Buechberg


Buechberg is an elongated molasse hill in the Swiss canton of Schwyz, located southeast of the Obersee. At, its summit is significantly lower than the surrounding mountains of the Appenzell Alps and Schwyzer Alps, which are over high.
Buechberg is traversed by two parallel tunnels of the A53 motorway, which joins the A3 motorway south of the hill. Buechberg is also popular for hiking and contains a bicycle route.

Name

The official name is the Swiss-German language term Buechberg, although Buchberg is often used.

Geography

Buechberg, together with the nearby, are molasse hills and remains of the last glacial period in Switzerland. Situated on the southeastern Obersee lakeshore, Buechberg is situated on the area of the municipalities of Tuggen and Wangen−Nuolen in the canton of Schwyz, bordered by the lakeshore area in the canton of St. Gallen and by the Linth river towards Schmerikon. The highest elevation is about above sea level at the southwestern end of the hill, overlooking the Linth and Obersee area, which are at around above sea level.
The commonly called Bollingen Sandstone since centuries is used for the construction of buildings, among them the Einsiedeln Abbey and the St. Gallen Abbey, as well as for the construction of Fraumünster and Grossmünster in Zurich; the quarries are still in use.

Güntliweid–Bätzimatt protected area

Among the area around the Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden lake crossing and between Rapperswil and Busskirch around Obersee, Güntliweid up to Bätzimatt at Buechberg are listed ast bird reserves of national importance. The reserve is located on the south shore, at the foothills of Buechberg and extends from the south of Bätzimatt at Schmerikon to Güntliweid east of Lachen. It is considered as a particularly valuable resting place for waders, and may be obtained as resting place for birds on passage.

History

About two thousand years ago, Buechberg formed an island in the former flat Tuggenersee lake area, and there was probably at least one Roman watching tower on the hill established. In the early 13th century AD the House of Rapperswil built the Grynau Castle at the most important and strategically river crossing over the Linth river nearby the then nearly landed lake.
From Tuggen there's also a historical road heading from the former granary at the Grynau Castle over the Buechberg hill towards Siebnen.
File:Stich Linthebene 1811.jpg|thumb|upright|The plain of the Linth river between Weesen and Schmerikon in 1811, before and after the correction, showing also the location of the Buechberg hill on the right side
The taming of the Linth river from 1807 to 1823 once more changed the landscape.