Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Sankt Gallen

The history of the monastery of St. Gallen (St. Gall) is dating back to the year 612, when an Irish monk named Gallus was on a preaching pilgrimage through Europe. He stumbled on a stone and dropped to a knee at the edge of the Steinach River, where he spotted a hungry bear. He gave the bear some of his bread, perhaps a bribe as not to eat him, but purportedly an offering to help him build a shelter. After Gallus' death, the spot grew in importance as a place of worship and a Benedictine monastery was founded in 747 by St Otmar and named after Gallus. The Abbey of St Gallen and its monastery grew in stature and wealth, becoming a religious principality, ruled by Prince-Bishops. The Abbey Cathedral at St Gallen survived both the reformation and French Revolution, but under the influence of Napoleon in 1805, when the Canton of St Gallen was established, both the monastery and its political rule were dissolved. The current cathedral was built between 1755 and 1767 and is one of the last monumental baroque monastic constructions in Europe. A white interior is adorned with malachite green stucco-work, rose marble altars and a gilded altar fence (main picture). The opulently ceiling frescoes (PiP 2) depict biblical characters. The interior is decorated with numerous carvings; among them a wonderful pulpit (PiP 3), several confessionals and eighty four choir seats (PiP 4). Several of the buildings of the former monastery now house municipal offices. The Abbey Cathedral of St Gallen (PiP 1), the abbey library and the surrounding monastery buildings – (the St. Gallen Abbey District) - was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

The Sántis is with a height of 2.502 metres the highest peak in the Alpstein massif in northeastern Switzerland. It is a natural landmark in the region between Lake Walen and Lake Constance. The mountain towers above one of the most beautiful landscapes of Europe and can be seen from miles away. . The name Säntis dates back to the 9th century. It is an abbreviation of the Romansh language for Sambatinus (The one born on Saturday), which was thought to be the name of a nearby area. The name was later used to refer to the summit. In the German language it was originally called Semptis or Sämptis. We were quite lucky with the weather during our visit. We took the aerial cable car at 9.30 am from Schwägalp, right at the foot of the Säntis At the peak we had a breathtaking clear 360-degree view, although it was freezing cold. It is said that one can see six Alpine countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy and France. To be honest I can not tell if I saw all these countries. When back - just more than an hour later - the peak was already surrounded by clouds !! Main picture: Swiss Alps with the Churfirsten in the ‘foreground’. PiP 1: panorama (three pictures stitched together) looking north (Germany and Lake Constance) and northeast (Austria). PiP 2 and 3: freezing and ‘hoarfrosting’ cold.