Easy hikes and walks in St. Gallen

Fünfländerblick On the Fünfländerblick, the view is fantastic. The Fünfländerblick owes its name to the view of Switzerland, Austria, and the formerly independent German states of Bavaria, Württemberg, and Baden. Text / Source: St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus, Bankgasse 9, St.Gallen https://st.gallen-bodensee.ch/de/map/poi/funflanderblick-ac477623-0957-4a92-bf9c-9bd555970463.html

Albrecht von Graefe (1828–1870), Heiden Medically, von Graefe is considered the true founder of the field of ophthalmology. In 1866, himself the son of an ophthalmologist, he became director of the ophthalmology department at the Charité in Berlin. He invented iridectomy for the treatment of glaucoma, and various other technical terms bear his name, such as Graefe's syndrome, Graefe's spot, or Graefe's reflex. His surgical skill was legendary, his creativity immense. Graefe studied medicine, mathematics, physics, and chemistry in Berlin. He wrote his dissertation in Latin in 1847. Afterwards, he was an assistant physician in Prague, where he began to dedicate himself entirely to ophthalmology. He continued his studies in Paris, Vienna, and London and returned to Berlin in 1852, where he completed his habilitation and opened a private eye clinic with 120 beds, which soon enjoyed worldwide fame in both practice and research. Graefe was exceptionally socially minded in his treatment, making no distinction based on social class – not least for this reason, his student Julius Hirschberg called him an "apostle of suffering humanity" in an obituary. Two years later, in 1854, he founded the first ophthalmological journal, the "Archiv für Ophthalmologie." In 1866, Graefe became director of the ophthalmology department at the Charité and was particularly successful in treating glaucoma and strabismus. He is said to have performed more than 10,000 eye operations. Various technical terms bear the name of the physician, such as "Graefe's syndrome," "Graefe's spot," or "Graefe's reflex." The consistent use of the ophthalmoscope developed by Helmholtz also goes back to Graefe. In 1851, Albrecht von Graefe came to Heiden for the first time; the young Berlin doctor had tuberculosis and wanted to benefit from the high-altitude climate. From 1860 onwards, he settled in Heiden every summer, operated at the «Freihof», and initiated the construction of a new spa hotel because his skill attracted so many patients that the hotel capacities were quickly insufficient. Whey cures and eye medicine helped the town to flourish, a prosperity that is still visible in the village today. von Graefe died in 1870 at the young age of 42 from pulmonary tuberculosis. Text / Source: Heiden Municipal Administration, Kirchplatz 6 / Postfach 64, 9410 Heiden https://www.heiden.ch/geschichte/13103

Heidenbach Heiden - Built in June 1996 Wooden bridge over the Heidenbach Built in June 1996 By the Vorderland AR civil protection organization And the local tradesman. On behalf of the Heiden spa association. Supported by the municipality of Heiden

The Kunstmuseum St. Gallen houses a rich collection of paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Ages to the present day. The collection focuses on 17th-century Dutch painting, 19th-century art from Switzerland, Germany and France, Appenzell peasant painting and international modern art. The current museum building was opened in 1877.

The Dreisparten-Theater St. Gallen (opera, operetta, musical, drama, children's theater and dance) is considered the oldest existing professional theater in Switzerland. An initial amateur theater emerged here as early as the Middle Ages around the year 900; the driving forces were the monks Tutilo and Notker Balbulus. Because the dominant church in the monastery town was opposed to the theater, no regular theater operations could gain a foothold until the beginning of the 19th century. A permanent theater was not established until 1801. The new theater building by Claude Paillard was inaugurated in 1968. The consistently implemented architectural basic idea is the regular hexagon and thus the 120-degree angle. From 2020 to 2023, the theater building was completely renovated for 48.6 million Swiss francs (a good 53 million euros). Since 2000, the Symphony Orchestra St. Gallen and the former Stadttheater St. Gallen have been operating under "Konzert und Theater St. Gallen".

The low row of houses in Zeughausgasse has a special charm. Its cozy atmosphere is enchanting.

Since 1983, the Collegiate Church and Cathedral of St. Gallen (actually Collegiate Church of St. Gallus and Otmar) and the entire Abbey District have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The baroque new building of the Benedictine monastery church, built between 1755 and 1766, stands where Saint Gallus is said to be buried. From 720 onwards, Abbot Otmar organised the construction work around the crypt, and his successor Gozbert began the construction of the new monastery church from 820 onwards. The construction of the Collegiate Church in its present form - it is one of the last monumental sacred buildings of the late Baroque period - was planned by Gabriel Loser and Johann Caspar Bagnato. Its two 68-metre-high towers tower above the old town of St. Gallen.

The legend of the Griffin, a fearsome mythical creature, inspired Willy Koch's mural from 1943 on this old town house. According to ancient legend, the Griffin guards the hidden gold of the mountains. In Koch's painting, the giant bird clutches the treasures with its claws. Anyone who snatches a piece of it will meet certain death - as in the picture the greedy grabber, the flattering beauty, the king and the queen. Quite different are the people who do not grab their happiness, but work for it and beg for it: the monk, the peasants, the shepherds, who are depicted on the right side.