St Moritz, Graubünden & the Southeast - Discover Switzerland: Experience the Best of Switzerland - page 527

CHUR
POP 33,400 / ELEV 585M
The Alps rise like an amphitheatre around Chur, Switzerland's oldest city, inhabited since
3000 BC. Linger more than an hour or two and you'll soon warm to the capital of
Graubünden.

Sights & Activities

ALTSTADT
Near the Plessur River, the Obertor marks the main medieval entrance to Chur's cobble-
stone Old Town. Alongside the stout Maltesertor (once the munitions tower), and the Sen-
nhofturm (nowadays the city's prison), it's all that remains of the old defensive walls.
The city's most iconic landmark is St Martinskirche (Kirchgasse 12) with its distinctive
spire and clock face. The 8th-century church was rebuilt in the late-Gothic style in 1491
and is dramatically lit by a trio of Augusto Giacometti stained-glass windows. St Martin
presides over a burbling stone fountain in front of the church.
Follow Kirchgasse uphill to reach Kathedrale St Maria Himmelfahrt (Hof; 6am-7pm
Mon-Sat, 7am-7pm Sun) , a 12th-century cathedral with a late 1400s Jakob Russ high altar con-
taining a splendid triptych.

| Neighbourhood

Sleeping

ROMANTIK HOTEL STERN $$
( 081 258 57 57; www.stern-chur.ch ; Reichsgasse 11; s/d Sfr150/290; ) Part of Switzer-
land's romantic clan, this centuries-old hotel has kept its flair, with vaulted corridors and
low-ceilinged, pine-filled rooms. Call ahead and they'll pick you up from the station in a
1933 Buick.

| Historic Hotel

ZUNFTHAUS ZUR REBLEUTEN $
( 081 255 11 44; www.rebleuten.ch ; Pfisterplatz 1; s Sfr70-85, d Sfr128-148) Housed in an imposing
frescoed building on a pretty square, the Zunfthaus zur Rebleuten looks proudly back on
500 years of history. The 12 rooms are fresh and inviting. Especially romantic (watch your
head) are those in the loft.

| Historic Hotel