Discovering Zug with a Boat Ride and Zuger Kirschtorte at Café Speck

(This post created on February 11, 2025)

Friday May 31, 2019 -- My Mom arrived for a two-week vacation on Thursday, but I still had to work on this Friday, so we organized for Urs to take a day off and accompany both my Mom and my Aunt Ruth on a lovely public boat ride (including lunch and desssert on the boat) on Lake Zug. Weather and visibility were great this day, and everyone enjoyed the outing. 

After the boat trip, Urs brought both ladies to my work to see what my job entailed. Later in the evening, we took another little trip into town to walk around the old town of Zug again, as it was a balmy evening. There were a lot of people enjoying the evening. 

My Aunt Ruth traveled to Zug and met us at the apartment, from where Urs took both ladies to the ship docks on the lake, a 7-minute bus ride from home. 

Waiting for the noon boat for a tour around Lake Zug. Visibility was great this day, and the outing turned out to be a real success (I had to work and could not join them!)

Deep-fried fish and salad, looks yummy!

Wow, those desserts look great as well!

Enjoying shade on the boat on this warm day, as the boat makes a trip around the lake. 

Later at just before 4 p.m., I got a visit from the group at my office, so that my Mom and my Aunt could have a look at the place where I was employed!

Later in the early evening we went for a walk along the lakeshore and inspected the buildings in the old town of Zug on the lakeside where the alleys are pedestrian only.

This is the evening walk we did in Zug, starting about 7:30 p.m. Took about an hour. 

History of Zug: In Medieval times when the Gotthard Massif was impassible for the north/south market route, a route was created via Lake Zurich, placing this region as a good region for the internal trade market. The city of Zug was founded before the year 1200 by the Kyburg family. 

The "Rathauskeller" is a Gasthaus / Restaurant. Nice paintings on the facade. 

One of our town's main landmarks is the "Zytturm", or "Time Tower". 

First mentioned in documents of 1266, the Liebfrauenkapelle is the oldest church building in the city of Zug. 

More nice paintings on house walls. 

The house with the wooden painted panels (on the right) was built in 1428! Not sure how old the honey-coloured wooden-paneled house ist. 

Lots of people out enjoying the warm and mild evening. This is a popular restaurant called the "Fischmärt" or "Fish Market". 

One of our town's main landmarks is the "Zytturm", or "Time Tower". 

Advertising for another (former) fish restaurant called "Zum Hecht"

Near the lakeshore are two large volières with some very interesting birds, such as this African Sacred Ibis. (Within Europe, this bird has become an invasive species due to several of them escaping from zoos). 

Monday June 3, 2019 -- After visiting our Swiss relatives on the weekend, Monday was another very hot day, but we wanted to get out of the apartment, so we decided on another short trip into old-town Zug, to walk around the part of the old town to the east of the main thoroughfare, mainly around the area of our local castle. The plan was to treat ourselves to a local specialty called "Zuger Kirschtorte", a cake invented in Zug and whose recipe is patented: Only cakes made with locally-manufatured cherry brandy from Zug or Küssnacht are permitted to use the patented name "Zuger Kirschtorte".

As it turned out, it was too hot to spend a lot of time walking the alleyways, so we ended up in the cool of the Specht café sooner than planned!

(According to this map, this is the little tour we did on the east side of the main street in Zug, starting and ending at Kolinplatz, walking via the library and little castle in Zug. We managed less than one kilometer, as it was so hot). 

Taking the bus to Kolin Platz, we first walked to the city library and then via the small alley toward the castle, passing the Mariahilf Chapel and then St.Oswald Church (the larger one in the back). It was about 13:40 at this point.

St.Oswald Church, built 1478 onward, is one of the most significant Late Gothic church buildings in Switzerland. 

Here we have reached behind the castle walls. That building across from the castle is the Burgbachkeller Theater. 

Details of the small castle (Burg) and grounds in Zug. This is also a museum. 

Heading back down to the main road now, to the location of the Bakery/Café Confiserie Speck 

Another main street in Zug. 

We only managed less than 30 minutes of walking around before needing to escape into the cool café for afternoon coffee and Torte. (It is currently 2:10 p.m.). 

Coffee and Torte at Confiserie Speck. 

"Speck" is the name of the bakery which invented the recipe for Zuger Kirschtorte. They patented the recipe, and this cake may only be called Zuger Kirschtorte if it is made with two specific brands of local cherry brandy. 

At 3 p.m. we were ready to head back home by bus. One final photo of a very interesting-looking roof! 

(Side Note: As these photos are being processed several years later, many details are unclear. But the date and time on the following two photos indicate that we went for another walk down by the lake later in the evening, when the day got a bit cooler. The walk was altogether about three kilometers, which turned out to be too much for my Mom, who had recently injured her leg and found out she could not walk very far).

One of those little ducks is riding on the back of its mother, on the left! These look like grebes. 

Walking along the Zug Lakeshore near our home at 7:40 p.m. 

(According to this map, we might have started with the bus from home to the beach access, and only walked about 2 km. to the Chollermühli station).