Kussnacht

Küssnacht am Rigi (official name since 2004: Küssnacht) is a village and a district and a municipality in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of three villages Küssnacht, Immensee, and Merlischachen, the hamlet Haltikon, the industrial aea Fänn, and the alp Seeboden. It is situated at the north shore of Lake Lucerne and at the south shore of Lake Zug below mount Rigi (1,797 m (5,896 ft)).

History

Küssnacht is first mentioned around 840 as in Chussenacho though this is from an 11th Century copy of the original document. In 1179 it was mentioned as Chussenacho.

In 1424 Küssnacht became a district of the Canton of Schwyz.

According to the legend of Wilhelm Tell, the hero shot the Austrian bailiff Gessler at the Hohle Gasse near the Gesslerburg with his crossbow:

"Here through this deep defile he needs must pass; there leads no other road to Küssnacht."

On August 29, 1935, Queen Astrid of the Belgians was killed here in a road accident. A memorial chapel ("Königin-Astrid-Kapelle") was built at the accident scene. On March 4, 1989, the chapel was demolished by youths, to be restored later that year.

The well known Klausjagen ("Nicholas chase") festival takes place in Küssnacht every year on the eve of St. Nicholas Day (December 5). The festival, attended by about 20,000 people, consists of a parade of around 1,000 participants, and lasts far into the night.

Geography

Küssnacht has an area, as of 2006, of 29.5 km2 (11.4 sq mi). Of this area, 57.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 27% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 14.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (1.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

The municipality is at the foot the Rigi mountain between the Lake of Lucerne and Lake Zug. It consists of the villages of Küssnacht, Immensee and Merlischachen as well as the hamlets of Haltikon and Seebodenalp.

It is the capital and only municipality of the district of Küssnacht.