Bad Ragaz, attractively situated in the Rhine valley at the mouth of the Tamina gorge, is one of Switzerland's leading spas. The warm radioactive springs (37 deg C-99 deg F), with a flow of 3,000 to 10,000liters/660 to 2,200gallons a minute, are used in the treatment of rheumatism, paralysis, metabolic disorders and injuries of all kinds. The springs rise in the Tamina gorge and the water has been piped down to Ragaz since 1840.
Northwest of Bad Ragaz are the Freudenberg ruins which were destroyed in the 15th C. by the Confederates. Close by stands the St Leonhard chapel with an Italian style choir. To the north is the Giessen Park, with a lake.
On the left bank of the Tamina stands the parish church (1703) of St Pancras with 18th C. ceiling paintings. In the churchyard is the grave of the German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm von Schelling.
Southwest of Ragaz, Pizol (2,848 m/9,344ft) can be reached by way of a cableway (3.5km/2mi, 22 minutes) to Pardiel (1,630 m/5,348ft; mountain inn), from which a chairlift leads up to the Laufböden (2,222 m/7,290ft), near the Pizol hut (2,229 m/7,313ft; cableway from Wangs; first-rate ski trails).
From Bad Pfäfers long passages run down to Tamina gorge (500 m/1,641ft long), at the end of which is a narrow steam-filled gallery where the principal spring emerges from a deep chamber in the rock.
In 1242 a gangway was constructed on the rock face, supported on projecting beams, and in about 1465 a chamber was excavated above the spring, from which patients were let down on ropes.
Tips: In the spa (Badehaus) tickets are issued for admission to the Tamina gorge.
3km/2mi southeast of Ragaz is the Wartenstein, with the Hotel Wartenstein (751 m/2,464ft), from which there is a beautiful view of the Churfirsten. Below the hotel are the ruins of Wartenstein Castle (13th C.) and St George's Chapel.
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Pizol, Bad Ragaz
Bad Ragaz
