Rapperswil-Jona Hombrechtikon–Feldbach
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Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of
See-Gaster See-Gaster is a constituency (''Wahlkreis'') in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Wahlkreis ( SFOS number 1726) has been established on June 10, 2001, with an area of . It was formed from the former ''See'' and ''Gaster'' districts in ...
in the canton of St. Gallen in
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 ...
. Besides Rapperswil and
Jona Jona may refer to: * Jona, Switzerland, a village of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland * Jona (river), in the cantons of Zürich and St. Gallen in Switzerland * Jona (album), ''Jona'' (album), an album by Jona Viray People with the giv ...
, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes
Bollingen Bollingen is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. Geography The village is located along the northern shore of the upper Lake Zürich (''Obersee'') between Jona and Schmerikon. ...
, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach. The official language of Rapperswil is (the Swiss variety of Standard)
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the
Alemannic Alemannic (''Alamannic'') or Alamanni may refer to: * Alemannic German, a dialect family in the Upper German branch of the German languages and its speakers * Alemanni, a confederation of Suebian Germanic tribes in the Roman period * Alamanni (surna ...
Swiss German Swiss German (Standard German: , gsw, Schwiizerdütsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch Mundart,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no defined orthography for any of them, many different spelling ...
dialect.


Today

On January 1, 2007, the municipalities of Rapperswil and
Jona Jona may refer to: * Jona, Switzerland, a village of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland * Jona (river), in the cantons of Zürich and St. Gallen in Switzerland * Jona (album), ''Jona'' (album), an album by Jona Viray People with the giv ...
merged to form a new political entity.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 23 September 2009
After the merger Rapperswil-Jona had a population of 25,777 (17,799 from Jona and 7,601 from Rapperswil). This makes it the second largest town in the canton after the capital St. Gallen itself. On the population was . Rapperswil-Jona is one of the most significant traffic junctions in the region, and
Rapperswil railway station Rapperswil railway station (german: Bahnhof Rapperswil) is a railway station located next to the old town and harbour of Rapperswil in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. It is the largest of four active railway stations in the municipality of Rappers ...
is a nodal point for the
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
, Südostbahn and S-Bahn Zürich lines. Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (commonly abbreviated to ''ZSG'') operates passenger vessels on the Lake Zürich, connecting surrounding towns between Zürich-Bürkliplatz and Rapperswil. The '' Seedamm'', a dam across Lake Zürich, links Rapperswil with Hurden (SZ) on the other side of the lake. This connection has been part of old pilgrimage routes. From early centuries, a wooden footbridge led across Lake Zürich. At a later stage, the bridge was replaced by a stone dam. In 2001, a new wooden footbridge was opened alongside the dam for the first 840 meters of the crossing. It was built in the same place as the original bridge and links Rapperswil with the nearby bridge chapel (''
Heilig Hüsli Heilig Hüsli (''Holy house'') is a bridge chapel in Rapperswil, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Geography The chapel is located next to the Seedamm, near the Rapperswil railway station. It is situated on a small island on upper Lake Zü ...
'') built in 1551. The main sights are concentrated in the centre of Rapperswil and can be seen while strolling through the medieval alleys. The main sights of Rapperswil are its roses, the castle, the reconstructed wooden bridge to Hurden with its bridge chapel, and a
Capuchin monastery The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...
. There are also a number of churches, chapels, and the nearby Wurmsbach Abbey. In the surroundings of the town there are a number of churches. St. John's Church in Rapperswil was built around 1220 and became Rapperswil's parish church in 1253, the Chapel St. Ursula in the village of Kempraten was built around 885. The St. Dionysius Chapel, dedicated to
Denis Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), baron in the Kingdom of Hungary * Denis the Carthusian (1402–14 ...
, the first
bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France ...
, was reconstructed in 1493 and attracts pilgrims. The nunnery at Wurmsbach ( Wurmsbach Abbey) was established in 1259 and today houses an institute for girls, and St. Martin Busskirch is the former parish church of Rapperswil.
Bollingen Bollingen is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. Geography The village is located along the northern shore of the upper Lake Zürich (''Obersee'') between Jona and Schmerikon. ...
is known for the " Tower" built there by Carl Jung. Kempraten is one of the most important archeological sites in the canton of St. Gallen and is located at the eastern parts of the upper Lake Zürich. Jona river is flowing through the municipality in the upper Lake Zürich. In 2006 Rapperswill-Jona hosted the World Orienteering Championships.


History

Settlements in the region of Rapperswil date back at least 5000 years. Atop the ''Lindenhof'' hill overlooking a former small village (''Endingen''),
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 '' ...
was built around 1220 by 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 ...
and is first mentioned in 1229. The town was founded when the nobility of Rapperswil moved from Altendorf across the lake to Rapperswil. The town was soon acquired by the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
family who, in 1358/60, built the wooden bridge across the upper Lake Zürich. Later, the town bought itself free, and ending Old Zürich War made an alliance with the Swiss Confederation. Because of its strategic location along important infrastructure the town grew rich because of flourishing trade. This allowed a certain degree of freedom which was ended with the formation of Swiss cantons by
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. Rapperswil was at first part of the Helvetic
canton of Linth Linth was a canton of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, consisting of Glarus and its subject County of Werdenberg, the Höfe and March districts of Schwyz and the Züricher subject Lordship of Sax, along with a handful of shared terri ...
. After 1803's
Act of Mediation The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion ...
, it joined the canton of St. Gallen. The locational advantage of the place attracted the national Circus Knie who built its headquarters in Rapperswil in 1919. The circus is now also responsible for the
Knie's Kinderzoo Knie's Kinderzoo (German: ''Knies Kinderzoo'') is a zoo aimed for children. It is located in the Swiss municipality of Rapperswil. Location Aimed for children, the zoo is located at ''Oberseestrasse'' nearby Seedamm respectively Rapperswi ...
and the ''Circus Museum''.


Geography

Rapperswil-Jona has an area, , of . Of this area, 37.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 28.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (3.4%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes). The municipality is located in the See-Gaster ''Wahlkreis'' and was formed from the merger of Rapperswil (SG) and Jona.


Demographics

Most of the population () speaks German (86.9%), with Italian being second most common ( 3.1%) and Serbo-Croatian being third (2.1%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 7 January 2010
In the
2007 federal election This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not i ...
the most popular party was the SVP which received 30.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (19.3%), the SP (17%) and the FDP (13.1%). In Rapperswil-Jona about 74.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory
upper secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...
or additional higher education (either university or a ''
Fachhochschule A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...
'').


Economy

, Rapperswil-Jona had an unemployment rate of 1.84%. , there were 183 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 56 businesses involved in this sector. 3,898 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 231 businesses in this sector. 8,340 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 1,077 businesses in this sector. Among other companies, Geberit,
LafargeHolcim Holcim is a Swiss-based global building materials and aggregates flagship division of the Holcim Group. The original company was merged on 10 July 2015 with Lafarge to form LafargeHolcim as the new company and renamed to Holcim Group in 202 ...
, '' Obersee Nachrichten'' and ''
Radio Zürisee Radio Zürisee (or radio zürisee according to the radio's logo; literally ''Radio Zürichsee''), is a privately-owned Swiss radio station based in Rapperswil on the shore of the Lake Zurich in the canton of St. Gallen. History Radio Zürisee w ...
'' are situated in Rapperswil-Jona.


Transportation

The municipality of Rapperswil-Jona is served by four railway stations, of which the main one is . This railway station is served by S-Bahn lines S5, S7, S15 and S40 of the Zürich S-Bahn, the first three of which provide frequent (6 trains per hour) and fast (36 minute journey time) links to the city of Zürich. It is also a calling point of the ''
Voralpen Express The ''Voralpen-Express'' (''VAE'') is a named train connecting small to medium-sized cities and villages in Central and Eastern Switzerland, carrying this name since 1992. It is operated by Südostbahn (SOB) and runs every hour between St. Gal ...
'', running hourly between
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 ...
and St. Gallen, and the terminus of an hourly regional train, S6 of
St. Gallen S-Bahn The St. Gallen S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn St. Gallen) is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail in Eastern Switzerland and neighbouring areas. The network connects stations in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, Gris ...
, that operates south-east to Schwanden/ Linthal via
Ziegelbrücke Ziegelbrücke is a village in Switzerland. Ziegelbrücke is shared by the municipalities of Niederurnen in the canton of Glarus and Schänis in the canton of St. Gallen. Geography and political situation The village of Ziegelbrücke is divided ...
. The other three railway stations are , served by lines S5 and S15 of the Zürich S-Bahn, , served by line S7 of the Zürich S-Bahn, and , served by line S6 of St. Gallen S-Bahn. A fifth station, in
Bollingen Bollingen is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. Geography The village is located along the northern shore of the upper Lake Zürich (''Obersee'') between Jona and Schmerikon. ...
, is now disfunct. The municipality is served by a local bus service provided, since 2008, by the
Verkehrsbetriebe Zürichsee und Oberland Verkehrsbetriebe Zürichsee und Oberland (VZO) is a public transport operator in the region between Lake Zürich and the Zürcher Oberland to the south-east of the city of Zürich in the canton of Zürich. It operates bus services between the va ...
(VZO). In addition,
Schneider Bus Schneider may refer to: Hospital * Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel People *Schneider (surname) Companies and organizations * G. Schneider & Sohn, a Bavarian brewery company * Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, the former owner of the Du ...
operates line 622 to Wagen (continues to
St. Gallenkappel St. Gallenkappel is a former municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Goldingen and St. Gallenkappel merged into the municipality of ...
/
Wattwil Wattwil is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the municipality of Krinau merged into Wattwil.Seedamm causeway and the ''Bahnhofstrasse'' in Rapperswil every day. Rapperswil-Jona is expected to participate as the first Swiss city in a pilot project for so-called Mobility pricing in order to relieve the traffic on road and rail during rush hours.


Sport

National League team, Rapperswil-Jona Lakers plays in the 6,200-seat St. Galler Kantonalbank Arena.


International relations

Rapperswil-Jona is twinned with:


Cultural heritage

After the Seedamm was built in 1878, the
Heilig Hüsli Heilig Hüsli (''Holy house'') is a bridge chapel in Rapperswil, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Geography The chapel is located next to the Seedamm, near the Rapperswil railway station. It is situated on a small island on upper Lake Zü ...
chapel was the only remaining structure of the medieval wooden bridge. It stood isolated in the lake and was not accessible to visitors until the reconstruction of the former wooden bridge was erected in 2001. The reconstructed wooden bridge is listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance as part of the Seedamm area including Heilig Hüsli and the remains of the prehistoric wooden bridges respectively
stilt house Stilt houses (also called pile dwellings or lake dwellings) are houses raised on stilts (or piles) over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding; they also keep out vermin. The ...
settlements. Located on '' Obersee'' lakeshore at the '' Seedamm'' isthmus between the ''Zürichsee'' and the ''Obersee'' lake area, the area was in close vicinity to the prehistoric lake crossings, neighbored by four Prehistoric pile dwelling settlements: Freienbach–Hurden Rosshorn, Freienbach–Hurden Seefeld, Seegubel and Rapperswil-Jona–Technikum. Because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around to under the water level of . As well as being part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO Worl Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', the settlements are also listed in the
Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance #REDIRECT Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance {{R from other capitalisation ...
as a ''Class object''. There are further sites that are listed as in the
Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance #REDIRECT Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance {{R from other capitalisation ...
as ''Class A'' object: The chapel of St. Dionys, Schloss Rapperswil with the Polish Museum and its archive and the ''Rathaus'' (Town Council house) of Rapperswil are the more recent structures. The Roman Vicus ''Centum Prata'' at Kempraten and the '' Seedamm'' region and historical bridge (which had existed in some form since the prehistoric era through the Middle Ages with the most recent bridge in 2001 and ''
Heilig Hüsli Heilig Hüsli (''Holy house'') is a bridge chapel in Rapperswil, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Geography The chapel is located next to the Seedamm, near the Rapperswil railway station. It is situated on a small island on upper Lake Zü ...
'') round out the five.


Gallery

File:Obersee - Jona Yachthafen IMG 1860.JPG, Wurmsbach Abbey File:St. Dionys1.jpg, Chapel of St. Dionys File:St.Dionys innen.JPG, Interior of the chapel File:St._Dionys_Bilder_Südwand.JPG, Paintings on the south wall of the chapel File:Jona (SG) - Busskirch St Martin IMG 2217 ShiftN.jpg, ''St. Martin'' Busskirch on ''Obersee'' (upper Lake Zürich) File:Jona (SG) - Busskirch St Martin IMG 2206 ShiftN.jpg, inside the medieval Parish church File:Jona (SG) - Busskirch St Martin IMG 4774 ShiftN.jpg, ''Höllenrachen'' ( Last Judgement) painting inside St. Martin File:Meienberg (Rapperswi-Jona) - Lenggis Spitzewies IMG 4965.JPG, ''Meienberg'' hill File:Rapperswil - Rathaus IMG 1634.jpg, ''Rathaus'' (Town hall) of Rapperswil File:Rapperswil - Holzbrücke IMG 3862.JPG, Schloss Rapperswil and ''Stadtpfarrkirche'' (St. John's church) File:Rapperswil - Polen Museum Bibliothek IMG 2087.JPG, Polish Museum at the ''Schloss'' File:Seedamm rapperswil.jpg, Seedamm bridge across the lake File:Rapperswil - Holzbrücke - Heilighüsli IMG 2873.JPG, reconstruction of the original
wooden bridge A timber bridge or wooden bridge is a bridge that uses timber or wood as its principal structural material. One of the first forms of bridge, those of timber have been used since ancient times. History The most ancient form of timber bridge is ...
from c. 1525 BC between Rapperswil and Hurden File:ETH-BIB-Rapperswil-Jona-LBS H1-016732.tif, Aerial view (1954) File:ETH-BIB-Rapperswil-LBS H1-023317.tif, Aerial view (1962)


Notable people

and


See also

; Settlements comprised by the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona ; Points of interest:


References


External links


Rapperswil-Jona
(official site)
Capuchin monastery

University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil, HSR
(university)
A brief history of Rapperswil
* * * * {{Authority control Municipalities of the canton of St. Gallen Cities in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in the canton of St. Gallen Populated places on Lake Zurich States and territories established in 2007 2007 establishments in Switzerland