The best family-friendly hikes and walks in the Thurgau

If you have your swimsuit with you here, you're doing everything right.

Baroque Church of St. John the Baptist & St. John the Evangelist - Fischingen Monastery History and Architecture According to sources from around 1200, Abbot Waltram had the first church and monastery complex built between 1138 and 1144. This Romanesque church was followed by the Gothic church, probably after a monastery fire dated 1440. Before the convent chapter decided to begin construction of a new church in 1685, Abbot Joachim summoned the Einsiedeln architect Brother Kaspar Moosbrugger, whose contribution to the planning, however, is difficult to estimate. The northern nave underwent its first alteration in connection with the Idda Chapel, built from 1704 onwards. The arcades opening onto the chapel were decorated with stucco. The extension of the church to the east and the construction of the cheerful organ choir in 1753 onwards had a more dramatic effect. which forms the transition to the spacious Baroque convent buildings from the same period. Somewhat later, the chancel was remodeled in the emerging style of early classicism. The Fischingen monastery church underwent extensive renovations between 2000 and 2008. The parish could not possibly cover the high costs of this renovation, approximately CHF 8 million, alone. Text / Source: Catholic Parish of St. Idda Fischingen, Kurhausstr. 29a, 8374 Dussnang https://www.kath-fischingen.ch/de/unser-pastoralraum-0/unsere-kirchen/st-johannes-der-taeufer-st-johannes-der-evangelist

Kloster Fischingen / A foray through history In 1138, Bishop Ulrich II of Constance founded a private episcopal monastery in his territory on the upper reaches of the Murg river and settled it with Benedictine monks from the Petershausen monastery in Constance. After an initial period of prosperity, the Fischingen convent numbered barely more than 10 monks until the 17th century. In addition to tending to monastic life, they were responsible for pastoral care in the incorporated parishes of Dussnang (with Au), Bichelsee, Sirnach, and Bettwiesen, as well as in Fischingen. The Reformation led to the extinction of monastic life in Fischingen for several years. Abbot Heinrich Stoll from Zurich converted to the new doctrine in 1526 and married; the remaining four monks soon followed his example. It was the Catholic cantons of the Imperial Diet who brought about the re-establishment of the monastery by postulating P. Markus Schenkli, the vicar of the Abbot of St. Gallen, as the new Abbot of Fischingen in July 1540 at the Diet in Baden. After initial personnel and financial difficulties, the spirit of reform prevailed in Fischingen, and the monastery experienced its long flourishing period throughout the Baroque era with an average of 30 monks. Under the pious Abbot Joachim Seiler of Wil (1672–1688), a prolific spiritual writer and sought-after preacher, monastic spirituality reached such a peak that it was praised in a visitation report with the words "more to be recommended than to be improved". The construction of the new monastery church (1685–1687) also falls within Abbot Joachim's time. Abbot Nikolaus Degen of Lachen (1747–1776) is considered Fischingen's great Baroque building abbot. He extended the church with the Upper Choir in the ornate Rococo style and had the symmetrically designed, beautifully shaped monastery buildings erected to the east and south of the quadrangle. To the west, due to the monastery's high debt burden, the earlier buildings from 1577 and 1635 remained. Abbot Augustin Bloch of Oberbuchsiten (1776–1815) skillfully guided the monastery through the turmoil of the French Revolution and had the Lower Choir of the church remodeled in the early Classical style. Text / Source: Verein Kloster Fischingen, old website https://www.benediktiner-fischingen.ch/unsere-geschichte/

Brauerei Kloster Fischingen AG Enjoy beers in the only Swiss monastery brewery The Brauerei Kloster Fischingen AG is the first and only Swiss monastery brewery. It brews a range of high-quality beers in the Ökonomiegebäude under the PILGRIM brand – a reference to the countless pilgrims who came to Fischingen over the centuries on the Way of St. James. Text / Source: Kloster Fischingen, 8376 Fischingen https://klosterfischingen.ch/

Idda Chapel Mariahalden, Ottenegg It is considered an insider tip among hikers who enjoy quiet paths away from the crowds. It is a place to pause and find peace, a modest pilgrimage site, unobtrusive, unobtrusive, even well-hidden. Sheltered by the large trees of the state forest on the steep slope of Ottenegg, situated on a bubbling spring, is the St. Idda Chapel in Mariahalden/Ottenegg. Its construction was commissioned by the first director of the Fischingen Monastery Association in gratitude for a successful begging tour through Europe. It was consecrated in 1890 in the presence of the Bishop of Basel, Leonhard Haas. The chapel's woodwork was completely replaced in 1982. The chapel underwent a gentle renovation in the summer of 2015, and the roof was renovated, preparing it for the future.

Statues of the Virgin Mary on the Ottenegg and at the Marienbrunnen Fountain The statue of the Virgin Mary on the high column was completely restored in the spring of 2021 by the Fischingen Monastery Association. The statue, erected in 1887, likely dates back to a movement that wasn't entirely confident about the emerging democratic state, which had forced the dissolution of the monastery in 1848. The aim was to counteract the suppression of religious influence from people's everyday lives with strong religious symbols in prominent locations. The Marian apparitions of 1858 in Lourdes were ideal for this purpose. With their eyes on Lourdes, Thurgau Catholics felt connected to an international religious movement beyond their narrow borders. This strengthened their inner self-confidence. Mary protects the land and its people high above Thurgau and reminds us that there is a higher power above the state. She is a guardian and a warning voice. Both the Idda Chapel and the statue of Mary on Ottenegg stand on the land of the canton of Thurgau, which has granted the Fischingen Monastery Association a perpetual building permit. The renovation is thanks to various generous donations. However, CHF 1,300 is still needed. Perhaps a generous donation can be found for this as well. The statue of Mary on the fountain column in front of the monastery was also renovated. We can see this as an expression of gratitude that the founding of the St. Iddazell Association preserved the monastery for Catholics. At the same time, it also expresses trust that Mary will protect and promote the work that has been begun. Text / Source: Catholic Parish of St. Idda Fischingen, Kurhausstr. 29a, 8374 Dussnang https://www.kath-fischingen.ch/en/node/35318

Groot - Highest Point in the Canton of Thurgau With the Groot (991.1 m), we head to the highest elevation in the Canton of Thurgau: literally "the Top of Mostindien." Interestingly, about 10 m further on lies the so-called ridge, which is also the highest point of the elevation. It rises 5 m higher than the Groot and is located entirely in Mosnang, or rather, in the Canton of St. Gallen. On this tour, we explore the idyllic Tössberg region.

Groot - Highest Point in the Canton of Thurgau With the Groot (991.1 m), we head to the highest elevation in the Canton of Thurgau: literally "the Top of Mostindien." Interestingly, about 10 m further on lies the so-called ridge, which is also the highest point of the elevation. It rises 5 m higher than the Groot and is located entirely in Mosnang, or rather, in the Canton of St. Gallen. On this tour, we explore the idyllic Tössberg region.