Native name: Ufnau Nickname: Insel der Stille | |
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 Aerial view | |
 Interactive map of Ufenau island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Lake Zürich |
| Coordinates | 47°13′05″N8°46′54″E / 47.21806°N 8.78167°E /47.21806; 8.78167 |
| Highest elevation | 423 m (1388 ft) |
| Highest point | Unnamed |
| Administration | |
Switzerland | |
| Canton | Schwyz |
| District | Höfe |
Ufenau (German pronunciation:[ˈuːfənaʊ]) is anisland located, with the neighbouring island ofLützelau, inLake Zürich inSwitzerland betweenFreienbach (0.9 km (0.56 mi) away) andRapperswil (2.5 km (1.6 mi) away). Highlights on Ufenau includeSt. Peter & Paul church,St. Martin's chapel, and Ufenau's idyllic landscape in theFrauenwinkel protected area.
Ufenau lies inHöfe district in theCanton of Schwyz. The island measures 112,645 m2 (1,212,500 sq ft) in all, 470 m (1,540 ft) from east to west and 220 m (720 ft) from north to south. The highest point of the island is 423 m (1,388 ft) above sea level or 17 m (56 ft) above lake level on 406 m (1,332 ft). Swimming, camping and other leisure activities are forbidden, as it is a protected area.
On occasion of the formation of the Alps, the fossilized sediments material of the body of water between theRicken andEtzel chains unfolded. There arose the typical rock bands that form theLindenhof hill in Rapperswil, or the islands of Ufnau,Lützelau andHeilighüsli. During the last Ice Age the island was under a thick layer of ice. Ufnau consists of two parallel rock ridges: the hard layers of conglomerate rock in the south and the northern sandstone ridge survived the sanding by the glacier.[1]
The first steamship stopped at the northern shore in 1857. 15 years later a landing gate was built in the south, and in 1881 the present ship gate for touristic use was established in the north; the southern ship gate gave location to a small harbour that is used for private-owned motorboats and sailing yachts.
Tourist boat trips, run by theZürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG), sail betweenZürich-Bürkliplatz andRapperswil.
In 1st and 2nd century, the remains of a Roman temple are dated, broken duringAlamannic occupation of theSwiss plateau. In 5th or 6th century, a first Christian church was built on this probably pre-Romansacred area. Ufenau is first mentioned in 741 as «Hupinauia», and in 744 as «Ubinauvia» – island of Huppan or Huphan. Probably between 900 and 920, the early Christian church was destroyed by theHuns. On 23 January 965, the island was given by EmperorOtto I toEinsiedeln Abbey, that still is its owner. In 926 or some years later, St. Peter & Paul church' preceding building was given by theHunfridings noblewoman Reginlinda andBurchard II, Duke of Swabia, in addition with a house for herself and her son Adalrich. Reginlinda died in 958 and is buried in Einsiedeln. In 973 laterSaint Adalrich (Canonization in 1659) died on Ufenau.
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 and Ufenau 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 1798 theHelvetic Republic secularized the Einsiedeln Abbey's property, and Ufenau was given to the non-durableCanton of Linth. In 1805 Ufenau was given by the merchant Family Curti from Rapperswil to the Einsiedeln Abbey.
5800Vitis viniferaBlauburgunder (Pinot noir) were planted in 1986. The Einsiedeln Abbey owns 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of the Ufenau vineyards which are cultivated by its winery.[3]
On 7 December 2003 the Ufenau association was founded, one year later «Freunde der Insel Ufnau».Friends of Ufenau island is abooster club to finance some projects for maintenance of the buildings located on the island, including both churches, and for the restaurant's renewal. It supports a long-time idea called «Insel der Stille» (island of silence), including a path way for disabled people around the island (completed in 2007), and regeneration of the island's shore areas to prevent increasederosion.
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The presentSt. Peter & Paul church was built in 1141/42 (first mentioned in 970) and renewed in 1958/59. For hundreds of years, it was theparish church for the people living in the surrounding villages of Lake Zürich's upper shores. In 1522 Hans Klarer «Schnegg», a close friend ofUlrich Zwingli, served as pastor on Ufenau. One year later, Klarer convinced Zwingli, to refugeUlrich von Hutten on Ufenau, where he died in seclusion. In 1968, his remains were identified, and buried in 1970 under a tombstone besides St. Peter & Paul church. Hutten's two years in exile on the island are immortalized byConrad Ferdinand Meyer inHuttens letzte Tage (Hutten's last days).[4]
St. Martin's chapel, few meters away, is dated in the 7th century. It was renewed in 1933/34 and in 1964/65. St. Martin's was built on the remains of a formerGallo-Roman temple dating back to the 2nd century. Until the early 14th century, both churches were also important cultural and intellectual centres for the communities dotted around Lake Zurich. A smallwooden bridge toHurden is mentioned until 1430, so-called «Kilchweg in die Uffnow» meaning pathway to the Ufenau church.[5]
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Saint Adalric'sRelic, sealed in a shrine, were lost during2nd Villmergen war in 1712.[6]Zurich soldiers destroyed the altars and parts of both churches and have stolen St. Peter & Paul's two church bells. In 1736 St. Peter & Paul was rebuilt and the bells were replaced; St. Martin's chapel was renewed in 1790.
On 21 March 2015, the monks ofEinsiedeln Abbey decided to make renovations to the buildings on Ufenau.[7] The most prominent of these isHaus zu den zwei Raben (lit. House of the Two Ravens), built in 1681, which has housed a restaurant since 2007.[8] The Abbey submitted a planning application on 14 August 2015 and estimated a total cost of 6.5 millionSwiss francs, then hired architects Pius Bieri and Frank Roskothen to lead the work.[9] The application was approved on 8 October 2015 and began shortly thereafter. The work cost 7 million Swiss Francs (CHF), of which four million francs were collected by the Friends of Ufenau Island, the municipality of Freienbach, and Canton Schwyz. For the missing funds, the Einsiedeln Abbey agreed the acquisition of a substantial share of the construction costs.[10] The island was closed to the public until the completion of renovations in early 2018, officially reopening on the 23rd.[11]
Ufnau – correctly spelled «Ufnau», but «Ufenau» is commonly used – and theFrauenwinkel area were placed under conservation in 1927. Since 1993 Ufenau is a «Moorlandschaft von besonderer Schönheit und nationaler Bedeutung», i.e. abog environment of extraordinary beauty and national importance.[12] Ufenau and its two churches are listed in theSwiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance aClass A objects of national importance.[13]
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