St. Gallen
St. Gallen is both a canton and a city in the eastern part of Switzerland. In 610, an Irish monk called Gallus chose this spot for his hermitage. Later on, in 747, a Benedictine abbey was founded. With the addition of a library in the 9th century, it became a center of learning. The famous cathedral and abbey library are a must to visit. The whole abbey precinct was declared a World Cultural Heritage in 1983. St. Gallen was an important producer of linen which was exported throughout Europe. St. Gallen's embroidery is known around the world. The town spreads over the nearby hills, which are scattered with huge blocks of buildings such as the Sankt Gallen Graduate School of Economics, Business and Public Administration (HSG), decorated by many artists from the 1960. St. Gallen features one of the most picturesque old towns in Switzerland: many of the houses and buildings being from the 16th and 18th century, sometimes with painted facades, often adorned with wrought-iron signs and carved and painted wooden oriel windows. Walk along the pleasant alleys and browse through the many small and charming shops.

Discover St. Gallen
Due to St. Gallen’s small size and an efficient public transportation system, it is easy to get around. Located between Lake Constance and Appenzell with its famous abbey library, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the traffic-free Old Town delights guests with brightly painted oriel windows, pretty boutiques and cosy cafés.

Tourist Office St. Gallen Bodensee
Bankgasse 9, Tel. 071 227 37 37, www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch
Brochures from St. Gallen Tourism at www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch/en/region-touring/brochures

The essentials of St. Gallen
1) Abbey precinct with Cathedral and Library
2) Textile Museum
3) Art Museum / Kunst Halle St. Gallen
4) Mount Säntis

Abbey precinct with Cathedral and Abbey Library
In St. Gallen you'll find history at every turn. The city's landmark is the Convent of St. Gall with its Baroque cathedral and the libreary. The convent, including the library and monastery archives, was added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 1983. The abbey library includes 170,000 documents, some of which are over a thousand years old.

Textile museum & library
The Museum of Textiles and Library in St.Gallen is home to interesting exhibits of historical embroideries and outstanding examples of lace as well as presentations of contemporary textile art including embroideries from Switzerland and abroad from the 14th to 20th century.

Art Museum
Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen – doesn’t see itself as a museum, but as an experimentation venue for contemporary art, international and regional projects.

Mount Sänits
Säntis – lookout point at 2502 metres in the Alpstein rambling paradise, offers views of the ‘Alpenkranz’ (crown of Alps) and into 6 countries.

Excursions
Appenzell
The village of Appenzell and the Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden are situated in a singularly beautiful landscape of rolling hills. The region is known for rural customs and traditions such as the ceremonial descent of the cattle in autumn and cultural events such as folk music and rustic dances, as well as hiking tours in the Alpstein region. With about 7,000 inhabitants, Appenzell is the political, economic and cultural center of Appenzell Innerrhoden, the smallest Swiss canton. The car-free village beckons with pretty lanes and a myriad of small stores and boutiques that are ideal for shopping and browsing. The facades of the buildings are decorated with frescoes. www.appenzell.ch/en/home.html

Appenzeller Cheese Factory
The reason for this popularity is not only our exquisite cheese, but also the tranquil countryside with its rolling hills and idyllic atmosphere. It is here that you can virtually feel the invigorating beat of the green heart like nowhere else in Switzerland. In the Appenzeller show dairy in Stein (AR) archaic customs and state-of-the-art cheese production go hand in hand to create an intriguing mix of old and new. You don’t just look over the cheese-maker’s shoulder, you peek right into the vat. www.schaukaeserei.ch/en

Maestrani Chocolate Factory
The doors of the maestrani chocolate factory in Flawil are always open to visitors. You are welcome to have a look at the production, learn more about the secrets of chocolate by taking a guided tour, and benefit from the great value products on sale in the factory shop. www.maestrani.ch/en/schoggiland/intro/

Museums
Art Museum
Dedicated to contemporary art since 1985, the Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen has housed specific site-projects and exhibitions from over 400 modern artists from all corners of the world.The Kunst Halle is above all a place of exhibitions, but it is also an institutution dedicated to researching and presenting innovative and important works of art and concepts. Focus is on questions concerning the current works of a younger generation of artists, and socially relevant issues. www.kunsthallesanktgallen.ch/en/

Textile Museum
This internationally renowned museum collection of about 30,000 objects consists of fabrics from Egyptian grave sites, historical embroideries since the 14th century, hand-made lace from major European centres of excellence, ethnographic textiles, historical fabrics and costumes, handmade utensils and objects of contemporary textile art. The collection of hand and machine embroidery from Eastern Switzerland documents the impressive development of the St.Gallen embroidery industry. The library of the Textilmuseum St. Gallen collects media on all areas to do with textiles and on the related subjects of art and creation. www.textilmuseum.ch/en/