Rüthi: Industrial Trail, Hirschensprung and Inland Canal

Rüthi lies in the Rhine Valley between Altstätten and Buchs in the canton of St. Gallen. Industrial heritage, local history and the landscape along the Rhine Valley inland canal give the town a variety of facets. When planning your visit, you can therefore consider whether to focus on a hiking stage, a museum visit by prior arrangement or a cycling tour.

Industrial Trail and Hirschensprung

The Rhine Valley Industrial Trail runs for 40.3 kilometres between Rheineck and Rüthi and can be hiked in one or more stages. Rüthi is one of the points where you can join or leave the trail. Signposts lead from the access points to the trail; information boards, along with film and audio documents, present topics relating to regional industry, culture and leisure. The stage options let you choose part of the full route or plan several sections.

At Rüthi’s Hirschensprung stands the factory owner’s villa built in 1906, known as Villa Nüesch. The narrow rocky passage of Hirschensprung connects Rüthi with Oberriet. The oldest burial sites in the canton of St. Gallen were found here, dating from 3000 to 1800 BC. The area thus combines a striking landscape with very early traces of human history. Industrial history also spans different periods: the Säntis battery factory was founded in Rüthi in 1922, while Villa Nüesch dates from 1906.

Museums and local history

The Rüthi Local History Museum comprises two buildings in the Büchel district. In the Schwärzerles-Theres-Hus, furnished living and work spaces document the lives of people in Rhine Valley villages more than 100 years ago. The Old Schoolhouse hosts changing exhibitions on local and regional history. The two buildings have different focuses: historical everyday spaces in one, and changing themes from local and regional history in the other. If you have a particular exhibition in mind, check the current dates.

The Zum alten Bock Beer Museum focuses on brewing in different eras. During visits, it explains how beer is made and how monastery and private breweries developed. The museum can be visited year-round by prior arrangement. At guided tours, you can order an aperitif, lunch or dinner; arrange any meal requests in advance. Making arrangements is an essential part of planning this visit, setting it apart from a spontaneous stop.

Water landscape and trails

The Rüthi Inland Canal Nature Experience Area is a waterside landscape created by near-natural water engineering from what was once a perfectly straight canal. In a completed project on the Rhine Valley inland canal in Rüthi, the channel was widened from 20 to 60 metres. The project included gravel banks, riverbed structures and naturally landscaped slopes. Cyclists, inline skaters and pedestrians use the paths along the canal. This offers another perspective on Rüthi: alongside its historic heritage, watercourse design and recreation along the paths are also part of the town’s character.

Rüthi is also on the 74-kilometre Lake Route between Buchs and Rorschach. If you plan to cycle this route, check the current route conditions before setting out. The surrounding area brings together riverside areas in the Rhine Valley, vineyards and raised bogs, with trails at lower elevations and routes offering Alpine views. The Rhine forms Rüthi’s eastern municipal boundary and, at the same time, the Swiss border with Austria. A nearby additional point of interest is the ruins of Blatten Castle in the municipality of Oberriet, on Blattenberg at the edge of the forest. Parts of the tower and castle wall, as well as a vaulted cellar, remain.

The written history of the town also reaches far back: Rüthi was first mentioned in a document from St. Gallen Abbey dated 5 June 820. Together with the archaeological finds at Hirschensprung, this early reference provides a different historical perspective from the later evidence of industrial history. Rüthi therefore offers points of interest for a range of interests, from hiking and cycling trails to local history and museums.

Discover more destinations: Rheineck, Widnau, Berneck, Diepoldsau, Marbach, Balgach, Au, Altstätten.

See the broader travel overview: Rhine Valley.