Zingel on the Mueterschwandenberg

 

 

From Alpnach Dorf station, the path leads across Bahnhofplatz to the Kleine Schliere. Continue along the left dam path to the Städerried nature reserve. From there, the lakeside path leads along Lake Alpnach up to Oberrüti. Then it is only a short distance up to the Zingel, site of key Second World War fortifications. On the Drachenflue, the path reaches its highest point at alt. 859 m. In the rock below lies the Drachenloch, where Struthan von Winkelried is said to have defeated a feared dragon. Opposite is the Rotzberg with its 12th century castle ruins.

The panoramic vista gives a clear view of the Pilatus, Rigi, Stanserhorn and Lake Lucerne and, at the foot of the Mueterschwanderberg, the Drachenried. From Zingel, the path leads back into the Hinterbergwald forest, then descends southwest to the Eichi. Finally, it leads across the airfield back to the station.

From Alpnach station, the path leads across the military airfield to Eichi, where it climbs steeply at first and then continues up through the Hinterbergwald forest. After the cantonal border with Nidwalden, the signpost shows the short ascent to the Zingel.

The Drachenflue is where the path reaches its highest point at alt. 859 m. In the rock below lies the Drachenloch, where, according to legend, Struthan von Winkelried defeated a feared fire-breathing dragon. Opposite is the Rotzberg with its 12th century castle ruins. The historical legend in the White Book of Sarnen tells of the breaching of the castle that led to the expulsion of foreign rule and the founding of the Swiss Confederation. The Zingel housed a fortress during the Second World War.

The panoramic vista offers clear views of the alpine crown with the nearby outposts of the Pilatus, Rigi and Stanserhorn, as well as of Lake Lucerne, the Stanserboden and, at the foot of the Mueterschwanderberg, the Drachenried. The Drachenried plain, which had been thought of as a potential reservoir complete with dam as late as 1919, was drained in 1941-43.

From the Zingel, a short section of path leads back to the Hinterbergwald and then north-eastwards down to Oberrüti. The forest path leads in gentle ups and downs to Lake Alpnach and on the shore path through the varied, signposted Städerried nature reserve to the Kleine Schliere and back to Alpnach.