Discover Bühler

When planning a hotel stay in Bühler, it is worth considering walking time, the season and possible event dates together. The “Rond om Bühler” themed trail, Hohe Buche, local history and recurring events offer different ways to shape your visit.

Hiking and Views at Hohe Buche

The “Rond om Bühler” themed hiking trail is about 8.8 kilometres long; the walking time alone is approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes. This estimate helps you gauge the walking distance; allow extra time for breaks. From Bühler station, the trail leads via Steig and Weissegg to Hohe Buche. It then descends to the Weissbach and returns towards Bühler station via Kriegersmühle and Steinleuten. The trail is also connected to other routes in the cantonal hiking network.

The Hohe Buche viewpoint and the restaurant of the same name are located within Bühler at 1,130 metres above sea level. In clear weather, the view stretches across Fürstenland and Lake Constance to the Allgäu, the Vorarlberg Alps and the snow-capped peaks of Central Switzerland. If you are planning the circular route, you can include Hohe Buche as one of its waypoints; the panorama depends on visibility.

More Trails and Ways to Get Active

When snow conditions are good, the Steig-Gern-Hohe Buche winter hiking trail is open. Snow conditions determine whether this seasonal route is an option, so check before visiting. Another way to get active is the Finnenbahn in Bühler: it is a circular track designed for cross-country running training and jogging. The multi-hour hiking route and a loop intended for running training therefore offer two distinct options.

Bühler also has three intergenerational Hopp-La playgrounds, which can be linked into a circuit in close proximity to one another. This combination of three stops differs from both the longer hike and the Finnenbahn. It adds to the choice of local activities without requiring you to follow a particular route.

Village History and Historic Buildings

The Reformed Church has been a defining feature of Bühler’s village landscape since 1723. The economic history of the village includes linen weaving, which established itself as an important branch of industry and commerce. During the municipality’s founding years, the textile industry experienced its first heyday. A figure from 1829 conveys the importance of the trade at the time: Bühler had 15 manufacturers and 236 weavers.

Education and the textile industry were also linked. In 1834, the manufacturer Johann Heinrich Sutter built the canton’s first lower secondary school building in Bühler. It was intended to provide children with more education and a way into the textile industry. The Türmlihaus is listed in the Federal Inventory of Monuments, Ensembles and Archaeological Sites of Regional Importance for Bühler. Another local building story concerns the “Coiffeur-Brüggli”: the wooden bridge crosses the Rotbach and was donated by hairdresser Ledergerber.

Hohe Buche is also associated with a historic route tradition: the old packhorse trail is said to have run from St. Gallen across the Appenzell heights into the St. Gallen Rhine Valley and onward to Chur. Paracelsus is also said to have used this route.

Seasonal Events in Bühler

The Advent market takes place every year on the weekend before the first Sunday of Advent. It uses the indoor spaces of the lower secondary school building and the community hall, making it weather-independent. For your visit, it is worth checking the date and venues for that year’s event.

The Bühler Cattle Show is organised and held every year on a Saturday in autumn by the Bühler Cattle Breeding Cooperative. In the morning, families parade in with their decorated animals. Afterwards, visitors can admire the animals in the cattle show meadow in Hermoos, opposite the lower secondary school building.

The Silvesterchläuse are also among the recurring traditions. From early morning, they go from house to house in Bühler, wishing everyone “es guets Neus” (“a happy New Year”) with devotional singing and Zäuerli. Currently, the Wiisbachschuppel and a children’s group are active in Bühler; participation may vary from year to year.

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