Set against a backdrop of rolling hills that rise to rugged mountains, Appenzell's Altstadt is Grimm fairy-tale stuff. The carved gabled houses that grab the attention in the compact historic centre are liberally covered with frescoes and ornate shop signs. The centrepiece square is Landsgemeindeplatz, but you'll also find rows of photogenic houses and shopfronts on Hauptgasse, which is presided over by the village church.
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
![SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 01: Library of the monastery St. Gallen, Switzerland. 2000 hand writings, 1635 incunable and almost 100.000 books. The library was built between 1758 and 1767 und richly decorated. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [St. Gallen, Schweiz: Ehemaliges Benediktiner-Kloster. Stiftsbibliothek mit 2000 Handschriften, 1635 Wiegen- und Fruehdrucken (Inkunabeln) und schliesslich 100.000 Buechern, 1758-1767 erbaut und kunstvoll ausgestattet. Stift St. Gallen: 612 Zelle des hl. Gallus, eines Gefaehrten Columbans, 719 wird durch den hl. Otmar das Kloster errichtet, das 747 die Regel Benedikts annimmt, 1805 saekularisiert.]
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Abbeys, Architecture, Books, Interiors, Libraries, Photo tgg06/01](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-06/StiftsbibliothekStGallen.jpeg?auto=format&fit=crop&ar=1:1&q=75&w=1200)
6.53 MILES
If the greatest masterpieces on earth are wrought for the glory of God, St Gallen’s Stiftsbibliothek (Abbey Library), is like a living prayer. Religious…
14.28 MILES
A riot of turrets and towers plonked high on a hillside and set against the theatrical backdrop of jagged mountains, Schloss Vaduz is quite the fairy-tale…
14.23 MILES
This black concrete and basalt cuboid on pedestrianised Städtle hosts temporary exhibitions, revolving around the gallery’s collection of contemporary art…
Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum
14.36 MILES
This museum provides a fascinating romp through the principality’s past, heritage and natural history, from medieval witch trials to the manufacture of…
22.38 MILES
Near the eastern end of Friedrichshafen’s lake-front promenade is the Zeppelin Museum, housed in the Bauhaus-style former Hafenbahnhof (harbour station),…
25.43 MILES
Crowned by a filigreed spire and looking proudly back on 1000 years of history, the sandstone Münster was the church of the Diocese of Konstanz until 1821…
28.55 MILES
Awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 2011, the Pfahlbauten represent one of 11 prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps. Based on the findings of…
21.58 MILES
This ultramodern museum houses rotating exhibitions in summer of Swiss-Austrian neoclassical painter Angelika Kauffmann’s works. The artist had strong…
Nearby Northeastern Switzerland attractions
0.04 MILES
This heritage museum gives the inside scoop on rural life and folk traditions in Appenzell. Occupying seven floors, it displays beautifully painted wooden…
0.08 MILES
Looking back on almost 1000 years of history, Appenzell’s church is easily identified by its whopping great late-Gothic bell tower, embellished with a…
0.08 MILES
Appenzell's main square is rimmed with elaborately painted hotels and restaurants. It's a striking backdrop for April's Landsgemeinde cantonal assembly.
0.17 MILES
Appenzell's main pedestrian drag is a stunner, lined with lavishly muralled facades and shops selling everything from folk costumes to local cheese and…
0.19 MILES
Pure local spring water goes into the refreshing Appenzeller Bier that's brewed here. The hands-on visitor centre whisks you through brewing history and…
0.22 MILES
In a town as deeply traditional as Appenzell, this startlingly modern gallery, with its metallic facade and zigzag design, comes as quite a surprise…
7. Appenzeller Volkskunde Museum
4.13 MILES
This folklore museum, its collection spanning everything from pastoral paintings to embroidery, provides an insight into rural Appenzell life. From April…
4.28 MILES
Cheese-lovers won't want to miss out on a visit to this dairy, where an iPad tour gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the cheesemaking process,…