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

Guarda to Lavin in the Unterengadine Valley

(DAY 2 of a three-day trip to the Prättigau Region of Canton Graubünden)

Saturday July 12, 2025 -- The next hike I wanted to do (since a long time now) was to start again in Klosters (near where we ended the hike the day before, photos are HERE) with the Madrisa cable-car and walk along the Prättigau High Trail over a pass to the north to St.Antönien.... but based on the weather the day before, we worried about too much cloud cover and not enough view, so we decided to postpone this to another day.

What we then realized is that because of the Vereina Base Tunnel that cuts under the Alps from Klosters, we could be in the Engadine in the far southeast of the country in under an hour, a region we don't get to a lot because it's too far (usually) for a day trip. As the weather forecast was good for that region, that's what we decided to do, which was the ideal plan for the day.

This was the third time we had been in the wonderful village of Guarda with its beautifully restored Engadine houses (Summer 2018 and Winter 2015) and after yet another tour of the village, we headed out on a 10-km walk heading westward into the Tuoi Valley for a stretch, before then descending to the next village of Lavin. The weather was ideal and not at all too hot, visibility was good, and since we were able to start early (at about 10 a.m.), we were finished by 3 p.m. and back through the tunnel to spend the rest of the afternoon at our beautiful old house in Fanas, where our hosts gave us a tour of their own home next door, and invited us to enjoy the sunshine in their garden.

Side Note: Guarda is currently on the short list of six towns currently in the running for the prettiest town in Switzerland 2025, and we think it should definitely win the title!

A look out of our living room window at 7:30 in the morning in the village of Fanas, shows that it looks like it might be a very nice day this day! (Side note: The house on the right has a date of 1670 inscribed on the front). 

Locking up the door of our rented apartment in the Von Sprecher House (built in 1677)

Lovely drawings on the front of the house. The inscribed date of 1677 is the date the house was built, and the first renovations done in 1705 was the plastering of this center part of the house which was originally just wood. 

The 7:46 bus which we want to take down to the valley bottom at Schiers stops just east of the church building. When we were here four weeks earlier (photos HERE), the church was locked and you had to get the key from the grocery shop next door, which was closed at the time. But this morning the shop was open, and we had enough time to request the key!

After we got the key to the church from the grocery store next door, we had a quick look inside the church. Apparently there is a gold-plated copper chalice relic here, which we had hoped to have a look at, but we couldn't see it anywhere. 

From the cemetery grounds behind the church, a look to the west at the narrow entrance to the Prättigau valley. In that cleft is just enough space for the Landquart River and a local road to pass. The highway and railway pass through a tunnel on the north side. 

At 7:46 the little bus arrives to take us down to the train station in Schiers! We were the only passengers. I mentioned to the driver that there are surely not a lot of tourists here, and he said "No, they are all still sleeping!

Here is the 8:00 a.m. train to Scuol, which travels through the Vereina Tunnel at Klosters, to the Lower Engadine. We were at the Guarda train station just an hour later, and in the mountain village of Guarda by bus by 9:20!

As the train arrives in the town of Klosters, we pass this beautiful bridge called the Sunnigbergbrücke, designed by the renowned Swiss bridge builder Christian Menn. The bridge is 525 meters long.  

At 9 a.m. we have emerged from the south side of the Vereina Tunnel and pass by the town of Lavin heading east. This is where we will end our hike and head back to Fanas via the Vereina Tunnel. 

Down below, the Inn River ( = En River in local Romantsch languarge) makes its way down the Engadine Valley toward the Austrian border. The river has its source just west of St.Moritz, and heads to the Black Sea via the Danube. It passes among other things through the city of Innsbruck, which gets its name from the river (= "Bridge over Inn"). 

At just after 9 a.m. we disembark at the Guarda Train station, from where we will take a small bus to the mountain village of Guarda, an eight-minute ride. 

This is the Guarda community hall where the bus ends its run. We spent about 40 minutes here in the village, admiring the beautiful houses. 

The cutest wooden village fountain. Looks like a hot tub!

Looking up the main street where we head toward the trail which we will be following into the Tuoi Valley. 

The bus is headed back to the train station, as it "squeezes" its way through the narrow alleys!

Each building has unique drawings and even more unique main doors. 

Each house has a unique main door, and almost all of them have a bench next to the entrance!

Ever door is different, every entrance is decorated in a unique and attractive way!

This house is one of the few that has no bench next to the main door!

We also had a look into the village church, which was quite simple, lots of wood (ceiling, benches, balcony) as is common in the Evangelical churches of the Canton. 

At the east end of the village is a fancy hotel called the "Meisser Hotel Superior", costs about 500 Fr. per night here!

Next to this lovely house is where we started our hike up the hill at 10 a.m.

We got to Guarda Village at 9:20, but only started on our hike at 10 a.m., as we spent the rest of the time walking up and down the main road to admire the houses. After heading into and out of the Tuoi Valley, we got to Lavin at 14:20. Enough time to walk around the village and look at the little church there before catching the 3 p.m. train back to Schiers (then bus to Fanas). We were back at our accommodation at 4:45 p.m.!

Heading up the road into the north/south side valley called the Tuoi Valley. We are heading north. 

From here we can see the town of Lavin at the bottom of the Inn River Valley (this region is called the Lower Engadine). First we walked a bit into the side valley called Tuoi, and then out again and along the hillside on the opposite side at the right, before descending to Lavin. 

We found a narrow trail into the valley, but it was overgrown and very wet. My socks were soaked inside my hiking boots. On this side of the valley it was cool, as it was in the shade. 

On the other side of the valley is a single little building which we passed on our way out of the valley, after crossing the river slight further back from here. 

Crossing the Clozza River about an hour after starting off on our hike. 

After crossing the river, we head south again, this time on the west side of the river. We spoke to the young man at the bridge: He lives in the village and comes here a lot to try his luck at fishing! 

For a very short piece, we are following Trail no.87: "Via Engiadina". 

Fun bridge!

Here is the little house we saw from the other side of the river! From here there were three various trails we could have taken. We had planned the middle one, as the upper trail would have taken too long. 

It's always exciting to catch sight of a marmot! They whistle at us, and then we look at the direction of the sound, and usually see them!

View into the back of the Tuoi Valley. We didn't walk very far back into the valley. 

We found a place to sit for our picnic lunch. It's now 11:50. I set up my tripod for this photo and am just running to the rock!

Now we get the first look at the village of Guarda on the east side of the Tuoi Valley. 

A close-up look at the village of Guarda

It's the salt they like!

As we now reach the larger valley, we see the town of Lavin, where we ended our hike. Also below is the Inn River (or known locally as the En River), which has its source near St.Moritz, and is the only Swiss River to feed into the North Sea via the Danube River. There is a lovely wooden covered bridge over the river there. 

We love these high trails. This dry hillside was covered with a very large variety of flowers! (Down below is the town of Lavin and the Inn River). 

A few of the very many flowers that grew on this dry hillside!

And another marmot... we love them!

A look down the Lower Engadine Region and the Valley of the Inn River. Guarda is perched on the hillside on the left. 

Another zoomed look at the mountain village of Guarda and the beautiful mountains in the background. 

A whole purple hillside!

On the descent to Lavin we walked along a wide road which headed into the next side valley called Val Lavinuoz. In a curve of the road, we got this view down to the town and the river. 

Also in the curve of this road were several very nice wood carvings of wild animals which are (or once were) native to Switzerland, including a lynx, wolves, bears, eagles and there was also an ibex. 

Whenever we see a carving or statue of a bear, we have to take a photo with Urs, because Urs = Bear!

The view down the Lower Engadine Valley

A close-up look at the church in Lavin, which we are going to have a look at before heading to the train station which is right next to the church. 

Walking the cobbled streets of Lavin, which we reached at 2:20 p.m. The train leaves at 14:59, so we can take our time. 

Most of the houses / buildings in Lavin looked like this. 

The Evangelical church in Lavin, with its frescoes dating from the years 1490 to 1500, is apparently one of the most well-known and most worth viewing art monuments in Canton Graubünden. 

The frescoes inside the church date from about 1500 and were painted by a prominent Italian artist who was active in South Tirol.

The painted figure in the center has three faces, to depict the Holy Trinity. The figures around the center are of the apostles. 

Other nice details inside this pretty church, including the lovely carvings on the wooden benches. The inscription (upper left) reads that the church is a historical art monument and is under federal and cantonal monument protection. 

Simple wood furnishings in the main part of the church. 

At about 3 p.m. we caught the train from the Lavin train station. We were back at our accommodation by 4:45 p.m., where we spent the evening in the garden and visiting with our hosts. 

These are all the hikes we have done to date in the Lower Engadine Valley between Scuol and Lavin. The blue trail is the one we did this day. 

Back on the north side of the Vereina Tunnel, traveling through the Prättigau toward Schiers. 

From Schiers we take the little bus up to Fanas. This is a view down to Schiers. 

The village of Fanas seen from the bus below. 

This time we left the bus at the cable-car station to have a look at what we had hoped would be Sunday's outing: We were planning to take the cable-car up the mountain here from the village, and then do a three-hour mountain hike. But we had to change plans because it rained on the Sunday. Hard to believe that the next day's weather would be so bad!

From the cable-car station we walked down toward the church. Our accommodation is just past the church. 

Church steeple in Fanas. It was a beautiful evening. 

The "main square" in Fanas. Our rental apartment is on the left. Our hosts live in the beautiful white house. 

Such a beautiful house. The owners have had experts do extensive restorations on this 1727 house. 

Location of our rented apartment in Fanas, the Vereina Tunnel, and Guarda in the Lower Engadine. This is the part of Switzerland where the Romantsch language is spoken, the only place in the world where this language is spoken.