Rossberg, Mountain chain and viewpoint in Schwyz and Zug, Switzerland

Rossberg is a mountain chain straddling the cantons of Schwyz and Zug, marked by multiple prominent summits that rise above the surrounding terrain. The ridge offers extensive views across the landscape and toward neighboring peaks and valleys.

On the morning of 2 September 1806, after 24 hours of steady rain, about 40 million m³ of rock broke from the Rossberg above Goldau and Röthen. The slide buried 457 people, destroyed 111 houses, 220 stables and 4 churches, and filled one seventh of Lake Lauerz. The scar is still visible, and a trail crosses the debris.

The 1806 Goldau landslide buried Goldau and Röthen; the Bergsturzmuseum in Goldau displays documents, photographs and eyewitness accounts of the disaster. Large boulders carried down the slope still lie in the valley and on the mountainside, and a trail to the summit crosses the landslide scar.

A marked trail climbs from the valley through the 1806 landslide scar to the summit of the Rossberg. The main ridge forms the cantonal border between Zug and Schwyz, so hikers cross between the two. Large boulders from the disaster still lie in the valley and on the slope.

The debris zone left by the landslide now displays different stages of forest regrowth, showing how nature gradually reclaims disturbed ground. Hikers can observe these recovery stages and understand how ecosystems heal after major disturbances.