Sargans - Chur (16b)

Tipp des Autors

Alternatively recommended Stage 16a from Balzers to Chur. 

Orte entlang des Weges

From the village center of Sargans, we take the Rheinstrasse (direction Rhine/East). The hiking trail signs show us the way to Bad Ragaz. Walking upstream along the Rhine dam, we see the vertical rock faces of the Fläscherberg on the opposite side of the Rhine. Passing a first bridge, going under the highway bridge to the railway bridge (after approx. 5km). To our right lies the well-known spa resort

We cross the Rhine on the railway bridge. From the end of the bridge, we hike on a nice forest path along the Rhine on its right side (looking in the flow direction) to the next bridge. Shortcut option: simply follow the Rhine course to Chur. This shortens the stage by about 4-5km.

We leave the Rhine course and reach the village Maienfeld. Maienfeld is first mentioned in the 4th century. From the 14th century, Walser people migrated into the area of the town and founded several settlements on the heights, which became Walser communities as part of the town, whose inhabitants were only admitted to city citizenship centuries later.

The old town with remains of the city wall, the Brandis Castle and Salenegg Castle are listed in the inventory of protected local images of Switzerland as nationally significant.

Viticulture has always played an important role and is the largest industry. The Salenegg Castle winery is considered the oldest existing winery in Europe.

Since the novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri was published, the community is considered the home of this fictional character. Theater plays about Heidi are also regularly held.

Walking slightly uphill, we reach the village center where we leave the main road and follow the hiking trail signs towards Jenins. We now hike through the well-known vineyard area of the Bündner Herrschaft and enjoy beautiful views of Pfäfers situated high on the left Rhine side above the valley with the impressive and widely visible baroque monastery church (built at the end of the 17th century).

PS1: From Pfäfers, a path leads further towards Vättis with the Drachenloch (finds of tools and bear bones from 50,000 years ago) and to St. Martin (Walser settlement). From Vättis, another path leads over the Kunkelspass to Tamins at the confluence of the Vorder- and Hinterrhein. This crossing already existed as a packway in Roman times.

PS2: From Bad Ragaz, a beautiful path leads into the Taminaschlucht to the thermal spring, where the first bathhouse was built in 1630. The thermal spring today serves the world-famous spa resort Bad Ragaz, also known for its Triennale Bad Ragartz open-air sculpture exhibition held every three years.

Malans is also a wine village of the Bündner Herrschaft. From Malans, a cable car leads up to an alp (1800 m above sea level), from where hikes to the mountains Falknis and Vilan can be undertaken. The terrace of the restaurant offers a wonderful view over the Rhine Valley and the surrounding mountains.

Between Malans and Zizers, we cross the Landquart river. It flows into the Rhine by the village of the same name. Afterwards, we pass Marschlins Castle, originally a water castle. The extraordinary complex is an episcopal foundation and probably dates from the mid-13th century. A predecessor building cannot be excluded.

Zizers. Located on the main traffic route from the Lake Constance area to Chur and further to the Bündner Alpine passes, the village was first mentioned in documents in 824. However, finds from the Bronze and Roman times suggest a much older settlement origin. In the St. Johannes foundation, Zita, the last Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, spent the last years of her seventy-year exile from 1962 until her death in 1989.

We take the path towards the train station, cross the tracks of the Rhaetian Railway and the SBB, pass under the highway and find ourselves back on the right bank of the Rhine. From here, we follow the Rhine downstream to Chur, the stage finish. The stage is quite long. It can be shortened by taking the train (RhB) or the post bus to Chur either from Landquart, Zizers, or Untervaz. Also, from the start of Chur, the city bus to the train station and city center can be taken.

Chur.  The Romans conquered the region in 15 BC and named the province Raetia. Probably already in the 4th century AD, Chur was founded as the first bishopric north of the Alps. In 451, a bishop named Asinio is mentioned in documents. In the 6th century, Chur came under Frankish rule. At an early medieval cemetery stood the burial church St. Stephan built in the 5th century. Presumably, in the 8th century, a first building of St. Luzi followed immediately beside it.

Information about Chur and accommodations can be found in Stage 16a.

From Chur, there is the possibility to choose two other hiking route variants:

- over the Splügen Pass. You follow the Bündner Way of St. James (green sticker no. 43) to Reichenau, there on hiking trails to Thusis (approx. 35km) and from Thusis on a well-marked route (Via Spluga, no. 50) through the Via Mala to Andeer, Splügen village, Splügen pass, Isola to Chiavenna.

- over the Lukmanier Pass. You follow the Bündner Way of St. James (green sticker no. 43) to Disentis and from there on hiking paths over the Lukmanier Pass to Olivone, Biasca, Bellinzona, Lugano, Como, Milan, Pavia, Bobbio