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Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers
HISTORY
OF SERVICES ON LAKE
LUCERNE
The SGV can
trace its origins back to the inception of steamer services on Lake
Lucerne, when a Mr Knorr began operations with the PS Stadt Luzern in
September 1837 and added PS St Gotthard in 1843, in order to
strengthen their grip on the business of conveying mail on the
Gotthard route southwards across the Alps to Italy. PS Waldstatter
became the third steamer in 1847 when the
"Postdampfschiffahrts-gesellschaft" was established by interests in
the canton of Uri at the lower end of the lake to challenge the
monopoly held by Knorr's Luzern-based company. A short-lived period
of intense competition compounded by the restrictive practices of the
sponsoring cantonal governments eventually led to federal government
intervention and then to both companies agreeing a joint timetable
and fares policy. The joint operation came into force for the summer
season of 1849.
In 1859, the railways had reached Luzern from Basel and the
Schweizerische Centralbahn ordered two steamers, Stadt Basel and
Stadt Mailand to capitalise on the onward trade. Quickly, the railway
company realised that an independent operation was not going to be
possible in competition with the existing operators and the two
vessels were soon sold on to them.
Knorr's company added PS Winkelried in 1864, the
"Postdampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft " added the virtually identical PS
Wilhelm Tell and a new small screw steamer SS Brunig was jointly
owned. This increasing co-ordination was the precursor to full union
from the beginning of 1870 as the "Vereinigten
Dampfschiffahrt-Gesellschaft des Vierwaldstattersees" (VDGV). In 1885
the company was renamed "Dampfschiffgesellschaft des
Vierwaldstattersees" (DGV) and in 1960 assumed its present name, "Schifffahrtsgesellschaft
des Vierwaldstattersees" (SGV)..
Historical
Paddlers (with Lake Lucerne service
dates)
PS Wilhelm
Tell (1908-70)
PS Rhein (1911-39), originally built in 1905, rebuilt as MV
Waldstatter
(1949-1995)
PS Winkelried (1898-1954), originally built in 1876
PS Pilatus (1895-1966)
PS Gotthard (1889-1965)
PS Stadt Luzern (1887-1917)
PS Italia (1872-1963)
PS Germania (1872-1949)
PS Helvetia (1870-1959)
PS Victoria (1871-1942)
PS Schwyz (1870-1959)
PS Wilhelm Tell (1864-1916)
PS Winkelried (1864-78)
PS Stadt Mailand (1859-1916)
PS Stadt Basel (1859-1916)
PS Rigi (1848-1952)
PS Waldstatter (1847-1918)
PS St Gotthard (1843-72)
PS Stadt Luzern (1837-72)
: The hull survived until 2005 as "Biebo" as a work boat originally to
carry coal and later as a pumping barge for bilge water
Existing Remains of Historical
Steamers
PS Wilhelm
Tell (1908-70) moored as a restaurant ship at Luzern, substantially
in original condition
PS Pilatus
(1895-1966) partially preserved (engine, paddle wheel and part of
hull) at the Verkehrshaus, Luzern, and other pieces elsewhere)
PS Rigi (1848-1952)
preserved on land at the Verkehrshaus museum, Luzern
PS St Gotthard (1843-72) still operating at
the SGV dock for pile-driving
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Die Geschichte der Schiffahrt auf dem Vierwaldstattersee
Josef Gwerder, Jurg Meister & Erich Liechti
Second edition, 1999
Maihof Verlag, Luzern
ISBN 3-9520-756-8-X
The definitive illustrated data source and historical timeline for each vessel in the lake Lucerne fleet
Detailed and copiously
illustrated profiles of the current paddle steamers are available in
the "Bordbuch" series
by Josef Gwerder
PS Stadt Luzern
-published in 1989 by Keller & Co AG, Luzern. ISBN
3-85766-030-9
PS Gallia - published
in 1991 by Keller & Co AG, Luzern. ISBN 3-0-7596-12-4
PS Uri - published in
1996 by Maihof Verlag, Luzern. ISBN 3-9520027-6-3PS
PS
Schiller - published in 2000 by Maihof Verlag, Luzern. ISBN 3-9520756-9-8
Unsere
Flotte Vierwaldstattersee
Heinz Amstad, Othmar Egli, Kurt Hunziker, Anton Raber
1987
Verlag Dampferzeitung, Hirtenhofring 2, CH-6005 Luzern
Profile of the vessels in the fleet in 1987, short history of the SGV
old and new yards
Schiffe Aus Alter
Zeit
Peter A Meyer
1984
Buchverlag Keller & Co, CH-6002, Luzern, Switzerland
ISBN 3-85766-016-3
Detailed profiles of all the former vessels of the fleet up to PS
Wihelm Tell and PS Rhein (MV Waldstatter)
Brief
details of the vessels can be found in the following more general
Swiss steamer
guides:
Dampfschiffe
Schweiz
Anton Raber and Peter Horlacher
1982
Verlag Dampferzeitung, Luzern, Switzerland
Brief detals in four languages including
English
Paddle Steamers of the
Alps
Leslie Brown and Joe McKendrick
Ferry Publications
ISBN 1-871947-19-7
Illustrated profiles of the steamers and operating
areas
Sciffahrt auf den Schweizer
Seen
Anton Raber
1972
Orell Fussli Verlag, Zurich
ISBN 3-280-00285-0
Illustrated round up of Swiss lake vessels, with fleet lists and
sections on vessel design and engineering.
Return
to
Lake Lucerne (SGV)
Historical
Database