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St.Martin Busskirch church

Busskirch is first mentioned in 842/843 A.D.as Fossonas ecclesiam, in 854 as Fussinchirichun and in 1209 as Buschilche.A little church dreaming on the lake wrote Pius Rickenmann, a poet from Rapperswil in his poem Busskirch.The early medieval Parish church of St.Martin Busskirch with its cemetery rests on the remains of a Roman building 1st to 4th century A.D. Beginning in the 8th century the village belonged to the Pfafers Abbey.Busskirch is one of the oldest churches around the Lake Zurich.Even the citizens of Rapperswil had to attend services in Busskirch until Count Rudolf II of Rapperswil built his own church next to Rapperswil Castle in 1253.In 1351, St.Martin Busskirch was incorporated by the monastery (until 1838).In co-operation with Jona the settlement formed an Allmendgenossenschaft (farmer's association) reigned by the Counts of Rapperswil,  latter by the city of Rapperswil.In the 12/13th centuries the parish churches of Rapperswil (St.John's Church) and Jona were established: St.Martin Busskirch lost its former importance and was in 1945 integrated in the Roman-catholic parish Rapperswil.

Wurmsbach Abbey

is a monastery of Cistercian nuns located in Bollingen near Rapperswil-Jona in the Canton of St.Gallen, Switzerland.It is located on the north shore of Lake Zurich.The house is a part of the Order of Cistercians of the Common Observance (O.Cist.) Count Rudolf of Rapperswil gave his castle of Wurmsbach together with a considerable area of land in 1259 for the foundation of a religious house and the abbey was established.It was initially a dependency of the Cistercian monks of Abbey of St.Urban in Wettingen.The abbey church was dedicated in 1281.The abbey is renowned for its location at the lake side.It overlooks Lake Zurich and the church is listed as a building of historical significance.

Rapperswil Castle

is a castle in the city of Rapperswil.It is located on the eastern shore of the Lake Zurich and belongs to the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St.Gallen, Switzerland.Since 1870, the castle has been home to the Polish National Museum created by Polish emigres including the castle's lessee and restorer, Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater.It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.On the castle's terrace the eastern part of the so-called Lindenhof, the Polish freedom pillar is situated as a sign of Switzerland's solidarity with peoples who struggle for their freedom.From there is also an impressing view over the Altstadt, upper and lower Lake Zurich on the Seedamm from Rapperswil to Hurden and the to Glarus Alps as well to the Bachtel mountain.On the northern side of the Lindenhof plateau stretches a supervised Deer park with 10-15 deer down toward the lake which is a reminder of the legend of its founding.In the castle's palais there is located next to the Polish Museum a restaurant.Guided tours are offered by the museum.

Polish Museum

The Polish Museum Rapperswil was founded in Rapperswil, Switzerland on October 23, 1870, by Polish Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater, at the urging of Agaton Giller as "a refuge for Poland's historic memorabilia dishonored and plundered in the homeland" and for the promotion of Polish interests.Except for two hiatuses (1927–36, 1952–75), the Museum has existed to the present day—an outpost of Polish culture in Switzerland, the country which over the past two centuries, has given refuge to generations of Poland's sons and daughters bereft of their own country.The Polish Museum also features a library now housed in the Burghof house (seat of the Polish cultural foundation "Libertas"), down the hill from the castle and at the top of a flight of broad steps leading up from the town.The library holds some 20,000 volumes on Polish history and culture including works in western-European languages.The library's book catalog is accessible on the internet.

Stadtpfarrkirche St.Johann church

is a Roman Catholic parish church in the city of Rapperswil, canton of St.Gallen, Switzerland.The church is located next to Rapperswil Castle situated on the so-called Herrenberg hill to the northeast of Stadtmuseum Rapperswil.The Catholic city cemetery is situated to the north of the church, some meters to the northwest there is the so-called Liebfrauenkapelle (St.Mary's chappel) situated, built in 1489 on the former ossuary.As of today it's the cemetery's chapel and also popular for weddings thanks to its location overlooking Kempratnerbucht (bay of Kempraten) respectively Lake Zurich.

Seedamm Bridge

Seedamm is the partially artificial dam and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden (SZ) and Rapperswil (SG).The Seedam bases on an Ice age moraine, forming a peninsula located at the village Hurden (SZ) and a small island at Rapperswil, dividing Lake Zurich and its upper part (the so-called Obersee).The dam is located between the three Swiss cantons of Schwyz, St.Gallen and Zurich.To the east of the artificial dam, there is the Holzbrucke Rapperswil-Hurden (wooden bridge for pedestrians) built in 2001 as a reconstruction of the first bridge between eastern and western lakesides around 1650 B.C.The two bridges in the northeast and in the southwest measure 1 kilometre in all and are wide enough for a road and a railway line.The railway is used by the S5 line of the S-Bahn Zurich and by the Sudostbahn Voralpen Express.Near Hurden there is a stop on the railway line S40.The southern Sternenbrucke bridge towards Hurden was built in 1942 and will be renewed between March 15 and November 2010 to allow 40 ton trucks to cross the Seedamm.

October - February

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