storey car park in the city center was opened in 1984 - with a special feature, the above-ground scented rose garden for the visually impaired. The citizens of Rapperswil approved a loan of CHF 13 million in 1991 for the creation of another underground park (224 spaces, completed in 1996) on the Fischmarktplatz, together with the main square, one of the most famous public spaces. The opening of the sports hall in Joner Grünfeld (CHF 11.9 million costs) and the citizens' resolution to merge the central sewage treatment plants in Rapperswil and Jona (CHF 40 million costs) are important events in 1994. Radio Zürisee , the «Seesender», was one of the first private radio stations in Switzerland in 1983 and relocated its studio from Stäfa to the city of roses.
With the new cantonal constitution of June 10, 2001, the constituency See-Gaster was formed, to which Rapperswil and Jona belonged as independent municipalities until the municipal merger. The Capuchin monastery celebrated 400 years of Capuchin in Rapperswil and 10 years of monastery to live with in 2002. The 20th World Orienteering Championships 2003 took place from August 3 to August 9, 2003: Rapperswil was the venue for the sprint races and the organizational center of the World Championships . The Rapperswil Lake Night Festival one week later was another cultural highlight, which in 2006 (and from August 7th to 9th, 2009) brought around a hundred thousand adventurous people to Rapperswil on three summer days.
Rose town of Rapperswil
In 1913 the "Verkehrs- und Schönerungsverein Rapperswil und Umgebung" had the rose plants ( pergola ) installed at the seaport and further plantings at the seaport at the beginning of the 1920s and on streets and squares if this was still possible in the densely built old town of Rapperswil. Rose gardens in Rapperswil in the real sense followed around 1965, u. a. in the former orchard of the Capuchin monastery on the initiative of the tourist association or Dietrich Woessener, founder (1959) and honorary president of the "Society of Swiss Rose Friends". A cross-national specialty is the fragrant rose garden for the visually impaired, inaugurated in 1984 in the underground car park Schanz. The more than 1,500 roses from 75 different types of fragrance are signposted throughout with Braille and normal writing. Hans Erni created an ornamental fountain designed for the visually impaired, financed by the Cirkus Knie. Between June and October total flourish around 15,000 hybrid teas , Polyantha - and shrub roses in the gardens and streets in and around the Old Town, then Rapperswil that with pride as "international center of fragrant roses" and thus as " Rose City may call."
Merger of Rapperswil and Jona
The resident population and economy of Rapperswil could only develop to a very limited extent due to the spatial limitation of just 1.72 km² urban area, and Rapperswil had built structurally together with the twelve times larger Jona in the course of the late 20th century. The border ran smoothly and could hardly be seen from the air. After earlier unsuccessful attempts, in a referendum in 2003, the population approved a merger of the municipalities of Rapperswil (2001: 7400 inhabitants; yes share 82%) and Jona (2001: 17,100 inhabitants; yes share 52%). The merger agreement was accepted by the population of both municipalities in spring 2005, and the municipality merger to form the city of Rapperswil-Jona came into force on January 1, 2007. Rapperswil-Jona is after the city of St. Gallen is the second largest municipality in the canton of St. Gallen.
A small chapter in contemporary history was the agreement on a new city coat of arms for Rapperswil-Jona. Peter Bruggmann's “Smile” design instead of “Lätsch” was approved by a large majority at the citizens' meeting on November 27, 2005, and the new coat of arms was soon widely used. On January 1, 2007, the new city flag of Rapperswil-Jona was inaugurated in the city hall.
See also
literature
- Pascale Sutter (adaptation): Legal sources of the city and rule of Rapperswil (with the farms Busskirch / Jona, Kempraten and Wagen) . In: Collection of Swiss legal sources , XIV. Department: The legal sources of the canton of St. Gallen, Part two: The city rights of St. Gallen and Rapperswil, Second row: The legal sources of the city and rule of Rapperswil, Schwabe, Basel 2007. ISBN 978-3 -7965-2297-0 [1]
- Beat Glaus: The canton of Linth in the Helvetic Republic . Historical Association of the Canton of Schwyz, Schwyz 2005. ISBN 3-033-00438-5
- Peter Röllin: Rapperswil-Jona culture construction kit . City of Rapperswil u. a., Rapperswil-Jona 2005. ISBN 3-033-00478-4 , 2nd edition City of Rapperswil-Jona 2011. ISBN 978-3-033-03126-5
- State Archives of the Canton of Zurich (Ed.): Small Zurich Constitutional History 1218–2000 . Ed. On behalf of the Directorate of Justice and the Interior for the day of the constitution of the Zurich Constitutional Council on September 13, 2000. Chronos, Zurich 2000. ISBN 3-905314-03-7
- Erwin Eugster: Noble Territorial Policy in Eastern Switzerland. Church foundations in the field of tension of earlier sovereign displacement politics . Chronos, Zurich 1991. ISBN 3-905278-68-5
- Josef Hollenstein: Bumpy Bsetzi. Notes from a small town , Ra-Verlag, Rapperswil 1984 ( series of the Heimatmuseum No. 8).
- Bernhard Anderes: The art monuments of the canton of St. Gallen . Volume 4: The lake district . Birkhäuser, Basel 1966 ( The art monuments of Switzerland ).
- Hermann Wahlen / Ernst Jaggi: The Swiss Peasant War 1653 and the development of the peasant class since then . Ed. Economic and non-profit society of the Canton of Bern. Association printing, Bern 1952.
- Hans Rathgeb. u. a .: “Rapperswil die Rosenstadt”, “Rapperswiler Chronik 1933–1948”, “Rapperswil in the good old days”, “Rapperswil - city and country”, “Eastern Switzerland - a regional region presents itself”, “Between Lake Zurich and Lake Walen”, “ Rapperswil, the small town, our great love "(objectives for future development ... competition of the Council of Europe )," From the arena to the circus / 175 years of the Knie dynasty "," Rapperswil craft and trade / 750 years in the service of the city and region " , “The city of roses Rapperswil”, “Rapperswil-Jona: Our beautiful little world”, “The Knie circus family” and together with O. Eggmann “Rapperswil - city and country”.
- P. Rufim Steimer: History of the Capuchin Monastery in Rapperswil with a thorough consideration of the history of place and time . Didierjean, Uster 1927.
- Karl Dändliker : History of Switzerland. With special regard to the development of constitutional and cultural life from the oldest times to the present. According to the sources and the latest research, presented in common terms . Schulthess & Co., Zurich 1885–1892.
- Hans von Schwanden: The Kastvogtei of Rapperswil in the 13th and 14th centuries . In: The history friend. Announcements of the Historical Association of Five Places 2, 1845, pp. 149–152.
- Johannes Stumpf: Common, praiseworthy Eydgnoschektiven Stetten, Landen and Voelckeren Chronick willier thaaten Beschreybung […] (Stumpfsche Chronik) 2 Bde. Druckerei Christoph Froschauer , Zurich 1548.
Web links
- City administration of Rapperswil-Jona
- Rapperswil-Jona municipality
- Rapperswil-Jona culture construction kit, 36 museums without a roof
- Alois Stadler: Jona. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Alois Stadler: Rapperswil (SG). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lexicon of Swiss municipality names .
- ^ Website Rosen in der Heraldik ( Memento of May 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Gold Coast website, Rapperswil community
- ^ Website Rapperswil-Jona, Alt-Rapperswil
- ^ Website underwater archaeological projects in the Canton of St. Gallen
- ↑ NZZ (January 20/21, 2001): The bridge on the bottom of Lake Zurich .
- ↑ Linth-Zeitung (April 7, 2004): The «pile dwelling fever» is approaching .
- ^ Website Society for Underwater Archeology
- ^ Website of the Laboratory for Dendrochronology of the City of Zurich
- ↑ site monastery archives Einsiedeln, rough inventory Einsiedlerhaus
- ^ A b Eugster, Adlige Territorialpolitik, pp. 230-256.
- ↑ The St. Johann chapel near Altendorf still marks the location of the castle that was destroyed in 1350 by troops from the city of Zurich under Mayor Brun.
- ^ Josef Mächler: Altendorf. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Chronicle of Dominik Rothenfluh, pastor of the parish church Maria Himmelfahrt (Jona) , original in the Rapperswil city archive , copies in the Zurich Central Library.
- ↑ Kaspar Michel: Fairy tale dispute. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Einsiedeln monastery archives, Book of professions abbots, 16. Konrad I.
- ↑ a b History of the community of Freienbach
- ^ A b Culture kit Rapperswil-Jona, 36 museums without a roof .
- ↑ a b Legal Sources Foundation of the Swiss Lawyers Association: Legal Sources of the City and Rulership of Rapperswil (with the farms Busskirch / Jona, Kempraten and Wagen) , accessed on April 26, 2013
- ↑ a b c Information boards in the Rapperswil-Jona City Museum
- ^ Website of the Rapperswil-Jona city administration , accessed on April 29, 2013
- ^ A b Website of the National Information Center for Cultural Assets and Conservation, City of Roses Rapperswil
- ↑ Ernst Tremp : Crusades. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ a b Einsiedeln monastery archive, professorship book abbots, 20th Heinrich II. Von Güttingen
- ↑ Einsiedeln monastery archives Professbuch: Abbots, 17. Anselm von Schwanden
- ↑ Einsiedeln monastery archives Professbuch: Abbots, 19th Peter I. von Schwanden
- ↑ Einsiedeln monastery archives Professbuch: Abbots, 21. Johannes I. von Schwanden
- ↑ Martina Wehrli-Johns: Oetenbach. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Einsiedeln monastery archive Professbuch abbots, 23rd Conrad II of Gösgen
- ↑ a b Martin Illi: Brun'sche guild revolution. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ During his imprisonment in Zurich, Count Johann II composed the minnie song “Blümli blawe”, which Goethe immortalized in the ballad “Das Blümlein Wunderschön: Lied des Captured Count”.
- ^ Citizens' community of the city of Zug: Zug will not become federal . On the occasion of the 650-year membership of the Canton of Zug in the Swiss Confederation, by Thomas Glauser, 2002.
- ↑ Dölf Wild, Urs Jäggin: The Zurich Predigerkirche: Important stages in building history . Office for Urban Development of the City of Zurich (Ed.), Zurich 2006.
- ↑ «p. Matthis »is probably the early High German name of Saint Matthias , whose feast day in the late medieval Empire was celebrated on February 24th.
- ↑ Other, Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons St. Gallen, p. 204.
- ^ Website of the Rapperswil-Jona tourist office, churches and monasteries
- ^ Website Rapperswil-Jona , Customs and History
- ^ Website Schwyzer Wanderwege ( Memento from April 26, 2005 in the Internet Archive ), Dr. phil. Joachim Salzgeber: The bridge - a royal work . In: Monthly magazine “Maria Einsiedeln” (July / August 2001).
- ↑ site linth.net: History of the town of Rapperswil
- ↑ site Swisscastles.ch, Schloss Grüningen
- ↑ Einsiedeln monastery archives, Book of professions abbots, 31. Rudolf III. by Sax
- ↑ There is no historical reference to May 26, 1489
- ↑ Einsiedeln Monastery Archives, Summarium Volume 1, page 61
- ↑ The heavily damaged silk damask , which was restored for the first time in 1895, was reassembled and preserved in 1993, commissioned by the Rapperswil municipality in the studio of the Abegg Foundation Riggisberg BE. 116 × 122 cm, exhibited in the Rapperswil town hall, description as described by Dr. Bernhard Anderes, 1994, in the town hall . Other, Art Monuments of the Canton of St. Gallen, p. 368f.
- ^ University of Bern, Historical Institute: Exercise The Reformation in Switzerland as a social movement , group peasant uprisings. The Reformation in the countryside.
- ↑ The cross particle monstrance from the Rüti monastery treasure is kept in the Rapperswil rectory.
- ↑ NZZ Online (January 17, 2008): Abbot Klauser's legacy causes displeasure
- ↑ a b c d e f g History of the Rapperswil Capuchin Monastery
- ^ State Archives of the Canton of St. Gallen : Rapperswil demands compensation for the siege of Zurich (1656). Single sheet printing in Latin, limited access for archive staff.
- ↑ a b c d e history of the "Hotel Schwanen"
- ↑ a b c Website Rapperswil-Jona, history
- ↑ Stadtsänger Rapperswil website ( memento of April 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ): “ Before leaving for the Swiss Singing Festival in Zurich, the ladies from Rapperswil brought the precious club flag. She often emigrated to happy festivals and also decorated the flag castle at the memorable song festival in Rapperswil in 1866 ».
- ↑ Works by Hans Rathgeb (* 1922; † 2000 Rapperswil): "Rapperswil die Rosenstadt", "Rapperswiler Chronik 1933–1948", "Rapperswil in the good old days", "Rapperswil - city and country", "Eastern Switzerland - a regional region presented himself ”,“ Between Lake Zurich and Lake Walen ”,“ Rapperswil, the small town, our great love ”(objectives for future development ... Council of Europe competition ),“ From the arena to the circus / 175 years of the Knie dynasty ”,“ Rapperswil craft and Trade / 750 years in the service of the city and region ”,“ The city of roses Rapperswil ”,“ Rapperswil-Jona: Our beautiful little world ”,“ The Knie circus family ”,“ Bridges across the lake ”and together with O. Eggmann“ Rapperswil - Urban and countryside".
- ↑ Obituary for Hans Rathgeb ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Website of the BWZ
- ↑ Website The small difference - or: Small cause - big effect.
