Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees

The Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees or Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (commonly abbreviated to SGV) is a public Swiss company operating passenger ships and boats on Lake Lucerne. The company is based in the city of Lucerne, and its origins can be traced back to 1836. Today it is the largest inland shipping company in Switzerland, and is notable for operating a number of historic paddle steamers, in addition to more modern motor vessels.

Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees
Aktiengesellschaft
IndustryTransport
Founded1836 (current name: 1960)
HeadquartersLucerne, Switzerland
Area served
Lake Lucerne
Websitewww.lakelucerne.ch

The company provides public transport routes to 32 places along the shore of the lake, with interchange to both main line and mountain railways at various points. Whilst much usage of these services is tourist or leisure oriented, the company also continues to provide practical public transport links between the smaller lakeside communities.

The company also owns its own shipyard, Shiptec Lucerne, which undertakes new build and rebuild work both for the SGV and for other shipping companies.[1]

History
The original company's 1836 articles of association

Lake Lucerne has formed an important part of Switzerland's transport system for many centuries, and at least since the opening of the first track across the Gotthard Pass in 1230. This trade grew with the opening of a new mail coach road across the pass in 1830. This road had its northern terminus at Flüelen at the extreme eastern end of the lake, and the lake provided the only practical onward link to the cities of northern Switzerland.[2][3]

In 1835, Casimir Friedrich Knörr decided to take advantage of the growing trade on Lake Lucerne by forming a steamship company and building a paddle steamer, the Stadt Luzern of 1837. His service began operating in 1837, although political pressure by the watermens guilds prevented it operating into the canton of Uri, and hence to Flüelen, for the first year of its operation.[2][3]

Once this vessel showed the way, various other steamship companies were established. Eventually this led to price cutting, and several steamboat companies failed, or were merged into their rivals. In 1870, the two oldest and largest companies merged to form the Vereinigten Dampfschiffgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees (United Steamboat Company of Lake Lucerne). In 1885, this was renamed the Dampfschiffgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees (Steamship Company of Lake Lucerne; DGV), and in 1960 it became the SGV.[2][3]

Fleet

A fleet of 21 passenger ships, including five historical paddle steamers and 16 motor vessels of various ages and sizes is operated by the Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees. SGV's flagship is the paddle steamer Stadt Luzern.[4]

Name Type Built in Passengers Builder Engine Named after Image
UriPaddle steamer1901800650 horsepower (480 kW)Canton of Uri
UnterwaldenPaddle steamer1902700Escher Wyss & Cie.650 horsepower (480 kW)Canton of Unterwalden
SchillerPaddle steamer1906900700 horsepower (520 kW)Friedrich Schiller
GalliaPaddle steamer1913900Escher Wyss & Cie.1,100 horsepower (820 kW)Gaul
ReussMotor vessel1926135220 horsepower (160 kW)Reuss river
RütenenMotor vessel192660100 horsepower (75 kW)
Stadt LuzernPaddle steamer192812001,300 horsepower (970 kW)City of Lucerne
RütliMotor vessel1929140220 horsepower (160 kW)Rütli meadow
MythenMotor vessel1931200440 horsepower (330 kW)Mythen mountain
TitlisMotor vessel1951300480 horsepower (360 kW)Titlis mountain
RigiMotor vessel1955600900 horsepower (670 kW)Rigi mountain
SchwyzMotor vessel19591000900 horsepower (670 kW)Canton of Schwyz
WinkelriedMotor vessel19637001,200 horsepower (890 kW)Winkelried family
GotthardMotor vessel19707001,200 horsepower (890 kW)Gotthard pass
EuropaMotor vessel197610001,200 horsepower (890 kW)Europe
WeggisMotor vessel1990400708 horsepower (528 kW)Weggis village
BrunnenMotor vessel1991400708 horsepower (528 kW)Brunnen village
FlüelenMotor vessel1991400708 horsepower (528 kW)Flüelen village
WaldstätterMotor vessel19987001,200 horsepower (890 kW)The Waldstätte
CirrusMotor vessel2009300986 horsepower (735 kW)Cirrus cloud
SaphirMotor vessel2012300625 horsepower (466 kW)Sapphire gem
DiamantMotor vessel2017400Shiptec LucerneHybrid: diesel 1,220 horsepower (910 kW), electric 480 horsepower (360 kW)Diamond gem
BürgenstockMotor vessel2018300Shiptec LucerneBürgenstock

Routes
SGV shipping routes on Lake Lucerne. Note that the car ferry (autofähre) is not an SGV service.
Quayside interchange between paddle steamer and funicular at Treib.

The SGV operates several routes, with many variants, on Lake Lucerne. The following places are served, listed here in clockwise order around the lake shore from Lucerne:

Not all services serve all stops, nor are they necessarily served in the order presented above.

The SGV operates both historic paddle steamers and more modern motor vessels on its scheduled services. Whilst either kind of ship may operate an individual service, the company publishes in advance those services for which it is planning to use paddle steamers.[5]

The SGV services are well integrated with other public transport and tourist services. The landing stages at Lucerne and Flüelen provide 'cross-quay' interchange with the main line railways at Lucerne station and Flüelen station respectively. Similar links are available to the Pilatus rack railway at Alpnachstad station, the Vitznau–Rigi rack railway at Vitznau, the Treib–Seelisberg funicular at Treib and the Bürgenstock funicular at Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock.

The interchange at Flüelen forms a key part of the William Tell Express, a tourist oriented combined paddle steamer and rail service that connects Lucerne and Locarno. The SGV provides the link from Lucerne to Flüelen, connecting there with a Swiss Federal Railways train to Locarno.[6]

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See also
  • The Beckenried–Gersau car ferry

References
  1. "About us - Shiptec". SGV. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  2. "Paddle Steamboat Uri" (PDF). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 2008-09-05. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  3. "Geschichte SGV" [SGV History] (in German). SGV. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  4. "The Fleet". SGV. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  5. "Dampfschiffe" [Steamboats] (in German). SGV. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  6. "Wilhelm Tell Express". Swiss Federal Railways. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
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