Main photo: Chur. From top left: The Bernina Express. Giacometti family collection in the Graubünden Museum of Fine Arts. Photo: Andrea Badrutt, Chur Extension of the Graubünden Museum of Fine Arts. Guided city tour. Photo: Andrea Badrutt, Chur
Chur – the oldest city of Switzerland Offering a magnificent mountain setting and a vibrant cultural scene, Chur is a must for every tourist who wants to visit Switzerland. Located in the middle of the Swiss Alps, the capital of Graubünden links the north with the south of Europe. TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS | PHOTOS: CHUR TOURISM
Chur might only have around 34,500 inhabitants, but it offers a richer and more thriving cultural scene than many bigger cities. As the oldest city in Switzerland, the capital of the canton Graubünden, otherwise known as Grisons, looks back at 5,000 years of civilisation history. Numerous archaeological sites, ranging from prehistoric through Roman to medieval, are evidence of Chur’s long past. On various guided city tours, visitors can learn more about major historic sites, such as the 800-year-old cathedral St. Mariä Himmelfahrt or the striking church St. Martin in the centre of the picturesque traffic-free old town. Afterwards, one might take a break in the Giger café, which is an homage to one of Chur’s most famous inhabitants H.R. Giger, the surrealist painter who co-created the design work in the film Alien. 58 | Issue 40 | July 2016
One of this year’s highlights is the reopening of the Graubünden Museum of Fine Arts. After it was closed for two years, it now has an extension complementing the historical Villa Planta. Michael Christ from Chur Tourism describes the new building as an “architectural jewel, presenting unique collections by artists who lived in Graubünden. Thanks to the new spaces, the museum can present masterpieces from Angelika Kauffmann, the Giacometti family and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in a new light”. A place of transit Although it is located in the middle of the Swiss Alps, visitors can reach Chur easily by public transport and by road.“Chur is a vivid urban small city which links the north and the south of Europe,” Christ explains. On the well-known Bernina Express and
Glacier Express trains, passengers have the chance to enjoy Graubünden’s splendid Alpine landscape. From up among the sparkling glaciers and down to a land of palms, the Bernina Express offers a change of scene like no other. Between Thusis and Tirano, it also drives through the Albula/ Bernina landscapes which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. The Glacier Express on the other hand runs from St. Moritz to Zermatt and offers an eight-hour journey presenting some of the most beautiful mountain scenery of Switzerland. www.churtourismus.ch