Gersau used to be the smallest republic in the world, but today it is an idyllic holiday destination on Lake Lucerne. Thanks to its mild climate, it is lovingly called the ‘Riviera of Central Switzerland’. From here, it is possible to take a day trip to the lake or to the Rigi mountain.

The first written mention of Gersau is found in the founders’ book of the Muri Monastery, where it is recorded as “Gersouwe per totum” – Gersau in its entirety – at the consecration of the monastery church in 1054. The Muri Abbey in Freiamt, founded in 1027 and abolished in 1841, was thus the first known ecclesiastical lord of Gersau. The monastery had received the Gersau farm from the Counts of Lenzburg as a dowry. The farmers and fishermen of Gersau had to pay royalties to the Muri Abbey as farmers and ecclesiastics: fish, cheese, cedar, sheep, wool, furs and nuts. For centuries, Gersau was the ‘Republic of Altfrye’, the smallest free state in the world, covering an area of 24 square kilometres. If you come to Gersau, three things will amaze you: first, a cheerful Mediterranean feel with palm trees in the parks and front gardens. Second, you will be greeted on the streets by locals as if the clocks had stood still for a long time. And if you look around, you will come across a history that has passed, but which tells a lot about Switzerland’s understanding of freedom today. The beautiful town on the southern flank of the Rigi lies directly on Lake Lucerne. Gersau owes its mild climate and its reputation as the ‘Riviera of Central Switzerland’2 to this town. Here, in addition to chestnut and fig trees, palm trees thrive, giving the traditional village in the heart of Switzerland an almost Mediterranean flair.