| Rapperswil-Jona | ||||||||||
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| Population | 25,777 (December 2007[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 1,163 /km2 (3,011 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 22.17 km2 (8.56 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 409 m (1,342 ft) | |||||||||
| - Highest | 544 m - Eggwald, Wagen | |||||||||
| - Lowest | 407 m - Busskirch | |||||||||
| Postal code | 8640 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 3340 | |||||||||
| Localities | Rapperswil, Jona, Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, Wurmsbach | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Altendorf (SZ), Bubikon (ZH), Eschenbach, Freienbach (SZ), Hombrechtikon (ZH), Lachen (SZ), Rüti (ZH), Schmerikon, Tuggen (SZ), Wangen (SZ) | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Aalborg (Denmark), Bagno di Romagna (Italy) | |||||||||
| Website | www.rapperswil-jona.ch SFSO statistics |
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  Rapperswil-Jona
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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, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.
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Today
On January 1, 2007, the municipalities of Rapperswil and Jona merged to form a new political entity. Rapperswil-Jona has 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.
Rapperswil-Jona is one of the most significant traffic junctions in the region, and Rapperswil train station is serving as nodal point for the SBB-CFF-FFS respectively Südostbahn and S-Bahn Zürich lines. Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (commonly abbreviated to ZSG) is operating passenger vessels on the Lake Zürich, connecting surrounding towns between Zürich-Bürkliplatz and Rapperswil. The Seedamm, a dam across Lake Zurich, 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 Zurich. 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) 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. 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, 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, and St. Martin Busskirch is the former parish church of Rapperswil.
Bollingen is known for the "Tower" built there by Carl Jung. Kempraten is one of the most important archeological sites in the the canton of St. Gallen and is located at the eastern parts of the upper Lake Zurich. 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 was built around 1220 by the Counts of Rapperswil 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 family who, in 1358/60, built the wooden bridge across the upper Lake Zürich. Later, the town bought itself free, and ending Old Zurich 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. Rapperswil was at first part of the Helvetic canton of Linth. After 1803's Act of Mediation, 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 and the Circus Museum.
See also
- Settlements comprised by the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona: Bollingen, Busskirch, Jona, Kempraten, Rapperswil
- Points of interest: Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil HSR (University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil), Knies Kinderzoo, Paddle steamer Stadt Rapperswil, Polish Museum Rapperswil, Rapperswil Castle, Wurmsbach Abbey
External links
Media related to Rapperswil-Jona at Wikimedia Commons- Rapperswil-Jona (official site) (German)
- Capuchin monastery (German)
- University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil, HSR (university)
- A brief history of Rapperswil
- Bollingen in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- Busskirch in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- Jona in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- Kempraten in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
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