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95-713: The family was one of the four most powerful noble families in the Swiss plateau (beside the House of Habsburg , the House of Zähringen and the House of Savoy ) during the 12th century. With the extinction of the Kyburg family's male line in 1264, Rudolph of Habsburg laid claim to the Kyburg lands and annexed them to the Habsburg holdings, establishing the line of "Neu-Kyburg", which was in turn extinct in 1417. The first line of counts of Kyburg were influential in local politics during

190-581: A Graf von Wandelburg of the Rapperswil family. Wandelburg may be another name of the Grynau Castle at the Buechberg hill on Obersee lake shore. According to the abbey's archives there are no reliable sources about Wirunt's origin. Other unreliable sources mention that Rudolf I (1090–1101) the 9th abbot was a member of the Rapperswil family. Ulrich I von Rapperswil (1192–1206) became

285-408: A dense road network. With the rise of industrialisation in the early 19th century, cities became more and more important. In 1860 a drastic population growth of the cities started which lasted for about 100 years. In the 1970s, however, outmigration from the cities started. The municipalities surrounding the cities grew disproportionately, whereas the cities themselves lost inhabitants. In recent times

380-548: A grandson of Ulrich III was engaged to Anna of Rapperswil in 1227. His uncle, Hartmann IV, called the Elder, married Margaret of Savoy while his sister Heilwig, the future mother of King Rudolf I von Habsburg , married Albert IV of Habsburg . Even though the family continued to found cities and expand, they were declining in power. In 1230 they founded Zug and Baden , then Frauenfeld , Aarau , Lenzburg , and Mellingen . In 1250 they founded Sursee , Weesen and

475-574: A knight called Raprecht in connection with the later Grynau Castle . The former seat of the Vogt in Altendorf was first mentioned as "Rahprehteswilare" in a document of emperor Otto II , in which goods of the Einsiedeln abbey were confirmed on 14 August 972. The fourth Abbot of Einsiedeln , Wirunt (996–1026), or Wirendus, Wirund, Wem, Wirand, Verendus, was according to 15th-century chronists

570-781: A map still reveals the directions where the ice age glaciers ran. The farthest expansion of the Rhône Glacier to the northeast is indicated by way the western Swiss Plateau valleys trend: The valleys of the Broye and the Glâne as well as Lake Murten , Lake Neuchâtel , and Lake Biel that trend all northeast, parallel to the Jura and to the Alps . The glaciers of the Reuss and the Limmat have carved

665-474: A small airport, Bern Belpmoos Airport . Härkingen respectively Niederbipp and Zürich are scheduled as one of the eight hubs of the proposed Cargo Sous Terrain , an underground cargo transport system those first phase of about 70 kilometres (43 mi) is planned by the early 2030s. Compared to the Swiss Alps, the plateau, and especially the rural plateau, is less geared towards tourism. It serves as

760-632: A transit region. Visitors mainly come to see the major towns and cities with their historical sights and attractions, especially the Old Towns of Bern and Lucerne, but also Zürich, Biel/Bienne, St. Gallen, Fribourg, Geneva and Lausanne. An important natural touristic attraction is the Rhine Fall near Schaffhausen. The lakes also attract tourists, and then there are several spa towns , Baden , Schinznach-Bad , Yverdon-les-Bains and Zurzach , thanks to their hydrothermal vents . Zürich Wilderness Park

855-615: Is viticulture . Grassland with dairy farming and beef production is predominant in the eastern plateau and in the higher regions. Especially in the Thurgau, fruit (apples) is important. The forests in the Swiss Plateau are used in forestry. There are many Norway Spruce forestations, often in monoculture because of their valuable timber. With respect to industry , the plateau is the most important region of Switzerland. The traditional textile industries are situated especially in

950-479: Is 20 °C, alongside the southern edge of the Jura it is 18 – 20 °C, and in higher regions 16 – 18 °C. With regard to mean sunshine duration, the Lake Geneva region is again advantaged with more than 1900 hours, whereas in the rest of the Swiss Plateau, it is between 1600 (especially in the east) and 1900 hours. The annual average rainfall is between 800 millimetres near the Jura, 1200 millimetres in

1045-610: Is French-speaking. The language border has been stable for many centuries even though it falls neither on a geographical nor on a political delimitation. It passes from Biel/Bienne over Murten and Fribourg to the Fribourg Alps. The cities of Biel/Bienne, Murten and Fribourg are officially bilingual. Localities along the language border usually use both names, the German and the French one, officially interchangeable. Thanks to

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1140-518: Is documented: Wettingen Abbey in 1227, and the Mariazell- Wurmsbach Abbey in 1259. On 28 August 1232 a document confirms an exchange of goods between members of the noble families of Kyburg and Rapperswil in the villages of Oberwesin and Niderwesin that were in the possession of Kyburg to 1264 respectively of Rapperswil to 1283, the nucleus of the monastic community "in den Wyden", a community of lay women or beguines which

1235-727: Is either the granddaughter of the Count of Grüningen-Winterthur or from a cadet branch of the Winterthur family, the Counts of Nellenburg. She might also be the daughter of Adalbert II von Winterthur (died 1053), the last knight from Winterthur, who died in 1053 at the Battle of Civitate against the Normans . The Kyburg land continued to be part of the possessions of the House of Dillingen until

1330-432: Is extremely patchy and incomplete, the family may be in fact extinct several times in the 'male line', estimated at least around 1190 and according to historical documents at 1283, even the female line was continued by Elisabeth von Rapperswil . The line of counts of Rapperswil may be counted back to the 9th century, when their ancestors were called Counts of Wandelberg : This list is based on known genealogical trees of

1425-568: Is highly developed. The most important transversal, so to speak the backbone of the Swiss Plateau, is the A1 motorway that connects all the big cities going from Geneva over Lausanne, Bern, Zürich and Winterthur to St. Gallen. The A2, the Swiss north-south axis, crosses the plateau from Olten to Luzern. The railway network is very dense. All major cities are connected, and between Olten and Lausanne, there are two main lines: One passing over Bern and Fribourg,

1520-530: Is the largest mixed deciduous and coniferous forest in the plateau, and includes the Sihl forest and Langenberg, the oldest Swiss wildlife park. The park covers approximately 12 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi). 47°07′N 7°22′E  /  47.117°N 7.367°E  / 47.117; 7.367 Counts of Rapperswil#History The House of Rapperswil respectively Counts of Rapperswil ( Grafen von Rapperwil since 1233, before Lords ) ruled

1615-574: The Lindenhof hill . At that time, the House of Rapperswil had possessions in what is now Eastern and Central Switzerland. They bore the title of count from 1233, as a partisan of the Staufer kings. Besides also the Urseren valley in 1240, and since the 13th centuries, Lützelau island has belonged to the family, later to the community of Rapperswil (now called Ortsbürgergemeinde ); its sandstone

1710-594: The Abbey of St. Gall . As a result, they turned increasingly away from the Hohenstaufens and in 1243 and were one of the mainstays of the pro- Pope and anti-Holy Roman Emperor Party. Around 1220 they started to make claims on property and rights that had unclear ownership and was near property that they already owned. In 1225 they founded a burial site for the Chorherrenstift Heiligberg in

1805-564: The Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps . It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface area, and is partly flat but mostly hilly. The average height is between 400 metres (1,300 ft) and 700 metres (2,300 ft) AMSL . It is by far the most densely populated region of Switzerland, the center of economy and important transportation. In the north and northwest, the Swiss Plateau is sharply delimited geographically and geologically by

1900-512: The Jura Mountains . In the south, there is no clear border with the Alps . Usually, the rising of the terrain to altitudes above 1500 metres AMSL (lime Alps, partly sub-alpine molasse), which is very abrupt in certain places, is taken as a criterion for delimitation. Occasionally the regions of the higher Swiss Plateau, especially the hills of the canton of Fribourg , the Napf region, the Töss region,

1995-709: The Napf fan and the Hörnli fan; other sedimentary fans exist in the Rigi region, in the Schwarzenburg region and in the region between the eastern lake Geneva and the middle reaches of the Saane/Sarine . The eroded material has been sorted by grain size. The coarse material was predominantly deposited near the Alps. In the middle of the plateau, there are finer sandstones and near the Jura, clays and marl. During

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2090-726: The Old Swiss Confederacy is known as the Burgdorferkrieg (also Kyburgerkrieg ). Bern took the opportunity to assert its interests in Aargau against the Habsburgs, and after the Bernese laid siege to Burgdorf, Neu-Kyburg was forced to concede an unfavourable peace. Friedrich V, count of Toggenburg acquired Kyburg and Winterthur in 1384 ( lost again in 1402 by Friedrich VII ), and Bern bought Thun and Burgdorf,

2185-671: The Rhine . Geologically, the Swiss Plateau is part of a larger basin that extends beyond the border of Switzerland. At its southwestern end, in France , the plateau, in the Genevois , ends at Chambéry where Jura and Alps meet. On the other side of Lake Constance, the plateau continues in the German and Austrian Pre-Alps . Within Switzerland, the Swiss Plateau has a length of about 300 kilometres (190 mi), and its width increases from

2280-657: The Rüti Abbey ) monastery was established; in 1267 it was united with the nearby Mariazell-Wurmsbach nunnery. St. Martin Busskirch is one of the oldest churches around the Lake Zürich and was until 1229 the parish church of the family. There even the citizens of Rapperswil had to attend services, until Count Rudolf II of Rapperswil built the Stadtpfarrkirche on Herrenberg next to the Rapperswil castle on

2375-531: The Tertiary orogenic uplift , around 60 – 40 million years ago, the area of today's Swiss Plateau was a Karst plateau somewhat inclined to the south. Through processes of rising and lowering that were brought by the folding of the Alps, the area was twice flooded by a sea. The corresponding sediments are distinguished as sea molasse and freshwater molasse, even though the latter consists rather of fluvial and eolian sediments (a kind of mainland molasse ). In

2470-517: The Vosges mountain range but forms a deep geosyncline in the Swiss Plateau and in the Jura (see also Jurassic ). Around 2500 – 3000 metres below the surface, but considerably deeper near the Alps, the drillings have hit the crystalline basement. It is covered by unfolded strata of Mesozoic sediments , which are part of the Helvetic nappes . Its depth gradually decreases from about 2.5 km in

2565-719: The bailiwick of Kempten in the area around the Töss Valley respectively in Eastern Switzerland. Assumably in compensation of claims related to the Alt-Rapperswil lands and rights, a change of goods occurred to establish the Bubikon Commandry , given by the Counts of Toggenburg and by the Counts of Rapperswil between 1191 and 1198. Although in concurrency to the neighbouring Rüti Abbey that

2660-441: The upper Zürichsee and Seedamm region around Rapperswil and parts of, as of today, Swiss cantons of St. Gallen , Glarus , Zürich and Graubünden when their influence was most extensive around the 1200s until the 1290s. They acted also as Vogt of the most influential Einsiedeln Abbey in the 12th and 13th century, and at least three abbots of Einsiedeln were members of Rapperswil family. In 697 legends mentions

2755-436: The " fratricide at Thun Castle " where Eberhard killed his brother Hartmann. To avoid punishment by his Habsburg overlords, Eberhard fled to Bern . In the following year, he sold the town of Thun , its castle and the land surrounding Thun to Bern. Bern granted the land back to Eberhard as a fief . The decline of Neu-Kyburg began with a failed raid by Rudolf II on Solothurn , on 11 November 1382. The ensuing conflict with

2850-572: The (lower) Toggenburg , and parts of the Appenzell region are considered to form the Swiss Alpine foreland in a narrow sense. However, if a division into the three main regions Jura Mountains, Swiss Plateau and Alps is considered, the Alpine foreland belongs clearly to the Swiss Plateau. In the southwest, the Swiss Plateau is confined by Lake Geneva , in the northeast, by Lake Constance and

2945-577: The 1020s, but the male line died out in 1078. Kyburg castle , southeast of Winterthur (in the modern canton of Zürich ), passed on to the Swabian counts of Dillingen . Through the marriage of Hartmann von Dillingen (d. 1121) with a certain Adelheid, the House of Dillingen acquired the old Kyburg possessions as well as territorial claims in the Thurgau . The exact origin of Adelheid is unclear. She

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3040-687: The 14th abbot of Einsiedeln. In 1099 first mentioned, the donation of the St. Andreas Church was given by the House of Rapperswil as a spacious three-naved country church. The assumably legal connection with the church situated above the Uster Castle , due to the archaeological investigations of 1982 so far is not proven, but the pastoral rights were sold by Elisabeth von Rapperswil not earlier than 1300. Some fortifications, among them in Greifensee , Uster and Alt-Rapperswil were built probably in

3135-685: The Aare orifice and Schaffhausen, the predominant trees are oak , tilia and maple . Humans began to settle the plateau in the Neolithic , starting with the banks of lakes and rivers. Major oppida were built after the Celts appeared in the 3rd century BC. Urban settlements with stone houses were built during the Roman Empire . The Swiss Plateau became a part of the Roman Empire in 15 BC when

3230-469: The Alps and the Jura can have the brightest sunshine. Typical for the high fog is the bise , a cold wind from the northeast. Since it is channelled by the Swiss Plateau narrowing in the southwest, it reaches its major strength in the Lake Geneva region where wind speeds of 60 km/h with top speeds of more than 100 km/h are usual in typical bise weather. The regions near the Alps of the central and eastern plateau sometimes have temperature rises due to

3325-607: The Alps, covering the whole western Swiss Plateau and reaching today's regions of Solothurn and Aarau . In the region of Bern, it merged with the Aar Glacier . The glaciers of the Reuss , the Limmat and the Rhine advanced sometimes as well until the Jura. The glaciers formed the land by erosion, but also by base moraines (very fine stone meal) often several meters thick, and by the meltwater streams depositing gravel. Traces of

3420-510: The Alps. The central Swiss Plateau is characterised by a number of ranges and broad valleys, some of them with lakes, that run northwest. The last of them is the Albis range, which together with the Heitersberg range forms a bar from the Alps to the Jura that the major transportations bypass only in a few places, mostly in tunnels. The eastern Swiss Plateau is structured by the valleys of

3515-538: The Counts Hans (Johann II), Rudolf and Gotfrid, and the city of Zürich; it was sealed on 19 September 1352, and the brothers had to confirm among others that they will also condone their relatives who supported the city of Zürich . The second document included that Johann's II imprisonment in Zürich shall be forgotten , all prisoners shall be released, and even Count Albrecht would support the city of Zürich against

3610-528: The Counts Rudolf, Gotfrid and Johan von Habsburg was regulated in a document on 1 July 1354: The remains of the former Herrschaft Rapperswil – Rapperswil and some surrounding villages excluding Jona – were sold by Count Johann II and his brothers, Rudolf (IV) and Gottfried (II), to the Habsburg family and partially ( Höfe ) to the city of Zürich, as the house of Rapperswil was not able to rebuild

3705-471: The Ice Age glaciers, there is plenty of gravel and clay. The gravel digging in the Ice Age gravel terraces all over the Swiss Plateau covers the demands of the construction industry. Numerous hydroelectric power plants in the rivers produce electricity. All four Swiss nuclear power plants are situated on the plateau. Because of the comparatively easy topography and the dense population, the transport network

3800-773: The Kyburgs together with the Hohenstaufen and Zähringen split the Lenzburg possessions between them. The Kyburg family acquired the allodial title to the Vogtei of Windegg or Gaster (today 7 municipalities in the See-Gaster Wahlkreis of St. Gallen ) and land around Baden . Later additional Lenzburg territories, the Schänis Abbey and Beromünster , were also acquired by the House of Kyburg. In 1180

3895-447: The Limmat (including Lake Zurich ), the Glatt , the Töss , the Murg , the Thur , and the Sitter . Between them there are hill countries, in the canton of Thurgau also the broad molasse ranges of Seerücken (lit.: 'back of the lake') and Ottenberg north of the Thur, and the hilly ranges between the Thur and the Murg. This area is colloquially also known as Mostindien (lit.: 'Cider India'). Two hill countries get out of line with

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3990-402: The Murten, Neuchâtel and Biel lakes, represents the biggest plain of the Swiss Plateau, though it is also interrupted by isolated molasse ranges. In the east, it is neighboured by various hill countries the height of which decreases to the north. Another major plain is the Wasseramt where the Emme runs. In a broad valley alongside the Jura, the Aare collects all the rivers that come down from

4085-405: The Romans occupied the land of the Helvetii under the reign of Augustus , and it remained Roman until the end of the 3rd century. The most important Roman cities in the Swiss Plateau were Auenticum (today Avenches ), Vindonissa (today Windisch ), Colonia Iulia Equestris or, by its Celtic name, and Noviodunum (today Nyon ). They were well connected by a net of Roman roads . After

4180-452: The Swiss Plateau has been shaped by the ice age glaciers. During all the known alpine glaciations ( Günz glaciation , Mindel glaciation , Riss glaciation and Würm glaciation ), huge glaciers penetrated the Swiss Plateau. During the warm interglacials, the glaciers receded to the high alps (sometimes more than today) and subtropical vegetation spread in the plateau. During the ice ages, the Rhône glacier split into two branches when leaving

4275-406: The cantons of Lucerne , Aargau , Solothurn , Bern , Fribourg and Vaud ; small portions of the Swiss Plateau are situated in the cantons of Neuchâtel , Zug , Schwyz , St. Gallen and Schaffhausen . The geological layers of the Swiss Plateau are relatively well known. The base level is crystalline basement which outcrops in the central crystalline Alps as well as in the Black Forest and

4370-443: The center of the property of the former Freiherr von Weisslingen at Winterthur, and in 1233 founded Töss Abbey west of Winterthur. Both sites were endowed with property that they had taken from the Weisslingen and Rossberg families. These two properties served to define the borders between the Kyburg and Rapperswil families. At the same time the Kyburg family attempted to strengthen themselves through marriage. Hartmann V,

4465-514: The central and eastern regions. During the last decades, however, it lost importance. Today's most important industries are the machine industry, the automotive industry, the electrical industry, the fine & micro mechanical, watch & electronic industries, next to the optical and metal construction. The food industry processes domestic as well as foreign produces. Furthermore, wood processing and paper converting are also important. Like all of Switzerland, there are few mineral resources. Thanks to

4560-401: The citizenry of Zürich . In compensation, the goods and lands of the äussere former councils had to be refund by the innere (meaning the Guild councils), as long as their property was not sold (by Brun's entourage). These restrictions also included Johann I's children – the German king had to vouch for Brun's regime, Duke Albrecht for Rapperswil and the underage Rapperswils Counts. The feud

4655-531: The counts Johans, Rudolf und Gotfrid von Habsburg so needed, sealed by Markgraf Ludwig von Brandenburg on 23 September 1352. Another document was related to the costs of the captivity of Rapperswil citizens in Zürich which was sealed on 20 May 1358 by relatives of the new lord Count Rudolf von Österreich in Rapreswile , namely Ott von Missouw, Fridrich von Waslze, Heinrich der Raspe, Heinrich der Brunner, Wolfgang von Winden, Johanse von Platzhein and Vogt Johans von Langenhart. The division of an estate between

4750-404: The dispute over the inheritance. Nevertheless, around 1200 the Rapperswil Castle and the fortifications of the former locus Endingen (given by the Einsiedeln abbey) were built by Rudolf II and his son Rudolf III of Rapperswil . Officially in 1229, the town of Rapperswil was founded when the nobility of Rapperswil moved from Altendorf across the lake to Rapperswil, and a wave of foundations

4845-404: The documents related to their rights in Raprechtswile and their possessions in the March (Alt-Rapperswil) area. Furthermore, the document also included the Zürich councils ( äussere Bürger ) who refuged to Rapperswil and financial compensations by the former councils to Brun's entourage, they remained banned until 1342, and the äussere former councils had to pledge allegiance to the King and to

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4940-413: The early 12th century by members of the family. The Vogts of Rapperswil were persons of influence in the so-called Marchenstreit between the people of Schwyz and the Einsiedeln abbey beginning around 1100. Around 1180 the lords of Rapperswil inherit the parish rights of Weisslingen and free float in Russikon, Erisberg, Luckhausen, Moosburg and in Kempthal, as well as the castles Greifenberg and Bernegg, and

5035-449: The exiled Polish count Alexander Sobansky (1799–1861) in 1835. The bailiwick of Kyburg within the Zürichgau was divided into four Ämter : To this were added two Nebenämter , Not part the four Ämter were Wangen and Töss , and the exclaves Ettenhausen and Ebmatingen . Sources: Sources: Swiss plateau The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau is one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland , lying between

5130-416: The extensive possessions of Rapperswil in Zürichgau. But the Homberg-Rapperswil line extinct with the death of Wernher von Homberg, and the Habsburg-Laufenburg line in 1408, when Johann IV von Habsburg-Laufenburg died without male heirs. Elisabeth gave up of her possessions in Western Switzerland to Wernher von Homberg (son from her first marriage) after the death of Wernher's father, and after her own death

5225-440: The family are widely missing, the modern research assumes that the original lineage is extinct and subsequently a dispute over inheritance may be broken. Therefore, the historians use the term Alt-Rapperswil (old line) and Neu-Rapperswil (new line). Likewise, it is assumed that there were strong family ties with the houses of Regensberg , Kyburg and Toggenburg (see Members of the family ), that may have been involved in

5320-438: The family began to consolidate their power. They founded the cities of Diessenhofen and Winterthur to help spread their power. They also appointed many of the Lenzburg, and later Zähringen, vassals to be unfree knights or Ministerialis for the Kyburg family. When the Zähringen family died out in 1218, the Kyburgs grabbed another chance to expand. Anna von Zähringen, the sister of the last Duke of Zähringen, Berthold V ,

5415-425: The favourable climate and fertile grounds, the lower western plateau is the most important agricultural region of Switzerland . The most important cultures are wheat , barley , maize , sugar beet and potato ; especially in the Seeland , vegetables are very important, too. Along the northern shores of the lakes of Geneva , Neuchâtel , Bienne , Morat , as well as in the Zürich Weinland and Klettgau , there

5510-469: The following time, especially the western part of the plateau was again significantly risen, so that in this area, the sediments of the upper sweetwater molasse and the upper sea molasse have been largely eroded. A characteristic of the sea molasses is fossil snails, shells and shark teeth, whereas in the sweetwater molasse, fossils of typical land mammals and former subtropical vegetation (for instance palm leaves) are found. The contemporary landscape of

5605-438: The forgiveness of debt of Rapperswil, as some sources hypothesize. Some, if not most of the refugees, were decades before their exile vassals of the Counts of Rapperswil, including the ancient councilors family Bilgeri those members lost six of their seats in the council of Zürich. Johann I was killed in 1337 in the course of a battle at the Grynau Castle against Zürich-Toggenburg troops. Count Johann's children – Johann II,

5700-439: The fortified towns of Kyburg and Laupen . The last two were Richensee and Huttwil which they lost shortly thereafter. In 1250/51 the childless Hartmann IV gave the western part of the property with the center of Burgdorf to his nephew Hartmann V. As a result, Hartmann V, who was supported by the Habsburgs, came into conflict repeatedly with the growing city-state of Bern. His uncle had to step in often to keep

5795-439: The grandson of Hartmann von Dillingen, Hartmann III (d. 1180), split the Dillingen lands. Adalbert (died 1170) received the Swabian territories, while Hartmann III von Dillingen got the Swiss lands and became Hartmann I of Kyburg. The House of Kyburg were vassals of the Duke of Swabia , who was of the House of Hohenstaufen and would become the Kings of Germany from 1138–1254. When the House of Lenzburg died out in 1172/73,

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5890-454: The higher regions and 1400 millimetres at the edge of the Alps. The driest regions of the plateau are in the lee of the High Jura between Morges and Neuchâtel. In the warmest regions at the lakes of Geneva and Neuchâtel, there are less than 20 days with a snow cover, whereas, in the rest of the plateau, it is between 20 and 40, depending on the height. In the winter half-year, the air on the Swiss Plateau can stay still, with little exchange for

5985-416: The highlands of Zürich, in the Hirzel region, in the Lake Constance region and between the Reuss Valley and the Lake Baldegg . Another reminder of the glaciation are glacial erratics which are found all over the Swiss Plateau. These rocks, sometimes of enormous size, are of alien stones, mostly granite and gneiss from the central crystalline Alps. Taken together, they were one of the clues that led to

6080-409: The lower terraces consisting of Würm glaciation gravel, the higher terraces of Riss glaciation terraces. Sometimes, there is also gravel from older glaciations. Even though the Swiss Plateau forms a basin, it is by no means a flat territory, but depending on the region, it has a manifold structure. Important elements are the two big lakes, Lake Geneva and Lake Constance that delimit the Swiss Plateau in

6175-487: The mentioned landscapes: The Napf region (with 1408 me AMSL the highest point of the Swiss Plateau) and the Töss region (up to 1300 meters AMSL), both of them the remains of Tertiary conglomerate sediment fans. Since they were not glaciated, they have only been eroded by water, resulting in a dense net of deep, narrow valleys. The Swiss Plateau is situated within a transition zone between humid oceanic climate and continental temperate climate. The predominant wind comes from

6270-405: The most important cities of Neu-Kyburg, and their remaining towns passed to Bern and Solothurn by 1408. The last of the Neu-Kyburgs, Berchtold, died destitute in Bern in 1417. With the extinction of the comital line, the county passed back to the direct possession of Frederick IV, Duke of Austria , who was forced to sell the county to Zürich in 1424. In the Old Zürich War , most of the territory

6365-399: The most important layer of the Swiss Plateau is the thick molasse sequence that accumulated at the border of the Alps due to the rapid erosion of the concurrently uplifted mountains. The thickness of the molasse increases from west to east (at the same distance from the Alps). The former alpine rivers built huge fans of sediment at the foot of the mountains. The most important examples are

6460-400: The most populous areas. Other densely populated areas are located at the south edge next to the Jura, and the agglomerations of Lucerne , Winterthur and St. Gallen . Regions of the higher Swiss Plateau like the Jorat region, the Napf region or the Töss region are comparatively scarcely populated with little farming villages and scattered farms. A majority is German-speaking, though the west

6555-462: The older Günz and Mindel glaciation are only left in a few places because most have been removed or transferred by the later glaciations. The greatest extension was reached by the glaciers of the Riss glaciation, when the entire Swiss Plateau was covered with ice except for the Napf and Töss regions. Most notable are the traces of the Würm glaciation about 15 000 years ago. The end moraines of different glacial retreats have been conserved. A look at

6650-450: The oldest of three sons, Rudolf and Gotfrid (and their sister Agnes) – were set under guardianship of Albrecht, Duke of Austria, sealed by a document between the city of Zürich and the German King respectively Duke Albrecht on 21 November 1337. The document included also a peace contract and regulations, but as well as the documents in the following years − between the city of Zürich and Austria – It included among others: Johann's children got

6745-400: The other passing over the edge of the Jura with Solothurn, Biel, Neuchâtel and Yverdon-les-Bains. The train ride from Zürich to Bern takes one hour; crossing the entire Swiss Plateau from St. Gallen to Geneva takes four hours. The two most important Swiss airports are situated on the plateau, Zurich Airport and Geneva Cointrin Airport . The de facto capital of Switzerland, Bern, has only

6840-502: The outmigration has moved farther away from the cities. Even though the Swiss Plateau takes only about 30% of the surface of Switzerland, 5 million people live there, which constitutes more than two-thirds of the Swiss population. The population density is 380 people per square kilometre. All the Swiss cities with more than 50 000 inhabitants except Basel and Lugano are situated in the plateau, especially Bern , Geneva , Lausanne and Zürich . The agglomerations of these cities are

6935-483: The peace. When Hartmann V died in 1263, Count Rudolf von Habsburg became the guardian of Hartmann's daughter Anna, and also took over the administration of the western section. In 1264, after the death of Hartman IV, Rudolf stepped in to control the eastern half as well. Though this brought him into conflict with the claims by the widow Margaret of Savoy and her family. Anna, daughter of Hartmann V, married Eberhard I of Habsburg-Laufenburg . This marriage

7030-549: The remaining bailiwick's rights passed to Count Rudolf († 1315) of Habsburg-Laufenburg by second marriage of Elisabeth of Rapperswil, the sister of Rudolf V, followed by her son, Count Johann I († 1337) and his son, Johann II († 1380). On 12 July 1336 Rudolf Brun , mayor of the city of Zürich, defeated his political opponents, the former members of the Rat (council) of Zürich, of which around 12 members found refuge by count Johann I in Rapperswil. The feud (German: Fehde ) of

7125-657: The remaining lands were inherited by the Laufenburg branch of the Habsburgs . Following the death of Ludwig von Homberg who left a son from Elisabeth, Werner, the countess married again with Rudolf of Habsburg-Laufenburg, son of the count of Kyburg. After her death she might have divided her patrimony. After Ursula's death in 1460, the Habsburg-Laufenburg patrimony fell to the County of Sulz. The genealogy

7220-421: The rest of the atmosphere, building a lake of cold air on the plateau and often a ceiling of high fog. The clouds look like an ocean of fog when seen from above, (usually around 800m) and hence are called the 'nebelmeer'. This weather is called inversion because the temperature below the fog is lower than the temperature above. Sometimes, it lasts for days or even for weeks, during which the neighbouring regions of

7315-523: The retreat of the Roman Empire, the romanized Burgundians occupied the western Swiss Plateau, while the Alamanni settled in the central and eastern portions. The language border between French and German dialects originated in this contrast. During the Middle Ages many towns were founded, especially in the climatically more favoured lower plateau. In 1500 there were already 130 towns, connected by

7410-494: The so-called Äusseres Zürich coalition was supported by the Rapperswil bailiwick, some knights and noble families, and Count Johann became the leader of the opposition in the city of Zürich . Latter was supported among others by the House of Toggenburg as its military arm, as well as by the Einsiedeln Abbey which supported Brun's regime. The counselors hoped for support by Count Johann and offered probably in return

7505-741: The southwest and the northeast. The western plateau is stamped by the Gros-de-Vaud plateau (up to 600 meters AMSL) and the Jorat molasse hills (up to 900 meters AMSL) but is sometimes intersected by deep valleys. Only near the Jura, there is an almost continuous dip consisting of the Venoge and the Orbe valleys which are separated by the Mormont hill, the main watershed between Rhône and Rhine, at only 500 m AMSL. The Seeland ('lake land'), characterized by

7600-457: The substantiation of the glaciation theory in the 19th century since transport by water or by volcanism was physically impossible. Gravel deposits in the bottoms of the valleys are another testimonial of the glaciation. During the advances and withdrawals of the glaciers, gravel layers were deposited in the valleys, sometimes quite thick, though most of it eroded in the subsequent interglacials . Therefore, many valleys have characteristic terraces,

7695-450: The town and the destroyed castles – the rights passed over to Albrecht II, Duke of Habsburg-Austria. All rights related to lands in the Höfe district including the settlements at Bäch, Pfäffikon and Wollerau were sold by Count Goetfrid von Habsburg -Rapperswil on 19 May 1358. Although Countess Elisabeth von Rapperswil was able to continue the line and secured the Habsburg-Laufenburg line

7790-618: The valleys of the central Swiss Plateau that trend northwest (among others including the valleys of the Wigger , the Suhre , the Seetal , the Reuss and the Limmat ). The Rhine Glacier has mostly left traces that trend west: The eastern Swiss Plateau of the Thur Valley and Lake Constance. In certain places, there are characteristic drumlins of the base moraine, often clustered, especially in

7885-526: The warm foehn wind . The dominating vegetation in the Swiss Plateau is a mixed broadleaf forest with European beeches and silver firs . For forestry , there are major plantations of Norway spruces in many places, though the Norway spruce naturally only grows in the mountains. In certain favoured spots that are warmer and drier, in the Lake Geneva region, in the Seeland and in the northern plateau between

7980-635: The west to 0.8 km in the east. These layers, like the ones of the Jura Mountains, were deposited in a relatively shallow sea, the Tethys Ocean . Above the Mesozoic layers, is the Molasse , consisting of conglomerate , sandstone , marl and shale . The uppermost layer consists of gravel and glacial sediments that have been transported by the glaciers of the ice ages . Geologically

8075-451: The west to the east: In the Geneva region, it is about 30 kilometres (19 mi), at Bern about 50 kilometres (31 mi) and in eastern Switzerland about 70 kilometres (43 mi). Many cantons of Switzerland include a part in the Swiss Plateau. Entirely situated within the Swiss Plateau are the cantons of Zürich , Thurgau and Geneva ; mostly situated within the Swiss Plateau are

8170-492: The west. In the lower plateau, the mean annual temperature is about 9 – 10 °C. In January, the Lake Geneva region and the watersides of lake Neuchâtel and Lake Biel have the highest mean temperature of about +1 °C. At the same height as AMSL, the temperature is decreasing towards the east. In the Lake Constance region, the mean temperature of the coldest month is -1 °C. In July, the mean temperature of Geneva

8265-561: Was Count Rudolf IV von Rapperswil donated certain duties, and lands "in den Widen" to establish the Dominikanerinnenkloster Maria Zuflucht in 1259. Initially, the community was supported by Predigerkloster Zürich because its close relationship to the House of Rapperswil. On the peninsula at Oberbollingen , the St. Nicholas Chapel is mentioned, where around 1229 a small Cistercian (first associated with

8360-403: Was bought by Zürich and treated as a separate jurisdiction. In 1815 , Kyburg castle was again made the seat of regional administration (Oberamt). With the creation of the modern Canton of Zürich in 1831, Kyburg lost its administrative role, and the castle was sold to one Franz Heinrich Hirzel of Winterthur who intended to use it as a quarry. To prevent its destruction, the castle was bought by

8455-421: Was continued Johann II in the late 1340s, but there also were a short time alliance with the city of Zürich: On 28 September 1343 Count Johann II and his brothers Rudolf and Gotfried von Habsburg and the citizens of Rapperswil signed a document for an eternal confederacy with the city council and the citizens of Zürich. An attempted coup by the aristocratic opposition, known as äusseres Zürich , in Zürich

8550-405: Was forcefully put down on 23/24 February 1350: Count Johann II, now the opposition's leader, was arrested for two years, and the town walls of Rapperswil, its castle and Altendorf castle were destroyed by Brun in 1350. The peace agreement on 1 September 1352 between Count Albrecht von Oesterreich and the city of Zürich was adjusted by two furthers documents. The first one was the agreement between

8645-418: Was founded in 1206, the commandery's lands and goods grew with donations by local noble families during the 13th and 14th centuries. The house (lords) of Rapperswil was first mentioned before 1192 in a large numbers of documents, for the last time around 1206 related to the abbot Rudolf of (Alt)-Rapperswil, and since 1233 as Grafen (counts) of Rapprechtswilare. As between 1192 and 1220 documentary mentions of

8740-562: Was given to emperor Frederick III , with only the Neuamt west of the Glatt river remaining with Zürich. However, the Habsburgs again agreed to sell the county to Zürich in 1452. From this time until the French invasion in 1798, the territory was a bailiwick (Landvogtei) administered by a total of 59 successive reeves (Landvögte). The town of Winterthur remained with Habsburg until 1467, when it

8835-404: Was intended to secure Habsburg interests in Aargau (Argovia) against Savoy. The son of Eberhard and Anna, Hartmann I (1275–1301) again called himself "of Kyburg". His line came to be known as that of Neu-Kyburg or Kyburg-Burgdorf, persisting until 1417. In 1322, the brothers Eberhard II and Hartmann II started fighting with each other over who would inherit the undivided lands. The fighting led to

8930-582: Was the wife of Ulrich III von Kyburg (†1227). From the Zähringen line the Kyburgs acquired land west of the Rhine and in Burgundy including the cities of Fribourg , Thun and Burgdorf as well as estates in the canton of Zurich . However, the House of Hohenstaufen , the family of the Holy Roman Emperors , refused to support the Kyburg claims on the city of Zurich and in 1226 on

9025-617: Was used to build the Rapperswil castle, the parish church and the town walls. The house of Rapperswil became extinct again in 1283, with the death of the 18-year-old Count Rudolf V, after which emperor Rudolf I acquired their fiefs, and the family had to sold large parts of the former bailiwick. Great parts of the remaining property of the Herrschaft Rapperswil passed to the house of Homberg, represented by Count Ludwig († April 27, 1289) by first marriage of Elisabeth von Rapperswil and their son, Wernher von Homberg . Around 1309

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