Einsiedeln
People have been making pilgrimages to Einsiedeln since the tenth century. The Benedictine abbey, founded in 934, with its mighty baroque façade is the religious and cultural centre of central Switzerland, and the square in front of it is one of the most impressive in the country.
Einsiedeln Abbey
The abbey church is among the most important baroque buildings in Europe. In the Chapel of Grace stands the fifteenth-century Black Madonna, the goal of countless pilgrims. Also worth seeing are the abbey library with around 230,000 printed volumes, the stables built in 1765 with the oldest still-existing stud in Europe, and the abbey shop with its own produce.
More sights
- Lake Sihl: Switzerland's largest reservoir by area lies right in front of the village, for swimming, cycling and walking.
- Bethlehem Diorama: the largest nativity scene in the world, with 450 figures, opened in 1954.
- Ski jumps: the training centre of the Swiss ski jumpers, with a view over the village and the abbey.
- Einsiedeln gingerbread and «Schafböcke»: the sweet specialities are sold in the bakeries on the abbey square.
From hermit to abbey
It began with a single man. In the ninth century the monk Meinrad withdrew into what was then the impassable Dark Forest and lived there as a hermit until he was murdered in 861. His cell became a place of pilgrimage, and from the settlement of hermits that grew up around it the Benedictine abbey was founded in 934. The town's name, «Einsiedeln», means «hermitage» and still recalls that beginning.
The Chapel of Grace in the middle of the abbey church stands on the spot regarded as Meinrad's cell. Legends surround it, above all that of the «Engelweihe», according to which the chapel was consecrated by angels themselves. Pilgrimage and legend have made Einsiedeln the most important pilgrim destination in Switzerland, and the town still lies on the great pilgrim routes towards Santiago de Compostela.
The abbey church and the square before it
The present buildings are baroque, dating from the eighteenth century and designed by Caspar Moosbrugger, a master builder from the abbey's own ranks. Step through the portal and you stand in a space full of stucco, frescoes and gold that impresses visitors with or without a religious connection. Entry to the church is free.
In front of the façade opens the broad abbey square with its fountain in the middle, framed by arcades. It serves as a stage for processions, concerts and the great open-air performances staged every few years against the backdrop of the abbey. The abbey also owns the library and the stud, whose horse breeding goes back to the Middle Ages.
Tip: The Einsiedeln Christmas market in front of the abbey is among the most atmospheric in Switzerland.
Getting there
By S-Bahn from Zurich direct to Einsiedeln in around fifty minutes. By car via Biberbrugg or Sattel.
From the station it is about a ten-minute walk to the abbey square, along the main street with its bakeries and shops selling devotional items. There is parking on the edge of the village; on pilgrimage days and in Advent the centre gets crowded, which makes arriving by train particularly worthwhile.
Public transport: S-Bahn from Zurich or train from Arth-Goldau via Biberbrugg to Einsiedeln; the abbey is a ten-minute walk from the station.
