Ragatz, also known as "''Old Baths Pfäfers''" or "''Old Baths of Pfäfersin''" in the 19th century and earlier, was a famous watering-place in the
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
*Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
*Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
* Swiss Internation ...
village of
Bad Ragaz
Bad Ragaz is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) 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.
History
Bad Ragaz is fi ...
, situated on the left bank of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
, and by rail 22 km north of
Coire or 98 km S.E. of
Zurich. It stood at a height of 509 m, at the entrance to the magnificent gorge of the
Tamina
Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu (born January 10, 1978) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tamina. She is a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Cham ...
, about 5 km up which by carriage road were the extraordinarily placed Baths of Pfafers (674 m). Since 1840 the hot mineral waters of
Pfäfers
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.
History
The '' ...
were conducted in pipes to Ragatz, which is in a more pleasant position. Consequently, Ragatz much increased in importance since that date. In the churchyard is the grave of the philosopher
Friedrich Schelling
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (; 27 January 1775 – 20 August 1854), later (after 1812) von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German idealism, situating him be ...
(d. here in 1854).
About 3 km by road above Ragatz are the 17th-century buildings of the great
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monastery,
Pfäfers Abbey, to which all this region belonged until 1798; midway between them and Ragatz are the ruins of the 14th-century castle of
Wartenstein.
The monastery and baths were, after 1969, converted into museums and are open to the public.
Johanna Spyri's classic book ''
Heidi'' is briefly set in Ragatz.
References
*
External links
Spa Village
Geography of the canton of St. Gallen
Bad Ragaz
{{StGallen-geo-stub