The Rigi (or ''Mount Rigi''; also known as ''Queen of the Mountains'') is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, located in

Central Switzerland Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine Foothills geographically the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne and Zug. Central Switzerland is one of the NUTS 2 s ...

. The whole massif is almost entirely surrounded by the water of three different bodies of water:

Lake Lucerne Lake Lucerne (, literally 'Lake of the four Waldstätte, forested settlements' (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), , ) is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. Geography The lake has a compli ...

Lake Zug __NOTOC__ Lake Zug () is a lake in Central Switzerland, situated between Lake Lucerne and Lake Zurich. It stretches for between Arth and the Cham- Zug bay. The Lorze as the main feeder river empties its waters into the lake at its northern ex ...

and

Lake Lauerz __NOTOC__ Lake Lauerz (German: ''Lauerzersee'', old spelling: ''Lowerzer See'') is a lake in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Geography Its water area varies between and (depending on water level), a maximum depth of , and a water level ele ...

. The range is in the

Schwyzer Alps The Schwyz Alps () are a mountain range in Switzerland. They form part of the North-Eastern Swiss Alps and are bordered by the Glarus Alps to the east, the Appenzell Alps to the north-east, the Emmental Alps in the west, and the Uri Alps to the ...

, and is split between the cantons of

Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...

and

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 ...

, although the main summit, named ''Rigi Kulm'', at 1,797 meters above sea level, lies within the canton of Schwyz. The

Rigi Kulm Hotel The Rigi Kulm Hotel is located immediately below the summit of Mount Rigi in the Alps in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland, about ten miles south of Zurich and eight miles east of Lucerne. Opened in 1816, it can only be reached on foot or via t ...

, established in 1816, is located on the summit. The Rigi Kulm and other areas, such as the resort of

Rigi Kaltbad Rigi Kaltbad is a resort in the Swiss Alps, located in the canton of Lucerne. The resort sits on a sunny terrace at an elevation of , overlooking Lake Lucerne above Weggis in Central Switzerland. The locality is part of the municipality of Weggis. ...

, are served by Europe's oldest mountain railways, the

Rigi Railways Rigi Railways () is a railway company that operates a group of railways on the mountain Rigi, located between two of the arms of Lake Lucerne, in Switzerland. They include two standard gauge rack railways, the Vitznau–Rigi Bahn (VRB) and the ...

. The whole area offers many activities such as skiing or sledging in the winter, and hiking in the summer.

Peaks

Etymology

The name ''Rigi'' is from Swiss Old High German ''*rigî'' "horizontal stratification, strip, band", from OHG ''rîhan'' "gird; pleat, string", cf. OHG ''rîga'' "

row Row or ROW may refer to: Exercise * Rowing, or a form of aquatic movement using oars * Row (weight-lifting), a form of weight-lifting exercise Mathematics and informatics * Row vector, a 1 × ''n'' matrix in linear algebra * Row(s) in a table ( ...

, stripe, furrow", after the horizontal rock ledges and grass strips surrounding the mountain from west to east. The name is first recorded in 1350 as ''Riginun''. The name was interpreted as ''Regina montium'' "queen of mountains" by

Albrecht von Bonstetten Albrecht von Bonstetten (c. 1443-c. 1504) was a Swiss humanist of the later 15th century. A member of the baronial '' von Bonstetten'' family, he entered Einsiedeln Abbey at a young age, and after studies in Fribourg and Basel he returned to ...

(1479), who however gives ''Rigena'' as alternative form. Bonstetten's interpretation as ''Regina'' was influential in the 17th century, and was still repeated in 18th-century travelogues. Karl Zay (''Goldau und seine Gegend'', 1807) criticized this latinization, arguing for ''mons rigidus'' instead. Later in the 19th century, many authors repeated either ''rigidus'' or ''regina'' as the name's supposed origin. The two possibilities were also adduced as explanation of the name's grammatical gender alternating between masculine and feminine. Brandstetter (''Die Rigi'', 1914) finally discredited these interpretations and established the origin in Old High German ''rîga'' (whence modern German ''Reihe, Reigen''; cognate with English ''row'').

Transport

There are multiple public transport options available to ascend Mount Rigi: * By

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

from

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 ...

and

Vitznau Vitznau is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lucerne (district), Lucerne in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Lucerne (canton), Lucerne in Switzerland. History Vitznau was first mentioned in 998. In the 19th ce ...

, operated by the

Rigi Bahnen Rigi Railways () is a railway company that operates a group of railways on the mountain Rigi, located between two of the arms of Lake Lucerne, in Switzerland. They include two standard gauge rack railways, the Vitznau–Rigi Bahn (VRB) and th ...

. The Vitznau-Rigi-Bahn started operation on May 21, 1871 and was the first mountain railway in Europe. On June 4, 1875 the Arth-Rigi-Bahn was finished, allowing access from the other side of the mountain. They were electrified in 1937 and 1907 respectively, with the Arth-Rigi-Bahn becoming the first electrified standard gauge rack-railway in the world. Both lines go all the way to the summit, Rigi Kulm. * By

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

from

Weggis Weggis is a municipality in the district of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. It forms part of the northern shore of Lake Lucerne. The official language is German. History In about 800 the monastery of Pfäfers acquired the court ...

Rigi-Kaltbad Rigi Kaltbad is a resort in the Swiss Alps, located in the canton of Canton of Lucerne, Lucerne. The resort sits on a sunny terrace at an elevation of , overlooking Lake Lucerne above Weggis in Central Switzerland. The locality is part of the muni ...

. * By cable-car from the Kräbel station on the Arth-Rigi-Bahn line to Rigi-Scheidegg.

Recreation

Mount Rigi offers an area for recreation and sports measuring approximately offering a variety of well-maintained walking trails or mountain hikes where visitors can have a panoramic view of from various marked points. There are also numerous public grilling stations located near the hiking trails. Rigi is also a destination for people practising winter sports and other winter recreation activities.

Rigi in culture

Rigi has been featured in many works of art, including both paintings and literary publications. Perhaps the most famous paintings of the Rigi were a series by

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

, including '' The Blue Rigi, Sunrise'', several of which are in the collection of the Tate Britain art gallery in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

also visited Rigi during his tour of Central Europe in the late 1870s, and wrote about his travels in chapter 28 of his ''

A Tramp Abroad ''A Tramp Abroad'' is a work of travel literature, including a mixture of autobiography and fictional events, by American author Mark Twain, published in 1880. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris (a character created ...

''. There is a Catskills resort called the Rigi Kulm in

Abraham Cahan Abraham "Abe" Cahan (Yiddish: אַבֿרהם קאַהאַן; July 7, 1860 – August 31, 1951) was a Lithuanian-born American socialist newspaper editor, novelist, and politician. Cahan was one of the founders of ''The Forward'' (), an American Y ...

's novel ''

The Rise of David Levinsky ''The Rise of David Levinsky'' is a novel by Abraham Cahan. It was published in 1917, and remains Cahan's best known work. Plot summary The book is told in the form of a fictional autobiography of David Levinsky, a Russian Jew who emigrates to ...

'' (1917). The Rigi, a downhill road in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, is named for the mountain and for many years was used as a main thoroughfare for

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

riders. On 9 July 1868, during a three-week tour through Switzerland,

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Society of Jesus, Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame places him among the leading English poets. His Prosody (linguistics), prosody – notably his concept of sprung ...

ascended Rigi-Kulm, the highest peak of the Rigi massif: "From

by steamer to

Küssnacht 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 the three villages Küssnacht, Immensee, and Merlischachen, the hamlet ...

, thence walk across to Immensee, thence by steamer over lake of

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 ...

Arth Arth is a village, a town, and a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of the villages Arth, Oberarth, and Goldau. The four settlements Rigi Kulm, Rigi First, Rigi Klösterli, and ...

, whence up the Rigi."

Geology

Geologically, the Rigi is not a part of the

, and belongs instead to the Swiss plateau. It is mostly composed of

molasse __NOTOC__ In geology, "molasse" () are sandstones, shales and conglomerates that form as terrestrial or shallow marine deposits in front of rising mountain chains. The molasse deposits accumulate in a foreland basin, especially on top of flys ...

and other conglomerate, as opposed to the Bündner schist and

flysch Flysch () is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones. It is deposited when a deep basin forms rapidly on the continental side of a mountain building ep ...

of the Alps.

Gallery

image:Rigi01.jpg, Steam train image:Rigi.jpg, Station near the summit image:Rigikulm.jpg, View from summit image:Lake Lucerne from Rigi.jpg, Lake Lucerne seen from Rigi image:Rigi Kulm LCD.jpg, View of the alps of central Switzerland from Rigi Kulm.

References

External links

Rigi on SummitPost

Various maps from rigi.ch

Rigi Kulm
{{Authority control Mountains of Switzerland Mountains of the Alps Mountains of the canton of Schwyz Tourist attractions in Switzerland Cable cars in Switzerland Tourist attractions in the canton of Lucerne Tourist attractions in the canton of Schwyz One-thousanders of Switzerland