Heiden, Switzerland

Village View from South - east

Heiden is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell front Ausserrhoden in Switzerland.

Geography

Heiden is located in Appenzell country. Politically, it is part of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Nestled between Kaien, Bishop Mountain and Freudenberg is the village of Heiden, located at 790 meters 400 meters above Lake Constance. The Gstaldenbach, the village stream, originates at Kaien, flows through the village and forms below it a deep ravine. The lowest point of the municipality is located to 470 meters at the Engi on Gstaldenbach, the highest point above the risk to 1030 meters. The area of ​​the municipality is 748 ha Gentiles

History

The territory of the later church Gentiles was part of the municipality of Short Mountain ( " the short mountain"). The mountain was short - kirchgenössig to Thal SG - according to its original political affiliation. 1652 Heiden and Wolfhalden solved because of the long path from the Kirch mother Kirchenthal and build their own houses of worship. This Heiden was an independent municipality.

The first written mentions of the name Heiden - Heiden derived from Heide ( raw land ) - appeared in 1512, 1536 and 1540, the territory of the present municipality of pagans but was reclaimed in the 14th and 15th centuries..

On September 7, 1838 destroyed a disastrous fire fanned by a strong Föhnsturm 129 buildings, including the church in the village center and the northern parts of the municipality. Within two years, the village had been rebuilt, in a regular classical Biedermeier - conditioning.

As of 1848, Heiden became the whey spa. The work of the ophthalmologist Albrecht von Graefe and neurologist Heinrich Frenkel made ​​nations after 1860 into one of the most famous resorts in Europe. Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and the German Emperor Frederick III. were among the guests. The heyday of the spa town ended with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Since the end of the Second World War in 1945 Heiden experienced as the resort of a renaissance. Contributed has also the opening of a new Kursaal 1957.

From 1850 stagecoach connections were opened on the network of roads. The first line led Grub to St. Gallen. Other compounds emerged to Rheineck, Trogen, Oberegg and the Rhine Valley. From 1906, the Postbus replaced the horse-drawn carriages. 1875 closed the Rorschach -Heiden mountain railway ( RHB ), the only rack railway on Lake Constance, heaths to the Swiss railway network in Rorschach.

In 1874 vorderländische District Hospital, now the Cantonal Hospital Gentiles, to its operation. Here spent Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross from 1887 to 1910 for the last 23 years of life.

1902, the first Catholic Church was built in Heiden, in 1963 a new building gave way. In 1936 the Protestant church was again destroyed by fire. In rebuilding the classical Outer was preserved, while the Church in the interior of the transverse to the longitudinal Church.

Population

Economy

For widespread grass and dairy joined in the lower part of municipality early the winery, which is, however, disappeared again today. It was also formerly cultivated in the municipality grain. The textile industry has developed into a large flower. Weaving and embroidery goods, first of linen, then cotton and silk were prepared. The tradition of silk weaving has survived to this day in a large industrial plant.

The tourism is developing rapidly since the large fire in 1838 and is still a major employer in the region. Heiden was and is known for its whey cures. Until around 1974 the spa guests lodged in the famous Hotel Freihofstraße at the Post Street. From then on the newly built Spa Hotel Heiden (now Hotel Heiden ), in which the whey cure is available today.

Traffic

Heiden has joined with the Rorschach-Heiden -Bahn connection to the network of the SBB in Rorschach and is supported by various postal bus lines with many surrounding communities such as St. Gallen, Rheineck, Walzenhausen, St.Margrethen, Heerbrugg, Altstaetten, Trogen and forest.

Attractions

  • Reformed Church Gentiles, across rectangular classicist building from 1840
  • Henry Dunant Museum Gentiles
  • At the hamlet Rasplen is the Chindlistein, a prehistoric shell stone

Harmony House

Church square with town hall in Heiden

Personalities

  • Hugo Thiemann (1917-2012), Swiss scientists
Grub, Appenzell Ausserrhoden Rorschach, Switzerland Wald, Appenzell Ausserrhoden Hundwil Lutzenberg, Switzerland Rehetobel Schwellbrunn Teufen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden Waldstatt
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