Page 239 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Switzerland

The verdant rolling hills of Appenzell

EASTERN

SWITZERLAND
AND GRAUBÜNDEN

Traversed by the Rhine, which flows through the
Bodensee, eastern Switzerland is a relatively low-
lying region of lush pastures and rural outposts,
rising up into the high Alps at its most southerly
extent. Known as Rhaetia in medieval times, much
of the eastern part of Switzerland evolved strong
German connections, in both trade and culture,
while to the south, the rugged terrain increasingly
cut communities off from would-be invaders.
As the Swiss Confederation spread its reach,
most of the cantons to the east were partial
members or subject territories, but following
the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, two cantons
were given full status: St Gallen and Graubünden.
A university town, St Gallen has been a seat of
learning since 747 when a Benedictine monastery
was founded, requiring the contemplative study of
books and the presence of a library. That library is
now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, housing some
170,000 documents. Graubünden joined the Swiss
Confederate in 1803, but it was in 1864 that it
really came into its own – a hotelier in St Moritz
lured summer residents back to stay for free that
winter, and with this gesture, Swiss Alpine tourism
was born. Home to some of the country’s best ski
slopes and greatest resorts, Graubünden is now
a major centre for winter sports, and half of its
population is involved in the tourist industry.
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