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Einsiedlerhaus is a historic building with an adjoint garden which is part of the former town wall of Rapperswil. Situated on the shore of Zürichsee lake, Einsiedlerhaus is the eastern extension of the fortification of a neighbouring Capuchin friary.
The building was probably built in the 13th century, or maybe two centuries earlier. The Zürichsee lake shore area of Endingen was given by the Einsiedeln Abbey to the Counts of Rapperswil as a fief – the abbey is still owner of the land, including the area where the 16th-century Capuchin friary was built. That's why the building traditionally was named Einsiedlerhaus, meaning 'house of the Einsiedeln abbey'. The ferry station and wineyard was mentioned here in 981 AD.
Today Einsiedlerhaus hosts Haus der Musik, a youth music school.
References:The city walls of Avila were built in the 11th century to protect the citizens from the Moors. They have been well maintained throughout the centuries and are now a major tourist attraction as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can walk around about half of the length of the walls.
The layout of the city is an even quadrilateral with a perimeter of 2,516 m. Its walls, which consist in part of stones already used in earlier constructions, have an average thickness of 3 m. Access to the city is afforded by nine gates of different periods; twin 20 m high towers, linked by a semi-circular arch, flank the oldest ones, Puerta de San Vicente and Puerta del Alcázar.