Knies Zauberhut is an event hall for up to 500 guests inside Knies Kinderzoo in Rapperswil SG, on Lake Zurich. Companies use it for staff and client events, galas, anniversaries and general assemblies, and private hosts use it for weddings, round birthdays and receptions. The hall has a hydraulic stage, a ring grandstand, installed event technology and its own catering team. It belongs to Gebrüder Knie, Schweizer National-Circus AG.
Seminars and company events
The official site presents the hall for events with staff, customers and business partners, for company anniversaries and for general assemblies. The event technology is already in place: the hydraulic stage and the six-step ring grandstand extend electrically as the programme needs, the sound system is installed and spotlights are set up. An organiser does not have to bring a stage or a lighting rig. A zoo tour or a look behind the scenes can be added to the programme, and talks or presentations by the zoo's specialists or by a member of the Knie family are possible. The hall can be adapted to the needs of each event.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings, round birthdays and apéro receptions are named on the site next to company events. The hall sits in the middle of the zoo, with cheetahs, giraffes, elephants and flamingos around it, and the site offers it for an exclusive event. A viewing and an individual quote are arranged through the contact form. The catering team prepares food from a simple apéro to a gala dinner.
Rooms and capacities
The hall is one main space, with several seating plans published on the site. Banquet seating with the stage holds 276 people at 24 round tables and 14 rectangular tables. Banquet seating without the stage holds 332 people at 31 round tables. Rows of tables hold 408 people with the stage and 468 without it. Concert seating holds 500 people. A show layout with cushions and chairs around the ring is also shown, without a stated number. The top figure for the hall is 500 people.
Catering
The venue's own catering team serves guests, from simple apéritif bites to a gala dinner. The site makes documents available for apéritif bites, menus, drinks, and prices and conditions, and the team prepares an individual offer for each event. Asking early is useful for large banquets, since the offer is built around the event.
History and setting
Knies Kinderzoo is the zoo of the Knie circus family, in Rapperswil SG. The Zauberhut is a multi-purpose building whose architecture the site calls imposing, and it stands inside the zoo grounds. An organiser can offer guests a view of the animals during the event, and a guided zoo tour can be added. A 360 degree view of the hall is on the site, together with a PDF event brochure, a photo gallery and a page about the building project.
Getting there
The hall is at Oberseestrasse 36 in Rapperswil SG, inside Knies Kinderzoo. The site has a page with directions to Rapperswil, in the Zurich region. The site does not specify parking numbers or shuttle options, so ask the venue about arrival for a group of several hundred guests.
