Appenzell Things to Do

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The former castle of Appenzell is privately owned nowadays and so there is no way to see its interior, but it looks interesting and quite impressive also from outside.
Appenzell is the name of the "capital" of the Kanton Appenzell Innerrhoden, so when you hear Appenzell it could be the Kanton as well as this small town.

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The typical houses of the Appenzeller Land will have great decorations on the facades that reminded me a lot of the gingerbread-houses of fairietales. It is enough to calculate about 1-2 hours for a visit of the town of Appenzell. There are big parking-areas in the outskirts of the town, within a walkingtime of just about 5 minutes to the centre of town.

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Take a look at these lovely houses with wonderfull decorations, they are typical for the so-called "Appenzeller Land" and you will hardly find them anywhere else in Switzerland or in the rest of Europe.

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The road from Mt Saentis, wanders around among some beautiful green rolling hills, it seems to pause as it approaches Uernash and lets you see an almost idyllic village, with several hotels located at a wider place in the small village. Just enough room to park a few cars, for those who desire a refreshment and for those who look for the best photo opportunity.

It takes no more than 5 minutes to check out the best photos places, not enough time to get a parking ticket.

Tthe 3 photos show some of the traditional beauty that is offered by the village businesses.

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The Hauptgasse meanders as it heads a little southwards, it jogs as other lanes and streets join or leave.

At each turn there is a new facade to see, you need to step back to get a good view and look up mostly to see the paintings and the signs on the side of the houses. Those signs depict something about the business that is carried on there now or used to be in the recent past.

As you browse thru the rest of the photos, you will see the band that was playing so energetically for the visitors, in a small road junction along the way. In fact the player of the cymbals, was so enthusiastic his hat fell of and had to be returned to him after the rousing piece of music.

The overhead signs attached to the houses, suggest that the Golden Lion is the firts one, maybe a Hotel of that name? The other sign is at te Tourist Office and may suggest the traveller or tourist, visiting the town.

The last photo is the gnomes, yes again, I found that collectively they looked so fresh and impressive, that they deserved a second viewing. Hope you pick out one you like.

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It was late afternoon when we reached Appenzell and there was time to walk around the main Square, wow except it took us few minutes to find a parking place. The town was so busy with tourists, maybe residents also, since the day was perfect to be outside.

First stop the Landgemeinde, the main square, where the voting used to take place outside where all citizens could vote. Note, Women only got the vote in 1990. A statue depicts the voting process, not the voting for women item.

Then continue to walk to the south east corner of the square, where the narrow street, the Hauptgasse, the High Street or I believe more accurately the Main lane, stretches for a kilometre or so. Strains of a band can be heard, in that in homour of our arrival or more likely away of adding to the conviviality of the occasion.

Appenzell's main church is a nice place to visit. It blends in well with the town, and is somewhat unassuming on the outside. The interior is very richly decorated. When I went in, several potted trees had been placed near the front. The grounds are nice and well kept, and are worthy of some exploration.

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Here you see some more of the lovely houses in the centre of the village of Appenzell. Each and every house looks different, decorated with unique ornaments and patters.