The best city hikes and walks around Seelisbergersee

nice village tour + museum

Old Sust, fountain The stately Sust, built around 1470, was probably inspired by Milanese trading interests, at least that is what the construction of the old Sust suggests. The goods were unloaded from the ships at the landing stage in Schroten and brought to the stone house with a sloping roof, which was large for that time. With the construction of the village Sust in 1631, the old storage rooms lost their importance. The building later served as a residential building until it was no longer used for that purpose in 1960. For around 40 years, the old Sust was left to the forces of nature and decay. Numerous efforts to preserve the venerable monument were unsuccessful for a long time. In 2010, the "Foundation for the Preservation of the Old Sust Fountains" was finally founded and the building was renovated in cooperation with the cantonal monument preservation office. Text / Source: Platz der Schweizer Ausland, c/o Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, Bern https://www.erlebnisregion-mythen.ch/de/erlebnisse/kultur/sehenswuerdigkeiten/susten-in-brunnen/

Schilte-Nüni group of houses, Brunnen Schilte-Nüni is the name given to a group of houses in Brunnen, which got its name because it originally had nine gables. Together with the "Chappeleplatz" it forms the actual village center of Brunnen. A large part of the village was reduced to rubble and ashes by a fire on May 16, 1620. The village was then rebuilt according to old plans. The flourishing tourism also brought momentum to the village. It seemed as if people were serious about creating a major tourist metropolis in Brunnen. This pushed progress forward, especially near the lake and on the Gütsch slope. With the old gabled houses lined up next to each other, a new village image emerged. This row of houses began at the former Sust on the lake shore and was named "Schilte-Nüni" after the Jass card because of the original gables. The houses were already colorfully decorated in 1835. In the mid-1980s, the fronts of the inns were restored in a joint effort by the owners. In January 2004, the historic Schilte-Nüni was largely destroyed by fire and was subsequently rebuilt under strict conditions. Text / Source: Erlebnisregion Mythen, c/o Brunnen Schwyz Marketing AG, Bahnhofstrasse 15, Brunnen https://www.erlebnisregion-mythen.ch/de/erlebnisse/kultur/sehenswuerdigkeiten/schilte-nueni/

Archive Tower or Treasure Tower, Schwyz The Archive Tower is located on the Metzghofstatt (Meat Farm), a historic site. Until 1642, a state butcher's shop was located near the tower, which likely gave rise to the name "Metzghofstatt." Until 1890, the village washhouse also stood on the site. The stone Archive Tower, dating from 1200, was formerly a residential and administrative tower and was used as an archive for the preservation of the "state's liberties" since at least the 15th century. It is also known that it was once used as a prison. Despite the limited space and the demand for a new archive building, the tower continued to be used as an archive until the 20th century. In 1936, the space problems were temporarily resolved with the opening of the then "Federal Charter Archive," now the "Federal Charter Museum." However, space became scarce again in the 1960s as the administration continued to grow. This was temporarily addressed in 2002 with the opening of the new State Archives. Today, the Archive Tower serves as a medieval writing workshop for the Museum of Federal Charters. In a furnished writing room, students can write their own parchment certificate with ink and a goose quill pen and seal it with a copy of the oldest Schwyz state seal. Text / Source: Erlebnisregion Mythen https://www.erlebnisregion-mythen.ch/de/erlebnisse/kultur/sehenswuerdigkeiten/archivturm-metzghofstatt/

Federal Charter Museum, Schwyz The Federal Charter Museum (until 1992: Federal Charter Archive) was built in 1936 primarily for a single object: the Federal Charter of 1291. This document was considered the founding document of the Swiss Confederation and was venerated in the specially constructed building almost like a national shrine. In recent decades, the Federal Charter Museum has transformed into a modern historical museum. Today, not only the history of the Federal Charter is explained here, but also the way national history is dealt with. Serious political and economic crises shook Europe in the 1930s. Hitler's seizure of power was also perceived as an existential threat in neutral Switzerland. During this time of crisis, the "Spiritual National Defense" emerged in Switzerland. This was characterized by an intensive reflection on everything "Swiss" in history, politics and culture. Values that are considered typically Swiss, such as cultural diversity, democracy, the will to freedom and independence, were set against fascist and National Socialist totalitarianism. Text / Source: BUNDESBRIEFMUSEUM SCHWYZ, Bahnhofstrasse 20, CH-6431 Schwyz https://www.bundesbrief.ch/de/geschichte.html/7

Tower The base of the tower dates from 1481. The bell chamber has large sound holes, above which the clock faces are mounted in gable tops. The gargoyles in the shape of dragon heads date from earlier times. The spire tapers to an octagonal lantern dome into a needle-pointed pyramid. On the roof above the apse sits a hexagonal turret, crowned by a small Madonna. Surroundings A plaque on the southern wall of the church commemorates the old cemetery on the church grounds, commemorating Landammann Alois von Reding (1765-1818, victor of Rothenthurm, opponent of the centralism of the Helvetic Republic, first Landammann of Switzerland) and a memorial stone at the entrance to the former Betschart crypt. The staircase leading to the village square was redesigned in 1859 and 1889. Text / Source: Schwyz Parish Office, Herrengasse 22, 6430 Schwyz https://www.kirchgemeinde-schwyz.ch/pfarrei/schwyz/schwyz-pfarrkirche-st-martin-schwyz

St. Martin Parish Church, Schwyz The present-day St. Martin Parish Church is the work of the brothers Jakob and Johann Singer from Lucerne, originally from Tyrol. The building owners signed a construction contract with them in 1763 for a total sum of 20,000 guilders. Exterior In contrast to the interior, the building is cubically austere, compact, and clearly structured by pilasters with capitals. The exterior is characterized by the colors gray, light gray, and white. On the long side, the gable top with oval windows marks the transept. The large, pointed-arch windows, the three-part semicircular openings, and the four side portals (doors with Rococo carvings) set clear accents. The west façade, with its richly structured vestibule and main portal (Rococo cartouche in the arch apex), closes off Herrengasse like a bar. Text / Source: Schwyz Parish Office, Herrengasse 22, 6430 Schwyz https://www.kirchgemeinde-schwyz.ch/pfarrei/schwyz/schwyz-pfarrkirche-st-martin-schwyz

Town Hall, Schwyz Town Hall. The current town hall was built on the foundations of its predecessor after the village fire of 1642. The historic facade painting by Ferdinand Wagner of Munich was created in 1891 for the 600th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation. The image of the Battle of Morgarten is striking. Text / Source: Erlebnisregion Mythen https://www.erlebnisregion-mythen.ch/de/