Innovation along the Lorze
10 February 2022
The Lorze is a river in the canton of Zug. Its source is the Ägerisee. This mountain lake lies 724 metres and is best known for the Battle of Morgarten in 1315.
The Lorze flows through the Lorzentobel (Canyon of the Lorze) into Lake Zug (Zugersee).
The Lorze (to the left) continues to meet the Reuss near Maschwanden/ Photo: TES.
It leaves this lake at Cham, flows through the picturesque Lorze valley (Lorzetal) and disappears into the Reuss at the village of Maschwanden (Canton Zurich).
However, before it merges into the Reuss, it leaves its industrial traces. Water use to drive mills, hydroelectric power plants and paper mills in the Lorze Valley has a long history.
The grain mill near Cham, the Untermühle, was mentioned in documents as early as 1309. Paper mills were put into operation in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Cham paper mill was founded in 1687 and modernised in 1798 by introducing the paper machine, a French invention. Today, the mill is a multinational company and produces 100,000 tonnes of high-quality paper annually, 80% of which is exported.
Mills also existed in Hagendorn and near the Frauenthal Monastery in the Middle Ages. These mills mainly served as weaving mills and spinning mills.
However, the most significant industrial development occurred in the 19th and first half of the 20th century and the three hydroelectric power stations along the Lorze.
These hydroelectric power plants in Cham, Frauenthal and Hagendorn are still in operation. They have been modernised, including fish ladders, while retaining their monumental status.
The three hydroelectric power plants produce 6.5 gigawatt-hours annually. In 1935 they were the most innovative and modern power plants in Switzerland and Europe, with generators made by the Aarau company Brown Boveri (now ABB).
Hagendorn was also ahead of its time in another area. In 1866, the spinning and weaving company built houses for its workers on the banks of the Lorze, almost half a century before the famous Bauhaus or Bata houses in other countries.
These houses were called Kosthäuser (boarding houses). They provided accommodation for the workers and their families at low rents. The factory owners also had their interests. Workers had a stable living environment and did not leave for another poorly paid job. Anyone who moved away also had to give up their rent. This concept and the beautiful houses still exist; only today, the Cham paper factory is the owner.
On his way along the Reuss from Rottenschwil, the hiker has no idea of this industrial and social history in the Lorze plain when he passes the Stille Reuss, the Rottenschwil nature reserve, the Flachsee near Unterlunkhofen and the medieval abbey of Muri (Canton Aargau).
For centuries, the village of Rottenschwil lived from agriculture and had to cede part of its meagre income to the monasteries of Muri and Hermetschwil. The industrial development began after the village of Maschwanden and in the Lorze Valley.
The Maschwander Allmend and the nature reserve Rüssspitz, located between the Reuss and Lorze rivers, are among the last extensive grassland plains in the Swiss Mittelland. Vast meadows characterise the area with free-standing willows and a floodplain forest. It is part of the Zürcher Reusstal, a nature reserve connected to the Aargau Reusstal.
The Rigi, the Pilatus and other (snow-covered) Alpine peaks have witnessed these developments along the Lorze for centuries.
Church at Cham
The Swiss Alpine Club
The Swiss Alpine Club (Schweizer Alpen Club, SAC/Club Alpin Suisse, CAS) regularly organises hiking trips in this region (and elsewhere).
The SAC organises ski tours, mountaineering and other sports in the high mountains and the Alps and activities in other regions.
Proofreader: Adrian Dubock