Stadtmuseum Rapperswil-Jona is a museum of
local history
Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small ...
and
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
in
Rapperswil
Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...
,
canton of St. Gallen
The canton of St. Gallen, also canton of St Gall (german: link=no, Kanton St. Gallen ; rm, Chantun Son Gagl; french: Canton de Saint-Gall; it, Canton San Gallo), is a canton of Switzerland. The capital is St. Gallen.
Located in northeastern ...
in
Switzerland.
Location
The museum is situated in three
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
buildings, remains of a former castle as part of the town walls of Rapperswil, as of today in the so-called ''Breny house'', a
keep, and in the ''Breny tower'' and an intermediate section that was a
battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...
of the town wall at ''Herrenberg'' hill. The buildings are situated between
Schloss Rapperswil
Rapperswil Castle (Swiss German: ''Schloss Rapperswil'') is a castle, built in the early 13th century by the House of Rapperswil, in the formerly independent city of Rapperswil.
The castle is located on the eastern ''Zürichsees western ''Obers ...
,
Stadtpfarrkirche Rapperswil
Stadtpfarrkirche St. Johann ( Saint John's parish church) is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city of Rapperswil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Geography
The church is located next to Rapperswil Castle on the so-called ''Herrenb ...
and ''Engelplatz'' square.
Breny house and Breny tower
Breny house and Breny tower are part of the remains of the northeastern town walls of the medieval city of
Rapperswil
Rapperswil (Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dial ...
. The buildings date back to early 13th century AD, when the lords of Russikon (Russinger) built a
residential tower respectively a small
castle as servants (Ministerials) of the
Counts of Rapperswil
The House of Rapperswil respectively Counts of Rapperswil (''Grafen von Rapperwil'' since 1233, before ''Lords'') ruled the upper ''Zürichsee'' and ''Seedamm'' region around Rapperswil and parts of, as of today, Swiss cantons of St. Gallen, Gl ...
. In its present form, it was built in 1492 by the knight Hans of
Landenberg
Landenberg was a noble family in medieval Switzerland.
History
By the beginning 14th century, they were the most powerful family of eastern Switzerland, separating into four lines, Alt-Landenberg, Landenberg-Greifensee, Hohenlandenberg and Br ...
from the
Töss Valley The Töss Valley (German: ''Tösstal'') is a valley and a region of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
Geography
The valley embraces parts of the Zürcher Oberland including the districts of Hinwil, Pfäffikon and Winterthur, in addition ...
replacing the former seat of the lords of Russikon. The Landenberg family officiated in Rapperswil as mayors and councils to 1530. Subsequent occupants were from 1530 to 1660 the Göldlin family, then the Good family, and from 1758 the Breny family. The former castle with its high residential tower at the so-called ''Herrenberg'' ("
castle hill") marked in the 16th century the urban expansion of the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
city to the northeast. The buildings were part of the northeasterly town walls at the bay of
Kempraten
Kempraten-Lenggis is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The remains of the Gallo-Roman settlement '' Centum Prata'' are on ...
on
Lake Zürich
__NOTOC__
Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/ Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used ...
shore heading to the so-called ''Herrenbergtor'' gate (broken in 1848).
[Kulturbaukasten Rapperswil-Jona, 36 Museen ohne Dach](_blank)
/ref>
The largely conserved residential facilities date back to the 16th century when the castle was owned by Thuring Göldli. The Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
hall with beamed ceiling and flower garlands, like the other rooms in the initial stage of construction, is largely preserved. The living room is decorated with late Gothic and partly overpainted wall painting among them the coats of arms of the Landenberg and Hünenberg families (as of 1492). The Breny room ("Breny-Stube") and the Landenberg room (as of 1503) are in their original condition.
The very first roses in Rapperswil blossom at the Breny tower and at the Stadtpfarrkirche Rapperswil
Stadtpfarrkirche St. Johann ( Saint John's parish church) is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city of Rapperswil, canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Geography
The church is located next to Rapperswil Castle on the so-called ''Herrenb ...
next to the Schloss Rapperswil
Rapperswil Castle (Swiss German: ''Schloss Rapperswil'') is a castle, built in the early 13th century by the House of Rapperswil, in the formerly independent city of Rapperswil.
The castle is located on the eastern ''Zürichsees western ''Obers ...
because their medieval sandstone walls are exposed to the sun all through the year.
Museum of local history and art
History
Under the patronage of the transport association (''Verkehrsverein'') Rapperswil-Jona
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, B ...
, the museum was established in 1943 as "Heimatmuseum lokaler Geschichte und Kunst" (museum of local history and art). As a legacy of the sisters Paulina and Henrika Breny, the buildings, as of today commonly called "Breny-Haus" and "Breny-Turm", are situated at former ''Obere Halsgasse'', and administrated by the city of Rapperswil. In 2008, some Rapperswil residents petitioned local authorities to evict the Polish Museum from its home in the Rapperswil Castle
Rapperswil Castle ( Swiss German: ''Schloss Rapperswil'') is a castle, built in the early 13th century by the House of Rapperswil, in the formerly independent city of Rapperswil.
The castle is located on the eastern '' Zürichsees western '' ...
, as two historical museum locations (''Stadtmuseum'' and Polish Museum) estimated to be too expensive. The Polish Museum is conducting a petition campaign to retain the Museum in the castle; ''Stadtmuseum'' will be kept respectively in 2010/11 renewed at its actual location.[November 12, 2009]
Rapperswil-Jona official website: ''Das geplante neue Stadtmuseum baut auf neuem Selbstverständnis''
Activities
In December 2009, the project "Janus" presented the results of an evaluation for public vote by the citizens of Rapperswil-Jona. The city museum will be renewed from January 2010 to autumn 2011, and therefore will be closed for visitors. Its historical intermediate section between Breny house and Breny tower will probably replaced by a purposive construction integrated into the historic street-scape between ''Stadtpfarrkirche'' (parish church) and ''Engelplatz'' square. This new building serves both, as an exhibition space as well as connection between the two historical museum buildings. The formative north side of the town walls will be kept as it is. Investment and operating costs of around 5.6 million Swiss francs will be borne equally between local community and political community Rapperswil-Jona. Simultaneously with the realization of the project, the accumulated maintenance work on the facades, windows and roofs of the historic buildings and the town wall will be done.Contest Stadtmuseum Rapperswil
Sights
Along with temporary exhibits, main sights are the prehistoric and
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
archaeological finds, particularly from the extensive excavations at
Kempraten
Kempraten-Lenggis is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The remains of the Gallo-Roman settlement '' Centum Prata'' are on ...
, the former Roman ''vicus
Centum Prata
Centum Prata is the name of a Roman '' vicus'', whose remains are located on the eastern Zürichsee lakeshore in Kempraten, a locality of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Centum Prata is the most impor ...
''. Other exhibits are medieval coat of arms of the city of Rapperswil, a goblet of Countess Elizabeth of Rapperswil, the late Gothic living hall and religious goldsmiths, including the mitre, the crosier, particulate monstrance from the monastery treasury of Premonstratensian
Rüti Abbey Rüti, which comes from the Old High German word , meaning " clearing", is a popular name for towns in the German speaking part of Switzerland. It can refer to the following:
*Rüti, Glarus in Glarus
*Rüti, Zürich
Rüti (sometimes written as ' ...
. The intermediate section (as of October 2009) is home to the Breny and Göldli rooms with antique portraits from the Renaissance, the Curti room of Rapperswil silk merchants from the 15th century and the Greith room. In the Breny tower there are a scale model of the city of Rapperswil showing the city as it was in 1800, further information on history and the city fortifications as well as examples of medieval weapons, pharmacy, shoe-making and kiln ceramics from Rapperswil.
The previous conventional presentation of the collection objects was replaced in 2012/12 by a multimedia "history experience", i.e., by visual and audible interaction with the visitors.
Gallery
Rapperswil - Stadtmuseum - Zwischentrakt IMG 5471 ShiftN.jpg, The former intermediate section between Breny tower and Breny house, a remain of the medieval town wall
Rapperswil - Stadtmuseum IMG 1705.JPG, interior of the Breny tower
Rapperswil - Breny-Turm - Wappenschilder.jpg, Coats of arms in the entrance hall: Lords of Russikon, of Landenberg, Göldlin and Breny
Kempraten - gallo-römische Fundstücke.jpg, Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...
relicts from ''Centum Prata'' (Kempraten
Kempraten-Lenggis is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The remains of the Gallo-Roman settlement '' Centum Prata'' are on ...
)
Rapperswil - Elisabeth von Rapperswil - Trinkschale.jpg, Drinking cup estimated to belong to Countess Elisabeth von Rapperswil
Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...
(around 1300)
Rapperswil - Stadtsiegel.jpg, City seal of Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria
Rudolf IV (1 November 1339 – 27 July 1365), also called Rudolf the Founder (german: der Stifter), was a scion of the House of Habsburg who ruled as duke of Austria (self-proclaimed archduke), Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as count ...
, showing Rapperswil and Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden
Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden is a wooden pedestrian bridge between the city of Rapperswil and the village of Hurden crossing the upper Lake Zürich (''Obersee'') in Switzerland. The prehistoric timber piles discovered to the west of the Seedam ...
(1361)
Kloster Rüti - Stadtmuseum Rapperswil - Krummstab und Mitra.jpg, Treasury of the Rüti Abbey Rüti, which comes from the Old High German word , meaning " clearing", is a popular name for towns in the German speaking part of Switzerland. It can refer to the following:
*Rüti, Glarus in Glarus
*Rüti, Zürich
Rüti (sometimes written as ' ...
Rapperswil - Stadtmuseum - Elisabeth Matsch - Reliquiar.jpg, Reliquiar estimated to be given by Elisabeth von Mätsch, wife of Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg
Maria Franziska Diogg (1793-1855), Tochter des Malers, Öl auf Leinwand (doubliert), um 1814 - Felix Maria Diogg - Stadtmuseum Rapperswil 2013-04-06 15-11-35 (P7700).JPG, Maria Franziska Diogg (1793-1855), daughter of Felix Maria Diogg, oil on canvas around 1814
Cultural heritage
The building is listed in the
Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a ''Class B'' object of regional importance.
See also
*
Rathaus Rapperswil
*
Rüti Abbey Rüti, which comes from the Old High German word , meaning " clearing", is a popular name for towns in the German speaking part of Switzerland. It can refer to the following:
*Rüti, Glarus in Glarus
*Rüti, Zürich
Rüti (sometimes written as ' ...
Literature
* Peter Röllin: ''Kulturbaukasten Rapperswil-Jona''. Rapperswil-Jona 2005.
References
External links
Stadtmuseum Rapperswil-Jona website
{{Authority control
Art museums and galleries in Switzerland
History museums in Switzerland
Local museums
Buildings and structures in Rapperswil-Jona
Tourist attractions in Rapperswil-Jona
Castles in the canton of St. Gallen
Museums established in 1943
1943 establishments in Switzerland
Museums in the canton of St. Gallen
Cultural property of regional significance in the canton of St. Gallen