11 Important Attractions in St. Gallen discusses about the top Important sightseeing spots that you should not miss when visiting St. Gallen.
A brief introduction to the city of St. Gallen:
The city of St. Gallen is located south of Lake Constance in northeastern Switzerland. This city is located 90 km from Zurich and 204 km from Bern. St. Gallen can be reached in less than an hour from Zurich Airport (near the borders of Germany and Austria).
During the Middle Ages, the city of St. Gallen became an important cultural and educational center in Europe. Today, St. Gallen is a university town known for its economics. St. Gallen is home to the famous “Mummenschanz” theater group. It also has a variety of cultural offerings including theaters and museums. And great conference hotels combine with innovative cuisine. In summer, visitors flock to the romantic Art Nouveau Dreilinden-Wehr outdoor pool, which offers stunning views of the city.
Galen’s most famous landmark is the baroque cathedral that stands there. The cathedral houses 170,000 documents, some of which are handwritten and more than a thousand years old. The library contains the most beautiful rococo hall in Switzerland. In 1983, the entire abbey complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to St. Gall’s Abbey with various architectural styles and the textile museum located near this monastery complex is another special attraction. Many buildings in the historic district of St. Gallen have beautiful bay windows.
In particular, excursions to Lake Constance and the charming villages of the Appenzell region are organized here. You can reach Lake Constance and Lucerne via St. Gallen with the Voralpen-Express at 2:45 hours. The rail perspective of this 149 km long crossing at the foot of the Alps is interesting.
As mentioned above, the information about 11 important attractions in St. Gallen is further explained in this article as follows.
01) St. Gallen Abbey District
Baroque Cathedral
The Convent of St. Gall, with its Baroque cathedral, is the city’s landmark. The Cathedral of St. Gallen serves as both the parish church for the Cathedral Parish and the diocesan church for the St. Gallen Diocese, which was established in 1847. It is built on the site where the Irish itinerant monk Gall built his hermitage in 612. The Cathedral and the baroque Abbey complex were built in the mid-eighteenth century.
The newly founded Canton of St. Gallen dissolved the abbey in 1805 and transferred administration of Church properties to the Catholic Denomination Within the Canton of St. Gallen. The Cathedral and the Abbey complex, particularly the Abbey Library and Abbey Archives, form the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
The Abbey Library:
The Abbey Library, which houses Switzerland’s most beautiful non-ecclesiastical Baroque hall, now houses 170,000 books. 50,000 of these are housed in the Baroque hall, which also houses the 2,700-year-old Egyptian mummy Shepenese. The Abbey Library collection is comprised of 2,100 manuscripts, some of which are on display at each of the current exhibitions.
The spirit of the once active Benedictine monks can be felt when entering the world-famous Abbey Library, also known as the Seelenapotheke (healing place of the soul).
Old Town :
The abbey precinct, along with the magnificent Baroque cathedral, forms a one-of-a-kind historical ensemble. When considering the old city nearby, the many 16th to 18th century burgher houses with their magnificent and often brightly painted bay windows are a striking feature. The city’s gastronomy is diverse, with venues ranging from traditional first-floor restaurants to welcoming street cafes. You’ll be tempted to stay and sample local and international specialties.
02) The Museum of Textiles and Library
In St.Gallen, the Museum of Textiles and Library (Textilmuseum St. Gallen) houses interesting exhibits of historical embroideries and outstanding examples of lace, as well as presentations of contemporary textile art.
This internationally renowned museum collection of approximately 30,000 objects includes Egyptian gravesite fabrics, historical embroideries dating back to the 14th century, hand-made lace from major European centers of excellence, ethnographic textiles, historical fabrics and costumes, handmade utensils, and contemporary textile art objects.
The collection of hand and machine embroidery from Eastern Switzerland exemplifies the remarkable growth of the St.Gallen embroidery industry. The Textilmuseum St. Gallen’s library collects media on all aspects of textiles as well as related art and creation subjects. Therefore, this museum is among the most important attractions to visit.
03) The Säntis
This legendary mountain range offers some of Europe’s most stunning natural scenery, unique panoramic views spanning six countries, and a plethora of activities.
The unforgettable aerial cable car ride up the Säntis lasts ten fantastic minutes. Discover the fascinating natural landscape and take in panoramic views of six countries, Lake Constance, and the Alps. All the views of the Appenzellerland as far as Lake Constance, views of Vorarlberg and the Austrian Alps, views of the Graubünden Alps as far as Bernina and Italy, the views of Swiss Plateau as far as the Jura, and the views of Black Forest, and the Vosges in France are all unique.
Dine at the new terrace restaurant with a wood and stone-dominated design. In addition to serving a delectable selection of fresh, regional dishes, the restaurant hosts a unique calendar of events, including romantic full-moon excursions, dinner events, impressive sunrise excursions, and a variety of appealing package deals.
Hiking is a popular activity in the Nature Discovery Park. The Säntis is located in the heart of a vast network of hiking trails and is the ideal location for a walk or hike through this very traditional region of Switzerland. Even in the winter, the Schwägalp hiking trail network is maintained.
04) Visit Peter and Paul Wildlife Park
Established in a typical Prealpine landscape, this popular site with its new information center offers a fascinating outing at any time of year, as well as breathtaking views and delectable regional specialties at the Peter and Paul restaurant. There is no admission fee.
Some of the native Swiss animals at the wildlife park are ibex, chamois, lynx, wildcat, deer, and wild boar. A free animal attraction on the city’s hilly northern outskirts is open all year and has views of Lake Constance. The park allows visitors to see Alpine animal species as they would in the wild.
This wildlife park construction project is also worth seeing. It is primarily intended for schools and interested groups, and it contains illustrative material about the park’s animals. Touchable items include horns, antlers, hides, and track pictures. On the large touch screen, you can access animal sounds and short film sequences.
05) Drei Weieren (Three ponds)
Drei Weieren (Three Ponds) are a tranquil oasis in the heart of the city. The ponds, which were originally built for the monastery’s water needs and feature art nouveau bath houses, are a popular spot for outings and swimming.
The original five ponds have been reduced to four. They were dug out, or filled in, between the 17th – 20th centuries and provide water to put out fires during blazes as well as a water supply for city.
In the summer, the ponds are popular swimming spots for locals, and in the winter, ice skating enthusiasts congregate. The panoramic view of the entire city makes a round trip through the pond landscape appealing at any time of year.
06) Naturmuseum
In seven thematic sections, the exhibition invites visitors to actively explore the regional flora and fauna. The focal point is Switzerland’s largest 3D relief map of the area stretching from Lake Constance to Mount Säntis. During the summer, the special exhibition ‘Water – How it Sculpts the Earth’s Surface’ will be on display.
Meier Hug Architekten AG and Semadeni Architekten designed the contemporary and functional new building, which features a striking corrugated concrete facade. Subordinate in height to the neighboring church of St. Maria Neudorf, the museum’s jagged roof landscape refers to the design language of the botanical garden’s buildings and thus blends in perfectly.
The stimulatingly designed park has enriched the museum. It completes the triangle formed by the museum, church, and botanical garden. A museum café, a public library, and a well-stocked shop round out the exhibition operations.
07) Kunstmuseum (The Art Museum)
The Art Museum St.Gallen has an appealing program of international significance exhibitions and, as a treasure trove of exhibits from Eastern Switzerland, an important collection of paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Ages to the present.
The building, built in the neoclassical style by Johann Christoph Kunkler in 1877, invites you to walk through art from the past and present: old and new in dialogue enable a varied cultural experience, in which international temporary exhibitions or masterpieces of the past meet outstanding representatives of contemporary art.
The art zone in the Lokremise, the art museum’s second “venue,” serves as a cultural laboratory for contemporary art. The immediate proximity to the cinema and dance/theater creates intriguing content synergies, and the raw character of the interior allows for process-oriented exhibitions and “artist-in-residence” projects.
08) Stadtlounge
As soon as you enter the Bleicheli area, the redesigned Raiffeisen quarter reveals one of the main goals of its concept: a blazing red, soft floor covering made of granulated rubber boldly attracts the visitor’s attention, embodying the welcoming gesture of breaking up the district’s introverted, heterogeneous character.
The Stadtlounge is a public living room unlike any other, complete with sofas, lounge chairs, lamps, and a massive red rug (duh!). Have a picnic in the square’s “café” section while your children bounce around the furniture in the “relax” section.
The new flooring unifies every square and spared spot into a homogeneous whole whose inviting extension extends as far as the pedestrian zone, transforming the Raiffeisen quarter’s perception as a fissured conglomerate of leftover areas and traffic functionalities.
09) Botanical Garden
This is one of the best places to visit in St.Gallen for nature lovers and plant enthusiasts. The Botanical Garden is located slightly outside of the city center. The Garden is a tranquil haven with over 8000 different plants from around the world housed in various sections indoors and outdoors.
The Botanical Garden St.Gallen was founded in 1878 by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Wartmann, who planted his first plot in the City Park. The Botanical Garden was then relocated, first to another location and then to Stephanshornstrasse in 1945. Read about Hanspeter Schumacher, who has been in charge since 1986.
On a sunny day, you can explore the many different features around the garden that showcase plants from all over the world and climate zones, but on a rainy or snowy day, the glasshouse is a great place to spend the day surrounded by greenery. Flowers can be studied and photographed for hours. Because the majority of the plants in the glasshouse are from warm and tropical regions of the world, the temperature remains pleasant throughout the experience.
10) Lake Constance
The third-largest lake in Central Europe is only 15 minutes by car from St Gallen. Instead of dramatic and intimidating landscapes, the lake’s shores are quiet, low-key, and dotted with small resort towns and farmland. The relatively gentle topography is ideal for cyclists, who can go wherever they want on the Lake Constance Cycle Path.
In the summer, you could visit the Städtische Seebadanstalt in Rorschach for something different. This public bath is located on a pier that extends into the lake. Swim in the lake and then climb up to the decking to dry off in the sun.
11) Go to Walter Adventure Zoo
Discover the variety of 130 animal species. Immerse yourself in the world of the jungle and savannah, observe lions in one of Europe’s most modern facilities, and marvel at tigers, chimps, zebras, crocodiles, and parrots.
The savannah block, zoo school, playgrounds, and petting zoo, as well as narrated animal activities and feeding, turn a simple trip into an unforgettable experience for the entire family. One of the main attractions is the zoo theatre, which runs from March to October and features exciting performances such as circus acts and comedy.
Source Link : https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-things-st-gallen-switzerland/