 Lützelau as seen from the Etzel mountain,Ufenau to the left | |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lake Zürich |
| Highest elevation | 414 m (1358 ft) |
| Administration | |
Switzerland | |
| Canton | Schwyz |
| District | Höfe |
Lützelau (German pronunciation:[ˈlʏtsəlaʊ];Old High German:little island) is an island located, with the neighbouring island ofUfenau, inLake Zürich inSwitzerland betweenRapperswil (1.6 km (0.99 mi) away) andFreienbach (3 km (1.9 mi) away).
Lützelau lies inHöfe district in theCanton of Schwyz. Since the 13th/14th centuries, it has belonged to the community ofRapperswil (now calledOrtsbürgergemeinde). The island measures 33,480 m2 (360,400 sq ft) in all, 430 m (1,410 ft) from east to west and 150 m (490 ft) from north to south. The highest point of the island is 414 m (1,358 ft) above sea level or 8 m (26 ft) above lake level at 406 m (1,332 ft).
On occasion of the formation of the Alps, the fossilized sediments material of the body of water between the Ricken and Etzel chains unfolded. There arose the typical rock bands that form theLindenhof hill in Rapperswil, or the islands ofUfnau, Lützelau andHeilighüsli. During the last Ice Age the island was under a thick layer of ice, and the hard layers of conglomerate rock and the sandstone ridge survived the sanding by the glacier.[1]
First mentioned in the year 741, there was formerly a nunnery here, given by theAlamannic noblewoman Beata, daughter of Rachinbert and wife of Landolt. In the year 744, the nunnery, or abbey, was sold toEinsiedeln Abbey. Historians mention a 10th-century ferry station assumably at the so-calledEinsiedlerhaus inRapperswil – in 981 AD as well as the vineyard on theLindenhof hill – betweenKempraten on lake shore, Lützelau andUfenau island and assumably presentHurden, which allowed the pilgrims towards Einsiedeln to cross the lake before the prehistoric bridge at theSeedamm isthmus wasre-built in 1358.[2]
In the late Middle Ages, Einsiedeln sold the island to theCounts of Rapperswil who used its sandstone besides theBollingen quarries to build the town of Rapperswil. On 12 May 1433Heini Murer von Grueningen and his wifeAnna Keller confirmed the transfer of their lands onLutzelnoew for100 Pfund Pfennig Zürcher Währung to the AbbotJohans and the convent of theRüti Abbey, including buildings and lands in theHerrschaft Grüningen, and to be enrolled in the abbey'slibri anniversariorum (German:Jahrzeitbuch).[3]
From the 16th century theHospital of the Holy Ghost (Heiliggeistspital) of the city ofRapperswil was located here, which from 1810 was a quarantine hospital, inSwiss GermanSiechenhaus which in ancient times was situation inKempraten. Remains of the former abbey church (8th century) were found in 1964.
The island has a small restaurant and a campsite. Tourist boat trips – run by theZürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft – sail fromZürich and Rapperswil to the island of Ufenau only; to Lützelau there is a commercial "island taxi" service from Rapperswil between May and September.
In 1927 theUfenau[4] and the Lützelau islands, as well as the so-calledFrauenwinkel area at theSeedamm area towardsHurden were placed under conservation, being since 1993 a «Moorlandschaft von besonderer Schönheit und nationaler Bedeutung», i.e. abog environment of extraordinary beauty and national importance.[5] Swimming, camping and other leisure activities are permitted on Lützelau campsite, but forbidden on Ufnau, as well within theFrauenwinkel lake area.
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47°13′15.97″N8°47′35.49″E / 47.2211028°N 8.7931917°E /47.2211028; 8.7931917
