The best cycling routes around Alt St Johann und Unterwasser

Can be easily avoided on the Alpine road (not on the hiking trails).

Do this tour during the week and often you will be alone

Old St. John's Catholic Church Around the year 1150, two hermits, Milo and Thüring, wandered into the solitude of the upper Thur Valley. A wealthy nobleman who owned extensive estates in Toggenburg gave the two hermits the area of present-day St. John's Valley. In the middle of the valley, where most of the springs bubbled from the earth, they built a monastery. It was populated by Benedictine monks from Trub Monastery in the Emmental. In 1152, the first abbot (Burkhard), elected by the monks, was confirmed by the Pope. When he died after almost fifty years of rule, a large area of forest around the monastery had already been cleared. As a result of incompetent and frivolous abbots and monks, the monastery fell into poverty and became completely neglected. Thus, in 1555, St. John's Monastery became part of the St. Gallen Monastery. Misfortune continued to plague the monastery: in 1568, it burned to the ground, along with the church. A somewhat dubious beggar, who had been denied lodging, had set the fire. The Abbot of St. Gallen ordered immediate reconstruction. In 1620, a strange illness struck St. John, resulting in paralysis of the limbs. Five clergymen had already died. As a result, the monastery was abandoned and moved to a nearby house. When the monastery was once again destroyed by fire two years later, there were few complaints. After much deliberation, it was decided to leave the scene of the disaster and rebuild the monastery on the open plains near Nesslau. As a result, the area was named New St. John. The Old St. John Monastery was rebuilt after the fire in 1626. Since then, not much has changed in this building. The rectory and chapel were renovated in 1994. Text / Source: Municipal Administration, Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann https://www.wildhaus-altstjohann.ch/portraet/geschichte.html/15

A Little Paradise: At the monastery in Alt St. Johann, modernity meets the Middle Ages. The monks already cultivated the garden of the monastery of St. Johann in the Thur Valley in the Middle Ages. Today, 200 different herbs and medicinal plants grow there. Many Medicinal Plants in the Garden Gardens have been part of a monastery since the Middle Ages. The monks and nuns grew vegetables there so they could live independently of the outside world. A large part of the garden was always reserved for medicinal plants. In many monasteries, the monks were able to write and copied ancient texts describing medicinal plants and their effects. In this way, the monks acquired knowledge that they continued to cultivate and pass on. A trade in southern European and oriental herbs also developed through monasteries. For example, exotic plants such as lovage and fennel came here. The connection between useful and medicinal plants is still cultivated in the publicly accessible display garden in Alt St. Johann. Near the entrance, herbs dominate, which are used and sold in the herbal shop. 200 different plants can be found in the garden. At the rear, useful plants also grow in beds. The area is complemented by a water feature and a seating area where visitors can let their thoughts wander. The garden can also be used for various events. Incidentally, like many monastery gardens, the one in Alt St. Johann has a geometric layout with a planted circular area at its center. Text / Source: tagblatt.ch/ostschweiz/toggenburg https://www.tagblatt.ch/ostschweiz/toggenburg/wo-moderne-auf-mittelalter-trifft-ld.1038188

Chairlift "Alt St. Johann – Sellamatt" The Alt St. Johann – Sellamatt chairlift connects the Alt St. Johann valley station with Alp Sellamatt at 1,390 meters above sea level. In just 6 minutes, the state-of-the-art chairlift/gondola takes you from Alt St. Johann (900 meters) to Alp Sellamatt (1,400 meters). Text / Source: Lötscher AG, Alp Sellamatt, CH-9656 Alt St. Johann https://www.sellamatt.ch/bergbahn

Berghotel Alp Sellamatt, Alt St. Johann For more than 60 years, the Lötscher family has run the renowned mountain hotel on Alp Sellamatt. Three generations live and work under one roof. Grandparents Hanni and Valentin Lötscher handed over the reins to their daughter Christiana and her husband Heinz on November 1, 2015. Christiana has followed in her father's footsteps. She trained as a chef and, by attending hotel management school, acquired the necessary skills to continue running the business. She cares passionately for the culinary well-being of hotel guests and day-trippers. She is also the mother of Severin and Michelle. Both attend school in Alt St. Johann and are growing up in the family business. Heinz works at the buffet and reception and is responsible for all technical matters, while Magdalena, Christiana's sister, comes to the Alp from Unterwasser two days a week to manage the accounting and various administrative tasks. Long-serving employees support the family in all areas. The mountain inn was built in the 1940s during the construction of the mountain railway. It was then called the Churfirsten Mountain Inn, and various innkeepers ran the inn before the "Lötscher dynasty" began, until Christiana and Magdalena's grandmother, Margaretha Lötscher-Jöhl, was able to buy the business in 1953 and, from then on, ran it with her son Valentin. Life on Alp Sellamatt was strenuous and time-consuming. At that time, a mountain inn had to be run without electricity or water. There was also no access road. Materials had to be transported from the valley to Alp Sellamatt by train or on foot. The effort paid off! Gradually, investments were made that made daily work easier. Text / Source: Berghotel Sellamatt https://www.sellamatt.ch/

Toggenburg Mountain Railways The first mountain railway company in Toggenburg was founded on September 11, 1933. It operates the Unterwasser-Iltios funicular. In 1971/1972, the aerial cable car connecting Iltios to the summit of Chäserrugg was built. In 2008, the Alt St. Johann Selamatt AG sports facilities and the Unterwasser Iltios Chäserrugg AG mountain railways merged, and the newly merged company became Toggenburg Bergbahnen AG (TBB). Five years later, in 2014, the Iltios AG ski lift and the Stöfeli AG mountain inn were integrated into the company. In June 2015, after a year of construction, the mountain station designed by Herzog & de Meuron and featuring the summit restaurant opened. In the fall of the same year, TBB merged the Unterwasser and Alt St. Johann ski schools and integrated them into Chäserrugg Sports AG. The Stöfeli cable car was also built in collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron and opened in January 2016. In the summer of 2017, the Iltios mountain restaurant was integrated into the company, and in December, the Espel Pavilion, another project with Herzog & de Meuron, was inaugurated. The Sport Shop on the Iltios was integrated into the TBB in September 2019. The TBB can look back with gratitude on almost 90 years of history: both a matter of pride and obligation. Text / Source: Toggenburg Bergbahnen AG https://www.chaeserrugg.ch/de/informieren/toggenburg-bergbahnen/portrait

Chäserrugg Unterwasser Train Station In summer 2024 (opened on December 13, 2024), the valley station in Unterwasser was rebuilt and now connects arrival, stay, and onward travel in the style of a train station. At the same time, the funicular between Unterwasser and Iltios was also renovated. Learn more about the new Unterwasser train station with its new funicular, café-bar, and Tourist Information Center. The "Unterwasser Train Station" valley station is the sixth building in the Chäserrugg area designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron. The building connects the valley station of the new funicular with the café-bar, Tourist Information Center, and offices of the Klangwelt (sound world). A variety of guest needs are united by the architecture of the upper Toggenburg. Text / Source: Toggenburg Bergbahnen, CH-9657 Unterwasser https://www.chaeserrugg.ch/projekt-talstation-unterwasser