Visit of the Zytturm (Clock Tower) in Zug

Thursday December 28, 2023 -- We had friends visit for a couple of days, and the day after taking them up for a 2-hour walk on Mount Rigi (those photos are HERE), we settled for a short walk through the old town of Zug, as the weather wasn't great.

We checked out our beautiful library (which was a hit), walked along the lakeshore to the birds in the volière, and best of all, took a walk up the town's clock-tower, called the Zytturm. We've lived here for 10 years now, and have never been up in our own clock tower... It costs nothing to go up, but you have to pick up the key at one of three local shops, can unlock the tower yourself, and return the key when you are done! It was fun, we had our own private tour, with views across the roofs of old-town Zug and the lake.

First we popped into one of the prettiest churches in Zug, called St.Oswald. It is kind of tucked in amongst other buildings and just next to the city castle. Apparently, St. Oswald is the patron saint of the city of Zug.   

The Church of St. Oswald is the only surviving large-scale Late Gothic building in Central Switzerland. Along with the Bern Minster, St. Oswald's Church is considered the most ornate in Switzerland from this period.

The church has a tumultuous construction history, with the start of build in 1478 and lasting 70 years. 

Much of the interior artwork is from the mid-19th Century

Two exquisite side altars

Another very pretty ceiling!

The magnificent organ!  

Outside of the church on the same street is the library. Along the way, many of the buildings have this intricate artwork on their façades. (This one is NOT the library!)

This is our library. It is huge inside, and we checked out mainly the children's section. We were surprised to find children's books in about 20 different languages!

Back at one of the main squares called Kolinplatz. In the background, the tower with the blue-and-white striped roof is the Zytturm, which we want to climb up, to look out of those windows in the roof. The Kolin Fountain was built in 1540. 

This is called the Bossard House. Built in 1543, it housed the town's administrative offices till 2019. 

This is the Clock Tower which was our goal for the day. We had read on the Internet that it is accessible with a key that you can request from one of three nearby businesses. The 52-meter high tower is the city's main landmark, and its origins date back to the 13th Century, although the current form, with the blue striped roof, is from 1557. The eight crests below the clock face are the flags of the eight cantons which were part of the Confederacy in 1481. 

A sign in the passage below the tower indicates that you can visit the Clock Tower by requesting a key! Turns out that two of the three businesses were closed for Christmas holidays, but luckily the nearby restaurant called Intermezzo was open. (I had to leave my ID when I picked up the key)

Here's our little friend opening the door to the tower!

Heading into the very narrow stairwell into the tower!

Here we all are at the very top storey of the tower, with windows on all four sides to look out over the roofs of the city of Zug. (The stairwell has a trapdoor which you can close if you are afraid to fall in!)

View west across the north end of the lake

View East to Mount Zug, and the steeple of St.Oswald Church. To the left of the church is the Zug Castle. 

Looking south along the lake to the Alps. On the very left is Mount Rigi, right of center is Mount Pilatus, and in between you can actually see the Bernese Alps. 

A zoomed view of the Bernese Alps. The trio of mountains visible above the tree are the famous Mountains Mönch/Eiger/Jungfrau, in the popular Grindelwald region. 

Heading back down the tower again. That was fun!

Leaving the tower, to return the key. 

A look back up the pedestrian area to the Clock Tower as we head to the lake to look at the birds in the Volière. 

Various birds in the Zug Volières. 

The kookaburra was the best. We even heard him laugh. In German he is called "Lachender Hans" (Laughing John). 

Just a small walk through Old Town Zug. There are a lot of other places to visit: Castles, Towers, Churches, Fountains. But this time it was mostly for the Clock Tower. 

Two days earlier when our guests arrived (Dec.26) we still had time for a long late afternoon walk along the lake. 

Late afternoon walk along Lake Zug, which has a very high water level right now due to a lot of rain lately.

It was a long walk we did this afternoon along the lake (4+ kilometers). We started at about 3:45 p.m., and the sun had already gone down as we headed back, and it was cold!