This section contains an overview of the most relevant monuments in Switzerland.
29 July 2021
In the 10th and 11th centuries, the Pfäfers (canton of St. Gall) chapel was a church within the medieval Pfäfers monastic complex. The church was dedicated to St. Evortius of Orleans. Around 900, the chapel was built in his honour. The relics are mentioned in the reliquary of the Pfäfers monastery in 880. The small … Read more » “St. Evortius Chapel”
28 July 2021
The capital of Appenzeller cheese is also known for its monastery and castle. The castle, featuring late Gothic and Renaissance elements, was built between 1563 and 1570 by Dr Anton Löw (1535-1584) following the 1560 fire. Appenzell became the owner in 1585. The castle returned to private ownership in 1688. The neo-classical renovations are from 1840. … Read more » “The Castle, Cheese and Monastery of Appenzell”
28 July 2021
The tower on the left bank of the Inn stood as a fortification near the bridge. The old road from Ardez via Tarasp to Scuol and the path from Scuol to S-charl crossed this bridge. They likely date back to the 16th century. The roof is covered with copper; the masonry is decorated with sgraffito. The … Read more » “Bridge over de River Inn”
28 July 2021
The sources of the Tamina Gorge (Taminaschlucht) were discovered around 1240. They were first mentioned in a document in 1382. The abbots of the Pfäfers monastery built the first bathhouse in the 14th century. Switzerland’s oldest remaining baroque bathhouse (Das Alte Bad Pfäfers) was built between 1704 and 1718. The monumental building provides an insight … Read more » “The Old Bathhouse of Pfäfers”
27 July 2021
The Freuler Palace (Freulerpalast) was built in 1642-48 by Colonel Kaspar Freuler (1595-1651). It remained in the possession of the colonel’s descendants until 1840. The Baroque garden room (Sala terrena) is standard in 17th-century European architecture. The magnificent entrance portal, the large banquet hall, the small chapel, the regimental gallery with its (now lost) tapestries … Read more » “The Freuler Palace in Näfels”
27 July 2021
The Chapel (Tellskapelle) in Bürglen (canton Uri), with frescoes dating from 1582, is located on the site where, according to legend, the home of the national hero once stood. Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) made the legend famous in his book (1804) Wilhelm Tell. The Tell learning trail (Tell Lehrpfad) quotes: “Die Sonne blickt über die hohen Berggipfel … Read more » “The William Tell Chapel in Bürglen”
27 July 2021
The chapel (Heiligkreuzkapelle) in Appenzell was built in 1561 in the late Gothic style to replace an older chapel that was destroyed in the 1560 village fire. The chapel is dedicated to the Holy Cross and the Fourteen Helpers. The classicistic sandstone portal dates from 1787. The pews come from the chapel of St. Magdalene … Read more » “Chapel of the Holy Cross in Appenzell”
27 July 2021
The Benedictine abbey of Engelberg is located in a mountain valley at the foot of the Titlis (canton of Obwalden). The monastery was supported (financially) by the nobleman Konrad von Sellenbüren and founded in 1120 by monks from Muri under Abbot Adelhelm. The village of Engelberg then came into being and prospered. In the middle of … Read more » “Engelberg Abbey”
26 July 2021
According to tradition, the (first) monastery was founded in 720. Around the year 1000, the construction of the present church began. This place (Chorherrenstift Beromünster) has grown into an impressive religious and cultural site. The canons do not belong to any order but are world priests. Until 1806, they were mainly nobility or patricians. The … Read more » “St. Michael Abbey Beromünster”
26 July 2021
One building was erected in 1497 as a two-storey ossuary. On the upper floor, known as the St. Martin’s Chapel, there is a decorated ceiling from 1497 by the Basel carpenter Ulrich Bruder (c. 1470-1519) and a Baroque altar by Hans Wilhelm Tüfel (1631-1695) from Sursee. The cellar, which was formerly used as a storage … Read more » “The St. George Chapel in Sursee”
