Morgarten Battle Monument

The Morgarten Battle Monument stands in the countryside at the foot of the Morgarten hills near Lake Ägeri, in the canton of Zug, and commemorates one of the founding episodes of Swiss history. On 15 November 1315, soldiers from the three forest cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, ambushed an army of the Habsburg Duke Leopold I as it marched along the shore of the lake toward Schwyz, and they won a decisive victory. The Habsburg knights were trapped on a narrow road between the lake and the steep hillside, and the Confederates attacked from above with halberds and rolling logs and stones. The battle is remembered as the first great success of the early Swiss Confederation, and a few weeks later the three cantons renewed their alliance at Brunnen.

The monument was built in 1908, on the 600th anniversary of the supposed founding of the Confederation, a time when Swiss national memory was being given material form, and it is a simple stone obelisk standing on a hill with a view over the plain and the lake. Inscriptions record the date of the battle and honour those who fought. Nearby, a small chapel, the Schlachtkapelle, is also associated with the memory of the battle, and information boards explain what happened. The exact site of the fighting is debated by historians, and several places have been proposed, so the monument is a memorial to the event more than a marker of precise ground.

Each year in November, the battle is commemorated at the Morgartenschiessen, a large shooting competition held in the district, one of the oldest and largest in Switzerland, in which thousands of riflemen take part and traditional dress is worn. The monument and the surrounding fields also appear in school history lessons, and the story is often retold in books and plays. A visit gives an idea of how the Swiss Confederates remember their origins, and how a medieval skirmish became part of a national story.

The site is a short walk from parking areas and is open at all times, and no ticket is required. The paths are easy, and the setting is quiet, with views of Lake Ägeri and the green hills. In clear weather, the walk can be extended to the lakeshore or along the hiking routes of the Ägerisee area. The weather in this part of central Switzerland can be damp, and the paths can be muddy after rain, so wear suitable shoes.

The monument suits history lovers, school groups and walkers. Combine it with a stroll by Lake Ägeri, a lunch at one of the lakeside inns and a look at the nearby Sattel area with its rotating cable car.