Switzerland 2024, part 5 (Stein am Rhein, Schaffhausen, Zurich, St. Gallen)
I have already mentioned in the previous part of the travel story from my trip to Switzerland in late November 2024 that the town of Stein am Rhein (or Stein upon the Rhine) is exceptionally picturesque. It is almost disproportionately so, considering that it is quite small – covering an area of about 6 sq. km and having nearly 3,500 inhabitants.
I arrived in Stein am Rhein from the slightly larger town of Schaffhausen by train, which takes just a little over 20 minutes to cover the distance of slightly less than 20 km.
As a reminder of my visits during this trip, here is a map where I marked the places I went to.
As for the town of Stein am Rhein, the train station is just a few hundred metres away from the bridge over the Rhine River, and on the opposite side of the river from the Old Town (Altstadt), which is the main attraction, located on the northern, right-hand side of the river.
However, even that walk from the train station to the old town is not without interest, especially when you reach the bridge.
In the previous photo, you can see one of the notable places in this little town, which is Hohenklingen Castle, located on top of a hill above the settlement. However, I knew I wouldn’t even try to get there. I was content just walking around the town. The images of Stein am Rhein that can be found online are mostly taken in the summer and in nice weather, but even like this, the town didn’t lose any of its beauty and charm.
The view from the other side of the bridge was also incredibly beautiful.
From here, I had a clear view of the tall, slender tower belonging to the former St. George’s Monastery, which also houses a museum. However, it was temporarily closed at the end of 2024, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to visit it.
That wasn’t a problem for me, as the main beauty and attraction of this place comes from the stunningly beautiful facades that Stein am Rhein is rich in. And for that, it’s enough to take a stroll to the main square (Rathausplatz) and the surrounding streets of the Old Town.
Although the Town Hall (Rathaus), after which the square is named, can already be seen from the approach street, I still decided to turn into a side alley first, because I noticed a few interesting buildings there.
It’s hard to take a good photo of the large house from the narrow street, but the beauty of its facade is certainly visible.
Most of these houses are built in the half-timber style, and when you add murals and vibrant colours to that, the impression is truly stunning.
After taking a few photos, I decided to head back to the main route of my tour, which led me to the nearby main square. First, I approached the Town Hall from the side, and from there I could really appreciate how picturesque it was.
And the square... I simply didn’t know in which direction to look first.
The square has a triangular shape, with one side occupied by the Town Hall and two streets leading off from it, while the other two sides of the "triangle" extend into a street that leads outside the old part of the town. I believe that if a visitor only saw this square, it would be more than enough.
On the other hand, all these colours and images certainly stand out more when there’s sunlight, but I wasn’t bothered at all. It was already afternoon and as you can see, there was almost no one on the street except for me. However, I was well dressed and delighted, so I just kept clicking away with my camera and phone.
I took a photo of the Town Hall’s facade when I started to walk down the square a bit.
And then I continued taking pictures of details and some close-ups. Everything was incredibly beautiful and I found it all very appealing.
In the square, there is of course a fountain, whose name suggests that there used to be a market here – Marktbrunnen-Stadtbrunnen, meaning Market Fountain-Town Fountain. In medieval towns, markets were held in the squares within settlements.
I continued my walk down the main street, absolutely captivated by the picturesque beauty of the place.
By this point, I was a bit hungry and thought about going to a restaurant with local food. However, it was already well into the afternoon and the restaurants were on their afternoon break. I had to improvise.
So, I continued down the main street and at the end of it, I noticed the picturesque Untertor Tower.
I went to the end of the street and then turned toward the Rhine, taking photos along the way of more picturesque houses that this little town is full of.
Eventually I came to a hotel by the promenade along the Rhine and their kitchen was open all afternoon. Although they offered some Central European food, I ended up choosing an Italian pizza and I must say it was truly outstanding. I don’t know who their head chef was, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a Neapolitan. The pizza was that good. And of course, pizza is best paired with beer, while for me it was also important to keep an eye on my hydration.
After the wonderful lunch and a comfortably full stomach (I ate everything), I first took a little walk along the Rhine and then I returned to the main street.
Now I entered the main street by passing through the Untertor Tower and, of course, I had to take photos of it from both sides.
The town of Stein am Rhein doesn’t have much to offer – everything kind of boils down to the main street and the square. But... it’s all so beautiful, fairy-tale-like and picturesque, that it was no trouble for me to walk through it again and take more photos. I also explained this to myself by the fact that it was late afternoon, so there was less natural light, while the artificial lights in the shops had turned on, which only added to the picturesque atmosphere. Considering the remnants of snow and the low temperature outside, those lights from the shops further inspired me, creating the impression that there was a fire burning inside and that one could warm up nicely there. Very primal impressions indeed!
So, I returned to the Town Hall and this time I took a photo of its front facade. I also photographed the square and the buildings around it some more.
Although I was practically ready to head towards the train station, I decided to make a loop around the block of streets that includes the Town Hall.
That's when I noticed a building, and on its ground floor, there were doors that opened automatically, so I headed there.
This is a complex that encompasses five buildings from the period between the 15th and 18th centuries. It was a space used to house citizens within a monastery hospital. The hospital was first mentioned in 1362 and it accommodated the poor, the sick, women in childbirth, people with disabilities, orphans and travellers. In other words, it served as a "social service centre," as we would say today. In the 19th century, it was transformed into a municipal nursing home and orphanage, but since 1963, it lost that function, while the buildings began to deteriorate. The complex was restored from 1999 to 2002. In addition to the restored old buildings, there are also figures of people engaged in their various activities, which further enhances the illustration of life as it once was.
Then, I returned to the street and continued my walk around the town centre.
Eventually, I returned to the train station and caught a train to Schaffhausen.
Since I was going back through Schaffhausen anyway, I decided to take a little walk again through the old town centre, which is very close to the train station. I thought that perhaps everything was already decorated for the upcoming holidays (I was there at the end of November), but it wasn’t. Aside from a few small huts set up in the central Fronwagplatz square, where mulled wine was mostly sold, there were no other active decorations in the town.
I didn’t feel like having mulled wine and it was a bit late for coffee, so I had a hot chocolate instead. Soon, I returned to the train station and headed back to Zurich. From the train, I managed to catch a glimpse of and take a photo of the famous Rhine Falls, which are illuminated at night.
The next day dawned perfectly – sunny, with not a cloud in the sky and no wind, although it was quite cold. I had packed just the right clothes for such conditions, so there was no sense of winter chill.
After my pleasant morning rituals and a slow start to the day, I got ready and took a walk to the nearby train station, following my usual route, but paying a little more attention to some details along the way.
I needed to do this because the next day I was heading back to Belgrade and it was important for me to remember the most efficient route to the main hall of the train station, from where I can easily figure out which direction to go next and also buy my tickets. The train station in Zurich is like a small city, with multiple levels and covering a large area, so it’s easy to get lost. On the other hand, I think not everything is well-marked, but that’s my problem.
So, I settled into the train and set off as planned. This day, I had a particularly interesting itinerary and for starters I headed to St. Gallen. It is home to the famous abbey and perhaps even more famous library, both of which are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landmark. However, based on the information I found online before my trip to St. Gallen, I wasn’t sure if the library was open. This didn’t discourage me at all; I left Zurich with the intention of seeing for myself how the things were organised over there. In the worst case, I’d enjoy a nice stroll around the town. And that’s exactly what happened.
I first passed through the newer parts of the town, but I was actually heading towards the old town where the most interesting buildings are located.
Upon entering the old town, I first headed towards the Abbey Library, primarily to see if it was open or not. Needless to say, along the way, I intensely enjoyed the beauty of some of the buildings.
And so I passed by the back part of the Cathedral, but I left the visit for later.
However, in this small section of Galusstrasse behind the cathedral, there are several exceptionally beautiful buildings and details, and this stretch continues into a square, Gallusplatz.
A couple of the buildings are well-known enough to have their official names. One of them is the “At Griffin House” (Haus zum Greif) from the second half of the 19th century, featuring a spectacularly beautiful bay window.
Just a couple of houses further is the Zum grünen Hof – At Green Courtyard House, built in 1606, with a round, corner bay window supported by a picturesque corbel.
So, next is Gallusplatz square and from there, you need to head towards the nearby Abbey Library.
There used to be an abbey here, founded in 720, which became an important Benedictine monastery with significant intellectual influence on all of Western Europe. However, in 1524, the Reformation was introduced, leading to turbulent times for the abbey. Things didn’t calm down until the mid-18th century, when a new abbey church and library were built. These are the two places that definitely should be visited, although the St. Gallen Abbey complex also includes other buildings, like the one seen in the next photo.
Unfortunately, it turned out that the library was indeed closed, but although it might seem strange to some to visit a library, THIS library, one of the oldest in the world, simply must be visited – of course, provided that it’s open.
As I’ve mentioned, different information about the opening hours can be found online and some sources even mention that the library is open to the public only one day a week (?), though I’m not sure if that’s true. In any case, it’s important to do thorough research and then come here to visit the library.
In my case, I continued the walk with the intention of heading to the cathedral, the towers of which I could see from an inner courtyard.
From here, I passed through a passage and arrived at the spacious square called Klosterplatz. Surrounding it are not only the cathedral but also some administrative buildings, which I tried to capture in the following photo. It’s not the best photo, but it still illustrates this area.
In the previous photo, on the left, you can see the cathedral with its two tall towers, but what I found interesting is that there’s no doorway; instead, the entrance to the cathedral is on the side.
And once you enter the cathedral, the impressions are absolutely outstanding. Although it’s an elegant and beautifully decorated building from the outside, the amount of ornamentation and detail inside exceeds all expectations.
The cathedral was built between 1755 and 1768 on the site of an earlier Gothic church. This new church was constructed and decorated in a different style, namely the Late Baroque or Rococo, which involves an incredible richness of ornamentation. The chancel, in particular, stands out.
But the other parts of the cathedral are no less impressive.
During my visit, there was a choir and orchestra near the organ, rehearsing some melodies, so I also recorded the interior of the cathedral in video format.
I walked around the cathedral a bit more, paying attention to some details, and then I went back outside with intention of exploring the old town of St. Gallen a little more.