Lake Lauerz nature reserve
Where nature has the last word
Between Goldau and Lake Lauerz lies one of the most extraordinary nature reserves in the Canton of Schwyz. The Lauerzersee-Sägel-Schutt moorland has been listed in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes of National Importance since 1977, a status that explains why the area looks the way it does today: pristine, rich in species, barely shaped by human hand.
A disaster as the origin
The history of the area begins with a catastrophe. On 2 September 1806 a flank of the Rossberg above Goldau broke away. Within minutes the village was buried under millions of tonnes of rock and debris, and more than four hundred people lost their lives. Huge masses of rock thundered all the way into Lake Lauerz and set off a flood wave.
Today, more than two centuries later, nothing of the horror of that day can be felt. The house-sized boulders are overgrown with forest, and groundwater and seepage collect in hollows to form ponds and pools. What was once a field of rubble is today one of the most species-rich habitats in the canton.
What makes the area unique
The large-scale mixture of bogs, silting zones, lake and traces of the rockslide is unique in Switzerland. Numerous near-natural streams and ponds, a high water table and occasional flooding of the lakeshore create living conditions for an extraordinary variety of plants and animals.
The fen meadows bloom in early summer in rare density, and orchids grow here in sizeable numbers. Lake Lauerz itself is an important breeding and resting area for birds, which is why the area may only be entered on the marked paths.
Walking in the reserve
From Goldau station the path leads along the railway to the rockslide forest, under the motorway and on to the Häxewaldpfad, where the nature reserve begins. Soon you reach the water-lily pond, accessible via a wooden walkway and among the loveliest spots: from June to August white and yellow water lilies bloom here in a density that almost completely covers the pond.
The Goldseeli and the water-lily pond, which have an enchanted, fairy-tale feel in the forest, also invite you to linger. The way back leads along the Chlausenbach through the forest to Goldau station.
Practical information
The reserve is best visited in spring and autumn, when the paths are quieter. The water-lily bloom from June to August is an experience in its own right. The area is easily reached by public transport; SBB and Südostbahn trains stop at Arth-Goldau. Dogs must be kept on a lead, which, given the area's importance for breeding and resting birds, is no formality but genuinely sensible.
An area that rewards patience
The Lauerzersee-Sägel-Schutt nature reserve is not a destination for those seeking spectacle. There is no viewing platform, no mountain railway. What there is, is a landscape that reveals itself slowly and gives away more the more attentively you walk: a kingfisher on the stream bank, an orchid in the grass, a moss-covered boulder. Anyone who engages with it will not be disappointed.
