Calfeisen
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 Pfäfers
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Location of Pfäfers
 
Pfäfers
Pfäfers (Canton of St. Gallen)
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| Coordinates: 46°59′N 9°30′E / 46.983°N 9.500°ECoordinates: 46°59′N 9°30′E / 46.983°N 9.500°E | ||
| Country | Switzerland | |
| Canton | St. Gallen | |
| District | Wahlkreis Sarganserland | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ferdinand Riederer | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 128.46 km2 (49.60 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 840 m (2,760 ft) | |
| Population (Dec 2016) | ||
| • Total | 1,572 | |
| • Density | 12/km2 (32/sq mi) | |
| Postal code | 7312 | |
| SFOS number | 3294 | |
| Localities | Pfäfers, St. Margrethenberg, Vadura, Valens, Vasön, Vättis | |
| Surrounded by | Bad Ragaz, Felsberg (GR), Flims (GR), Glarus Süd (GL), Haldenstein (GR), Mastrils (GR), Mels, Tamins (GR), Trin (GR), Untervaz (GR) | |
| Website |
www SFSO statistics |
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Pfäfers is a municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The villages Pfäfers, St. Margrethenberg, Vadura, Valens, Vasön and Vättis belong to the municipality.
The Taminatal can look back on a long history of settlement. In the Drachenloch above Vättis stonetools of cavemen and bones of bears, perhaps 50,000 years old, were found. Examples from the find are on display in the local museum in Vättis.
Pfäfers reached importance through the foundation of the Benedictine monastery, Pfäfers Abbey, in the first half of the 8th century. It existed for over a thousand years and was closed in 1838. Since 1847 the abbey premises have been used as a mental institution.
Pfäfers is first mentioned in 762 as abbas de Fabarias. In 1247 it was mentioned as Pheuers and in 1288 as Pfaevaers. In Romansh it is known as Faveras.
In the 14th century Walser settled in the Calfeisental. Until today the colony of St. Martin and the Walserhouse on the alp Ebni can be visited.
Around the year 1240 the thermal spring in the Taminaschlucht ("gorge of the Tamina") was discovered. The sick people who bathed in the curative water were let down the narrow gorge on ropes. In the year 1630 a bath-house was constructed at the mouth of the gorge. The road to Ragaz was built in 1840 and in the following years the cure business was increasingly relocated to there. Today, Bad Pfäfers ("Pfäfers Spa"), the oldest Baroque bath-house in Switzerland, houses a restaurant and a museum.
Two important milestones of the 20th century in economical aspects were the opening of the clinic Valens in 1970 and of the power plants Sarganserland in 1975. The clinic Valens is specialised in rheumatology, neurology and orthopaedy. The power plants Sarganserland run a pumped storage hydro power plant. The storage lake Gigerwald and the compensation reservoir Mapragg with the control centre in Mapragg belong to the power plant. Both companies are important employers for the population of the community.
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Wikipedia