thumb|upright|Middle and upper Toggenburg as seen from [[Iberg Castle, St. Gallen|Iberg Castle, Wattwil]]

Toggenburg () is a region of Switzerland. It corresponds to the upper valley of the River Thur and that of the Necker, one of its affluents. Since 1 January 2003, Toggenburg has been a constituency (Wahlkreis) of the canton of St. Gallen (SFOS number 1727).

Geography and tourism

thumb|upright|[[Streusiedlung at the eastern end of the Toggenburg]]

thumb|upright|The [[Churfirsten (view from Alpstein with Toggenburg below)]]

Located in the Appenzell Alps, the valley descends in a northwestern direction from the watershed between the Rhine and the Thur. The upper valley is enclosed on the northeast by the chain of the Säntis (, Alpstein massif) and on the southwest by that of the Churfirsten ("seven peaks", the highest peak is the Hinterrugg at ) and the Speer (). To the west, the valley is delimited by a mountain range that includes the Tanzboden () and Tweralpspitz (), separated by the Ricken Pass to the See-Gaster district of St. Gallen. Toggenburg is a fertile valley of about in length from the source of the river to Wil (Fürstenland district). There are also many hiking paths with scenic views. Main sights include the Thur waterfalls, Schwendisee, canopy walkway in Mogelsberg, historic buildings, caves and several mountain peaks, some of which are accessible by cable car (e.g. the Chäserrugg at ).

At Wildhaus, the highest village in the valley (), the house wherein Huldrych Zwingli, the Swiss Reformer, was born in 1484, is still shown.

The name of the region is derived from that of the House of Toggenburg (named for their castle near Kirchberg) who ruled over parts of the Toggenburg region since the 12th century, in the 13th century taking the title of counts () and extending their domain to include all of the upper Thur valley. The extinction of the main line of the counts of Toggenburg (1436) Of the Swiss national languages (), 41,718 speak German, 107 people speak French, 673 people speak Italian, and 47 people speak Romansh.

there were 4,967 persons (or 10.8% of the population) who were living alone in a private dwelling. There were 8,910 (or 19.4%) persons who were part of a couple (married or otherwise committed) without children, and 27,097 (or 59.0%) who were part of a couple with children. There were 2,202 (or 4.8%) people who lived in single parent home, while there are 318 persons who were adult children living with one or both parents, 165 persons who lived in a household made up of relatives, 198 people who lived in a household made up of unrelated persons, and 2,050 who are either institutionalized or lived in another type of collective housing.

From the , 21,238 or 46.3% are Roman Catholic, while 15,930 or 34.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there are 29 individuals (or about 0.06% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic denomination, there are 939 individuals (or about 2.05% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 1,033 individuals (or about 2.25% of the population) who belong to another denomination. There are 11 individuals (or about 0.02% of the population) who are Jewish, and 2,889 (or about 6.29% of the population) who are Muslim. There are 245 individuals (or about 0.53% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 2,183 (or about 4.76% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 1,410 individuals (or about 3.07% of the population) did not answer the question.

  • On 1 January 2023 the former municipalities of Hemberg and Oberhelfenschwil merged to form the new municipality of Neckertal.

Transportation

thumb|upright|S4 service between Mogelsberg and

The Toggenburg is traversed by the southern section of the Bodensee–Toggenburg railway line between and , while the Wil–Ebnat-Kappel railway line runs through the lower part of the valley between and . In addition, the Uznach–Wattwil railway line links with the Linth Plain via the Ricken Tunnel. Wattwil station is the major hub for train and bus services in the Toggenburg.

The lines are operated by regional trains of St. Gallen S-Bahn. The and operate on the Bodensee–Toggenburg railway, with the latter diverting from it at Wattwil and continuing to /. The links Wattwil with the lower part of the valley and (connection with long-distance trains to , and ).

Additionally, the InterRegio Voralpen-Express provides long-distance services, from Wattwil to and to and , bypassing Zürich.

The BLWE provides bus services between Lichtensteig, Wattwil and Ebnat-Kappel. PostBus Switzerland () provides bus services in the upper part of the valley (e.g. to Unterwasser or Wildhaus) between Wattwil and . From Unterwasser, the Iltiosbahn, a funicular, takes passengers to Iltios, from where an aerial tram continues to Chäserrugg (Churfirsten). Nesslau-Neu St. Johann railway station is linked by a PostAuto bus route with Schwägalp Pass, where the valley station of an aerial tram to Säntis is located.

See also

  • Municipalities of the canton of St. Gallen
  • Swiss Prealps

References

  • Tourist information