The Arcadian Appenzeller Landscape

22 August 2023

The Doctor and scholar Lauzenz Zellweger (1692-1764) discovered the healing effects of hiking on the Gäbris mountain near Trogen (Appenzeller Ausserrhoden) at a time when hiking was not appropriate for gentlemen (and ladies).

He founded a society in Trogen after he studied medicine in Leiden. He combined the healthy effects of hiking and medicine and “climbed to the Gaberius Höhe every morning to drink milk for their health”.

In the 19th century, other writers also referred to these motifs. They are an established canon nowadays and define the image of the landscape, the villages and the people of Appenzell.

Hiking became a national Swiss sport, more popular than skiing. Even in the 21st century, a walk in the Arcadian landscape of Appenzell promises a healing effect.

(Source: www.jahrhundertderzellweger.ch)