Pfäfers
Encyclopedia
Pfäfers is a municipality
in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Sarganserland in the canton
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
. The villages Pfäfers, St. Margrethenberg, Vadura, Valens, Vasön and Vättis belong to the municipality.
Pfäfers reached importance through the foundation of the Benedictine monastery, Pfäfers Abbey
, in the first half of the 8th century. It existed for over a thousand years and was closed in 1838. Since 1847 the abbey premises have been used as a mental institution.
Pfäfers is first mentioned in 762 as abbas de Fabarias. In 1247 it was mentioned as Pheuers and in 1288 as Pfaevaers. In Romansh it is known as Faveras.
In the 14th century Walser settled in the Calfeisental. Until today the colony of St. Martin and the Walserhouse on the alp Ebni can be visited.
Around the year 1240 the thermal spring in the Taminaschlucht ("gorge of the Tamina") was discovered. The sick people who bathed in the curative water were let down the narrow gorge on ropes. In the year 1630 a bath-house
was constructed at the mouth of the gorge. The road to Ragaz was built in 1840 and in the following years the cure business was increasingly relocated to there. Today, Bad Pfäfers ("Pfäfers Spa"), the oldest Baroque
bath-house in Switzerland, houses a restaurant and a museum.
Two important milestones of the 20th century in economical aspects were the opening of the clinic Valens in 1970 and of the power plants Sarganserland in 1975. The clinic Valens is specialised in rheumatology, neurology and orthopaedy. The power plants Sarganserland run a pumped storage hydro power plant
. The storage lake Gigerwald
and the compensation reservoir Mapragg
with the control centre in Mapragg belong to the power plant. Both companies are important employers for the population of the community.
, 4 are from Italy
, 106 are from ex-Yugoslavia
, 17 are from Austria
, and 63 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -6.7%. Most of the population speaks German (93.3%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.7%) and Portuguese being third ( 1.3%). Of the Swiss national languages , 1,636 speak German
, 3 people speak French
, 5 people speak Italian
, and 8 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Pfäfers is; 259 children or 14.8% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 269 teenagers or 15.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 181 people or 10.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 277 people or 15.8% are between 30 and 39, 255 people or 14.5% are between 40 and 49, and 185 people or 10.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 154 people or 8.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 116 people or 6.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 51 people or 2.9% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 7 people or 0.4% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 197 persons (or 11.2% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 303 (or 17.3%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 1,026 (or 58.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 82 (or 4.7%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 5 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 14 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 2 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 125 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 41.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(24.6%), the SP
(14.9%) and the FDP
(10.6%).
The historical population is given in the following table:
In Pfäfers about 68% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
). Out of the total population in Pfäfers, , the highest education level completed by 352 people (20.1% of the population) was Primary, while 620 (35.3%) have completed their secondary education, 133 (7.6%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 82 (4.7%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
the average unemployment rate was 1.1%. There were 129 businesses in the municipality of which 26 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 47 were involved in the third.
there were 513 residents who worked in the municipality, while 311 residents worked outside Pfäfers and 420 people commuted into the municipality for work.
. Of the rest of the population, there are 6 individuals (or about 0.34% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
faith, there are 30 individuals (or about 1.71% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 3 individuals (or about 0.17% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 60 (or about 3.42% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 10 individuals (or about 0.57% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 67 (or about 3.82% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 61 individuals (or about 3.48% of the population) did not answer the question.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Gules a Dove volant Argent membered of the first having a sprig in the mouth.
According to a legend, Pirmin wanted to built a friary in the region of Landquart. While the workers cut down trees, one of them accidentally injured his leg. When the monks cared for the injured man, a snowwhite dove appeared. It took a blood sprinkled splint and flew away. The monks followed the dove and found it in the Taminatal where it had alighted on a tree. Saint Pirmin took this as a sign from God and decided to build the friary on this place where it is now located
This anecdote is illustrated on the ceiling paintings of the church in Pfäfers.
The landmark of Pfäfers is the baroque minster at the entrance of the village. From Pfäfers the way goes up to the charming high valley of St. Margrethenberg. You can get an amazing sight from the viewpoint Piz Alun. St. Margrethenberg could also be the starting point for a hiking tour on the Calanda.
From Pfäfers you can also walk the otherway round down to the Taminaschlucht with its hot spring. The old bath house with the well-known museum and the Paracelsus
memorial is worth a visit. Over the natural bridge you can reach the other side of the valley with the villages Valens and Vasön. The clinic in Valens has a public bath with water from the hot spring.
The southernmost village in the canton of St. Gallen is Vättis. From there you can explore the wild craggy Calfeisental or wander through mountain pastures of the Kunkelspass. With the cable way you reach the Vättnerberg with its wonderful panorama. Another possibility is to climb up to the Drachenloch which was inhabited in the Stone Age
. The local museum Vättis gives a lot of information of the findings made by the researchers.
.
Cross-country skiing is possible in St. Margrethenberg as well as in Vättis. Both places maintain lovely runs. Well cleared pathes invite for a walk in the winter wonderland. For everybody who wants to warm up himself the cosy restaurants in each village feature a lovely service.
. The excellent road network is crucial for this spacious valley. The bus system connects every village with Bad Ragaz with its access to the railway system. A bridge over the Taminaschlucht between Pfäfers and Valens is in plan.
The municipality is located in the Sarganserland Wahlkreis. It stretches from the Taminatal south to the Kunkelspass and to the west into the high Calfeisen valley. The municipality has some of the largest elevation differences of any municipality (Tamina canyon 693 m (2,273.6 ft), Ringelspitz 3247 m (10,652.9 ft)). It consists of the village of Pfäfers at the mouth of the Tamina Valley on a plateau above the Rhine river, the villages of Valens, Vasön and Vättis as well as the hamlets
of St. Margrethenberg and Vadura.
The most important employer with a total of 245 employees is the clinic St. Pirminsberg with its fields psychiatry, psychotherapy and addiction treatment. Mentally ill people from the south part of the Canton of St. Gallen
and from Liechtenstein
were treated there. Further employments are provided from agriculture and forestry as well as the small trade.
The control centre and the equalising reservoir Mapragg of the power plants Bad Sarganserland
are located in Vadura. The pumped storage hydro power plant produces 444 million kWh of electricity on average per year.
Places of interest
A place of interest is the Drachenloch museum. Finds from the prehistorical place of discovery are exposed there. In Gaspus is the lower station of the cable way to Vättnerberg situated. Numerous hiking tours to the superb world of the alps start in Vättnerberg.
Behind Vättis lies the Calfeisental which is as well a popular hiking area. Worth seeing it is the storage lake Gigerwald with 147 meter high dam and the former colony of walser St. Martin.
Places of interest
The clinic Valens, which is specialised in rheumatology, neurology and orthopaedics, is the most important employer. The treatments are supported by therapies with the curative water of the hot spring. The bath is also accessible for the public.
Abbey, and the paleolithic caves at Drachenloch in Vättis are all listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Sarganserland in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of St. Gallen in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The villages Pfäfers, St. Margrethenberg, Vadura, Valens, Vasön and Vättis belong to the municipality.
History
The Taminatal can look back on a long history of settlement. In the Drachenloch above Vättis stonetools of cavemen and bones of bears, which ought to be 50.000 years old, were found. Parts of the found are exposed in the local museum in Vättis.Pfäfers reached importance through the foundation of the Benedictine monastery, Pfäfers Abbey
Pfäfers Abbey
Pfäfers Abbey , also known as St. Pirminsberg from its position on a mountain, was a Benedictine monastery in Pfäfers near Bad Ragaz, in the canton of St...
, in the first half of the 8th century. It existed for over a thousand years and was closed in 1838. Since 1847 the abbey premises have been used as a mental institution.
Pfäfers is first mentioned in 762 as abbas de Fabarias. In 1247 it was mentioned as Pheuers and in 1288 as Pfaevaers. In Romansh it is known as Faveras.
In the 14th century Walser settled in the Calfeisental. Until today the colony of St. Martin and the Walserhouse on the alp Ebni can be visited.
Around the year 1240 the thermal spring in the Taminaschlucht ("gorge of the Tamina") was discovered. The sick people who bathed in the curative water were let down the narrow gorge on ropes. In the year 1630 a bath-house
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
was constructed at the mouth of the gorge. The road to Ragaz was built in 1840 and in the following years the cure business was increasingly relocated to there. Today, Bad Pfäfers ("Pfäfers Spa"), the oldest Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
bath-house in Switzerland, houses a restaurant and a museum.
Two important milestones of the 20th century in economical aspects were the opening of the clinic Valens in 1970 and of the power plants Sarganserland in 1975. The clinic Valens is specialised in rheumatology, neurology and orthopaedy. The power plants Sarganserland run a pumped storage hydro power plant
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric power generation used by some power plants for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of water, pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation. Low-cost off-peak electric power is used to run the pumps...
. The storage lake Gigerwald
Gigerwaldsee
Gigerwaldsee is a lake in the municipality of Pfäfers, in the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. The reservoir has a volume of 35.6 million m³ and a surface area of 0.71 km².The arch dam Gigerwald was completed in 1976. It has a height of 147 m....
and the compensation reservoir Mapragg
Stausee Mapragg
Stausee Mapragg is located at Pfäfers in the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Its surface area is 26 ha. The reservoir and Gigerwaldsee are operated by Kraftwerke Sarganserwald for pumped-storage hydroelectricity....
with the control centre in Mapragg belong to the power plant. Both companies are important employers for the population of the community.
Demographics
Pfäfers has a population (as of ) of . , about 10.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Of the foreign population, , 37 are from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 4 are from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 106 are from ex-Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, 17 are from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and 63 are from another country. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -6.7%. Most of the population speaks German (93.3%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 1.7%) and Portuguese being third ( 1.3%). Of the Swiss national languages , 1,636 speak German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, 3 people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, 5 people speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and 8 people speak Romansh.
The age distribution, , in Pfäfers is; 259 children or 14.8% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 269 teenagers or 15.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 181 people or 10.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 277 people or 15.8% are between 30 and 39, 255 people or 14.5% are between 40 and 49, and 185 people or 10.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 154 people or 8.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 116 people or 6.6% are between 70 and 79, there are 51 people or 2.9% who are between 80 and 89,and there are 7 people or 0.4% who are between 90 and 99.
there were 197 persons (or 11.2% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 303 (or 17.3%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 1,026 (or 58.5%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 82 (or 4.7%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 5 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 14 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 2 who lived household made up of unrelated persons,and 125 who are either institutionalized or live in another type of collective housing.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 41.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(24.6%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(14.9%) and the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(10.6%).
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1831 | 1,634 |
| 1850 | 1,315 |
| 1900 | 1,510 |
| 1950 | 1,900 |
| 2000 | 1,754 |
Education
In the municipality of Pfäfers there are three kindergartens, three primary schools and a high school. One kindergarten and one primary school each are located in Pfäfers, Vättis and Valens. The highschool in Pfäfers is visited from children of the whole municipality.In Pfäfers about 68% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Out of the total population in Pfäfers, , the highest education level completed by 352 people (20.1% of the population) was Primary, while 620 (35.3%) have completed their secondary education, 133 (7.6%) have attended a Tertiary school, and 82 (4.7%) are not in school. The remainder did not answer this question.
Economy
, Pfäfers had an unemployment rate of 0.61%. , there were 142 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 57 businesses involved in this sector. 86 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 24 businesses in this sector. 843 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 45 businesses in this sector.the average unemployment rate was 1.1%. There were 129 businesses in the municipality of which 26 were involved in the secondary sector of the economy while 47 were involved in the third.
there were 513 residents who worked in the municipality, while 311 residents worked outside Pfäfers and 420 people commuted into the municipality for work.
Religion
From the , 1,300 or 74.1% are Roman Catholic, while 217 or 12.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there are 6 individuals (or about 0.34% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
faith, there are 30 individuals (or about 1.71% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 3 individuals (or about 0.17% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 60 (or about 3.42% of the population) who are Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There are 10 individuals (or about 0.57% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 67 (or about 3.82% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 61 individuals (or about 3.48% of the population) did not answer the question.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Gules a Dove volant Argent membered of the first having a sprig in the mouth.
According to a legend, Pirmin wanted to built a friary in the region of Landquart. While the workers cut down trees, one of them accidentally injured his leg. When the monks cared for the injured man, a snowwhite dove appeared. It took a blood sprinkled splint and flew away. The monks followed the dove and found it in the Taminatal where it had alighted on a tree. Saint Pirmin took this as a sign from God and decided to build the friary on this place where it is now located
This anecdote is illustrated on the ceiling paintings of the church in Pfäfers.
Summer
In Pfäfers you can hike to your heart's content in an intact landscape on well developed tracks.The landmark of Pfäfers is the baroque minster at the entrance of the village. From Pfäfers the way goes up to the charming high valley of St. Margrethenberg. You can get an amazing sight from the viewpoint Piz Alun. St. Margrethenberg could also be the starting point for a hiking tour on the Calanda.
From Pfäfers you can also walk the otherway round down to the Taminaschlucht with its hot spring. The old bath house with the well-known museum and the Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
memorial is worth a visit. Over the natural bridge you can reach the other side of the valley with the villages Valens and Vasön. The clinic in Valens has a public bath with water from the hot spring.
The southernmost village in the canton of St. Gallen is Vättis. From there you can explore the wild craggy Calfeisental or wander through mountain pastures of the Kunkelspass. With the cable way you reach the Vättnerberg with its wonderful panorama. Another possibility is to climb up to the Drachenloch which was inhabited in the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. The local museum Vättis gives a lot of information of the findings made by the researchers.
Winter
If you visit the Taminatal in winter, you find in St. Margrethenberg an efficient ski lift with well groomed slopes. It is ideal for families and those who look for a skiing area away from mass tourism. From the terrace of the restaurant at the upper station you can enjoy a wonderful view to the Rhine Valley and the mountains of GraubündenGraubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
.
Cross-country skiing is possible in St. Margrethenberg as well as in Vättis. Both places maintain lovely runs. Well cleared pathes invite for a walk in the winter wonderland. For everybody who wants to warm up himself the cosy restaurants in each village feature a lovely service.
Traffic
Pfäfers and Valens are independently from each other connected with Bad RagazBad Ragaz
Bad Ragaz is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.It is the home of a famous natural spring and is a popular spa and health resort destination. Bad Ragaz is also surprisingly known as one of the best pizza towns in all of Europe...
. The excellent road network is crucial for this spacious valley. The bus system connects every village with Bad Ragaz with its access to the railway system. A bridge over the Taminaschlucht between Pfäfers and Valens is in plan.
Geography
Pfäfers has an area, , of 128.4 km² (49.6 sq mi). Of this area, 29.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (38.9%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).The municipality is located in the Sarganserland Wahlkreis. It stretches from the Taminatal south to the Kunkelspass and to the west into the high Calfeisen valley. The municipality has some of the largest elevation differences of any municipality (Tamina canyon 693 m (2,273.6 ft), Ringelspitz 3247 m (10,652.9 ft)). It consists of the village of Pfäfers at the mouth of the Tamina Valley on a plateau above the Rhine river, the villages of Valens, Vasön and Vättis as well as the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of St. Margrethenberg and Vadura.
Pfäfers
The fraction Pfäfers contains the village Pfäfers itself and the hamlets St. Margrethenberg and Vadura. Pfäfers lies on about 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) above sea level at the entrance of the Taminatal. It counts about 600 inhabitants.The most important employer with a total of 245 employees is the clinic St. Pirminsberg with its fields psychiatry, psychotherapy and addiction treatment. Mentally ill people from the south part of the Canton of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
and from Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
were treated there. Further employments are provided from agriculture and forestry as well as the small trade.
The control centre and the equalising reservoir Mapragg of the power plants Bad Sarganserland
Sarganserland
The Sarganserland is a constituency of the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, with a population of 36,892 .The constituency corresponds to the historical county of Sargans and the later Landvogtei Sargans in the Old Swiss Confederacy...
are located in Vadura. The pumped storage hydro power plant produces 444 million kWh of electricity on average per year.
Places of interest
- Ruin Wartenstein
- Old Bath Pfäfers with Paracelsus museum and bath museum
- Hot spring Bath Pfäfers
- Taminaschlucht (canyon)
- Natural Bridge
- former fort Furggels
Vättis
Vättis on about 940 metres (3,084 ft) above sea level and has approximately 460 inhabitants. The most important branches of trade are agriculture and forestry as well as the industry of the second sector.A place of interest is the Drachenloch museum. Finds from the prehistorical place of discovery are exposed there. In Gaspus is the lower station of the cable way to Vättnerberg situated. Numerous hiking tours to the superb world of the alps start in Vättnerberg.
Behind Vättis lies the Calfeisental which is as well a popular hiking area. Worth seeing it is the storage lake Gigerwald with 147 meter high dam and the former colony of walser St. Martin.
Places of interest
- Drachenloch - highest prehistorical place of discovery
- Drachenloch museum
- Walser colony St. Martin
- Walser house on the Alp Ebni
- Nature protection area Calfeisental and hunting ban area Graue Hörner
- Glarner Hauptüberschiebung (geological); Candidate of UNESCO-World natural heritage
- Silver mine Gnapperkopf
Valens
Valens (920 metres (3,018.4 ft) above sea level) inklusive the hamlets Balen and Gassaura has circa 400 inhabitants. This village could be described as a sun terrace and has preserved its natural character.The clinic Valens, which is specialised in rheumatology, neurology and orthopaedics, is the most important employer. The treatments are supported by therapies with the curative water of the hot spring. The bath is also accessible for the public.
Vasön
Vasön counts about 100 inhabitants and lies on 920 metres above sea level. Agriculture and forestry are really important in this small village with a strong cultural sense. Several hiking tours start in Vasön.Heritage sites of national significance
The Old Bath Pfäfers, the castle ruins of Wartenstein, the former BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Abbey, and the paleolithic caves at Drachenloch in Vättis are all listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.