Meggen is a municipality in the district of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland .
45-481: Meggen is first mentioned in 1226 as Meken , though a 14th Century copy of an older document mentions in Acta Murensia around 1160. Meggen has an area of 7.3 km (2.8 sq mi). Of this area, 47.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 23.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 28.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). In
90-573: A "fourth" Waldstätte is first mentioned in an addition dated to the 1450s in the Silver Book of Egloff Etterlin . In the protocols of the Swiss Diet in the second half of the 15th century, under the presidency of Lucerne, the term vier waltstette sees frequent use. Albrecht von Bonstetten in his Superioris Germaniae Confoederationis descriptio (1479) suggests that the term vier Waldstett (Latinized quatuor Loca Silvarum )
135-499: A boathouse and buoy field on Churchill-Quai in Lucerne. The Brunnen water sports club (Wassersportclub Brunnen), founded in 1958, held on Lake Lucerne in the first years of its existence international motorboat races and water ski championships. In 1965 the association chose a new name for the club: Lake Lucerne Water Sports Club (Wassersport-Club Vierwaldstättersee). The Central Switzerland Motorboat Club (Motorbootclub Zentralschweiz)
180-423: A dumping ground for old munitions, with an estimated 3,300 tonnes of munitions currently submerged in the lake. The Swiss Defence Department has offered a prize of 50,000 francs (£45,000) for the best proposal to safely remove the munitions. Waldst%C3%A4tte Waldstätte ( German: [ˈvaltʃtɛtə] , "forested sites;" Latin : civitates silvestres ) is a term which has been used since
225-984: A four-arm cross, called the Chrütztrichter (Cross Funnel). Here converge the Vitznauer Bucht with the Küssnachtersee from the north, the Luzernersee from the west, and the Horwer Bucht and the Stanser Trichter to the south, which is to be found right below the northeast side of the Pilatus and the west side of the Bürgenstock. At the very narrow pass between the east dropper of the Pilatus (called Lopper ) and Stansstad
270-670: A height of from 3,000 to 4,000 ft (910 to 1,220 m) above the water. The two highest summits are the Fronalpstock and the Rophaien (2078 m). Between them the steep glen or ravine of the Riemenstaldener Tal descends to Sisikon , the only village with Flüelen right on the shore on that side of the Urnersee. On the opposite or western shore, the mountains attain still greater dimensions. The Niederbauen Chulm
315-583: A single individual. 136 or about 5.5% are large households, with at least five members. As of 2000 there were 1,149 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 974 were built only as housing, and 175 were mixed use buildings. There were 643 single family homes, 118 double family homes, and 213 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (473) or three (337) story structures. There were only 67 single story buildings and 97 four or more story buildings. Meggen has an unemployment rate of 1.4%. As of 2005, there were 153 people employed in
360-516: Is 11.8 km . Much of the shoreline rises steeply into mountains up to 1,500 m above the lake, resulting in many picturesque views including those of the mountains Rigi and Pilatus. The Reuss enters the lake at Flüelen, in the part called Urnersee ( Lake of Uri , in the canton of Uri ) and exits at Lucerne. The lake also receives the Muota at Brunnen, the Engelberger Aa at Buochs , and
405-431: Is 935 people or 14.4% are 65–79 years old, 312 or 4.8% are 80–89 years old and 61 people or 0.9% of the population are 90+ years old. In Meggen about 86.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). As of 2000 there are 2,479 households, of which 752 households (or about 30.3%) contain only
450-530: Is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. The lake has a complicated shape, with several sharp bends and four arms. It starts in the south–north bound Reuss Valley between steep cliffs above the Urnersee from Flüelen towards Brunnen to the north before it makes a sharp bend to the west where it continues into the Gersauer Becken . Here is also the deepest point of
495-522: Is divided into the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden ), as well as the canton of Lucerne , thus the name Vierwaldstättersee (lit.: Lake of the Four Forested Settlements). Many of the oldest communities of Switzerland are along the shore, including Küssnacht , Weggis , Vitznau , Gersau , Brunnen , Altdorf , Buochs , and Treib . Lake Lucerne is singularly irregular and appears to lie in four different valleys, all related to
SECTION 10
#1732798238021540-567: Is named a Waldstatt alongside Schwyz. The application to the allies of the early Swiss Confederacy dates to 1309. In 1310, Duke Frederick the Fair complains about the king impeding his rights to the civitatibus Silvanis . With the establishment of the Confederacy in the 1310s, the term is adopted as an exonym, and in the pacts which expanded the Confederacy , with Lucerne in 1332 and with Berne in 1353. The inclusion of Lucerne as
585-673: Is other unproductive land. The municipality is located on the Küssnacht arm of the Lake of Lucerne . In 1897 it was the end station of the Gotthardbahn . Meggen has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 7,562. As of 2007, 10.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 10.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (93.3%), with English being second most common ( 1.6%) and Italian being third ( 1.0%). In
630-474: Is rather chilly all year round and therefore mostly very clear. In Lake Uri, at Sisikon, one can dive to a fragmented steep vertical wall, at the northern portal of the Schieferneggtunnel. The Lediwrack Bruno lies in front of Brunnen at a depth of 15 meters. Other well-known diving spots are in front of Vitznau, Weggis, Gersau and Hergiswil. The Swiss Armed Forces historically used Lake Lucerne as
675-779: Is succeeded by the Oberbauenstock , and farther south, above the ridge of the Scharti, appear the snowy peaks of the Gitschen and the Uri Rotstock (2,928 m). In the centre opens the Reuss Valley, backed by the rugged summits of the Urner and Glarner Alps . The breadth of these various sections of the lake is very variable, but is usually between one and two miles (3 km). The lake's surface, whose mean height above
720-523: Is the Dammastock at 3,630 metres above sea level. The name of Vierwaldstättersee is first used in the 16th century. Before the 16th century, the entire lake was known as Luzerner See "Lake Lucerne", as remains the English (and partly Italian, as Lago di Lucerna ) usage. The (three) " Waldstätte(n) " (lit.: "forested sites/settlements", in English usually translated as forest cantons ) since
765-670: The Helvetic Republic ; the term canton (in German: Kanton ), in origin a Romance translation of German Ort , was unknown for the German-speaking allies until around 1650. The first recorded use of the term specifically as referring to the wooded valleys of Central Switzerland is in a document dated 1289, mentioning ze Swiz in der waltstat (i.e. "in Schwyz, in the wooded site"). In 1323, Glarus
810-846: The Sarner Aa at Alpnachstad. It is possible to circumnavigate the lake by train and road, though the railway route circumvents the lake even on the north side of the Rigi via Arth-Goldau . Since 1980, the A2 motorway leads through the Seelisberg Tunnel in order to reach the route to the Gotthard Pass in just half an hour in Altdorf, Uri right south of the beginning of the lake in Flüelen. Steamers and other passenger boats ply between
855-413: The primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 199 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 40 businesses in this sector. 1219 people are employed in the tertiary sector , with 238 businesses in this sector. As of 2000 50.9% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, females made up 43.6% of the workforce. In
900-488: The 14th century were the confederate allies of Uri , Schwyz and Unterwalden . The notion of "Four Waldstätten" ( Vier Waldstätten ), with the addition of the canton of Lucerne , is first recorded in the 1450s, in an addition to the "Silver Book" of Egloff Etterlin of Lucerne. The nine different parts of the lake have individual designations: The lake is navigable, and has formed an important part of Switzerland's transport system for many centuries, and at least since
945-412: The 1997 land survey, 23.69% of the total land area was forested. Of the agricultural land, 41.6% is used for farming or pastures, while 6.06% is used for orchards or vine crops. Of the settled areas, 20.25% is covered with buildings, 0.41% is industrial, 0.69% is classed as special developments, 1.79% is parks or greenbelts and 5.37% is transportation infrastructure. Of the unproductive areas, and 0.14%
SECTION 20
#1732798238021990-498: The 2000 census the religious membership of Meggen was; 3,841 (64.8%) were Roman Catholic, and 1,203 (20.3%) were Protestant, with an additional 51 (0.86%) that were of some other Christian faith. There are 3 individuals (0.05% of the population) who are Jewish. There are 32 individuals (0.54% of the population) who are Muslim. Of the rest; there were 29 (0.49%) individuals who belong to another religion, 598 (10.1%) who do not belong to any organized religion, 166 (2.8%) who did not answer
1035-658: The 2007 election the most popular party was the FDP which received 33.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (24.8%), the CVP (21.8%) and the SPS (10.3%). The age distribution in Meggen is; 1,300 people or 20.1% of the population is 0–19 years old. 1,304 people or 20.1% are 20–39 years old, and 2,561 people or 39.6% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution
1080-589: The Alps. Lake Lucerne has twice been used as a venue for the European Rowing Championships : in 1908 and then in 1926 . The nearby Rotsee has since 1933 been used for rowing regattas instead. On the way south, the English discovered the mountains of central Switzerland. Several spa and bathing resorts such as Weggis or Gersau were created. In 1871, the very first rack railway in Europe,
1125-889: The Bürgenstock, the Stanserhorn , the Buochserhorn, and the two legends, the Urirotstock and the Fronalpstock are attractive panoramic mountains near Lake Lucerne. Most of them can be reached by mountain railways, some of which have their valley station near boat stations on the lake. There are numerous locations on the lake that are important in Swiss cultural and tourism history: Rütli, Tellsplatte, Tell Chapel, Carving Tower of Stansstad, Neu-Habsburg, Schillerstein, Treib, Astrid Chapel (Küssnacht) and Meggenhorn Castle. Different sports are possible in some separate areas due to
1170-655: The Vitznau-Rigi Railway, was opened. In 1889 the steepest cog railway in the world was built from Alpnachstad to Mount Pilatus . Mark Twain described an ascent to the Rigi, which led to the blossoming of Swiss tourism in the United States in the 19th century. One of the largest steamship fleets in Europe operates with five steamships on Lake Lucerne. In the area surrounding the lake and on terraces at medium height (for example Morschach and Seelisberg) there are numerous places for tourists. The Rigi, Pilatus,
1215-478: The conformation of the adjoining mountains. The central portion of the lake lies in two parallel valleys whose direction is from west to east, the one lying north, the other south of the ridge of the Bürgenstock . These are connected through a narrow strait, scarcely one kilometre wide, between the two rocky promontories called respectively Unter Nas and Ober Nas (Lower and Upper Nose). It is not unlikely that
1260-455: The country's 700th anniversary in 1991. Archaeologists surveying the lake-bed (during the construction of a pipeline) from 2019 to 2021 found the remains of a Bronze Age village with artifacts dating to around 1000 BC. Later, the new findings indicated that the area was settled 2,000 years earlier than historians previously thought. Lake Lucerne borders on the three original Swiss cantons of Uri , Schwyz , and Unterwalden (which today
1305-640: The different villages and towns on the lake. It is a popular tourist destination, both for native Swiss and foreigners, and there are many hotels and resorts along the shores. In addition, the meadow of the Rütli , traditional site of the founding of the Swiss Confederation , is on the Urnersee shore. A 35 km commemorative walkway, the Swiss Path , was built around the Lake of Uri to celebrate
1350-567: The early thirteenth century to refer to the Stätte (singular: Statt , "sites"), or later Ort (plural: Orte , "place") or Stand (plural: Stände , "estate") of the early confederate allies of Uri , Schwyz and Unterwalden in today's Central Switzerland . From the 13th to 19th centuries, the term Waldstätte also synoptically referred to the nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden; later,
1395-442: The gravel dredging industry that operates on the lake, using large dredgers to obtain sand and gravel for use in the construction industry . Beethoven 's Moonlight Sonata derives its name from an 1832 description of the first movement by poet and music critic Ludwig Rellstab , who compared it to moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne. Gioacchino Rossini uses this in his William Tell Overture Section A: Sunrise over
Meggen - Misplaced Pages Continue
1440-565: The lake of much of its through traffic, it continues to be used by a considerable number of vessels, both private and public. Much of this usage is tourist or leisure oriented, but the lake continues to provide practical public and cargo transport links between the smaller lakeside communities. Passenger boats of the Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees (SGV) provide services on the lake, including many run by historic paddle steamers . The SGV serves 32 places along
1485-603: The lake reaches its southwestern arm at Alpnachstad on the steep southern foothills of the Pilatus, the Alpnachersee . The lake drains its water into the Reuss in Lucerne from its arm called Luzernersee (which literally translates as Lake of Lucerne ). The entire lake has a total area of 114 km (44 sq mi) at an elevation of 434 m (1,424 ft) a.s.l., and a maximum depth of 214 m (702 ft). Its volume
1530-632: The lake with 214 m (702 ft). Even further west of it is the Buochser Bucht , but the lake sharply turns north again through the narrow opening between the Unter Nas (lower nose) of the Bürgenstock to the west and the Ober Nas (upper nose) of the Rigi to the east to reach the Vitznauer Bucht . In front of Vitznau below the Rigi the lake turns sharply west again to reach the center of
1575-589: The north-east branch forms the long arm of Küssnacht , Küssnachtersee . These both lie in the direct line of a valley that stretches with scarcely a break in between the Uri Alps and the Emmental Alps . At the eastern end of the Gersauer Becken, where the containing walls of the lake-valley are directed from east to west, it is joined at an acute angle by the arm of Uri, or the Urnersee , lying in
1620-631: The northern prolongation of the deep cleft that gives a passage to the Reuss , between the Uri Alps and the Glarus Alps . The Urnersee occupies the northernmost and deep portion of the great cleft of the Reuss Valley, which has cut through the Alpine ranges from the St Gotthard Pass to the neighbourhood of Schwyz . From its eastern shore the mountains rise in almost bare walls of rock to
1665-444: The opening of the first track across the Gotthard Pass in 1230. This trade grew with the opening of a new mail coach road across the pass in 1830. This road had its northern terminus at Flüelen at the extreme eastern end of the lake, and the lake provided the only practical onward link to Lucerne , and hence the cities of northern Switzerland and beyond. Whilst the development of Switzerland's road and rail networks has relieved
1710-522: The question. The historical population is given in the following table: The municipality has two railway stations: Meggen and Meggen Zentrum . Both are located on the Lucerne–Immensee line . Lake of Lucerne Lake Lucerne ( German : Vierwaldstättersee , literally 'Lake of the four forested settlements ' (in English usually translated as forest cantons ), French : lac des Quatre-Cantons , Italian : lago dei Quattro Cantoni )
1755-509: The sea is 434 metres, is the lowest point of the cantons of Uri, Obwalden and Nidwalden. Originally the lake was susceptible to variations in level and flooding along its shoreline. Between 1859 and 1860, the introduction of a needle dam in the Reuss in the city of Lucerne, just upstream from the Spreuerbrücke , allowed the lake level to be stabilised. The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin, as well as Central Switzerland,
1800-585: The sense of "forested site/settlement") are also used alongside Stett (modern Stadt , or "town, city", in the sense of a powerful, possibly protected settlement with special rights) and Lender (modern Länder , in the sense of rural countrysides) in reference to the individual confederate allies into the first half of 15th century and became gradually replaced by the term Ort ("point; lieu") or Stand ("state"), which stayed prominent in German-speaking Switzerland until
1845-506: The shore of the lake, with interchange to both main line and mountain railways at various points. Under separate management, the Autofähre Beckenried-Gersau provides a car ferry service between Beckenried , on the south bank of the lake, and Gersau on the north. Cargo barges , to a local design known as Nauen , are still used on the lake. Some have been converted for use as party boats. Other barges are used by
Meggen - Misplaced Pages Continue
1890-427: The southern of these two divisions of the lake—called Buochser Bucht —formerly extended to the west over the isthmus whereon stands the town of Stans , thus forming an island of the Bürgenstock. The west end of the main branch of the lake, whence a comparatively shallow bay extends to the town of Lucerne, is intersected obliquely by a deep trench whose south-west end is occupied by the branch called Alpnachersee , while
1935-487: The term was gradually replaced by the term Urschweiz . The term Wald ("forest; woods") is to be understood in contrast to Forst , the former in Middle High German terminology referring to cultivated land of alternating pastures, fields and woods, while the latter referred to deep, uncultivated forests ( silva invia et inculta ). The Middle High German terms Waldstette or Stette (in
1980-608: The water and wind conditions. The lake is accessible from boat and yacht harbors, to lake resorts and pools (e.g. the Lido pool in Lucerne, built in 1929 by Arnold Berger). Therefore, the lake can be easily accessible from both shores. The See-Club Luzern was founded in 1881, which is now Switzerland's largest rowing club, as well as the Reuss Luzern rowing club (Ruderclub Reuss Luzern) in 1904. The Lucerne Yacht Club (Yachtclub Luzern) has existed since 1941 and has been running since 1966
2025-574: Was established in 1980 and the Hergiswil Water Sports Club (Wassersportclub Hergiswil) in 1986. SchweizMobil has created a canoe tour across Lake Lucerne between Brunnen and Gersau. Due to the wind in the Reuss Valley, the southern part of Lake Uri between the campground at Gruonbachstrand in Flüelen and Isleten is a center of windsurfing. There are about ten places where you can dive without a boat in Lake Lucerne. The water
#20979