Säntis
Encyclopedia
At 2,502.9 meters above sea level
, Säntis is the tallest mountain
in the Alpstein
massif of northeastern Switzerland. The mountain is a highly visible landmark thanks to its exposed northerly location within the Alpstein massif. As a consequence, houses called Säntisblick (English: Säntis view) can be found in regions as far away as the Black Forest
in Germany. The panorama from the summit is spectacular. Six countries can be seen if the weather allows: Switzerland
, Germany
, Austria
, Liechtenstein
, France
, and Italy
.
. Three cantons meet on Säntis: Appenzell Ausserrhoden
, Appenzell Innerrhoden
, and St. Gallen
. Even though its summit is at only 2502 meters above sea level, the mountain ranks number 12th in the Alps and 29th in Europe in topographic prominence
at 2021 meters. Peaks with high prominence often have impressive summit views, even if their elevations are relatively modest, Säntis being a prime example.
. For example in April 1999, just beneath the summit on the northern snowfield of the mountain, a snow height of 816 cm was recorded. The daily mean temperature is -1.9° with a precipitation
of 2,701 mm per year.
of the Helvetic Republic
(1798 - 1803).
Located at the peak of the Säntis is a 123.55 meter high transmission tower, which was commissioned in November 1997. The original tower stemming from the year 1955 had to be renovated severral times due to the rough weather conditions before finally being replaced. The antenna of the new transmission tower got a fibre-glass enforced plastic layer on the outside in order to prevent ice falling onto the visitor's terrace. Swiss radio channels such as DRS 1, DRS 2, DRS 3, RSR la Première and RSI Rete Uno are broadcasted from the tower. Swiss television channels such as SF 1, SF 2, SF Info, TSR 1 and TSI 1 are also broadcasted from this location.
from Schwägalp. The first tramway was constructed from 1933 to 1935. Prior to that, several projects failed, including accessing Säntis from Wasserauen or Unterwasser
by rack-and-pinion railway. The original cabins of the aerial tramway were replaced by larger ones in 1960. The entire aerial tramway installation was replaced between 1968 and 1976. In 2000, new cabins were commissioned. The aerrial tramway Luftseilbahn Schwägalp-Säntis is one of the most frequented tramways in Switzerland. It has a total length of 2307 meters. The altitude gain between the terminals is 1123 meters. The journey takes roughly 8 minutes.
in Davos, First Lady Hillary Clinton visited Säntis on February 2, 1998.
In honour of the Swiss National Day, which is celebrated August 1 each year, the world's largest Swiss flag was to be seen on Säntis from July 31 to August 2, 2009. The square national flag was 120 meters each side and weighted 1.2 tons. The flag ripped on August 2, 2009 due to strong winds in the area.
Meters above sea level
Meters above sea Level is a standard metric measurement of the elevation of a location in reference to historic mean sea level; the determination of what actually constitutes mean sea level over time however, may be determined by other parameters, such as the effects of climate history and climate...
, Säntis is the tallest mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Alpstein
Alpstein
The Alpstein are a subgroup of the Appenzell Alps in Switzerland. The Alpstein massif is in Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and St...
massif of northeastern Switzerland. The mountain is a highly visible landmark thanks to its exposed northerly location within the Alpstein massif. As a consequence, houses called Säntisblick (English: Säntis view) can be found in regions as far away as the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
in Germany. The panorama from the summit is spectacular. Six countries can be seen if the weather allows: 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....
, Germany
Germany
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...
, 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...
, 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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and 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...
.
Geography
Säntis is located in the Alpstein region, nearly 10 km (as the crow flies) southwest of the town of AppenzellAppenzell (town)
Appenzell is the capital of the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden in Switzerland. Appenzell has no municipal government of its own; rather, the different parts of Appenzell belong to the districts Appenzell, Schwende and Rüte...
. Three cantons meet on Säntis: Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Ausserrhoden is a canton of Switzerland. The seat of the government and parliament is Herisau, judicial authorities are in Trogen. Appenzell Ausserrhoden is located in the north east of Switzerland, bordering the cantons of St...
, Appenzell Innerrhoden
Appenzell Innerrhoden
Appenzell Innerrhoden is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest by area, Basel-City having less area.-Foundation:...
, and St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
. Even though its summit is at only 2502 meters above sea level, the mountain ranks number 12th in the Alps and 29th in Europe in topographic prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
at 2021 meters. Peaks with high prominence often have impressive summit views, even if their elevations are relatively modest, Säntis being a prime example.
Climate
The exposed location of Säntis results in weather conditions normally observed in the high AlpsHigh Alps
The High Alps are those parts of the Alps unsuitable for habitation or seasonal transhumance. This includes all regions higher than 3,000 m above sea level, as well as most regions between 2,500 m and 3,000 m The High Alps are those parts of the Alps unsuitable for habitation or seasonal...
. For example in April 1999, just beneath the summit on the northern snowfield of the mountain, a snow height of 816 cm was recorded. The daily mean temperature is -1.9° with a precipitation
Precipitation
Precipitation may refer to:* Precipitation , rain, sleet, hail, snow and other forms of water falling from the sky* Precipitation , the condensation of a solid from a solution during a chemical reaction...
of 2,701 mm per year.
History
The name Säntis dates back to the 9th century. It is an abbreviation of the Romansh language for Sambatinus (English: the one born on Saturday), which was thought to be the name of a nearby area. The name was later used to refer to the summit. In the German language it was called Semptis or Sämptis. The mountain later gave its name to a cantonCanton
- Administrative divisions :* Canton , territorial/administrative subdivision in some countries, notably Switzerland* Township , known as canton in Canadian French- China :...
of the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
(1798 - 1803).
Weather station
The International Meteorological Congress of Rome in 1879 declared it as a necessity to build weather stations on adequate and accessible summits. Therefore, the Swiss built a weather station on Säntis. The position of the northern ridge proved to be ideal for such an endeavour. The weather station was commissioned in autumn of 1882.Säntismurder
The so-called Säntismord (English: Säntismurder) happened in the winter of 1922. It refers to a crime in which the weather station keeper and his wife were murdered. The murder was only discovered because of missing weather reports on February 21. As a result of the missing reports, a search party was sent to Säntis, where they discovered the bodies. The prime suspect was shoemaker Gregor Anton Kreuzpointer, who committed suicide three weeks after the murder. The truth about this double murder hence remains unclear to this day.Transmission tower
Tourism
The summit is easily accessible. The summit can be reached by aerial tramwayAerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
from Schwägalp. The first tramway was constructed from 1933 to 1935. Prior to that, several projects failed, including accessing Säntis from Wasserauen or Unterwasser
Unterwasser
Unterwasser is a small village in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann. It is a relatively small ski resort, and many of its trails are shared with the nearby village of Wildhaus...
by rack-and-pinion railway. The original cabins of the aerial tramway were replaced by larger ones in 1960. The entire aerial tramway installation was replaced between 1968 and 1976. In 2000, new cabins were commissioned. The aerrial tramway Luftseilbahn Schwägalp-Säntis is one of the most frequented tramways in Switzerland. It has a total length of 2307 meters. The altitude gain between the terminals is 1123 meters. The journey takes roughly 8 minutes.
Miscellaneous
While attending the World Economic ForumWorld Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in Davos, First Lady Hillary Clinton visited Säntis on February 2, 1998.
In honour of the Swiss National Day, which is celebrated August 1 each year, the world's largest Swiss flag was to be seen on Säntis from July 31 to August 2, 2009. The square national flag was 120 meters each side and weighted 1.2 tons. The flag ripped on August 2, 2009 due to strong winds in the area.