From guided missile positions and mini golf

You don't have to travel far to experience something new. The Zugerland Public Transport company (Zugerland Verkehrsbetriebe ZVB) and Zug Tourism have put together an interactive map showing places that are worth seeing.

"Things that are imagined may give food for thought, but only experiences will enliven you," said Paul Heyse, the first German Nobel Laureate in Literature. And there is a lot to experience in the canton of Zug. A history excursion to Menzingen, mini golf in Cham, a visit to the Höllgrotten in Baar: the canton of Zug offers a variety of excursion destinations for families, as well as for sports fans and nature lovers. The Zugerland Verkehrsbetriebe (ZVB), together with Zug Tourism, recently published an interactive map on which the most beautiful excursion destinations in the Cherry Canton are recorded (as we reported on Wednesday).

We have selected five excursion destinations from the map, and will present them today and on Friday.

The classic excursion in Baar: the Höllgrotten
The stalactite caves in the Baarer Wald (Baar forest area) are certainly somewhat mysterious. But also fascinating: in some places, large stone ‘icicles’ (stalactites) hang from the ceiling, and other stone growths (stalagmites) create strange shapes over the floor. The stalactites and stalagmites in various colours conjure up the impressive, unique world in the Lorzentobel area of Baar, where you will also see calcified tree roots in the upper part of the cave.

The caves were originally called "Hell" (= bright). This was used to describe the bright clearing in the Lorzentobel. But the name soon changed, as the Tobel (=ravine) seemed dark at times. In 1860, the Neuheim pastor Johann Josef Zehnder tried in vain to talk the population out of the name – the underground grottoes had not even been discovered at that time. And when the first caves were discovered three years later, it was clear that devilish forces must have been at work here.

It's been possible to visit the caves since 1887, with the Höllgrotten since being open to the public, and a DJ has even performed in this impressive setting. The caves can be reached nowadays by public transport – they are about an hour on foot from Baar railway  station– or by car or bicycle.

Photo 1:The stalactite caves in Baar have several levels. Here, with Heini Schmid, former president of Zug Tourism.                                                                                      Picture: Stefan Kaiser
Photo 2: The ceiling is also impressive                                                             Picture: Elena Maria Müller
Photo 3: Fun for both young and old: Minigolf in Cham                                        Picture: Daniel Frischherz
Photo 4: The miniature golf course borders directly on the Villette Park.        Picture: Matthias Jurt

Fun for young and old: Minigolf in Cham
Make your way to the finish, hole by hole, with manageable walking distances and guaranteed thrills: minigolf is fun for everyone. The miniature golf course in Cham is located right next to the 46,000 m² Villette Park. The holes are organised with varying difficulty. Some involve curves, while you have to hit the small ball over two mounds on others. Accuracy is required when ‘looping’: the ball must be hit into the loop at a sufficiently high speed, so that it doesn’t simply fall to the ground at the highest point. A good eye is also required if the ball has to be shot into a more distant net via a small launch pad. The good thing here is that it doesn’t (necessarily!) take hours to finish the course. So there is nothing against having a game during your lunch break.

If you need a break after a nerve-wracking game or an after-work beer after the evening round, you’ll be well catered for in the Minigolf ‘Beizli’. The park can be reached in a few minutes from Cham railway station. Both the City Train (Stadtbahn) and Line 6 run from Zug to Cham.

By the way: if the 18-hole mini version isn’t big enough for you, you can always try your luck a stone's throw away; namely in the Steinhausen Golf Park.

Tomorrow, we will look at cruising on Lake Zug, the Bloodhound missile site in Menzingen and the History Museum in Zug. Why not try out one of these interesting opportunities!