TV professional Nik Hartmann is definitely a country guy. He grew up in rural Hünenberg and has lived with his family in the municipality of Risch for over 20 years. He’s head over heels for his local area.
TV professional Nik Hartmann is definitely a country guy. He grew up in rural Hünenberg and has lived with his family in the municipality of Risch for over 20 years. He’s head over heels for his local area.
Sabine Windlin met Nik Hartmann for our destination magazine #inlovewithzug.
SW: Ennetsee – it has a romantic sound to it and seems full of promise. But people in Zug tend to associate this lake with a particular drawback. There is no sunset to watch in the evening here.
NH: Well, it’s all a matter of perspective. It’s just that here in Buonas, the sun doesn’t spectacularly disappear behind Lake Zug in the evening. Instead, it disappears behind the Lindenberg. On the plus side, our location here means we get very early morning sun. But for me, the most beautiful moment isn’t the sunrise but the time just before it, the dawn. That’s when I look out the kitchen window at the sleepy Lake Zug, illuminated by a yellow light shining from the east.
SW: Are you speaking as a fan of the Ennetsee who grew up in Hünenberg and – after a brief time
in Zug – settled down again on this side of the lake with his wife and children?
NH: The Canton of Zug is really too small to divide up geographically, but yes, it’s true, I really like this area. I only have to step out of the front door and, five minutes later, I’m standing in front of a yellow hiking trail sign. I live in the middle of a local recreation area and love being out and about in nature. One of my favourite walks is to the nearby Chilchberg forest in Risch.
SW: Is that the forest with the mysterious man-made stone monument?
NH: Exactly. This “Little Stonehenge” is made of 220 crystalline blocks that were left behind after the retreat of the Reuss Glacier. At some point, they were arranged in a palisade-like row by people. There have been many attempts to explain their purpose. Some think it might have been a place
of worship, others think it was a boundary wall, while others think it was a wall for a pasture. It has also proven difficult to date the monument. Archaeologists estimate that it is from either the Middle Ages or the modern era.
SW: When you live in a place and become familiar with it, it’s common not to value its famous sights very much. Is that the case with you?
NH: No, I’m aware of how privileged I am to live here. I appreciate the gems all around me and I seek them out time and again. One of those gems is the Chapel of St. German, a baroque building from the early 17th century. It’s just a stone’s throw away from Buonas’ lakeside promenade. There is another great architectural sight to see here: the historic wooden changing huts built in the 1930s. The Zweiern bathing area is also a special treat. It’s a small lido with a pebble beach, jetty and pontoon. I should also mention the Michaelskreuz. I know it from my cycling tours. I always get that “foothills of the Alps feeling” on this hill, which is almost 800 metres high. It’s because it has magnificent views of the Bernese, Uri and Glarus Alps, and even the Black Forest.
Do you want to know more? Click the download link below for the whole interview.