Rapperswil-Hurden wooden bridge

The wooden bridge “Holzbrücke” is a footbridge between Rapperswil (Canton St. Gallen) and Hurden (Canton Schwyz) located near the so-called Seedamm (artificial dam at the narrowest point of Lake Zurich, between Pfäffikon SZ and Rapperswil SG) on the Upper Lake Zurich “Obersee” in Switzerland.

The new wooden bridge opened in 2001 is important both internationally and historically.

The narrowest part of Lake Zurich was already covered by a bridge in times before the Bronze Age. The medieval wooden bridge was built from 1358 to 1360, while the last one was demolished in 1878 when the Seedamm was built. The bridge has a length of 841 meters and is the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland.

Heilig Hüsli Chapel

After the construction of the Seedamm in 1878, the “Heilig Hüsli” chapel dating back to 1551 was the only remaining structure of the medieval wooden bridge, isolated in the lake and not accessible to visitors until the reconstruction of the old wooden bridge in 2001.

The chapel was first mentioned in 1485 AD as a prayer house or pilgrim’s chapel.

Way of St. James

As in previous years, the new bridge has once again become part of the “Camino de Santiago”, which connects Eastern and Central Europe with the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

As one of the prehistoric lake crossings, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on June 27, 2011.

Panorama

From the bridge you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama that stretches from the Säntis (2502m) over the Speer (1951m) to the Glarus Alps, Etzel (1098m) and the mountain ranges along Lake Zurich and the Zurich Oberland,

Nature Reserve

This area is considered a nature reserve and is one of the most important waterfowl breeding areas. For this reason, fishing from the wooden bridge is prohibited, as well as swimming and boat docking in the area.