Au Peninsula

Au Peninsula

Geography
Location	Lake Zürich
Administration
Switzerland

The Au Peninsula is located in the Swiss Lake Zürich at the municipality Au between Wädenswil and Horgen in the Canton of Zurich.

History

Werdmüller estate (1673)

The roughly half a square kilometer large peninsula is first mentioned in the year 1316 as «Owe» belonging to the commandry of the Knights Hospitaller in Bubikon. Until 1835 it was a domain of the old city republic of Zürich.

The farm Au was acquired by the Swiss General Hans Rudolf Werdmüller (1614–1677). His Venetian style estate went over into the possession of Colonel Hans von Schulthess-Bodmer, who rebuilt it 1928/29 as a neo-baroque villa, constructed by architect Johann A. Freytag. The estate and a little landside lake belongs since 1989 to the Canton of Zürich.

Au peninsula got further literary honor: The German poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724–1803) immortalized his 1750s visit in his „Ode an den Zürichsee“ (Ode to the Lake Zürich). Among the famous residents was the author Mentona Moser (1874–1971), who was born on the Au: „Ich habe gelebt“ (I've lived, a book of Au-related descriptions) is one of her published books. Her mother was considered one of the richest women in Europe in the 19th century; in her residence „Belle au bois dormant“ she met poets, philosophers, scientists and industrial magnates. Local industrials founded in 1911 the so-called Au-consortium, that bought the middle part of the Au-Hill, together with the guest house and prevented the idyllic peninsula to be overbuilt and preserved it for public use.

Sights

Further highlights on Au peninsula include the spacious park of Schloss Au, the hiking trail around the peninsula and its protected area, picnic places and a small lido on Lake Zürich shore, and the Wine museum and its vineyards. The peninsula has also a renowned restaurant (Landgasthof).

Transport

Tourist boat trips, run by the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG), sail from Zürich-Bürkliplatz and Rapperswil.

Cultural heritage

Located on Zürichsee lake shore, Wädenswil–Vorder Au is part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, and the settlement is also listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a Class A object of national importance. Because the lake has grown in size over time, the original piles are now around 4 metres (13 ft) to 7 metres (23 ft) under the water level of 406 metres (1,332 ft).

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  The peninsula as seen from the north
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  Werdmüller estate
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  Park of the Werdmüller estate (Schloss Au)
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External links

• Wine museum Template:De icon
• Landgasthof Halbinsel Au Template:De icon