Schwabenweg: Konstanz bis Fischingen

Anmerkungen

This Jakobsweg, traditionally called Schwabenweg, runs from Konstanz to Rapperswil.

Part 1 leads from Konstanz to Fischingen. There the path splits into a summer and a winter variant.

Tipp des Autors

Before deciding to choose the steeper path over the Hörnli summit, you should study the weather forecast. In poor road conditions, the descent to Steg can be dangerous.

Orte entlang des Weges

Kreuzlingen-Neuwilen-Märstetten-Tobel-St. Margarethen TG - Sirnach-Oberwangen - Fischingen

Its name denotes the entire right-sided mountain range of the Töss, from the highest peaks of Tweralpspitz (1331 m) over Schnebelhorn (1292 m) and Schauenberg (890 m) to Eschenberg (591 m) south of Winterthur. Towards this range, the largest body of water flowing from Hörnli on the north side is the Steinenbach. It flows westward and empties into the Töss at Tablat (Wila). Along this stretch, the Steinenbach valley divides the Hörnli range into a front, Zurich, and a rear, Thurgau branch with the hamlets Allenwinden, Dingetswil and Schurten above the right, and with Gfell, Sternenberg, Matt and Manzenhueb on the ridge of the left valley side. Throughout its length, the Hörnli range shows the typical landscape pattern of the entire Tössbergland with alternating densely wooded steep slopes and ravines, with cleared areas on favorably located terraces, on ridges, spurs and valley floors, with hamlets and scattered single farms. Larger settlements are found only in the main valley of the Töss: Steg, Wellenau, Bauma, Juckern, Saland, Au, Wila. The Storcheneggbach also divides the Hörnli range: the Storcheneggtal cuts through it eastward to Hulftegg, receiving the Laiachertobel from the west at Vorderstorchenegg before passing its water to the Fuchslochbach at Hulftegg road. Along this route, the Storcheneggbach forms the canton boundary to St. Gallen. The Fuchslochbach creates the connection to Steg in the west, to the Töss, which here flows northwest toward Bauma. From Hörnli, smaller streams flow into it from little ravines and finally the Nideltobelbach from Nidel- and Bärtobel. It drains the west side of Hörnli southwards to the Töss. Its origins lie in the rocky arena of the Hörnli west wall below Hörnli-Kulm: the Hörnli-Gübel. It is the Gubel formation in the Nagelfluh bands of the summit cap. A mountain path leads, more or less following the contours, through this primeval erosion basin and connects the ridge path from Heiletsegg or from Sternenberg-Gfell with the Hörnlistrasse to Steg.

Hörnli is settled all around with single farms, with its mountain inn up to the Kulm. The year-round mountain operation is owned by the canton of Zurich, as are the Tanzplatz agricultural operation and the properties Breitenweg and Charershörnli, each located on mountain spurs or "Eggen" of Hörnli. Also the Althörnli farm and during the time of home industry the now defunct operations Oberhörnli and Hörnliegg above and below the farm and former schoolhouse Hinterhörnli, as well as the Töbeli farm at Breitenweg, after the turn-off of Hinterhörnlistrasse. Further Hörnli properties located over 800 meters: Strahleggers, Goggelswald, Oberwies, Leiacher, Tannenberg-Oberfuchsloch, Hinterstorchenegg. And the most exposed ridge settlement in the northwest summit area: the Heiletsegg. On the Thurgau side Kaltenbrunnen, Allenwinden, Gentenegg and as the only hamlet near the summit the Zurich Gfell. That the area was once more densely settled is evidenced south of the summit on Hinterhörnlistrasse by the ruins of a former herdsman's hut, where milk from Hörnli was processed, and the former Hinterhörnli schoolhouse, where a comprehensive school from 1st to 8th grade was run from 1781 until the end of the 21st century.

History and stories from written and oral tradition surround the Hörnli. That a forested mountain with steeply rising Nagelfluh pillars and walls of deeply cut funnels and trenches, one of which is called Bärtobel, has a bear story associated with it is not surprising. At its foot, near the hamlet Steg, the last bear in the canton of Zurich was killed in 1532, as it was "busy tearing apart a poor man's cow." From the secularized Rüti monastery came the last three convent men: Wolfgang Huber from Frauenfeld, Rudolf Spon from Zurich and Sebastian Hegner from Winterthur, along with a servant and trained dogs. With spear and sword, despite physical injuries and with the help of locals, they are said to have killed the bear. Sculptor Kurt Ingendahl[4] (1918–1982) created a bronze sculpture with this historic hunting scene as art in architecture for the Schmittenbach schoolhouse, Fischenthal.

Despite the relatively low height of 1133 m above sea level, a west föhn wind can occur at Hörnli, especially in the lower Toggenburg with temperature increases of up to 5 °C. The Hörnliföhn occurs about five times a year. It is difficult to predict, as the wind must blow exactly from the west.

At the Hörnli summit there is a survey point of the national triangulation 1st order. Until 1950 this consisted of an observation pillar topped by a pyramid signal. The actual 1st order triangulation point still exists underground, the pyramid was renewed in 2000 and fitted with an explanatory panel. From the Hörnli station the stations Hohentwiel, Hersberg (near Immenstaad), Säntis, Scheye, Rigi and Lägern were observed.

Swisscom operates a telecommunications tower on Hörnli. The facility also has the amateur radio relay HB9AK of ARTG for shortwave radio (operating modes Pactor 1–4, Robust Packet) and 2m data radio (Packet Radio AX.25). Operating frequencies are 144.875 MHz in the 2-meter band and 28.311 MHz in the 10-meter band.

In the Middle Ages and early modern times, the Schwabenweg as part of the Jakobsweg passed the Hörnli; since 2008 the path has been marked as national hiking route 4 ViaJacobi (branch Kreuzlingen), stage Fischingen–Rapperswil by Wanderland Switzerland.

Hörnli can be reached on foot from Steg in the Töss valley ZH or from Hulftegg SG in about 1½ hours' walking time, or from Allenwinden TG or Sternenberg-Gfell ZH in one hour. Day hike: Bauma – Heiletsegg – Hörnli – Hulftegg – Roten – Schnebelhorn – Sennhütte Hinterstrahlegg – Tössscheidi – Wolfsgrueb – Sagenraintobel – Wald ZH.

West, slightly below the Hörnli summit, there is the Hörnli mountain inn. The panoramic view from Hörnli-Kulm is somewhat obscured by the trees that have grown high on the north side in recent decades. In clear weather, a 360-degree panorama over the surrounding hilly landscape of the cantons of Zurich, Thurgau, St. Gallen, and Schwyz offers views to Greifensee in the west and Lake Constance in the northeast; beyond that to the Allgäu Alps, the Bregenz Forest in Vorarlberg, and the entire Säntis group from Hohen Kasten to Stockberg. Then Speer and Mürtschenstock, Glärnisch and Tödi and the Central Swiss Alps with Urirotstock and Titlis, up to the Bernese Alps from Finsteraarhorn to Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch. Rigi and Pilatus, with Brienzer Rothorn in between, complete the southwest circle just before Stockhorn and Napfbergland. The Jura ridge line is marked in the west from Chasseron over Chasseral and Geissfluh to Lägern, from which to the northwest the Black Forest takes over from Belchen to Feldberg, on the Swiss side still the Randen, behind the Stammerberg in the Hegau the volcanic cones of Hohentwiel and Hohenkrähen. To the north above the hills of Thurgau and St. Gallen and the thin sparkling stripe of Lake Constance lies the long line of the Swabian Alb.

Source: Wikipedia