Kulturspur Appenzellerland

Trogen sits in an idyllic spot along the chain of hills at the foot of the Gäbris. The area you will be setting off from is famous for the Pestalozzi Children’s Village (a children’s aid organisation), among other things. A steep trail leads down into the deeply carved valley of the Goldach river. The overgrown pools of Trogen’s wild swimming area hark back to times gone by. Through the fields of Brändli farm, you will walk around an initial section of the gorge and arrive back on the valley floor at the bridge and Chastenloch restaurant. Here, where the Moosbach and Säglibach streams flow into the Goldach, water power was once harnessed to mill corn.

The Goldach has carved its way through the layers of “Nagelfluh” conglomerate rock and sandstone over thousands of years. The hiking route follows the unspoiled course of the stream. At Zweibrücken, you will start climbing over the edge to Neuschwendi. From the ridge, you will have far-reaching views of Lake Constance and the Alpstein. Following a narrow path along a long hill, you will arrive at Rehetobel. At the turn of the 20th century, Rehetobel was a hub for small-scale textile manufacturing. This was where weaving and, above all, embroidery were done for the major traders and textile houses of St. Gallen and Speicher. Former factory buildings and weavers’ cottages recall the halcyon days of the textile industry boom.

Next the trail route along the chain of hills to the well-known Kaienspitz viewpoint. You can make out practically all of Lake Constance and see as far as the Black Forest in Germany from here. To the east and south, you can spot the Rätikon and Alpstein. After hiking along paths through woodland and meadows on the chain of hills, followed by goods roads, you will arrive at your destination for today. Heiden sits on a sunny terrace over Lake Constance and has good public transport connections. Following a fire in 1838, the village centre was rebuilt with a chessboard-like layout in the Biedermeier classical style. If you have time, visit the local museum, enjoy the extensive views from the church tower or take a detour to the Museum Henry Dunant, co-founder of the Red Cross, who spent the last 18 years of his life in Heiden. The exhibition is dedicated to the eventful life of this Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Geneva and invites visitors to reflect on war, peace, solidarity and humanity.