Guide Zug Frühling 2021

8 ZUG
History of the city
The name Zug is an expression of the dynamism of
this small city located in the heart of Switzerland,
which has developed into a significant regional center
in recent decades as a cantonal capital! Here, you
will come across contradictions at every turn. These
can be seen in the landscape by observers who look
out on the city from Guggihügel (Guggi hill). Towards
the south, the view between Zugerberg, Rigi and
Pilatus extends to the Bernese Alps. On the shore of
Lake Zug, you can recognize the medieval town by
its distinctive towers. Only a few steps northwards,
you will find modern Zug, where it is rare to see a
building that is more than one hundred years old. Industry
and service dominate this area and it has long
had more inhabitants than the inner and outer parts
of the Old Town, which currently makes up just one
of eleven city districts. Further to the west, a new
district is developing, where in 2010, a local sports
facility and new ice stadium were opened. Anyone
who explores the streets and corners of this city encounters
people from different cultures speaking just
as many different languages. There are currently 123
nations represented in the city of Zug.
Popular settlement site
Zug has prehistoric roots, which modern archaeological
research shows date back as far as 7,000 years.
Even the presence of the Romans has been documented
through these findings. A permanent settlement
has existed in Zug since the 6th/7th centuries,
when Alemannic tribes settled in the area of today’s
neighboring towns, which is evidenced by a cemetery
discovered at the Schanz. The oldest documented
building in what would later become the city, the
castle, served as the administrative seat for several
lords. In the 13th century, under the Earls of Kyburg,
an urban settlement with three lanes was built on
the shores of the lake. The settlement was protected
on three sides by the wall of the Zytturm clocktower.
In front of the tower was the customs house, where
the traders who arrived in Zug from Horgen via Hirzel,
Sihlbrugg and Baar had to pay tariffs before they
were granted admission into the old town.
Successes and setbacks
in turbulent times
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Zug experienced major
changes. Beginning in 1352, the former Habsburg
town developed new relations with the Swiss Confederation,
which in 1404, resulted in its integration
into the Swiss Federation. In the same period, the
city acquired its own territory around Lake Zug. This
included, in whole or partially, the communities of
Cham, Hünenberg, Risch, Steinhausen and Walchwil
as well as what is today Oberrüti in the canton of
Aargau, which became independent in 1798. The city
faced a heavy blow on March 4, 1435, when the settlement's
lower lane crashed into the lake, resulting
in the death of several dozen people. However, only
a few centuries later, Zug experienced its heyday as a
result of increased revenues and the Burgundy haul,
developing into the late medieval cityscape that
characterizes the old town of Zug up to the present
day. The late Gothic church St. Oswald, which was
built between 1478 and 1483, as well as the town