Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft

The Lake Zurich Navigation Company ( CCU ) is a Swiss licensed company that operates cruise on Lake Zurich. The Company is a public company headquartered in Zurich and is registered under the name of Lake Zurich Navigation Company in the Swiss Commercial Register, but occurs against outside with the name of Lake Zurich Navigation Company.

The operational area of ​​CCU includes the Zurich Lake, the Upper Lake and the leading of the city Zurich Limmat. The summer timetable ( as of 2009) is designed so that approximately follows a two hourly service to both the lakeshore between Zurich and Rapperswil. Then there are the so-called " small tour " of Zurich about Erlenbach to Thalwil and back, and in the reverse direction. In addition to the normal timetable, year-round operations, the company also offers various extra and charter trips. Popular are the dance, lunch and tours. In the winter season, the company also provides some of its vessels for special occasions such as the degustation and wine exhibition Expovina available. Overall, the CCU in 2008 promoted to 369'258 kilometers ship nearly 1.765 million passengers.

History

The Lake Zurich Navigation Company was founded in 1957 from various mergers and renamings of various predecessor companies which were offering on Lake Zurich since 1834 commercial ship transportation.

In 1835 took the first Zürichseedampfer society Caspar and Lämmlin, entrepreneur of steam navigation on the Zurich and Lake Walen, the steamer Minerva its operation on. In 1837 the company Linth -Escher and 1839 the Republic of AG was founded and operating under whose name also own ship.

In 1838, the three companies merged to Zurich and Walenseegesellschaft AG, which with the new steamboat company left bank called himself after the merger steamboat company for the lake ( DGZ ). In 1874 became the founder of the left-bank railway, the Swiss Northeastern Railway (NOB ), the entire ship park on Lake Zurich. In 1900 she took over the steamboat company Wädenswil founded in 1894.

With the nationalization of NOB in 1903 the ship operation was outsourced and got to the founded in 1890 in Zurich Steam Boat Company ( ZDG ). In 1957 the company was renamed because of its technical development in Lake Zurich Navigation Company ( CCU ).

The CCU is a member of the Zurich Transport Network ( CRVO ) since its inception in 1990 and is one of eight market- responsible companies ( MVU ). To market area include Lake Zurich, including Upper Lake and the River Limmat. In the course of ships, the usual CRVO - Zonenbilette are valid, this also includes the transport of people at the self occurring zsg Limmat shipping and the independent Zurich - ferry Horgen miles AG.

Fleet

The fleet consists of CCU (2007) from a total of 17 ships:

• Two paddle steamers City of Zurich ( 1909) 750 people, Escher Wyss & Cie.. , 368 kW ( Escher Wyss)
• Town of Rapperswil (1914 ) 750 people, Escher Wyss & Cie.. , 368 kW ( Escher Wyss)

• Twelve motor vessels Helvetia ( 1964) 1200 people, Bodan, 635 kW ( MAN)

Paddle steamer on arrival in town of Rapperswil Rapperswil

Panta Rhei and town of Rapperswil: The youngest and the second oldest ship in the fleet

Helvetia before Quaibrücke in Zurich, in the background Grossmünsterplatz

• Linth (1952 ) 1000 people, Bodan, 2 × 365 kW ( MAN)
• Limmat (1958 ) 850 people, Bodan, 485 kW ( MAN)
• Wädenswil (1968 ) 700 people, Bodan, 442 kW ( MAN)
• Panta Rhei (2007) 700 people ÖSWAG, 2 × 442 kW ( MAN)

Limmat at Rapperswil

Wädenswil in Zurich, left the room mountain in the background Höhronen and Zimmerberg

Panta Rhei at Seefeld -Quai in Zurich

• Santis (1957 ) 400 people, Bodan, 331 kW ( MWM ) 300 people zsg yard, 440 kW ( MAN) since conversion Winter 2006/2007
• Albis ( 1997) 300 people, Bodan, 2 × 250 kW ( MAN)
• Pfannenstiel (1998) 300 people, Bodan, 2 × 250 kW ( MAN)
• Uetliberg ( 1999) 300 people, Bodan, 2 × 250 kW ( MAN)

Albis before Wollishofen, in the background the Alps

Pfannenstiel at Zurich, in the background of the Albis Pass

Uetliberg near Zurich Horn

• Bachtel (1962 ) 250 people, Bodan, 250 kW ( MAN)
• Zimmerberg (2001) 150 people, Bodan, 2 × 147 kW ( MAN)
• Forch (2001) 150 people, Bodan, 2 × 147 kW ( MAN)

Zimmerberg, Schiffslände Wädenswil

Forch in Stafa

• Three Limmat Boats Turicum (1992 ) 51 people, Bodan, 2 × 58 kW ( MWM )
• Felix (1993 ) 51 people, Bodan, 2 × 58 kW ( MWM )
• Regulators (1993 ) 51 people, Bodan, 2 × 58 kW ( MWM )

Felix before Quaibrücke

Regulators on the Limmat

Former ships of the CCU

• Etzel (1934 ) First motor boat on the lake of Zurich, built by Escher Wyss & Cie. in Zurich; Retired in 2001, revised and passed to the "Cooperative MS Etzel »
• Au peninsula
• Seagull
• Spear The three "Landi" ships, which together with the Etzel while the Swiss National Exhibition in Zurich in 1939, serving in the lower basin were doing between the two areas of the exhibition, were retired in the late 1990s. The Au peninsula and the spear were sold to Holland, the gull to Belgium.

Etzel before the Utoquai in Zurich

Stafa as a restaurant ship at the district center Zurich -Wollishofen

Were Replaces the four vessels mentioned by the larger Albis - type (300 persons; Albis, Pfannenstiel, Uetliberg ) and a slightly smaller type of vessel ( 150 people; Zimmerberg, Forch ).

• Ufenau The Ufenau was sold in 2001 to the navigation Hensa AG in Rapperswil. It was renamed to the name Davidoff and is stationed in the port Rapperswil.
• Glärnisch (1955 ) The construction of the MS 700 and lack of prospects for further use the Glärnisch completed on 15 October 2006, last course at the CCUs ride. During reduced winter timetable followed with the rest of the fleet again, use as ship anchored exhibition ship at the wine fair Expovina and a farewell tour on December 8, with subsequent transfer and transfer to the new owner in Wädenswil. Since the spring of 2007 is the " Glärnisch " there as a restaurant.

Ufenau or Davidoff of Hensa AG in Rapperswil

Decommissioning Asked steam ships of the predecessor companies of today zsg:

• Minerva The Minerva was the first run with a steam engine ship on Lake Zurich. The first trip took place on July 19, 1835; 1839 Minvera was transferred for further trips on Lake Walen and replaced by the steamer Republicans.
• Dolphin The dolphin was in 1834 by Stack and belonged to the United Steamship Company Zurich and Lake Walen. In the stormy night of 16 to 17 December 1850, the dolphin went under, where 13 people lost their lives.
• Helvetia Helvetia ran from 1875 to 1959 batch and was in operation. Until 1961 it served as a restaurant, then she was towed to Nuolen and 1963 scrapped.

Helvetia at the Au peninsula (1894 )

New purchases and withdrawals from service

As of June 2006, a new, built from the ÖSWAG in Linz, 700 comprehensive passenger ship in parts was disassembled after Zurich -Wollishofen in the zsg shipyard transferred for final assembly took place. Due to various delays the planned October 2006 launch was finally held on 22 January 2007, in mid-February were initial tests undertaken.

About the Name was called for a competition, after which the seven -member jury from over 1400 proposals chose the name " Panta Rhei ". The christening the MV " Panta Rhei " and the official maiden voyage took place on 26 March 2007, the start of regular operation took place on April 1 at the opening of the summer season 2007. Already by April 19, the ship had to back out of the traffic be taken as the " Panta Rhei " was too strong a stern sea, which could result in damage to yachts and investors. An initial investigation showed that the ship of 450 tons, a 15 % higher overall weight had than originally planned and was deep in the water accordingly. From September to January 2008, the ship was rebuilt. In the second waters on 28 January, however, showed that the auxiliary floats were stuck leaking; the ship had to be repaired again.

The Panta Rhei replaced indirectly 300 people comprehensive MS " Glärnisch ". Originally Glärnisch should be tentatively used to expand with tours from Rapperswil the tourist offer on the upper lake and also to improve access of Ufenau and Pfäffikon. As councilor of the municipality of Rapperswil -Jona refused as only the affected lake communities to take on its share of the costs, the CCU who dropped the project. In August 2006 the ship was sold to a Wädenswiler boat owner, who let converted into a firmly anchored in the port of Wädenswil restaurant - ship the Glärnisch after their withdrawal in December.

Shipyard

The shipyard of the CCU in the Zurich district Wollishofen is part of the zsg headquarters, which includes in addition to the administration building, operating and catering buildings, including the operation of harbor with boat moorings for the entire fleet.

The hangar with over 1100 m² of floor space ( 64 x 18 meters) is fully adapted to the need, the largest ship type - the paddle steamer with dimensions of 59 × 13 meters - correctly pull into the hall. All "modern" ships have on despite some higher passenger capacity, smaller dimensions, with new acquisitions in the size of the hangar also determines the maximum ship dimensions. The hall allows parallel work on two ships, the size of the MS " Santis " or smaller, which is practiced in long -term revisions.

The hall is not designed as a classic dry, but is à level and is permanently dry. The ships are ausgewassert by a lift and in this case mounted on rail-mounted supports and racks - similar to a trolley - on which they can be drawn by means of winches in the hall. The launching is designed analogously in reverse order.

In contrast to the year-round ferry service between Horgen and miles the CCU is characterized overall touristy, with strongly asymmetrical, summer and winter season. This is reflected in the use and utilization of the yard, which is utilized as a rule only during the winter season. During this period, vessels can be taken for a long time to work out of service without causing operational bottlenecks.

During the summer season, the yard is usually empty and is rented by the CCU as an event hall. Designed as a pure operating shipyard, no foreign orders will be executed by the CCU. This is particularly due to the fact that virtually the entire shipyard staff has training in a second job, it exerts during the summer season for the CCU. Despite the seasonal fluctuations in supply, the company has in this way a relatively high proportion of year-round employees.

The zsg area has a normalspuriges siding for Wollishofen SBB Train Station, the opposite of the areas separating Seestrasse is immediate. This enables the delivery of materials and supplies by rail. Since the zsg area is located directly on the shore and the riverside path cut through a public walkway was created through the area during the construction of the shipyard and the operations building. North and south of the area leading from the riverside walk ramps on a green rooftop terrace that offers a spectator terrace directly overlooking the anchorages of the zsg fleet. As Passerelle the roof terrace on the landward face of the shipyard hall leads past that is glazed on this level to allow an insight into the interior.