Rapperswil

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Rapperswil-Jona

Canton	St. Gallen
District	See-Gaster
Coordinates	47°13′N 8°49′E
Population	24,400 (January 2005)
Area	1.74 km²
Elevation	409 m
Postal code	8640
Website	www.rapperswil-jona.ch
Twin towns	Aalborg (Denmark), Bagno di Romagna (Italy)
Rapperswil-Jona

For the village in the canton of Bern, see Rapperswil, Berne.

Rapperswil is a municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

It is located on the east shore of Lake Zurich. It is sometimes referred to as Rappi.

In 2003 the municipalities of Rapperswil and Jona merged to form a new political entity. Rapperswil-Jona has a population of 24,400 (17,100 from Jona and 7300 from Rapperswil). This makes it the second largest town in the canton after the capital St. Gallen itself.

Rapperswil from the air

The old city is dominated by the castle. The town is considered one of the most significant traffic junctions in the region. The Seedamm, a dam across Lake Zurich, links Rapperswil with Pfäffikon on the other side of the lake. This connection has been part of old pilgrimage routes.

The Seedamm causeway

Clock tower on Rapperswil castle

The town's main sights are concentrated in the centre 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, a Capuchin monastery. There are also a number of churches, chapels, as well as the nearby Wurmsbach Abbey.

Rapperswil is often referred to as the town of roses (Rosenstadt), because of its extensive display of roses in three designated parks. No less than 15,000 plants of 600 different kinds are on display between June and October every year. There is also a park of roses accessible to blind and disabled people in the centre of the town.

The castle of Rapperswil probably dates back to the 13th century. It dominates the old town and is placed on a hill. On the lands surrounding the castle deer are kept. Since 1870 the castle has been home to the National Polish Museum, created by emigrants (including owner of the castle - Władysław earl Broel-Plater).

A wooden footbridge led across the lake of Zurich since early centuries. At a later stage the bridge was replaced a by a dam built out of stone. In 2001 a newly-built wooden footbridge was opened alongside the dam for the first 840 metres of the crossing. It was built in the same place as the original bridge and links Rapperswil with the nearby bridge chapel (Heilighüsli) which was built in 1551.

The Capuchin monastery was established in 1606 and is situated at the lakeside. The monastery itself belongs to the citizens of Rapperswil rather than to the monks who inhabit it. This small monastery is still in use.

The main churches in town include the catholic church, the cemetery chapel (Liebfrauenkapelle) and the protestant church. In the surroundings of the town there are a number of churches. The Chapel St. Ursula in the nearby village of Kempraten was built around 885. The St. Dionysius Chapel, dedicated to Denis, the first bishop of Paris, was reconstructed in 1493 and attracts pilgrims. The nunnery at Wurmsbach (Wurmsbach Abbey) was established in 1259 and today houses an institute for girls.

There is a zoo (Kinderzoo) located in Rapperswil which particularly aims at children. Rapperswil hosts also a university (University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil, HSR).

[edit] History

Settlements in the region of Rapperswil date back at least 5000 years. The castle was 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 family who in 1358 built the wooden bridge across the lake. Later on, the town bought itself free and 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. Rapperswil was at first part of the canton Linth but later changed to 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 zoo and a museum.