Goldau is a town in the community of Arth,

canton of Schwyz The canton of Schwyz ( ; ; ; ) is a Cantons of Switzerland, canton in central Switzerland between the Swiss Alps, Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on and named after the town of Schwyz. It is one ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It lies between the Rigi and Rossberg mountains, and between lakes

Zug Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; ; ; ; )Named in the 16th century. is the largest List of cities in Switzerland, town and capital of the Swiss canton of Zug. Zug is renowned as a hub for some of the wealthiest individuals in the wor ...

and Lauerz. Well known attractions include the Natur- und Tierpark Goldau and the

Arth-Goldau Arth-Goldau railway station () is a railway station in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Schwyz and Arth, municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth. The station is an important ...

valley station of the Arth-Rigi Bahn connecting to the Rigi mountain. Goldau is primarily known in Switzerland for its historic landslide, the "Goldau landslide" (''Goldauer Bergsturz'') of 1806 which killed 457 people. It is also known for its importance for the Swiss railways network, with

station forming the intersection between the Gotthard,

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

, Zug–Zürich and Pfäffikon lines.

Goldau landslide

There were numerous historical landslides in Goldau, with a major event, more significant than the 1806 landslide, dated to the 14th century. The toponym itself, first recorded in 1353, refers to the remnants of these landslides, from a dialectal ''gol'', ''goleten'' "gravel, rubble, debris". On September 2, 1806 heavy rains triggered a landslide from the Rossberg which destroyed Goldau and the adjacent villages of Buosingen, Röthen and Lauerz. The landslide comprised of material, with a mass of .The 1806 Goldau landslide
Bull Angew Geol 2006; 11(2):3-12.Brockhaus' Konversations-Lexikon. 14th ed., Leipzig, Berlin and Vienna 1894; Vol. 8, p. 125 Part of the mass hit Lake Lauerz (which had been created by an even larger landslide in the 14th century), and the resulting tsunami-like displacement wave caused more devastation towards Seewen. The event destroyed 111 houses, 220 barns, and two churches in a disaster area of about , parts of which were covered with debris to a height of . It resulted in the confirmed death of 457 people. The disaster inspired the

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

''Goldau'' by American writer

John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...

in 1818. A museum outside the Natur- und Tierpark exhibits findings and photos of the event.

Sport

SC Goldau is the city's football club.

References

External links

Arth-Online

Rigi area website
{{authority control Villages in the canton of Schwyz 1806 disestablishments in Europe