Siebnen is located at the foot of Stockberg at the entrance to the Wägital valley. The town near Lake Zurich and Linth Plain experienced a significant upswing during the time of the industrialisation. In 1834 the hydropower of the Wägitaleraa served to operate a weaving plant. After the construction of the Wägital reservoir in 1924, the river was then used to produce electric power. The reservoir allowed control of the water volume and reduced the occurrence of floods.

To get to Galgenen from Siebnen takes about 30 minutes. It is followed by Lachen, but the hiking trail turns off just before you get to the village. Now the ascent to Stöcklichrüz begins: across meadows and short forest sections, you climb close to 900 altitude meters to reach the highest point of the hike at 1246 m. The effort is well worth it because the views are amazing: Lake Zurich on one side, the Alpine range on the other. Half of today’s almost seven-hour tour is now behind you. A gentle descent to the Etzel Pass follows. At the top of the pass stands the St. Meinrad chapel. It was built in 1698 and is located on the Way of St. James, which connects Rapperswil with Einsiedeln and Einsiedeln with Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.

Further downhill, you soon cross the Sihl River over the Tüfelsbrugg (Devil’s Bridge) near Egg. It is followed by Galgenchäppeli, once an execution site. These sites were usually located outside the villages at elevated spots and on important traffic routes. The convicted person normally faced north. This was also true at the High Court of Einsiedeln. It was situated at Etzelstrasse, an old trade route between Rapperswil and Einsiedeln. Today‘s long hike ends a short time later at the famous pilgrimage destination. Einsiedeln is well known for its huge monastery from the 18th century, which is considered to be Switzerland’s most important Baroque structure. With the Chapel of Grace and the Black Madonna it enjoys a great reputation among Catholics.