Au Peninsula
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The Au Peninsula (German: Halbinsel Au) is located on the Swiss
Geography
Au is a peninsula situated on the southwestern
.History
Located on the Au peninsula, the Neolithic site named
The roughly 0.5 square kilometres (0.19 sq mi) large peninsula is first mentioned in the year 1316 as «Owe» belonging to the commandry of the
To the 1920s the Meilibach company was situated nearby and shipped the bricks produced in its factory with so-called Ledischiff transport boats from a small artificial harbour at the location of the present boathouse of the Schloss Au.[3] In 1951 the vineyards at the southern slope of the Au hill were re-established for education and scientific purposes by the former Obst- und Weinfachschule. Around the old Au farm an historical orchard was established in 1976, and the wine museum opened in 1978.[2]
Points of interest
Further highlights on Au peninsula include the spacious park of Schloss Au, the hiking trail around the peninsula and its protected area, picnic places and a small lido on Zürichsee lake shore, and the Wine museum and its vineyards. The peninsula has also a renowned restaurant (Landgasthof).
Schloss Au
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Au_1673.jpg/170px-Au_1673.jpg)
In 1650 the lands were given by the city of Zürich to Hans Rudolf Werdmüller who built a villa in the Venetian style where he cultivated horticulture, agriculture, fisheries, and even a blacksmiths workshop. The Au lake and the vineyards on the south side were also part of the extensive estate which was sold by Werdmüller's son in 1678. The estate went over into the possession of Colonel Hans von Schulthess-Bodmer, who rebuilt it 1928/29 as a neo-baroque villa, constructed by architect Johann A. Freytag. Among the famous residents was the author Mentona Moser (1874–1971) who was born on the Au peninsula: „Ich habe gelebt“ (I've lived, among others with Au-related descriptions) is one of her published books. Her mother was considered one of the richest women in Europe in the 19th century; in her residence „Belle au bois dormant“ she met poets, philosophers, scientists and people perverted from trade and industry. The estate and the little landside lake belong since 1989 to the Canton of Zürich; in 1985 Eric Alex von Schulthess handed over the property to the canton to establish a conference center, and thus to the public, as part of the comprehensive 26 hectares (64 acres) area. Though the buildings usually just partially are accessible to the public, the castle's spacious park and the tower-like Gugger dwelling house the peninsula's hill are further points of interest.[2]
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Park of the Werdmüller estate (Schloss Au)
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view from the lake on hillside restaurant
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lake shore vineyard of the museum
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lake shore pavillon
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Gugger house
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Ausee, the small southern lake
Wine museum and vineyard
In 1978 the Weinbaumuseum am Zürichsee was opened at the foot of the Au peninsula to allow a fascinating insight into the wine of the region from the beginning to the present. Situated in a converted barn on the edge of the new vineyard of the
Transport
Tourist boat trips, run by the
Cultural heritage
Located on Zürichsee lake shore,
References
- ^ a b "Sites Switzerland: Wädenswil–Vorder Au (CH-ZH-07)". palafittes.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ a b c "Die Halbinsel Au: Geschichte" (in German). halbinselau.ch. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ^ Information board at the boathouse of the Schloss Au.
- ^ "Die Halbinsel Au: Geschichte" (in German). weinbaumuseum.ch. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ^ "A-Objekte KGS-Inventar" (PDF). Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Amt für Bevölkerungsschutz. 1 January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ^ "B-Objekte KGS-Inventar" (PDF). Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Amt für Bevölkerungsschutz. 18 February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Weinbaumuseum am Zürichsee (in German)
- Landgasthof Halbinsel Au (in German)