Summer in Eastern Switzerland – 10 hikes in Heidiland

The Altes Bad Pfäfers is the oldest surviving baroque bath in Switzerland. A touch of nostalgia wafts around the beautifully renovated buildings, which housed guests such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Victor Hugo in the spa's heyday. You can still dine in the detailed dining room today. After the baths were renovated after the French Revolution, the healing springs became the “place to be”: up to three hundred guests from all over Europe linger, bathe, eat and drink in Bad Pfäfers. Today the complex houses a museum and a restaurant. An interesting place to delve into history.

More exciting information about the bathroom: altes-bad-pfaefers.ch

With a span of 260 meters, the Tamina Bridge is the largest arched bridge in Switzerland. It spans the Tamina Gorge at a height of 200 meters. Very impressive.

A post bus (or horse-drawn carriages on request) runs to Alt Bad Pfäfers.
The path to the spring itself is suitable for prams and wheelchairs, but you have to ask for the large gate to be opened, as access is usually through a revolving door. In contrast to other gorges and gorges, it is not cold and uncomfortable here, because the warm water of the thermal bath heats up quite nicely.

You can find information about opening times and admission prices here: tourispo.de/sehenswuerdigkeit/taminaschlucht-bad-ragaz_preise-und-oeffnungszeiten.html.

Only at midday does some light penetrate this deep, narrow gorge. It is damp and cool at all times at the bottom of the rock walls, which are up to 70 meters high. A secured tunnel leads through the rock past the small thermal water fountain to the spring water grotto.

Bad Ragaz
Event. 740 - 1483. The Ragazers as serfs of Pfäfers Abbey. 845. The first mention of the name Ragaz. 845 - 1900. Timeline of Bad Ragaz history (840 - 1900) 1150.
1868
Conclusion of a purchase and concession contract for 100 years between the canton of St. Gallen and the architect Bernhard Simon. Construction of the Quellenhof Hotel and the Kursaal, bathing facilities and parks.
1890
Inauguration of the village pool built by the canton of St. Gallen. The evangelical church is inaugurated on October 19.
1899
Collection of the Pardätscher spring water behind Vättis. Construction of the 18 km pipeline to Ragaz and appraisal of the water supply.
1900
Bernhard Simon, the founder of the spa, dies on July 28th. His grave is in the Bad Ragaz cemetery.
This chronicle does not claim to be complete.
Source: Ragazetta special 1 / October 2002
badragaz.ch/geschichte/6695

Pfäfers Abbey was a Benedictine abbey. It was founded back in the 8th century and has undergone many changes over time. It has had a Baroque appearance since the 17th century and since 1845 it has housed the St. Pirminsberg cantonal psychiatric clinic.

The statue of Jesus, a copy of the Brazilian Cristo Redentor, served as the lighthouse of the 6th Bad RagARTz and was located on the Guschakopf.

However, after the art exhibition, the statue had to be moved. Since then it has stood in the garden of the Hotel Schloss Wartenstein and overlooks the highest vineyard in Eastern Switzerland, the well-known old Roman trade route "Porta Romana", the castle ruins of Wartenstein and the Rhine Valley and welcomes visitors on the way to Pfäfers Abbey.

The hotel garden is freely accessible and you can marvel at this imposing statue up close. It weighs 2.4 tons and measures eleven meters including the base.

In front of the falls is a viewpoint. But it's worth walking up. The path to get there is a bit muddy and the steps are high, but at the top you get much closer and can experience the falls better.

A beautiful bathing area with a lawn and large trees that provide pleasant shade. The water of the Walensee is just incredibly clear and blue. The perfect place for warm summer days.

The idyllic Chapfensee is a very popular destination for hikers, mountain bikers, fishermen and other nature lovers. Fire pits, picnic areas and benches can be found around the Chapfensee. The natural lake is suitable for excursions for young and old. Depending on the path, you can walk around the lake in around 40 minutes. There are two small islands in the middle of the Chapfensee. However, these may not be entered.