Rapperswil, St. Gallen

Rapperswil
Former municipality of Switzerland
Rapperswil as seen from Etzel mountain: Capuchin monastery to the left, Rapperswil castle and St. John's church in the background, Lake Zürich harbour and Altstadt in the foreground respectively Seedamm, wooden bridge and upper Lake Zürich to the right (October 2010)
Coat of arms
Rapperswil Show map of Switzerland Rapperswil Show map of Canton of St. Gallen
Location of Rapperswil
Coordinates: 47°13.6′N 8°49′E / 47.2267°N 8.817°E / 47.2267; 8.817Coordinates: 47°13.6′N 8°49′E / 47.2267°N 8.817°E / 47.2267; 8.817
Country	Switzerland
Canton	St. Gallen
District	See-Gaster
Municipality	Rapperswil-Jona
Government
• Mayor	Stadtpräsident/Stadtammann (list)
Area
• Total	1.74 km2 (0.67 sq mi)
Elevation	409 m (1,342 ft)
Population (December 2006)
• Total	7,601
• Density	4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Postal code	8640
SFOS number	3316
Surrounded by	Altendorf (SZ), Freienbach (SZ), Jona, Bollingen, Lachen (SZ)
Website	www.rapperswil.ch SFSO statistics

Lordship (County) of Rapperswil
Herrschaft (Grafschaft) Rapperswil
State of the Holy Roman Empire
1220–1464
Juliusbanner (1512) Coat of arms
Capital		Rapperswil
Government		Principality
Historical era		Middle Ages, Early Modern period
•	Rapperswil founded	1229 (official date)
•	Lordship established	ca 1233 1220
•	Inherited by counts of     Habsburg-Laufenburg	→ 1309–58
•	Purchased liberty from     Austria	1415–58
•	Allied with Habsburg     and Zürich     in the Old Zürich War	1440–46
•	Condominium of the     Old Swiss Confederacy	→ 1458–1798
•	Annexed to Helvetic     canton of Linth	→ 1798 1464
•	Joined St Gallen	→ February 19, 1803
Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Swabia Old Swiss Confederacy

Rapperswil (Swiss German: [ˈrɑpːərʃˌʋiːl] or [ˈrɑpːərsˌʋiːl]; short: Rappi) is a former municipality and since January 2007 part of the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland, located at the east side of the Lake Zurich.

The town's main sights are concentrated in the Altstadt of Rapperswil and can be seen while strolling through the medieval alleys. The main sights of Rapperswil are its rose gardens, Rapperswil Castle, the reconstructed wooden bridge to Hurden with its bridge chapel Heilig Hüsli located at Seedamm, the Kapuzinerkloster (Capuchin's monastery), the remains of the Middle Ages fortifications located on Lake Zürich, Lindenhof hill, Herrenberg, Engelplatz, Hauptplatz, Bühlerallee and Fischmarktplatz at Rapperswil harbour.

Rapperswil is often referred to as the "town of roses" (Rosenstadt) because of its extensive displays of roses in three designated parks. No less than 15,000 plants of 600 different kinds may be viewed between June and October. There is also a rose garden in the town center, accessible to blind and disabled people.