For the anniversary year, the MS Rigi will become a floating exhibition, with historical images and photographs from the past inviting visitors to immerse themselves in nautical stories. We provide even more insights into the success story of shipping on Lake Zug here and via Facebook and Instagram.

Transport route

Until the introduction of passenger transport by sea, goods were transported from Zurich via Zug to Lucerne by sea.

Steamship company

The steamboat company is founded.
With the first steamboat in 1852 and the establishment of bathing establishments (Seeliken in Zug in 1882), the lake began to be used for leisure and sport

Zug takes over

Lake Lucerne gives up navigation on Lake Zug. Zug takes over and founds the Lake Zug Steam Navigation Company. Helvetia joins the company on Lake Lucerne

Merger

The management of the company was transferred to Zugerland Verkehrsbetriebe, which was officially given its current name in 1951.

The SGZ

The Dampfschiff Gesellschafft becomes today's Schifffahrtsgesellschaft für den Zugersee AG (SGZ).

From the history books

At the beginning of the 19th century, it became fashionable for "writing travellers" to discover Zug. Full of praise and in the most beautiful words, they describe Zug as graceful and Lake Zug as a glittering beauty, surrounded by the pyramids of the Rigi and Pilatus, which rise sharply into the blue sky. However, shipping was still known more as a means of transporting goods to the upper end of the lake.

In the course of the 19th century, tourist travellers discovered the Rigi - those from the upper echelons of society travelled up the mountain via Lake Zug. With the increasing flow of tourists, a shipping company was hastily founded in 1851. By May 1852, the first Lake Zug steamer "Rigi" was already chugging across the lake daily with 180 people on board at a leisurely 18 kilometres per hour.

Archive photo of the MS Rigi on Lake Zug

Archive photograph of the saloon steamer Helvetica at the railway station jetty in Zug from 1876

Archive photograph of the steamship Rigi 1905

Archive photo Old Rigi steamer drawn on Lake Zug

Crossroads
1897 is the decisive year for Zug's shipping industry. It becomes independent. This was after the Lake Lucerne Steamship Company discontinued Lake Zug shipping due to the new Gotthard railway line. A severe drop in frequency prompted the Zug steamboat company to redefine its shipping operations. Where goods and passengers had previously been transported, the idea of travelling by boat was now being transformed into an idealistic journey. Offers with a high experience value seem to work: On beautiful summer days, the "Stadt Zug" - the steamboat on the lake at the time - is fully occupied. Attractive travel tickets captured the spirit of the times for travelling by boat.

in 1903, the municipalities and cantons decided that shipping should be maintained. A new ship for 200 people arrives on the lake: the first half-saloon Rigi steamer. it is proudly inaugurated in 1904. The party was held on 9 September 1904 at the Hotel Adler in Arth. The captain stands proudly in the centre of the picture (next to the brightly dressed lady in the hat).

Group photo of guests during the inauguration of the MS Rigi in Arth in 1904

Things are looking up
After rather difficult years during the war, when the lack of coal made shipping difficult and the majority of happy passengers stayed away, shipping recovered strongly in the following year. After its 50th anniversary in 1946, the number of visitors increases. in 1959, there is even an upswing, reaching a peak of 50,867 passengers. From 1978, shipping enthusiasts are delighted with the new motorised ships MS Schwyz and MS Zug. On-board catering is expanded, giving more impetus to the idea of "idealistic travel" from 1897.

Countless extra trips are offered. Between 1977 and 1979, the number of passengers doubled to a good 60,000. A few years later, we were already welcoming over 100,000 people on Lake Zug.