The wooden bridge that spans Lake Zurich between Rapperswil-Jona and Hublen is the longest in Switzerland. In addition, the bridge is part of the Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle path.
Keystone / Steffen Schmidt
All the postal posts that spans Lake Zurich are infested by a mushroom that makes them rot.
It is two and a half meters wide, 841 meters long and will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary. Since its inauguration in 2001, the wooden gateway between Hurden (SZ) and Rapperswil-Jona (SG) above Lake Zurich, along the Digue, has become essential.
But the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland is threatened. While the bridge has become over the years a pole of tourist attraction and an emblem of the region, a mushroom is consuming the piles in oak.
This fungus is called the dedlict of oak, a species that attacks oak wood and makes it rot. Currently, all the 841 meters pillars are affected, but to various degrees. Massive oak pillars should have had a lifespan between 50 and 80 years.
A fungus against the fungus
In recent years, the authorities have tried to fight against the degradation of the bridge. Among other things with a fungus: “We have pulverized the pillars each year and carried out drilling under pressure to see how the wood reacted,” explains Ueli Dobler, Municipal Councilor of Rapperswil-Jona.
But these measures had only a limited effect. From year to year, it becomes increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain the stability of the wooden bridge.
“We invest around 200,000 francs per year so that the bridge can be borrowed without risk of accident,” explains Ueli Dobler. The construction of the wooden bridge initially cost 3.5 million francs.
“It is a product of nature,” continues the city councilor. The fact that a fungus attacked the wood is simply a spell.
A photo dating from the year 2000, when the wooden bridge was built. The piles in the lake are in solid oak, which in principle has a lifespan of 50 to 80 years.
Keystone / Elisabeth Günthardt
It is possible that the bridge must be fully rebuilt. There is currently no rapid solution against fungal infestation. Ueli Dobler says: “We are evaluating what we can keep and what we need to replace.” Then we will know how much the rescue of the bridge will cost.
A solution in the coming years?
In addition to the city of Rapperswil-Jona, the commune of Freienbach, in the canton of Schwyz, is also responsible for the bridge. It is difficult to estimate when the two municipalities have found a solution for this regional emblem, according to the municipal councilor Ueli Dobler.
He is however convinced that a solution will be found in the coming years, so that thousands of visitors can continue to borrow the longest wooden gateway in Switzerland.
Late German with automatic translation tools /kro
