International Historical Civil Engineering Landmark Salginatobel Bridge

(DAY 3 of a three-day trip to the Prättigau Region of Canton Graubünden. Links to DAY1 and DAY2)

Sunday July 13, 2025 -- This is a short post for a change, as our original plan for the day had to be cancelled due to rain expected by 9 a.m.

We had been staying at a lovely 350-year-old rental house in the mountain village of Fanas in the Prättigau Region of eastern Switzerland, and since there is a mountain cable-car just a few minutes' walk from the house, we were going to ride it up to a mountain restaurant called "Bergrestaurant Sassauna", do a three-hour loop hike to the summit of the mountain with the same name, and then return home via the cable-car.

But there is no point in doing a mountain hike in the rain. So we decided on a short walk in a nearby gorge which features a world-monument bridge called the Salginatobel bridge, which I had never been to before (although Urs took a bus ride there last fall). The bridge was designated an International Historical Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1991. It is a concrete reinforced arched bridge built in 1930, designed by the Swiss Civil Engineer Robert Maillart. (We saw two of his other bridges over the Schwarzwasser River in April 2022). It is a highlight in the history of bridge building. 

We started the walk at the bus stop near the bridge and headed from there into the bottom of the gorge, expecting to access a viewing platform for a good look at the bridge. Unfortunately, our information came from an old website, and we overlooked the clearly-stated map at the bridge, that the platform was no longer accessible due to rockslides. Furthermore, we then got caught in the rain on the way out of the gorge.... In all it was only a one-hour hike, and not our most successful outing!

On the way home, the skies cleared, and we could have stopped elsewhere for a hike, but by then we were tired of hiking, and just wanted to get home...

At 8:30 a.m., we left our accommodation in Fanas... this is our last look at the main square with the large fountain and lovely houses all about 300 years old or more!

This is the Von Sprecher house, where we spent two nights in a lovely restored apartment. The house is under cultural monument protection.

Inscription on the house reads that it was built in 1677 and received its first renovations in 1705!

(Side note: Our host has a lovely little shop in the renovated cellar level below the apartment. She sells home-made handicrafts including some very lovely woven scarves.)

The first bus out of the village of Fanas on a Sunday morning is at 8:45 and you have to make a reservation at least an hour before, or it might not make the trip up to the village!

A look eastward down the valley, where the Landquart River passes through that narrow passage and joins the Rhine River. Storm clouds are forming, and the forecast is for rain here as early as 9 a.m., but it is hard to believe based on the lovely sunny morning we are currently experiencing!

After a 13-minute bus ride from Fanas to the train station in Schiers, we were able to continue with the same bus up the next side valley (Schrabach River) toward Schuders, where we got off at the Salginatobel Bridge. Near the station in Schiers is the sign showing that there is a historical trail you can walk in and back to the Salginatobel bridge. 

Here is a good summary of the World Monument Salginatobel Bridge. 

As the bus heads up from Schiers into the Schrabach Valley, this is another look down the Prättigau, where the sky is now pretty dark!

The road follows the upper rim of the Schrabach Gorge. This is a view of the gorge, and beyond it the mountains of the Prättigau. 

A look into the Schrabach Gorge and the road into the valley. 

Another good look into the Schrabach Gorge toward the valley entrance (where the town of Schiers is located). This is the section we ended walking out of, and got caught in a rainshower! Hard to believe at this point!

At about 9:10, we got off the bus at the west end of the Salginatobel Bridge. We were the only passengers, and the bus continues to the end of its run in Schuders without any passengers!

A look at the north side of the bridge. Fantastic. 

Urs is looking down into the Salgina Gorge. 

Down below, the Salgina River flows into the Schrabach River (around the corner to the left). It is amazing to think that this fantastic bridge was built only to access one small mountain village a few kilometers further back in the valley!

The Salginatobel Bridge was built in 1930, and was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, the only such landmark recognition in Switzerland (There are only about 50 worldwide, including the Eiffel Tower). 

Here on the east side of the bridge is a viewing area with lots of information about the construction of the bridge and its designer Albert Maillart, a prominent Swiss bridge builder who revolutionized bridge construction by his invention of the concrete reinforced arched bridges, which were also the cheapest to build at the time. We have seen two of his other bridges in April of 2022. 

We had read on the Internet about a viewing platform on the east side of the bridge, which is where we were planning to descend to. Had we studied this map more closely before starting on our walk, we would have seen that the viewing platform we wanted to go to is no longer accessible due to a landslide!

The only good photo we were able to get! It's not like any of the photos we have seen on the Internet!

Heading down into the Schrabach Gorge to what we thought was a viewing platform. It turns out it no longer exists. 

After a 13-minute bus ride from Fanas to Schiers, the bus continued up the Schrabach Valley. We got off at the west side of the bridge, walked down to the bottom of the gorge, and then back out of the gorge to the train station in Schiers. This was really only a one-hour walk for us. If the weather had been better, we would have continued along the Landquart river from Schiers. As it was, we caught the 11:02 train from Schiers, for the approximately 2-hour ride home. 

The trail into the gorge ends near where the Salgina River enters the Schrabach River. This view is into the Salgina Gorge, but the bridge cannot be seen from here. We got here at 9:36, and were hoping that we could make it back to the train station in Schiers before the rains started, a 45-minute walk from here out of the gorge. 

The 3-kilometer walk along the Schrabach River out of the gorge from the height of the Salginatobel bridge is along a wide road like this. Fortunately it was not hot!

We were out of luck about the rain. At exactly 10 a.m. the rain started. We were very lucky that there was a little house just a few meters ahead with a nearby shed which we were able to squeeze into. We waited here for a full 20 minutes while it rained heavily. But it was a perfect shelter, and we even took our "coffee break" here!

At 10:20 the rain stopped (and look, some sunshine!), and we could continue on the rest of our walk out of the gorge, and no more rain! This is the little shed where we took shelter. It was lucky for us that this was here, as there would have been no other place for us to get out of the rain. 

Looking behind us toward the back of the gorge, it was still raining up that way. 

Near the entrance of the gorge is a large gravel pit / excavation site. This fantastic machine is called a Rubble Master!

Here they are extracting rubble out of the riverbed, which is a good thing as a lot of rubble comes down with the river, and the removal of the rubble prevents the river from flooding. Here we are near the entrance of the valley. 

A final look to the Rätikon peaks at the back of the gorge. This range forms the border between Switzerland and Austria. 

We reached the outskirts of the town of Schiers at 10:45. The copper roof of the town's church dominates the cityscape. (Urs visited this church back in October of 2024, while I did a hike nearby on my own.)

The roads are so narrow, that the larger post buses barely can make their way through!

A look behind us as we head down the road to the train station. 

Here's the train station in Schiers which we reached at 10:50. The roads are still wet from the rain half an hour earlier, but we made it without additional rainfall. Urs has just enough time to get something from the bakery on the right! 

From the train station in Schiers, we can see the village of Fanas higher up on the hillside. That is where we spent two nights in the lovely old Von Sprecher House. 

As the train leaves the Prättigau region heading for Landquart, it looks like the skies are clearing in the region north of here. But we didn't feel like doing any more walking this day. 

And as we reached Lake Zurich, the skies were clear and it was quite sunny. No matter, we spent a nice afternoon on our balcony at home, mostly enjoying the peaceful interlude from all the construction that is otherwise taking place in our neighbourhood!

Location of the Prättigau Region of Eastern Switzerland. 

Side Note: Here are a few of the photos which Urs took on his bus ride up the same valley back in October of 2024. First he had some time to walk around the town of Schiers, and then he rode the bus all the way to the end of the line in Schuders. The bus driver even stopped at the perfect places to let him take photos of the bridge.

Impressions of the town of Schiers in October 2024

Details of the Schiers parish church

View of the Salginatobel bridge on the bus ride into the valley. (The bus driver stopped here for Urs to take this photo!) Had I studied these photos beforehand, I would have realized we had to walk BACK from the bus stop for the best view of the bridge! 

Close-up view of the Salginatobel bridge from the road on the west side of the gorge. 

Because Urs was the only passenger on this bus trip, the driver also stopped on the east side of the bridge for Urs to take this photo. 

This is the view from Schuders, the small mountain village which is the end of the line for the bus ride up the Schrabach Valley. 

ADDITIONAL SIDE NOTE: The website www.salginatobelbridge.com has lots of information about this marvel of engineering. Here are two photos taken from that website. One of them shows how the bridge was constructed:

Photos taken from the website: www.salginatobelbridge.com