ZSG

File:Zürich - Bauschänzli - Landungsstelle 1835-1883.jpg in Zürich]]

Steam navigation started on Lake Zurich in 1834, when Franz Carl Caspar and Johann Jakob Lämmlin founded a new company ({{lang|de|Caspar und Lämmlin, Unternehmer der Dampfschiffahrt auf dem Zürcher- und Walensee}}) and ordered their first ship from William Fairbairn of Manchester, England. The {{ship||Minerva|1834 ship|2}} entered service the following year.{{cite web |title=Geschichte der Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft |trans-title=History of Lake Zürich shipping company |language=de |url=http://www.zsg.ch/geschichte.html |publisher=ZSG |access-date=2011-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930055919/http://www.zsg.ch/geschichte.html |archive-date=2011-09-30 |url-status=dead}} When the city fortifications were abolished, the then called Bauschänzli bastion remained intact, and served from 1835 to 1883 as the landing site for the first steamboats on the lake, later provided by the {{lang|de|Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ted/de/index/gsz/natur-_und_erlebnisraeume/park-_und_gruenanlagen/bauschaenzli.html|title=Bauschänzli|publisher=Gesundheits- und Umweltdepartement Stadt Zürich|language=de|access-date=2015-01-05}}

File:Zürcher Dampfboot-Gesellschaft 1898.jpg

Over the years, various other companies started operating steam ships on the lake, and various mergers took place, until the entire fleet was taken over by the Swiss Northeastern Railway (NOB) in 1874. The NOB also owned most of the railway network around the lake, and this monopoly led to consumer resistance, and to the formation of the {{lang|de|Zürcher Dampfbootgesellschaft}} ({{lit|Zurich Steamship Company}}) in 1890/91. In order to operate a tram-like suburban traffic, a series of nine screw steamships was ordered.

File:DS Stadt Zürich & Rapperswil - Rapperswil 1914.IMG 2362.jpg (to the left) and Stadt Zürich in Rapperswil harbour (estimated to be in May 1914)]]

When the NOB became part of the Swiss Federal Railways in 1903, the {{lang|de|Zürcher Dampfbootgesellschaft}} took over its fleet of ships on Lake Zurich. This included the large paddle steamer Helvetia. In 1909 and 1914, it ordered two further large paddle steamers, which were to become today's Stadt Zürich and Stadt Rapperswil respectively. In 1934 the {{lang|de|Zürcher Dampfbootgesellschaft}} introduced its first successful motor ship, the Etzel, and from then on the fleet became increasingly motorized.

For the {{ill|Swiss National Exhibition 1939|de|Schweizerische Landesausstellung 1939|lt=Swiss National Exhibition of 1939}}, four sister motor ships named after water birds, the {{lang|gsw|Taucherli}} (Eurasian coot), {{lang|de|Schwan}} (Swan), {{lang|de|Möve}} (gull) and {{lang|de|Ente}} (duck), were brought into service. These vessels provided a connecting service between the two exhibition sites, at Wollishofen and Zürichhorn. The Second World War brought economic difficulties, but the cross-lake services were maintained. As a consequence of the transition from steam power to motor vessels, the company changed its name to {{lang|de|Zürichsee Schifffahrtgesellschaft}}, or ZSG for short, in 1957.

In 1990, the ZSG became part of the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV), the public transport network established in the same year, accepting the ZVVs common tickets and tariffs.

In 2009 there was a centennial exhibition on board Stadt Zürich at Zürich-Bürkliplatz. On 12 June 2009, exactly 100 years after the maiden voyage of the steamship Stadt Zürich, its anniversary trip with invited guests and its sistership Stadt Rapperswil was celebrated.,{{cite news | work = Tages-Anzeiger (April 15, 2009) | url =http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/zuerich/stadt/Der-aelteste-Konkurrent-der-Panta-Rhei/story/17496084 | title = Der älteste Konkurrent der Panta Rhei |trans-title=The oldest competitor to the Panta Rhei | language = de | access-date = 2011-09-26}} and in 2014 for its then 100 years aged sistership.

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A fleet of 17 passenger ships, including two historical paddle steamers – Stadt Zürich (built in 1909) and Stadt Rapperwil (1914) – and 15 motor vessels of various sizes is operated by the {{lang|de|Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft}}. ZSG's flagship MS Helvetia has a capacity of 1200 passengers. The fleet includes three small Limmat boats for round trips on the Limmat and on the lower Lake Zurich at Zurich.{{cite web |url=http://www.zsg.ch/de_flotte.html |title=Die Flotte |trans-title=The Fleet |language=de |publisher=ZSG |access-date=2011-09-26}}

The paddle steamer Helvetia, built in 1875 and last operated in 1958, was scrapped in 1964. Of the four so-called Landi-Boote built for the Swiss national exposition ({{lang|gsw|Landi}}) of 1939, Ente was sold to the BLS after the exhibition, whilst Schwan (renamed Halbinsel Au), Möve and Taucherli (renamed Speer) continued in service until the end of the 1990s, when they were replaced by three motor ships (300 passengers each) of the Albis type – Albis, Pfannenstiel and Uetliberg – in addition to two smaller (150 passengers each) motor ships – Zimmerberg and Forch.

File:Bürklplatz - ZSG Stadt Rapperswil 2010-09-10 17-02-22.JPG landing gate]]

The ZSG operates regular round trips from its main Zurich landing point at Bürkliplatz. In summer, trips taking 4 hours operate every hour and stop on both shores of the lower lake at Zürichhorn, Wollishofen, Kilchberg-Bendlikon, Küsnacht-Heslibach, Küsnacht, Zollikon, Meilen, Herrliberg, Rüschlikon, Thalwil, Erlenbach, Oberrieden, Horgen, Au peninsula, Wädenswil, Richterswil, Stäfa, Männedorf, Ufenau island and Rapperswil. A few trips continue through the Hurden ship canal to the upper lake, or Obersee, calling at Altendorf, Lachen and Schmerikon, and take 7 hours.

There also are shorter round trips from Zürich-Bürkliplatz, with 2.5 hour trips as far as Richterswil or Stäfa, and 1.5 hour trips to Erlenbach and Thalwil.

The company also operates services on the Limmat through the centre of Zurich. These services operate upriver from the Landesmuseum via Limmatquai and Storchen to Lake Zurich, stopping at Bürkliplatz, Enge and Zürichhorn,{{cite web|url=https://www.zsg.ch/en/limmat-river-cruises.html|title=Limmat river cruises|publisher=ZSG|access-date=2015-09-18}} before returning downriver to the Landesmuseum. Because of the low bridges over the Limmat in central Zurich, these services use low profile motor boats.

File:ZSG - Stadt Zürich - ZSG Werft Wollishofen - ZSG Stadt Rapperswil 2010-09-10 16-56-54.JPG on the ship lift at the Wollishofen ship yard.]]

The ZSG employs approximatively 80 permanent members of staff, and in the main summer season (April–December) five additional nautical seasonal workers, as well as seven staff in the ticket office at Zürich-Bürkliplatz. In its own ship yard at Zürich-Wollishofen work qualified carpenters, painters, mechanics, electricians, plumbers and locksmiths.{{cite web | url = http://www.zsg.ch/crew.html | title = Die Crew |trans-title=The Crew | language = de | publisher = ZSG | access-date = 2011-09-26}}

{{Portal|Companies}}

• Zürichsee-Fähre Horgen–Meilen, the main car ferry operator on Lake Zurich
• Transport in Switzerland
• Public transport in Zurich
• ZVV fare zones
• List of lakes of Switzerland

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft}}

• [http://www.zsg.ch/en_home.html Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft web site (English language subset)]
• [https://www.zsg.ch/en/history.html History of the Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft web site (English language subset)]
• [http://www.zsg.ch/de_home.html Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft web site (full German language version)]

{{Lake Zurich}}

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Category:Companies based in Zurich

Category:Transport companies established in 1891

Category:Ferry transport in Switzerland

Category:Lake Zurich

Category:Limmat

Category:Paddle steamers

Category:Shipping companies of Switzerland

Category:Transport in the canton of St. Gallen

Category:Transport in the canton of Schwyz

Category:Transport in the canton of Zürich

Category:Transport in Zurich

Category:Swiss companies established in 1891