S-charl Village

A real jewel in the middle of nowhere. The journey there (by bus) is quite an adventure. The landscape, characterized by various mudslides, is impressive!

S-charl
The name "Scharles" appears as early as 1095. The Lords of Tarasp donated property in S-charl to the Scuol monastery in the 11th and 12th centuries. The chapel probably dates from the same period. The settlement was burned down in 1499 and 1621. In the 16th century there were 70 houses in S-charl, and around 1825 there was even a school (which was also attended by children from Scuol because they could learn German there). The village was inhabited all year round until 1950. In 1904 the last brown bear in Switzerland was killed here.
Mining was important for S-charl and the adjacent Val Mingèr for centuries. Silver and lead ore was mined from 1317 to 1652 and then again in the first half of the 19th century. The silver mine was awarded to various Engadine families in 1317, and in 1356 it went to the von Planta von Zuoz family. Until the Lower Engadine was bought out in 1652, the royal mining rights lay with the Counts of Tyrol and the Austrian rulers. In the 17th century, lead and silver mining came to a halt. From 1819 to 1829, the mine was operated by Johann Hitz from Klosters. From 1823 to 1828, 8,060 kg of lead and 200 kg of silver were mined. The miners' house and the so-called Schmelzra also date from this period. Mining operations were finally stopped in the middle of the 19th century. The ruins of the Schmelzra, renovated in 1989 and now a mining and bear museum in the national park, are a reminder of the mining operations.
Text / Source: Wikipedia
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_S-charl

Beautiful village as a place to relax, rest and start out for many hikes. More information is available at schweizmobil.ch/de/wanderland/services/orte/ort-029.html.