The canton of St Gallen in the north-east of Switzerland has much more to offer than a breathtaking landscape. With mountains, valleys and lakes at its doorstep, the townspeople enjoy a high quality of life. In addition, the town is a world heritage site and its legendary abbey houses a unique library, which contains works dating back several centuries. And, if that doesn’t sound impressive enough, St Gallen is a famous lace-making centre and home to one of Switzerland’s best-known embroidery establishments.

By train, St Gallen is just over an hour from Zurich. We didn’t have time on our hands or else we would have opted for a pleasant cruise on a lake steamer from Zurich to Rapperswil (a two-hour trip) and then a train ride to St Gallen. The train journey, however, is very enjoyable and offers a chance to see the countryside that isn’t on the usual tourist itineraries.

St Gallen was founded in 612 AD when an Irish monk, Gallus, built a hut— reportedly with the help of a bear— in the forests of the Steinbach Valley. The hut evolved into a Benedictine monastery that became one of the great intellectual centres of Europe during the 8th and 9th centuries. A town was set up around the abbey and eventually named after its founding monk. We reached the town around noon and, after snacking on rosti and salad, made our way to the abbey. However, we made slow progress as we stopped frequently to admire the elaborate bay windows for which the town is famous. These fine bay windows are found especially in the Gallusplatz, Spisergasse, Schmiedgasse and Kugelgasse areas of the town.

Extolled as a cultural asset of world importance by Unesco, the St Gallen Abbey houses the extraordinary Stiftsbibliothek, which was built in the 16th century and is perhaps the finest example of rococo architecture in Switzerland. Only 30,000 of the 1,50,000 volumes in the collection are displayed in the library at any one time.
We took off our shoes and donned felt slippers— mandatory for all, even children— as we entered the library. I felt amused as I spotted a child who was struggling to keep pace in the oversized slippers that had been given to her. We shuffled around on the inlaid floor as we examined tomes and manuscripts painstakingly handwritten by monks during the middle ages and admired the library’s burnished woodwork, undulating balconies and ceiling frescoes. The earliest manuscripts document the accomplishments of the monastery from the 8th century onwards. Around 400 volumes dating from the early 11th century bear impressive witness to the skills of book illustration and calligraphy. The unique collection of early mediaeval Irish scripts and the world-famous plan of the St Gallen monastery are also worthy of note.

An ancient Egyptian mummy in the library dates from 700 BC and was a gift to the mayor of St Gallen in the early 19th century. It lies incongruously in a corner, clearly out of place among the books. Unfortunately, there are no explanatory texts in English in the library. Travel with a guide or purchase English texts at the gift shop before entering.

We proceeded to the twin-towered abbey cathedral next. It is only slightly less ornate than the library, with dark green ceiling frescoes and stucco embellishments. The frescoes depict biblical characters, and throngs of cherubs and saints gaze upon the scene from among the clouds of heaven.

Before leaving, we visited the Lapidarium, which is housed in a modern vaulted cellar under the west wing of the monastery complex and has a collection of valuable stone pieces and sculptures. The most important items on display are archaeological finds relating to the Carolingian monastery built in the 9th century. On our way to the station, we stopped at the Textile Museum, which traces the history of cloth-making in the town. We marvelled at the samples of old fabrics and lace, often a few centuries old.

It was still only afternoon and we decided to stop for a while at Stein am Rhein, around an hour by train from St Gallen. It lies amid meadows and castles along the most beautiful stretches of the Rhine and its mediaeval town centre is widely regarded as Switzerland’s most beautiful town square. The whole of the city is under the protective gaze of the 13th century Castle of Hohenklingen perched high on a hilltop and surrounded by vineyards and woods.

 We made our way to the Rathaus, which stands at one end of the cobblestone Rathausplatz (town hall square). The square is bordered by splendid half-timbered houses with painted facades and neat bays and flower-decked fountains. One house is more beautifully decorated than the next.

Cafes catering to hungry tourists and souvenir shops selling kitschy Swiss army knives, watches, inexpensive art objects and woodcarvings seemed to be the only signs of modernity here. Otherwise, it looked as if the scene had been lifted out of a fairytale. I wouldn’t have been surprised if a knight in shining armour suddenly materialised out of somewhere!

We continued to the waterfront and sat down on the only bench available. Scores of tourists were milling around. I later read in a book that over a million people pass through Stein am Rhein annually and the frantic summer season sees so many tour buses that the best way to enjoy the place is to stop overnight. It’s only after 5 pm and before 10 am that you’ll get some quiet.

It was very crowded in the river as well. People deftly manoeuvred their boats and canoes to avoid bumping into each other. A couple paddled away furiously while their two children looked immensely pleased. It was the very picture of peace and calm. We soaked in the atmosphere for a couple of hours and then made our way unwillingly to the station. The devotion and care lavished by Stein am Rhein’s residents towards the preservation of the town and its traditions had come as an eye-opener. We can all learn a lesson or two from the Swiss.