Heiden combines a distinctive townscape with museums, striking buildings and hiking trails whose distances and elevation gains can be compared in concrete terms. The village centre tells the story of a rebuilding after the fire of 1838; the church and swimming pool reveal further chapters in the town’s history. You can therefore choose different focuses for your stay: explore the town, learn about its history or plan a hike.
A village centre shaped by two stories of rebuilding
The Biedermeier-classical village centre was rebuilt in 1839/40 after a major fire in 1838 destroyed most of the town. At the church square, a unified ensemble forms the junction of long, straight streets. The town layout and architecture thus sit closely side by side: the square is not just a single building, but part of the rebuilt centre.
The Protestant church also has its own story of rebuilding. After the fire on 14 August 1936, it was rebuilt by 23 January 1938; its classical exterior appearance was largely preserved. The publicly accessible tower offers panoramic views across the Lake Constance region and part of the Appenzell Vorderland. Check the access arrangements before your visit. The tower is also home to the large Chügelibahn marble run, built together with school classes from Heiden and available to play with during the usual tower opening hours in the summer season.
Museums and guided tours in Heiden
The Henry Dunant Museum is located in the building where Henry Dunant lived as a reclusive pensioner until his death on 30 October 1910. In front of the museum floats the Peace Bell of Nagasaki, an installation by St. Gallen artist Lucie Schenker. The museum has German exhibition texts, audio versions in German, French and English, as well as an easy-to-use audio guide available to borrow. The exhibition is on the ground floor and is accessible without stairs. Guided tours and workshops are offered for associations, companies and families; tours are available in German, French and English.
The Museum Heiden offers another perspective: it presents the town’s history, a natural history cabinet, and exhibits on colonial and museum history. The museum offers tours for school classes, groups and interested visitors, and serves as the meeting point for an architecture-focused guided tour of the town. The village tour covers the origins of the Biedermeier village, the village fire, its history as a health resort and personalities connected with the region; it ends with a small tasting. If you plan to include a guided tour in your trip, check dates and availability in advance.
The swimming pool as an architectural landmark and place to swim
Heiden swimming pool opened in July 1932. Its functional forms exemplify the architecture of the New Building movement. The pool is also a listed monument and is included in the Inventory of Cultural Property of National Importance as Category A, Type E. Facilities include a homologated 50-metre sports pool with solar-heated water, a diving pool with boards at 1, 3 and 5 metres, a non-swimmers’ pool measuring 18 × 15 metres, and a children’s paddling pool with a slide and play stream. If you plan to visit the pool, check its seasonal opening in advance.
Compare hiking trails by time and elevation gain
The Witzweg is an easy, signposted one-way route from Heiden to Walzenhausen. It is 8 km long, climbs 260 metres and takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes. Around 40 joke signs invite you to smile and linger; along the way, there are panoramic views across Lake Constance towards southern Germany, the Rhine Delta and Bregenz Bay.
The Kulturspur route from Heiden to Walzenhausen also starts in Heiden and covers 11 km; it takes about 2 hours and 55 minutes, with an ascent of 340 metres. Compared with the Witzweg, that is 3 km longer, around 45 minutes more, and 80 metres more ascent. These figures help you compare the two routes by time and elevation gain without assuming that other, unspecified trail features are the same. The Gesundheitsweg starts in the village square of the Biedermeier village of Heiden and is 21.1 km long. Check the information for the relevant trail before setting out for current trail conditions.
Discover more destinations: Rehetobel, Wald, Walzenhausen, Wolfhalden, Reute, Grub
For the main travel overview: Vorderland.
