Disentis

According to the 12th-century Passio Placidi, the Frankish monk Sigisbert, inspired by the ideals of Saint Columban and the monastery of Luxeuil, established a hermit's cell in the wilderness of Desertina (present-day Disentis). Placidus, a local Rhaetian nobleman, donated land to support the settlement. Victor, the praeses (governor) of Chur, saw this land transfer as a threat to the political autonomy of Churraetien and had Placidus beheaded. The Passio presents Bishop Tello of Chur as the son of Victor, and the later grants to the monastery as a guilt offering. Placidus was recognized as a martyr, Sigisbert as a confessor; their feast day is July 11. Modern research dates the monastery's founding to approximately 720.

Placidus a Spescha (born Julius Baptist Spescha, 8 December 1752 in Trun, died 14 August 1833) was a Benedictine monk at Disentis and one of the earliest Alpine explorers. He entered the monastery in 1774 and became a passionate naturalist and alpinist who explored, mapped, and described the mountain world around the upper Rhine valley. His first ascents include Stockgron (3,418 m) in 1788, Rheinwaldhorn (3,402 m) in 1789, Oberalpstock (3,328 m) in 1792, and Piz Urlaun (3,359 m) in 1793. His Enlightenment ideals brought him into conflict with his monastic superiors, who felt he neglected priestly duties for science. In 1799, when the French burned the monastery, his entire life's collection was destroyed. In 1824, at age 71, chamois hunters he had sent reached the summit of the Toedi (3,614 m), a peak he had long attempted.

The Anterior Rhine begins near the Oberalp Pass at Lai da Tuma (Tomasee, 2,345 m), a small mountain lake recognized as the official source of the Rhine. In Romansh it is called Tgina dil Rein (Cradle of the Rhine). From this lake the river travels 1,230 kilometers to the North Sea. Disentis/Muster lies in the upper valley of the Anterior Rhine at approximately 1,130 meters, in the Surselva Region of the canton of Graubunden. The official name combines the German Disentis (from Latin Desertina, the hermitage) and the Romansh Muster (from Latin monasterium, the monastery).

On 5 May 1799, during the War of the Second Coalition, French forces under General Philippe Romain Menard arrived in Disentis and overwhelmed the local militia; 638 militiamen were killed in battle. The French plundered and burned the village and the monastery. When soldiers discovered bloodied uniforms of French prisoners killed by locals hidden inside the abbey, they turned on the villagers -- 22 civilians were killed in reprisal. The fire destroyed irreplaceable treasures: manuscripts, archives, and a 7th-century chronicle were lost forever. The monk Placidus a Spescha lost his entire scientific collection -- maps, mineral specimens, botanical collections, and original manuscripts accumulated over decades. The monks fled and did not return until 1804.

The Glacier Express -- the famous 'slowest express train in the world' -- first ran on 30 June 1930 from Zermatt to St. Moritz, operated jointly by three railway companies. The route passes through Disentis, where passengers transfer between the MGB and RhB railway networks. The train climbs from Disentis to its highest point at the Oberalp Pass (2,033 m rail elevation), then descends to Andermatt. The Furka-Oberalp Railway opened regular service between Brig and Disentis on 4 July 1926. Near the Oberalp summit lies Lai da Tuma (Tomasee), the source of the Rhine. The Lukmanier Pass (1,915 m) was considered the most important north-south axis to Italy during the Hohenstaufen era; Emperor Otto I and Frederick Barbarossa traversed it. Charlemagne visited the rebuilt abbey on his return from Rome in 800.

Romansh descends from the Vulgar Latin spoken by Roman soldiers and colonists after the conquest of Rhaetia in 15 BC. It is one of Switzerland's four national languages, recognized as such in 1938 (approved by 91.6% of voters) and given official language status in 1996. Today approximately 60,000 people speak Romansh -- just 0.5% of the Swiss population. Five main dialect groups exist: Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, and Vallader. Sursilvan is the most widely spoken, with 17,897 speakers in the Surselva district. Disentis is one of the most important centers of the Sursilvan dialect; in the 17th century, the monastery devoted itself to spreading Romansh spiritual literature through its printing press. The monastery houses a comprehensive Romansh library.

Charlemagne visited the rebuilt abbey of Disentis on his return journey from Rome in 800 and made many benefactions to it. The abbey became a Reichskloster (imperial abbey, directly answerable to the Emperor) from very early in its existence. The Lukmanier Pass (1,915 m), one of the most accessible transalpine routes, was the northern approach controlled by the monastery. During the Hohenstaufen era (12th-13th centuries), the Lukmanier was considered the most important north-south axis to Italy. Emperor Otto I traversed the pass in the 10th century; Frederick Barbarossa favored it for his military campaigns. In 1374, the abbey built a refuge and chapel at the summit to aid travelers. Disentis sits at the crossroads of the Lukmanier and Oberalp passes. 75.3% of the population speaks Romansh as their habitual language.

The Ruinaulta (Rhine Gorge) downstream from Disentis between Ilanz and Reichenau is a dramatic canyon some 14 kilometers long and up to 400 meters deep. It was formed by the prehistoric Flims rockslide approximately 10,000 years ago, when 10 billion cubic meters of rock thundered into the valley. The name Ruinaulta is Romansh, meaning 'high heap of rubble.' The gorge lies within the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2008. In autumn, villages across the Surselva celebrate the Alpabzug -- the traditional descent of cattle from summer Alpine pastures back to the valley, accompanied by crafts markets, regional food stalls, and music. The local culinary specialty is Capuns Sursilvans -- parcels of dough wrapped in Swiss chard leaves, filled with dried meat, sausage, and herbs, then baked in cream.