Richterswil

Richterswil is a small town on the southern shore of Lake Zurich, about half an hour from the city by train. Most of the year it is a pleasant, unremarkable place: a harbour, a lakeside promenade and a few streets of old houses. It is worth a trip for one evening in November, when it holds the Räbechilbi, one of the strangest and most beautiful festivals in Switzerland.

The Räbechilbi

Räben are turnips, and the Räbechilbi is a festival of turnip lanterns. Each autumn the people of Richterswil hollow out and carve some 25 tonnes of turnips, put a candle inside each one, and use them to decorate the houses, shop windows and streets. Some are simple lanterns, others are carved with patterns, pictures and lettering so fine that they are small works of art.

The festival is held on the second Saturday of November; check the site of the local tourist association, vvrs.ch, for this year’s programme.

On the night

• From the afternoon the old centre is closed to traffic, and there is music in the streets.
• Shortly before the procession starts, Richterswil switches off its lights: street lamps, shop windows, windows of houses. The only light is from candles.
• Then the Räbeliechtli procession moves through the streets: a column almost a kilometre long, with dozens of floats built entirely of lit turnips. It is a quiet, glowing and slightly unreal sight.
• Visitors are asked to buy a festival badge at the entrances to the village and wear it. It pays for the event.

Practical tips

• It is very crowded. Tens of thousands of people come for a single evening, and the trains to and from Zurich are packed. Arrive early to find a place along the route, and expect to queue for a train home.
• It is cold and dark: November evenings by the lake are often damp and close to freezing. Dress warmly, wear good shoes, and keep small children close in the crowd.
• Do not drive. Parking in the village is closed or full, and the roads are blocked around the procession.

Getting there

By train. S-Bahn trains run from Zurich main station along the south shore of the lake to Richterswil; the trip takes about half an hour, and the station is a few minutes’ walk from the centre. On the night of the festival extra trains usually run. The fare is a regular ZVV zone ticket; see tickets and passes in Zurich.

By boat. Lake Zurich boats from Bürkliplatz in the city stop at Richterswil, but the trip takes over two hours, and in November there are few boats. On festival day there have been special evening cruises from the towns on the other shore; check with the lake boat company before you plan around one.

Around Richterswil

• Rapperswil, the town of roses with its castle and wooden lake bridge, about ten kilometres further along the lake.
• Other ideas for short trips from the city are in around Zurich.
• For other Swiss festivals through the year, see festivals.