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Chur is celebrated as the oldest continuously inhabited city north of the Alps, its history goes back to settlements 5,000 years ago. The capital of Grison has a picturesque old town which is dominated by a huge cathedral. At the northern end of Poststrasse lies the busy Postplatz overlooked by a large villa housing the Graubünden Muesum of Fine Arts, with works by, among others, Segantini, Giacometti and Kirchner (open Tue – Sun 10 am – 5 pm). In Chur you should not miss the famous Giger Bar (at Kalchbühl Center, Commercialstrasse 23). This unique bar, designed by the fantasy artist and Oscar award-winner H.R. Giger, is really worth a visit! (Open Mon – Thu 8 am – 8 pm, Fri & Sat 8 am – midnight).
But Chur is not only the gateway to the Grison holiday regions, it is also the junction of such world-famous railway lines as the Bernina Express from Chur via St.Moritz to Tirano (Italy) or the Glacier Express to Zermatt and to St.Moritz.
Another highlight lies only 12 train-minutes from Chur. Maienfeld, where you can visit the legendary Heidi-Village. One of the old wooden chalets here has been seized upon as being “the original Heidi house” and shows how Heidi would have lived a hundred years ago.
How to get there: From Zurich there are 2 direct trains per hour (takes 1 hour 15 minutes).
Tourist offices: at Bahnhofplatz 3 (081 252 18 18) www.churtourismus.ch
Budget accommodation: JBN-Backpacker (opening May 15th 2006,), Welschdörfli 19, Chur (081 284 10 10)
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