Vilters - Wildboden - Valens - Bad Ragaz

We leave Vilters, documented already in the 9th century as «Filtris» towards Crestis, then follows a gentle ascent to Sonnenberg and to Höfen with a unique view: In front of us lies the Rhine Valley, Liechtenstein with the jagged Drei Schwestern and the dominant Falknis, above Lake Walen the Chufirsten greet us, and before us the Gonzen, in whose interior iron ore was mined for centuries.
Over Targön we hike upwards to Herrenboden and to Faller, then continue over Stein to Wildboden. High above the Tamina the path leads on the left valley side via Balen to Valens, formerly the only accessible route to the thermal baths in the Tamina Gorge. In 1755 the church, 32 houses and 27 barns burned down. Today the buildings of the Rheumatism and Rehabilitation Center dominate the village scene, after since 1970 the thermal water from the Tamina Gorge has been pumped up. We descend on the steep path into the gorge to the «Old Baths Pfäfers» built 300 years ago, where for centuries bathing cures were offered. In the still partially preserved baroque building are a restaurant, exhibition rooms and a Paracelsus memorial (open from early May to mid-October). On the road allowed only for horse carriages and the spa bus, we walk back to Bad Ragaz.