Gais () is a village and a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. The area of Gais is .
In 1977, the village Gais received the Wakker Prize for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage. The village square, the Protestant church of 1782, the former spa hotel Neuer Ochsen of 1796 and the Krone inn of 1781 are listed as heritage sites of national significance.
History
thumb|Aerial view from 300 m by [[Walter Mittelholzer (1923)]]
The village of de Geis is first mentioned in a list of offerings given to the Abbey of St Gall in 1272. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at an annual rate of 1.5%. Most of the population () speaks German (93.7%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common (1.6%) and Italian being third (0.9%).
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.
In the 2007 federal election the FDP received 73.5% of the vote.
Notable residents
- Albert Keller, painter born in Gais 27 April 1844.
Transport
Gais railway station is the main railway station in the municipality. It is a junction station between the Appenzell–St. Gallen–Trogen and Altstätten–Gais railway lines. There are six other stations within the municipality: , , Schachen, , and . The railway stations are all served by light-rail trains of Appenzell Railways, which operate as services S20, S21 and S24 of St. Gallen S-Bahn.
Sights
thumb|Wooden houses along the town square (), showing the curved [[gables]]
The village is home to several Swiss heritage sites of national significance including the village square, the Protestant church of 1782, the former spa hotel Neuer Ochsen of 1796 and the Krone inn of 1781.
The old village, lined with traditional wooden houses with curved gables, was rebuilt following a fire in 1780 and has remained mostly unchanged since then. The houses along the town square () and on Webergasse are the center of the old village.
The Protestant Church was built in 1781–82 by Hans Ulrich Haltiner. The interior is decorated in a Rococo style. The interior work was done in 1782, from the shop of Andreas and Peter Anton Mosbrugger.
thumb|Interior of the [[Swiss Reformed Church|Reformed Church in Gais]]