The “Saumweg,” marked with brown signposts, recalls the period between 1230 and 1830, when muleteers transported valuable goods such as salt, wine, textiles, grain, cheese, and oil between Lake Zurich and Central Switzerland.
The “Saumweg,” marked with brown signposts, recalls the period between 1230 and 1830, when muleteers transported valuable goods such as salt, wine, textiles, grain, cheese, and oil between Lake Zurich and Central Switzerland.
The topography of the city of Zug is characterized by its location on the lake and on the western slope of the Zugerberg. In the medieval settlement of Zug, the fishing industry played a major role, a fact reflected in the city’s name, which derives from ancient fishing rights on Lake Zug. The founding of the city of Zug in the early 13th century under the Counts of Kyburg reflects Zug’s growing role as a small regional center. Zug am See became a transshipment point for goods and merchandise brought from the north across Lake Zurich to Horgen and from there via the old Horgen Road (Hirzel–Babenwag–Baar–Löberen) to Zug. The goods transported included salt and iron. At various locations along the lake in the old town and the suburbs, the goods were transferred to ships that provided the connection to Immensee and, through the “Hohle Gasse,” to Küssnacht and Lake Lucerne. The numerous “Sust” structures still found in the heart of the old Swiss Confederation—though most have long since lost their original purpose—bear witness to medieval trade and transportation policies.
Good to Know
- Start: Zug’s Old Town
- End: Sihlbrugg Dorf bus stop (short tour) / Sust Museum in Horgen (long tour)
- Duration: approx. 3 hours
- Getting there by public transit: Zug train station / Kolinplatz bus stop
- Getting there by car: SBB P+Rail Zug, Metalli parking garage
Schedule: SBB online schedule