Discover Lichtensteig

Lichtensteig is a small town and political municipality in the canton of St. Gallen, in the Toggenburg electoral district, at an altitude of 625 metres above sea level. The town offers several highlights to help you plan your trip: the Äulischlucht gorge in the Steigrüti district, regional culture and history, as well as music, theatre and architecture. You can choose what to focus on depending on whether you are most interested in the landscape, crafts, music or architecture.

Scenery in the Äulischlucht gorge

The Äulischlucht gorge in the Steigrüti district is an adventure world for the whole family. Its landscape features include a waterfall, gravel banks, places to swim, viewpoints, hidden gorges and forests. There are also fire pits. The Äulischlucht gorge brings together a variety of natural features: water and gravel, wooded areas and panoramic views. If you want to make scenery the focus of your stay, you’ll find a different kind of experience here than on a visit to a museum or theatre.

Local history, museums and printing art

Lichtensteig was first mentioned in a document in 1228 as a fortified settlement of the Counts of Toggenburg, under the name Liehtvnsteige. The town’s history is closely linked to Neu-Toggenburg Castle. The Toggenburg Museum, a regional museum dedicated to the culture and history of Toggenburg, offers another perspective on the region. Its presentation of regional history covers prehistoric settlement, the Counts of Toggenburg, textile production and railway construction. It also explores the discovery of the Upper and Central Toggenburg regions as destinations for summer and winter tourism. Visitors can also see household items made by pewter casters and stove builders from Lichtensteig.

Traditional printing art takes centre stage at Gall’sche Offizin. Visitors can see historic furnishings and learn about the art of printing. Using antique equipment and type, the workshop still produces documents, maps, personal announcements and bibliophile texts using hand typesetting and hand-press printing. This brings together a look at traditional crafts and an activity that continues at the workshop today.

Music, theatre and architecture

Fredy’s Mechanical Music Museum in Lichtensteig is the first museum in German-speaking Switzerland dedicated to mechanical musical instruments. It showcases instruments from 1780 to 1946. The guided tour ends with a performance on a dance organ. This gives the museum a musical focus that differs from the regional-history themes of the Toggenburg Museum.

The Church of St. Gallus offers its own architectural highlight. It was designed by Swiss architect and sculptor Walter Förderer and inaugurated in 1970. The concrete building is in the Brutalist style and is now considered one of Förderer’s most important works. If you are interested in architecture, you’ll find a clear connection here to a named architect and a specific style.

The Chössi Theatre in Lichtensteig’s railway hall presents music, dance and theatre from the Swiss and international cabaret scene. The venue is wheelchair accessible; assistance is required at two thresholds, and an accessible toilet is available. This information can help you take the venue’s physical conditions into account when planning your theatre visit. Together, Lichtensteig’s cultural offerings span traditional printing crafts and regional history, mechanical music, the performing arts and architecture.

Discover more destinations: Libingen, Kirchberg, Mosnang, Mogelsberg, Brunnadern, Nesslau-Krummenau, Krinau, Ganterschwil.

For the main travel overview: Toggenburg.