Attractions around Leuggern and Reuenthal?

  • BarSal
    Participant
    113 posts
    20 December 2017 at 7:47:05 #813852

    I am visiting this area (about 45km north of Zurich) in early September 2018, to visit locations relevant to relatives (who emigrated to Australia 1879), and I am wondering if there is any thing of significance that I should put on my list to see or do in this area? I have yet to lock in an amount of time to this region – still in planning mode.

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    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    20 December 2017 at 9:41:18 #873102

    Hi Sally,

    I’m afraid that I’m not very familiar with that part of Switzerland. Only thing I can think of is the Rhine Falls.

    You can get their by bus from Reuenthal to Schloss Laufen (about 1H45) or Neuhausen (about 1H20). And on the way back there are trains to Zurich. From Neuhausen it takes about 50 minutes and from Schloss Laufen about one hour.

    To better plan the trip please use the Swiss time table:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    20 December 2017 at 14:47:11 #873103

    Hi Barsal – or, is it Sally?

    I had to look it up. No wonder they emigrated…there is nothing there! (Just joking, it looks like a nice small town on a hillside overlooking the river.)

    This is a helpful map for travel:

    map.search.ch/Reuentha l?pos=657910,273454&z=12 8

    This one for detail:

    map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=ech&lang=en&bgLa yer=ch.swisstopo.pixel karte-farbe&layers=ch.bav.ha ltestellen-oev,ch.swisstopo.swiss tlm3d-wanderwege&layers_visi bility=false,false&E=2 657738.75&N=1272916.13 &zoom=7

    Both allow aerial images.

    Brugg is not too far away… a good bit of history, including a major Roman Legion encampment ( a few years ago, of course).

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Brugg

    http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/brugg-windisch.html

    Along the river –

    I once was going along the river and stopped at Bad Zurzach. Unfortunately, a rather amazing sight at the rail station has been upgraded since I was there in the early 2000’s.

    The railroad switches or points( maybe “frogs” in English English:

    groups.google.com/foru m/#!topic/uk.railway/z PlOHLupZV8)

    were actuated by large levers in the station, from which cables ran up to a couple of hundred feet to the actual switches. The guy in the station got a lot of exercise pulling 0n those ratther large levers. No more. ;-(

    East of there-

    Chantal mentioned the Rheinfall. If you go over that way, go to Stein am Rhein:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/stein-am-rhein-easy-day-trip-from-zurich

    and

    http://www.google.com/destina tion?q=stein+am+rhein&clien t=firefox-b-1&site=search&output=s earch&dest_mid=/m/032j xk&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6s 7Dd6ZjYAhXCzIMKHSQPDWo Q6tEBCD8oBDAC

    Substantial towns or cities within easy reach:

    Basel, Schaffhausen, Zürich.

    It’s a small country.

    Slowpoke

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    20 December 2017 at 17:16:08 #873104

    Hi BarSal-

    We’ve been back to walk through Bremgarten a few times. The old town is attractive, particularly on the walk down to the river. Views from the far bank of the river are nice.

    This rather long Google link gives lots of pictures:

    http://www.google.com/search?q=Bremgarten&client=fi refox-b-1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&sourc e=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKE wiO7amQipnYAhUD34MKHUo UCjAQsAQISw&biw=1433&b ih=836

    Also,

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Bremgarten,_Aargau

    Slowpoke

    BarSal
    Participant
    113 posts
    22 December 2017 at 2:08:56 #873105

    Thx Slowpoke … that map link is great. To the north west of Leuggern I can see my great grandmother’s village of Gippingen – right by the river. Should be very pretty. I believe the church where she was baptised (1872) is still there. The simple solution is probably to stay in Zuriuch for a few days and do a day trip to the region. Its less than an hour by train … or hire a car for the day and drive around the river and see the local towns

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    22 December 2017 at 11:46:16 #873106

    Hi Barsal:

    <<“The simple solution is probably to stay in Zuriuch for a few days and do a day trip to the region.”>>

    I love Zürich. But, I have friends there, and I go for restauarants, museums, cultural events…not for scenery, even though the old town is nice to walk through.

    Sme pictures attached. By the way, don’t ever believe that the Swiss don’t have a sense of humor. The picture “Concert” was taken as I passed through Zürich main station one day. “The worlds largest Pan-flute concert” was happening on bleachers set up in the main station hall. Fun. And funny.

    Plusses and minuses…

    If you stay in Zürich with a rental car you have to pay a whole lot of money to park it. 30-40CHF overnight. Few locations. And, the drive to/from the car rental places can be difficult….one way streets, confusing street “grid” ( if you can call it that). Zürich hotel prices are not cheap.

    On the other hand, even with good train and bus service in the region near Gippingen, you tend to be limited to trains/buses once per hour, sometimes the buses take midday break.

    When I go to Switzerland from the USA, I fly into Zürich, bite the bullet ( cost) and stay in town for a couple of days for jet lag using trains to make day trips….even as far as Geneva once or twice ( 3 hour ride) for lunch with a friend.

    I have stayed several times per year at the Hotel Adler for 12-15 years, so I am “ein Stammgast” ( a regular guest) and usually can get an early room on arrival day, and they’ll squeeze me into the very busy restaurant.

    http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/hotels

    By Zürich standards, not overpriced.

    Then, I typically rent a car, drive to the hotel to get my bags, and drive to a base on a train line in a small village, and stay at an inn where I know the innkeepers. Cheaper, no less friendly, but in a rural or market town. Then, I use both the car and the trains for day trips.

    Train to the larger cities. Car to some trail heads with nowadays infrequent bus service.

    I spent many years memorizing the routes to/from the Avis office and the hotel in Zürich. The twists and turns come up very quickly, in heavy traffic. Errors lead you astray quickly, so I always carry a smartphone with a map. That luxury did not exist when I first developed that pattern.

    At first, I used the frequent trams ( nuisance to haul luggage) or a cab ( quite expensive for a very short ride.)

    Using a car in Zürich is not a good idea. 😉

    Renting at the airport…logical for you…adds a surcharge to the cost of the whole rental. Last I looked about 7-10%. That still might be a good idea, if you stay north of there.

    With your goals, I’d find a place to stay outside Zürich, maybe north of town, and use a rental car for the villages for a day or 3. Train to Zürich; try not to miss Luzern.

    I have rented in Aarau, at the Avis there a few times. About 600 meters from the train station.

    I’m not sure where I would look for an inn in that area near Gippingen. . There might be a Gasthof in a nearby river town.

    In the mapsearch.ch map, under points of interests/gastronomy, you can find a place to turn on “accommodation” It does not catch every hotel or inn, but it might help. I also check “restaurant.”

    In Gippingen, I find something called Landgasthof Weisses Kreuz, under restaurants

    map.search.ch/Leuggern ,Gippingen?poi=hotel,restaurant

    I googled it. Been there since 1532. New inn keeper (der Wirt) early 2017 “end of an era”

    http://www.aargauerzeitung.ch /aargau/zurzach/neuer-wirt-startet-im-weissen-kreuz-damit-endet-auch-eine-aera-130833743

    http://www.kreuz-gippingen.ch/

    They have 6 hotel rooms.

    Website not was not cooperating to show the rooms for me.

    That is the kind of place that I’d almost certainly stay at.

    Slowpoke

    BarSal
    Participant
    113 posts
    23 December 2017 at 2:25:25 #873107

    Very kind of you slowpoke. Lots of great information. We will becoming from 2 weeks in northern Germany. Flying into Berlin and staying about 6 nights then train to Hamburg and staying about a week doing days trips from that base (particularly to a small town south of Hamburg called Uelzen where my great grandfather’s family is known back to the 1500s). The husband of my great grandmother from Gippingen. He went to Australia in 1877 and she went in 1879 – they met and married in 1894. They had 7 children. One was my grandmother 🙂

    We will be coming from Hamburg to Zurich by train or plane (yet to be determined) and we plan to stay two nights in the Zurich area and rent a car for one day only – collect from a city depot and return it at the end of the day. Drive along the Aare river, see Gippingen then go to Ruethal. I need to find cemeteries (ha ha) seriously … looking for clues to other family members.

    After we have finished we plan to spend a few days in Luzern and see the local sights (day trips) then travel to Wengen and stay a week – again doing day trips (have learned a great deal from this site already!) .Then take the train to Chur and take the Bernina Express from there.

    Our final destination will be Milan for a few days and we will fly out of there – home.

    Regards (and thx again) Sally

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    23 December 2017 at 3:13:13 #873108

    <<“collect from a city depot and return it at the end of the day.”>>

    They don’t stay open very late…rent from one with a key drop.

    Renting at the airport would make a lot more sense…even if you are staying in downtown Zürich.

    5-8 trains per hour to/from airport and downtown…9-15 minutes travel. You’d save time; you would waste more time on the rental car pickup process in downtown and driving north, and later drop off available at the airport also simplifies the process.

    If you stay in or near Gippingen or Reuenthal, you have a better chance to chat and perhaps learn about your family roots there.

    Although I have not pursued them in any detail, the Swiss keep good genealogical records.. Do you speak, or at least read German… How abou Fraktur typography for older records?

    Slowpoke

    BarSal
    Participant
    113 posts
    23 December 2017 at 3:59:52 #873109

    Thx again Slowpoke … I have written your advice on car rental in my Swiss planning folder. From what I have learned on this site I doubt that it will be our last trip to this region.

    Good advice on staying local and talking to locals – plus a totally different experience to staying in a city hotel.

    I have recently (like in the last hour!) learned that Swiss cemeteries are not a good source of information as they are in Australia (and probably the US) as grave rent is only 25 years and almost all graves you see (unless its someone famous) are less than 25 years old.

    Graves of the siblings, and children of this couple still exist here in Australia. An Aunt of the girl from Gippingen was buried in 1893 and her grave still exists (she was born in Gippingen in 1832). Town and church records may be my best resource in Switzerland. My schoolgirl German is extremely limited. I have reasonable records of the family (a few mysteries … all families have those!) I guess I am interested in ‘feeling’ where they came from. The Swiss family were farmers, the German family were pastry chefs (3 generations). I may be forced to sample quite a few pastries 🙂

    Regards

    Sally

    BarSal
    Participant
    113 posts
    23 December 2017 at 5:11:47 #873110

    Hey Slowpoke .. that hotel in Gippingen looks fabulous! Great wine list (I’m sold!) and they are in the middle of a wine region with local vineyards. We live in a wine region in the Adelaide Hills – we would be right at home.

    The website says the accommodation page is ‘under construction’. I shall contact Roger (new CEO and cook) and get more information. I shall report back. I could spend a few days in this little town and really get that ‘feel’ I was looking for.

    I also looked at your favourite Hotel in Zurich – booking in advance it is around $A230 (with breakfast) a night; which is cheaper than capital cities in Australia. It gets great reviews.

    regards

    Sally

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    23 December 2017 at 9:16:17 #873111

    G’DAy Sally-

    <<“I also looked at your favourite Hotel in Zurich – booking in advance it is around $A230 (with breakfast) a night; which is cheaper than capital cities in Australia. It gets great reviews.”>>

    You can pay a good deal more if you choose to.

    I do my basic trip planning – flights to/from the USA and Zürich – and a hotel for my first and last couple of days well in advance. As soon as I have my flights, I book the Adler. Their yield management computer is very aggressive, and they fill up well in advance. That price will go up as the rooms fill up. They don’t have a whole lot.

    There are a couple of features that you should be aware of.

    The hotel is in the heart of the Niederdorf in the part of the old town ( Altstadt) on the east side of the river. , on a street and plaza that ere full of restaurants, bars, etc. Noisy, especially on weekend nights. Air conditioning is not common in Zürich, and the Adler is not air condioned. If you sleep with the windows open, it can be noisy. In the Summer they do provide fans in every room. In cooler weather.you can close the windows, which do a good job of keeping out the noise.

    The restaurant is extremely popular and even if you are a hotel guest, you won’t get a table umless you book a day ahead or immediately on arrival. They get a lot of walk ins. The serve a lot of fondue. It has a characteristic odor, and by late at night, the hotel smells of it. Sometimes, even in the morning, although they open windows and get god ventilation. If it bothers you, it could be aproblem. You won’t notice it in your room.

    <<“Hey Slowpoke .. that hotel in Gippingen looks fabulous! Great wine list (I’m sold!) and they are in the middle of a wine region with local vineyards. We live in a wine region in the Adelaide Hills – we would be right at home.”>>

    Maybe, maybe not. A lot of the more common vinifera varietals are only becoming readily available in Switzerland. The common whites are made from the Chasselas. Pleasant. Oak aging….so-called “barrique” -has begun to appear for reds, especially pinot noirs ( Blauburgunder) in the past decade. Most wines are still not oaked. Those that are oaked are not always well made. You’l possibly find some good Pinot Noirs along the Rhine in that area. Eglisau has some better known ones.

    In the area south of St. Gall, the so-called Bündner Herrschaft, they do more oak-aging, but they also make some wonderful un-oaked wines. Since that is uncommon in the USA, I always seek them out. You can find several that are very complex, long, and well balanced and not cheap.

    Also, south of Zürich, near the land-bridge across the lake, they grow Raüschling ( not Riesling). Not common any where else that I know of. A bit more acidic than Chasselas ( which can be dull fromlack of acidity) and good with sauteed fish from the lake ( or, more likely, imported from Poland or Iceland these days).

    That area, near Rapperswil, is quite pretty, but a bit out of the way for you.

    A few pictures attached.

    Slowpoke

    Many lesser

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    23 December 2017 at 9:28:33 #873112

    Hi Sally –

    <“I have recently (like in the last hour!) learned that Swiss cemeteries are not a good source of information as they are in Australia (and probably the US) as grave rent is only 25 years and almost all graves you see (unless its someone famous) are less than 25 years old.”>>

    Many famous people ar buried in the cemetery near the Zoo in Zürich, such as James Joyce, and it is very beautiful.

    I’m not an expert on genealogy. I recall that some forum members have some interest, but I don’yt recall details. The search function on this site is pretty good.

    From casual contact, i know that Swiss genealogical records are pretty good. I’m thinking of church records and local administrative records.

    The basic unit of government in Switzerland is the town…the commune in French, die Gemeinde in the German speaking regions. I’d try the Gemeindeamt for sure.

    I recall finding some pretty good sources in a web search I did long ago, also.

    It sounds like you have a enough of a start to talk knowledgeably with local officials.

    Slowpoke

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