![Rigi-Scheidegg-from-Goldau-](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Rigi-Scheidegg-from-Goldau-.jpg)
Goldau is a town in the community of
Arth
Arth is a village, a List of towns in Switzerland, town, and a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The municipality consists of the villages Arth, Oberarth, and Goldau. The four ...
,
canton of Schwyz
The canton of Schwyz (german: Kanton Schwyz rm, Chantun Sviz; french: Canton de Schwytz; it, Canton Svitto) is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. It lies between the
Rigi
The Rigi (or ''Mount Rigi''; also known as ''Queen of the Mountains'') is a mountain massif of the Alps, located in Central Switzerland. The whole massif is almost entirely surrounded by the water of three different bodies of water: Lake Lucerne ...
and
Rossberg
The Wildspitz is the highest summit of the Rossberg, a mountain of the Schwyzer Alps
The Schwyz Alps (german: Schwyzer Alpen) are a mountain range in Switzerland. They form part of the North-Eastern Swiss Alps and are bordered by the Glaru ...
mountains, and between lakes
Zug
, neighboring_municipalities = Cham, Baar, Walchwil, Steinhausen, Unterägeri
, twintowns = Fürstenfeld (Austria), Kalesija (Bosnia-Herzegowina)
Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; french: Zoug it, Zugo r ...
and
Lauerz
Lauerz is a village and municipality in the Schwyz District of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It adjoins Lake Lauerz (''Lauerzersee'').
History
Lauerz is first mentioned in 1306 as ''Lowertz''.
In September 1806, the village was very badly ...
.
Well known attractions include the
Natur- und Tierpark Goldau
Natur- und Tierpark Goldau is one of six scientifically managed zoos in Switzerland. It is situated in the area that was devastated by the Goldau landslide of 1806. The zoo attracted 859,000 visitors in 2013.Arth-Goldau
Arth-Goldau railway station (german: Bahnhof Arth-Goldau) is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth.
The station is an i ...
valley station of the
Arth-Rigi Bahn connecting to the Rigi mountain.
Goldau is primarily known in Switzerland for its historic landslide, the "Goldau landslide" (''Goldauer Bergsturz'') of 1806 which killed 457 people. It is also known for its importance for the
Swiss railways network, with
Arth-Goldau
Arth-Goldau railway station (german: Bahnhof Arth-Goldau) is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth.
The station is an i ...
station forming the intersection between the
Gotthard,
Lucerne
Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
,
Zug–Zürich and
Pfäffikon lines.
Goldau landslide
There were numerous historical landslides in Goldau, with a major event, more significant than the 1806 landslide, dated to the 14th century.
The toponym itself, first recorded in 1353, refers to the remnants of these landslides, from a dialectal ''gol'', ''goleten'' "gravel, rubble, debris".
On September 2, 1806 heavy rains triggered a landslide from the Rossberg which destroyed Goldau and the adjacent villages of
Buosingen,
Röthen
Röthen (in Bavaria: ''Röden'') is a river of Thuringia and Bavaria, Germany. It passes through Sonneberg and Neustadt bei Coburg, and flows into the Itz near Rödental.
See also
*List of rivers of Thuringia
*List of rivers of Bavaria
Geograph ...
and
Lauerz
Lauerz is a village and municipality in the Schwyz District of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It adjoins Lake Lauerz (''Lauerzersee'').
History
Lauerz is first mentioned in 1306 as ''Lowertz''.
In September 1806, the village was very badly ...
. The landslide comprised of material, with a mass of .
[The 1806 Goldau landslide]
Bull Angew Geol 2006; 11(2):3-12. English abstrac
Archived
[Brockhaus' Konversations-Lexikon. 14th ed., Leipzig, Berlin and Vienna 1894; Vol. 8, p. 125]
Part of the mass hit
Lake Lauerz
__NOTOC__
Lake Lauerz (German: ''Lauerzersee'', old spelling: ''Lowerzer See'') is a lake in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Geography
Its water area varies between and (depending on water level), a maximum depth of , and a water level elev ...
(which had been created by an even larger landslide in the 14th century), and the resulting tsunami-like displacement wave caused more devastation towards
Seewen. The event destroyed 111 houses, 220 barns, and two churches in a disaster area of about , parts of which were covered with debris to a height of . It resulted in the confirmed death of 457 people.
[
The disaster inspired the ]epic poem
An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.
...
''Goldau'' by American writer John Neal in 1818. A museum outside the Natur- und Tierpark exhibits findings and photos of the event.
Sport
SC Goldau is the city's football club.
References
External links
Arth-Online
Rigi area website
{{authority control
Villages in the canton of Schwyz
Landslides in Switzerland
Landslides in 1806