レーゲンスベルクの湖・トップ20

Great place for biking

Easy and relaxed cycling

The marked HMG Katzensee hike 2025 will take place on March 1st/2nd. Distances from GZ Zurich Affoltern 5km, 10km or with an additional 6km loop via Rümlang.

Beautiful cycle ride along the dirt track that circles the lake. Stop off for a swim at the beach or take a break to eat at one of the barbecue pits.

The pond owes its existence to groundwater, which is forced to rise through a watertight obstacle. The rising groundwater stirs up fine, light sand, interspersed with white snail shell debris, which was used as writing sand until the beginning of the last century. Legend of the "Goldig Tor" (short version according to Meinrad Lienert) Once upon a time a shepherd boy was tending sheep at the pond. It was a glorious foehn day and the boy lay down on the bank with his eyes heavy with dreams. Suddenly a maiden emerged from the pond up to her shoulders. She lured him with a golden ring on her hand. The boy tried to grab the ring and leaned over the water. Suddenly the maiden took him in both arms and sank with him. He had barely disappeared when his farmer rushed over, because he had heard his shepherd boy cry out. But he could not see his little shepherd anywhere. Suddenly it shot up like a candle from the golden sand whirlpool in the pond in front of him. He quickly pulled it to the bank. After a while the boy opened his eyes and began to tell what had happened to him: "The water maiden pulled me into an infinite depth. Suddenly I saw a mighty city with a huge golden gate. It just opened wide and a beautiful maiden stepped out. Now the maiden, who was holding me in her arms, opened her arms to greet her friend. At the same moment a whirlpool grabbed me and pulled me up with it. I don't know anything else." The shepherd boy returned to the pond again and again, but he never met the beautiful maiden again. Thanks to his story, however, we now know where the gold flakes in the water come from: they are washed off the golden gate and carried to the surface (content from the information board).

The Franzosenweiher is located in a depression between the northern slope of the Heitersberg and the Sandbühl hill, in the forest between Spreitenbach and Dietikon. The pond was originally created by monks from the Wettingen monastery for trout farming. This is where the original name "Chlosterweiher" comes from, which can still be found on old maps today. In 1799, Napoleon's troops set up camp in the Baden region and also in Spreitenbach. The French supposedly emptied the pond before they left in order to steal the fish. This gave rise to the local name Franzosenweiher. Today the pond is a nature reserve and an ecologically valuable habitat for amphibians.

There’s a lot to discover here

Consisting of the Upper and Lower Katzensee, there is a small seaside resort with a restaurant. In the idyllic landscape around the lake you can often observe a variety of birds.