The Renaissance castle at the foot of the Calanda is the highlight of Haldenstein. When the roses flower in the spring, the castle garden is a visual and olfactory feast.
Haldenstein Castle was built in the 16th century and is included in Switzerland's inventory of art and cultural-historical protected items. The public castle gardens are one of the most beautiful attractions in the Chur region. Each year, these park-like gardens, surrounded by an impressive wall crowned with battlements, and the beauty of the blooms, bring joy to the hearts of the many visitors.

The sparse ruins of Wackenau castle lie about 3 kilometres north-west of the village on a promontory above the Rhine. The ruin lies within 20 minutes walking distance from a car park west of Bonaduz. Just above the caste hill you can get a great view of Ruinaulta canyon from the panorama platform named after the castle. 

The St. Luzi chapel is situated at an altitude of about 900 metres, about 45 minutes on foot from the old town of Chur on a hiking trail in the direction of Mittenberg. It is located within a rock grotto and forms a picturesque but also wild place of peace and reflection. It is under the patronage of Luzius of Chur and is owned by the St. Luzi Seminary of the Chur Theological University.

Hikers can climb up to Mittenberg, to the village of Maladers or further up to Fürhörnli or even Montalin. Experienced bikers appreciate the technical descent from the Mittenberg via St. Luzikapelle into the valley.

St. Martin's Church was originally a Romanesque church built in the 8th century and conse-crated in 769 AD. It was named after St. Martin, Bishop of Tours. The church was largely destroyed during the great fire of 1464. It was rebuilt in late Gothic style and reused parts of its Carolingian predecessor. Construction was completed in 1491 and it is the largest late-Gothic building in Graubünden. This church in the Old Town was a centre and base for the Reformation in Chur from 1523. Since 1919, the three glass windows by artist Augusto Giacometti have been a special feature of this church. They depict the Christmas story.

The new pedestrian connection in Chur not only bridges the difference in height between the Plessur and Halde school grounds, but turns it into an eventful path with a rapid succession of views of the cathedral, the old town, the mountains, and the Plessur and Rhine Valleys.
Although the connection leads under a road, it runs above ground as much as possible, closely following the slope of the topography and thus giving you the feeling of being «in the countryside». Most of the structure touches the rock, is carved out of the rock, or lies snug against the rock. The roof over this massive base is made of weather-proof steel.

 Spacious playground with fireplace, table and benches. 

Directions:

City bus line 1 to Domat/Ems, get off at stop Plarenga. Walk back to the roundabout and turn south towards the forest (5 minutes).

Directions by bicycle: From Chur via Rossboden - cross Rhine bridge towards Felsberg - back across the Rhine and the motorway, turn right straight after the bridge. Follow the dirt road to Domat/Ems. Turn left as you get to the village.

Directions by car: On the main road from Chur to Domat/Ems - turn left at the first roundabout in the village. Parking available.

Felsberg is barely touched by tourism, if at all. But it is a first-choice address for tours. From Chur, the route along Calanda mountain is a gateway from every cycling or inline-skating tour worth its name. There is an almost endless choice of routes for runners. Once you have made your way up to Alp Felsberg, you can call yourself a distinguished mountain biker. Wait for your heart rate to drop to a regular level and then lift your gaze across Chur and the Rhine and Schanfigg valleys. Test your endurance and continue the ascent up to Goldgruben.

But you can also take it easy. The hiking route along the Rhine joins with mountain hiking trails leading up through forests and meadows. The panorama trail across the military training area Rossboden is a great route for hikers and bikers alike. It is open on weekends for civilians en route to Haldenstein.

History

This area has been settles as early as the Neolithic era - proof for the fact that life has always been good here. The findings suggest that the area between the river Rhine and Calanda mountain was settled as far back as 2000 BCE. Perhaps even earlier than that, as some individual artefacts date back as far as the 7th century BCE.

Other than its neighbouring villages Domat/Ems and Chur, the community of Felsberg switched from Romansh to German fairly soon. The settlement that is mentioned in Romansh as "Villa Fagonio" in documents from the year 840 resurfaces in a document from 1290 under the German name "Veltsperch".

The village was first under rule of the Lords of Frauenberg who owned a castle in Felsberg. Unfortunately, nothing remains of it today. What was left of its walls was used in construction of bank reinforcements along the Rhine and a school.  From 1368, Felsberg became part of the Rhäzüns dominion. But other than most other parts of the dominion, Felsberg, along with Chur, adopted the Reformation in 1535 and became protestant. Its church is first mentioned in a document from 1305, but the current building was built in the early 16th century in late Gothic style.

Calanda

Calanda mountain has long kept the villagers of Felsberg on their toes with reoccurring rock falls that threatened to demolish the village. After a particularly devastating series of rock falls between 1832 and 1850, almost the entire village needed to be rebuilt some distance further east.

But Calanda mountain also brought treasures in the form of gold.  The local wines "Glockengiesser" and "Goldene Sonne" bear the memory of the 19th century in their names, when gold was extracted from mines that are visible to this day. You can have a look at their yield in the Rhaetian Museum in Chur, where the "Bündner Dublonen" are exhibited, Swiss Franc coins minted in 1813 from Felsberg gold. Due to a lack of sufficient yield, the mines eventually had to be closed around 1900.

Bell foundry

From 1817 to 1910, there was a bell foundry in Felsberg which produced more than 220 bells, among them the bell of the church St. Martin in Chur. There is also an organ manufactory in Felsberg that has been operating since 1898. Felsberg today has a population of some 2000, about 70% of which are employed elsewhere in places like Ems Chemie or in Chur.

Famous politicians

Felsberg is proud to have produced two important politicians, both stemming from the same family: Leon Schlumpf was born in 1925 and was member of the Federal Council from 1979 to 1987, and his daughter Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, born 1956, who was herself a Federal Council from 2007 until 2015.

The little field chapel Sogn Mang was built on a hill near Bonaduz and restored in 1993. It is dedicated to Saint Magnus (Sogn Mang in Romansh). Its unique location on a wide-open field under two mighty poplar trees gives it a wonderful aura of peace and strength.

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Bonaduz' leisure offerings are varied and appeal to big and small, families, locals and visitors alike. Well maintained hiking and cycling trails take you into the charming surroundings - whether that's up on the mountains or down into the fascinating Rhine gorge, from Bonaduz the spellbinding nature of Graubünden is only a stone's throw away.

In Bonaduz proper, there are several fun things to do, like a minigolf course, football pitches, tennis courts, cross-country ski trails and woodchip running trails. The golf course Domat/Ems and the fashionable ski resort Laax are close by, too.

History

Archaeological finds from the late La Tène era (5th - 1st century BCE) and an early medieval burial site with more than 700 graves in Valbeuna are evidence for the fact that this has been settled for a long time. The Wackenau castle ruin lies high above the Rhine, not far from the village. It was probably constructed to secure a nearby river crossing. Bonaduz was part of the Rhäzüns dominion and came into possession of Maximilian I of Austria and Habsburg  in 1497. During the reformation, Bonaduz remained Catholic and formed a clerical, political and economic entity with neighbouring Rhäzüns in 1529.  The church was not separated until 1667.

In the middle of the 16th century, Bonaduz purchased Alp Ramuz on the far side of the Kunkels pass. Livestock and grain farming were the cornerstones of the community for most of its existence. Today, many inhabitants of Bonaduz are employed at Ems-Chemie in Domat/Ems, others  commute to Chur.

Bonaduz was originally part of the Romansh language area. In 1860, nearly 70% of the population were still Romansh-speaking. But during the years of reconstruction following a great fire in 1908, more and more German speakers moved into the area, and they made up 80% of the population in 1990 while Romansh speakers had dwindled to only 6%.

Church S. Gieri/St. George

Church S. Gieri/St. George between Bonaduz and Rhäzüns used to be the main church of the Rhäzüns dominion and has exceptional cultural value today. According to excavations the first church at this site dates back to the 6th or 7th century. Around the middle of the 14th century a new choir was built and soon after the interior was lavishly decorated with magnificent paintings. Patrons were the barons of Rhäzüns. The frescoes in the choir from the early 14th century, the choir wall (showing the legend og St. George),  the impressive dragon fight and a donor portrait along the northern wall are by the famous "Master of Waltensburg". The scenes from the Old and New Testaments as well as the hagiographies in the rest of the nave were added in the second half of the 14th century by the "Master of Rhäzüns" in fresco secco style.

Rhine gorge

Close to Bonaduz lies the fascinating Rhine gorge Ruinaulta. It is one of the greatest and most diverse landscapes of the Alps. A wild gorge with a raging river, white cliffs and vast forests. Quiet lakes are filled as if by magic and rare birds breed in the forests along the river. You can even find orchids in the little garden of Eden.

You can explore Ruinalta perfectly well on your own. In the forests and along the Rhine you will find a dense network of hiking trails, various cycling routes and beautiful rest areas. There are three train stations of the Rhaetian Railway (Trin, Versam-Safien and Valendas-Sagogn) at either end and in the middle of the gorge.

If you want to get to know the Rhine gorge from up close, you can even take to the water. Ruinalta is one of Europe's most exciting waterbodies for canoeing, kayaking and river rafting.

Nature reserve Weihermühle

Its own little oasis, the mill of Weihermühle is powered by spring water. The abundance of water and constant care have created a true gem of nature all around the mill. The shallow moor of Weihermühle is classified as being of national importance. It is home to a number of rare species like the dormouse, numerous orchids and sundew, a local carnivorous plant. It's thanks to the efforts of Natura Graubünden and the former Natural Protection Society Graubünden that Weihermühle has been listed as a natural reserve since 1967. The first plots of land were purchased by the Natural Protection Society even in 1961. Today, the plot is in possession of Pro Natura, having grown to a size of nearly 9 acres.