Discover Reichenburg: Hirschlensee, circular walk and cycling tours

Reichenburg is a municipality in the March District of the Canton of Schwyz. It lies at the foothills of the Alps: the municipal area extends across the southern Linth Plain and the southern mountain slopes. At 1,455 metres, Lauihöhe is the municipality’s highest point. Here, the landscape brings together plains and mountain ridges.

Land use also gives an impression of the area’s rural character. As of 2006, 56.5 percent of the land was used for agriculture and 34.3 percent was forested. For planning your trip, the specific places and activities are particularly useful: Hirschlensee, paths with views of the village, and several cycling tours with different route profiles.

Hirschlensee and circular walk

Hirschlensee was created in the 1960s and 1970s in connection with gravel extraction for the construction of the N3 motorway. Today, people fish and swim in the lake. If you plan to swim there, check the local safety conditions beforehand. Its history and present-day recreational use give the lake two distinct sides: it is part of both the area’s recent landscape history and the leisure activities mentioned in Reichenburg.

The “Gnossami circular walk” was created to mark the 550th anniversary of the Reichenburg Genossame. The circular route offers views of the village and includes, among other features, a barefoot path. This means the route combines views of Reichenburg with a distinctive section of trail.

Hiking and cycling tours

Above the village, the Gwerderwald fire pit is located at about 570 metres above sea level, right on the official hiking trail. It takes about 25 minutes to reach on foot from the multi-purpose building. As the condition of facilities can change, it is best to check before your visit. The approximate walking time and stated starting point will help you factor this detour into your day’s plans.

For sporty cyclists, a bike tour leads to Kistleralp: it takes about one hour and covers around nine kilometres and 750 metres of elevation gain. Along the way, there are views of Reichenburg, the Linth Plain and Lake Zurich. Fit cyclists can extend the tour towards Sonnenberg and onwards towards Niederen. If you plan to do so, take current trail conditions into account.

The Buechberg Tour starts and ends in Reichenburg. It is 20 kilometres long, involves 200 metres of elevation gain and takes about an hour and a half. Comparing the key figures helps you choose: the Buechberg Tour is longer than the Kistleralp Tour, at around nine kilometres, but has less elevation gain; the stated durations also differ. The Kistleralp Tour is also explicitly described as being for sporty cyclists. This lets you weigh up route length, elevation gain and time required without treating the two tours as equivalent.

Village history and Kantonschilbi

The Peace Chapel was completely renovated in 2009. Another historic building is the former ossuary in Reichenburg. It dates from 1660/61 and is one of the buildings from the transition period between Late Gothic and Early Baroque. These details represent two distinct aspects of the village: the chapel’s renovation and the older architectural history of the former ossuary.

The Catholic church stands on the castle hill in the centre of the village and is considered a landmark of the municipality. Its interior is one of the few examples in the Canton of Schwyz of a church interior designed in the style of unadorned modernism. The church’s location and interior each give it a distinct architectural character.

A recurring event in village life is the Reichenburg Kantonschilbi. Traditionally, it takes place every year on the weekend of the second Sunday in October. The event includes a fairground with showmen and rides, as well as offerings from clubs, the school and private individuals; the annual programme may vary. If you would like to plan your trip around the fair, check the dates for the relevant year.

Discover more destinations: Innerthal, Lachen, Wangen, Tuggen, Vorderthal.

Back to the regional travel overview: March.