Discover Ebnat-Kappel: Culture, Trails and Landscapes

Ebnat-Kappel is a municipality in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland, located in the Toggenburg constituency. The Thur River, wooded hills and gentle Alpine foothills shape the landscape. During your stay, the village combines nature and outdoor activities with insights into regional cultural history.

Water, trails and activities

Sinnepark is a park for exploring the senses, with nine stations. Its trail runs through Eichtobel alongside the rushing Eichbach stream. This combines the experience of the stations with a route along the stream.

Another themed route is the hydropower educational trail. It runs between the Ebnat and Trempel hydropower plants. Ten information boards explain how hydropower use interacts with the Thur ecosystem. From Ebnat-Kappel railway station, you can reach the trail on foot in about ten minutes.

The two trails have different focuses: Sinnepark centers on sensory experiences, while the educational trail provides background on hydropower and the ecosystem. This distinction can help you plan a visit around your interests.

There are marked mountain biking routes around Ebnat-Kappel for exploring Toggenburg. The natural surroundings are also suitable for hiking, cycling and winter activities. This gives the municipality several ways to enjoy time outdoors.

Toggenburg culture and local history

The Ackerhus in Ebnat-Kappel is dedicated to Toggenburg cultural history. Its exhibits include house organs, neck zithers and historical furniture. The Ackerhus presents four centuries of Toggenburg domestic culture, with themes such as everyday life, faith and regional crafts. The exhibition is housed in a historic Toggenburg building dating from the 18th century.

The gymnastics equipment museum also focuses on history: it traces more than 300 years of gymnastics and displays historical apparatus. These include a pommel horse with a head and tail, which is probably the oldest still in existence. The museum is open on Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. from April 1 to November 1. Group visits are possible year-round, Monday to Friday, by appointment and with a guided tour only. Check the opening hours before your visit.

The village’s history goes back further: Ebnat was called Ober-Wattwil until 1762, then Ebnet; Kappel was mentioned as Capelle in 1218. In 1965, the municipalities of Ebnat and Kappel merged to form the municipality of Ebnat-Kappel. The area was historically shaped by agriculture and livestock farming. The textile industry later developed too, while Ebnat-Kappel retained its village character.

Landscape and leisure

The municipality stretches along the Thur and is surrounded by wooded hills and gentle Alpine foothills. Speer rises to 1,950 m above sea level and is the highest mountain in Ebnat-Kappel; it is also considered Europe’s highest Nagelfluh mountain. These geographical features give the landscape a distinct regional character.

Badi Ebnat-Kappel has a 50-meter swimming pool and a diving pool with 1-meter and 3-meter towers. It also has a leisure pool with a slide and a non-swimmer area, as well as a paddling pool for young children with a sunshade.

Ebnat-Kappel railway station is a useful point of reference for getting there: it lies on the railway line between Wattwil and Nesslau. There are regular services to Toggenburg and in the direction of St. Gallen, while regional bus routes connect neighboring municipalities. If you are looking for a hotel in Ebnat-Kappel, you can choose based on the purpose of your trip—for example, cultural history, outdoor activities or travel by train and bus.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Alt Sankt Johann, Krinau, Ganterschwil, Nesslau-Krummenau, Libingen, Stein, Mosnang, Wildhaus.

For the main travel overview: Toggenburg.