Trun: Art, History and Routes

Trun combines public art and historic buildings with routes for cycling and walking. Highlights range from the OGNA sculpture and the Sursilvan Museum Cuort Ligia Grischa to the Trun Valley Loop and the Alpine Chapel of St. Brigida. During your stay, you can choose between cultural attractions in the village and longer excursions in the surrounding countryside.

Art and Culture in Trun

SPAZI D’ART MATIAS SPESCHA opened in 2023 and is part of TRUN CULTURA. The OGNA sculpture is also part of the art offering: it opened on 4 May 2013 and has been accessible at any time without restriction ever since. A striking feature in the landscape, OGNA invites visitors inside to see its murals and iron sculptures.

The Sursilvan Museum Cuort Ligia Grischa was built in 1679 on behalf of Disentis Abbey and served as the town hall of the Grey League. Its permanent exhibition includes original works by four artists from Trun: Alois Carigiet, Matias Spescha, Gieri Schmed and Sora Gielia Degonda. Here, you can discover both the history of the building and a range of artistic perspectives from Trun.

The Alois Carigiet Tour begins with various works and murals by Alois Carigiet. It combines a 60-minute walk around the village with a 30-minute museum visit. If you plan to take this tour, check its availability separately.

Buildings and Historic Sites

The former manor house Casa Carigiet, a listed building dating from 1769, is being restored in several phases. It is dedicated to the brothers Alois Carigiet, a painter and children’s book illustrator, and Zarli Carigiet, a cabaret artist and actor, both from Trun. St. Martin’s Church has a uniform Baroque design; its tower also has a Romanesque section that reaches halfway up the church roof. The newly built church was consecrated with five altars on 3 September 1662.

The Chapel of St. Brigida was built in 1734 and dedicated to Saint Brigida, the patron saint of livestock. It lies south of Trun, on the Cuolms da Nadels, at an altitude of 1,938 metres. It takes four to five hours to reach on foot from Trun or Zignau. This walking time is an important planning consideration if you intend to include the chapel in your day. A service is held once a year in Sontga Brida during the summer, when the alpine pastures are in use.

The Chapel of St. Valentin near Cartatscha is also located in Trun. According to Father Placidus à Spescha, it was consecrated on 26 June 1706 by Father Johannes von Castelberg, with episcopal authority. Near the site of Friberg Castle, an elongated moraine hill lies beside the road from Trun to Schlans. The castle ruins contain the foundations of an approximately rectangular tower, measuring about 10 by 11 metres. Where measurable, the walls are about 1.8 metres thick. According to a synopsis, the administrator Antonius de Carnisio handed the monastic castle over to his brother Lanfrancus in 1249.

Cycling Routes, Art Trail and Getting There

The moderately difficult Trun Valley Loop is 12.2 kilometres long and starts at Trun railway station. It follows a paved road out of the village, then a gravel road, and uses a singletrack trail for the descent. The loop returns to Trun along the right bank of the Rhine. Route details may change; check the latest information before setting off.

The Trun Valley Loop can be reached by train from Chur via Ilanz or from Sedrun via Disentis. Trun railway station is also served by the Rhaetian Railway from both Disentis/Mustér and Chur. Check the timetable before travelling. This lets you factor train travel into your plans without conflating the journey with the cycling route’s duration or difficulty.

The 1.5-kilometre-long art trail along the Rhine brings together nature and art. Use of the art trail along the Rhine varies by season: in summer it is for pedestrians and cyclists, and in winter for cross-country skiers. The Alois Carigiet Tour, with its 60-minute village walk and 30-minute museum visit, and the four-to-five-hour walk to the Alpine Chapel are two very different time commitments. This can help you weigh up cultural activities and longer walks when planning your stay.

Discover more destinations: Zignau, Tujetsch, Cumbels, Vrin, Castrisch, Sumvitg, Waltensburg, Medels Im Oberland.

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