Goldau is a town in the community of

Arth Arth is a village, a town, and a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of the villages Arth, Oberarth, and Goldau. The four settlements Rigi Kulm, Rigi First, Rigi Klösterli, an ...

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 o ...

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 mountains, and between lakes Zug and Lauerz. 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 Rigi Railways (german: Rigi Bahnen) is a railway company that operates a group of railways on the mountain Rigi, located between two of the arms of Lake Lucerne, in Switzerland. They include two standard gauge rack railways, the Vitznau–Rig ...

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: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label= Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital o ...

, 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 and Lauerz. 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 SC Goldau are a Swiss football team based in Goldau, currently playing in Liga 2., the fourth tier in the Swiss football pyramid Group 3. The club was formed in 1946. They finished 2008/2009 season in 9th position. Staff and board members ...

is the city's football club.

References

External links

Arth-OnlineRigi area website
{{authority control Villages in the canton of Schwyz Landslides in Switzerland Landslides in 1806