Jona

For other uses, see Jona (disambiguation).

Jona
Country Switzerland Canton St. Gallen District See-Gaster Municipality Rapperswil-Jona 47°13′N 8°49′E
Population	17,799 (December 2006)
- Density	871 /km2 (2,256 /sq mi)
Area	20.43 km2 (7.89 sq mi)
Elevation	409 m (1,342 ft)
Postal code	8645
SFOS number	3335
Localities	Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, Wurmsbach
Surrounded by	Altendorf (SZ), Bubikon (ZH), Eschenbach, Freienbach (SZ), Hombrechtikon (ZH), Kempraten, Lachen (SZ), Rapperswil, Rüti (ZH), Schmerikon, Tuggen (SZ), Wangen (SZ)
Website	www.rapperswil-jona.ch SFSO statistics
Jona
Location of Jona

Grünfels estate

Stampf lido on Jona river respectively on Obersee (upper Lake Zürich)

St. Martin Busskirch

Jona is a former municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Geography

Jona is located at the eastern shore of Lake Zürich. It has been part of the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona since 2007, as before comprising the villages of Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen and Wurmsbach (Wurmsbach Abbey).

History

Jona and Rapperswil (1804)

Jona river in Jona, Stadthaus (city hall) to the left

The river Jona flows through the municipality in the Lake Zürich. The river's name was first mentioned in 834 AD, the municipality Jona was named much later. It is assumed that the name originates as either Celtic Jauna (the cold one) – Jona river is still largely determined by forest area – or, as Indo-Eurepean yamam, meaning stream. Latest interpretations say that the Indo-European word jeu roughly means to move, followed by the Old High German name Jouna . In 1350, Rapperswil and its castle was widely destroyed by Rudolf Brun, and the Herrschaft Rapperswil – Rapperswil and some surrounding villages including Jona – was acquired by the Habsburg family.

After 1803's Act of Mediation, Rapperswil and Jona joined the canton of St. Gallen, and the former Herrschaft Rapperswil was splitten into the municipalites Rapperswil and Jona. Jona, as municipality, was established in 1803 around the former boundaries of the city of Rapperswil, comprising the small rest of the former Herrschaft Rapperswil and the villages of Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen and Wurmsbach.

In the early 19th century, Jona river's hydropower was used for a larger number of watermills along the small river. As a renewable source, the river was important for industrialization of the rapidly growing village.

On January 1, 2007, the municipalities of Rapperswil and Jona merged to form a new political entity: Rapperswil-Jona has a population of 25,777 (December 2007). This makes it the second largest town in the canton after the capital St. Gallen itself.

Transportation

Jona train station on the S-Bahn Zürich lines S5 and S15

Jona railway station is a stop of the Zürich S-Bahn on the lines S5 and S15. Its train station is a 33 minute (S5) ride from Zürich Hauptbahnhof.

Personalities

• Jakob Braendlin-Näf (1775-1845)
• Johann Jakob Staub (1783-1852)
• Alberich Zwyssig (1808-1854)
• Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)

Literature

• Eugen Halter: Geschichte der Gemeinde Jona. Politische Gemeinde Jona, Schweizer Verlagshaus, Zürich 1970.

External links

• Media related to Jona at Wikimedia Commons
• Rapperswil-Jona (official site) (German)
• Bollingen in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Busskirch in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Jona in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
• Kempraten in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.