Rhein Route

Stage 3: Chur – Buchs (SG)

The Bündner Herrschaft, the fertile garden and wine region of the canton, is located on a mound of slate detritus. The Tamina Gorge carries healing water down to the valley and Johanna Spyri‘s Heidi is stirring up nostalgic feelings.

With a history of over 5000 years as a settlement, Chur is considered to be the oldest town in Switzerland. The capital of the Grisons with its mix of new and old is always worth a visit, as are the Romanesque/gothic Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary and the Grisons Art Museum. The latter has important works of painter Giovanni Segantini, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Giovanni Giacometti on display. The fact that Chur has the highest restaurant concentration in Switzerland should be attractive to most visitors…

Supporters of renewable energy cheered when the first wind farm of eastern Switzerland with a 119 m hub height was built in Haldenstein in 2013 – under the unofficial slogan: The Calanda winds will take care of the rest. Soon you will arrive in Landquart, together with the Alpine Rhine, which is what it is called since the confluence of the Anterior and Posterior Rhine. The shopping area near the train station, “Landquart‘s Fashion Outlet”, is an invitation to do at least some window shopping. But you may also leisurely meander along on the bike now, through Malans, for example, the pretty wine-growing village with the handsome homes, or Jenins, where the «Alte Torkel» (a winepress) resides. The local wine bar offers 150 different wines to taste, all from the region and from local winegrowers. The scenery is extraordinary and a side trip to the Heidi Village above Maienfeld may revive some childhood memories. As anywhere else, the young shoots of the Salenegg winery and castle have to be watered if rain has been scarce for a while.

On the bank of the Alpine Rhine trail the view of the majestic river is amazing. There is space here for many animals and plants that prefer it warm and dry. Rare wading birds are breeding on the gravel banks from mid-April to mid-August. A quick visit to the Liechtenstein neighbours is easy: simply cross the «Sri Chinmoy Peace Bridge» – he was a spiritual teacher from southern India (1931-2007) – or the wooden bridge following shortly thereafter. Or else, leave the friendly neighbours be and head for the busy town of Buchs for a taste of flat cakes, a local speciality. Bon appétit!