Kulturspur Appenzellerland

Over 70 kilometres and around 3,000 metres of altitude separate Urnäsch in Appenzell’s Hinterland district from your final destination of Walzenhausen in the Vorderland. The undulations of Appenzell’s distinctive hilly landscape are interspersed with idyllic gorges. You will follow their course along the Wissbach, Goldach and Sitter rivers for quite some distance. The route also features culturally significant villages such as Urnäsch and Schwellbrunn right at the start. Before reaching the cantonal capital of Herisau, you will pass by the hamlet of Schwänberg, the oldest settlement in Appenzellerland.

On your way through the agricultural hills with their scattered settlements, you will encounter a series of attractive farmsteads. In the sections between Teufen, Speicher and Trogen, the settlements and hamlets are more tightly packed together. The village squares and streets of Trogen and Heiden are like small towns in their own right, in contrast to the more secluded parts of the route through forests and over hill crests. Around Kaien and before you reach Heiden, you will enjoy plenty of gorgeous panoramic views of the rolling hills, stretching as far as the Alpstein and Lake Constance. The health resort of Walzenhausen, which sits high on a terrace over Lake Constance, is the final destination of this cultural trail through the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, covering over 20 hours of walking in six different stages.

The term culture is wide ranging: cultural objects, places of interest, historic transport structures, literature with local links, museums, local personalities, outstanding works of art on public display, buildings with a link to economic history, evidence of political religious and geographical events; all wait to be discovered on the Appenzellerland Culture Trail.