Pontresina

The Morteratsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Bernina Range. In 1860 it reached what is now the railway station; since then it has retreated over 3 kilometres. The Morteratsch Glacier Trail follows the 3 km path from the station to the current snout, with 16 information stops showing where the ice stood in different years. Systematic measurements since 1878 show an average retreat of 17.2 metres per year, accelerating to 30-50 metres recently. Climate models project 80-90% volume loss by 2100.

On 13 September 1850, topographer Johann Wilhelm Coaz (age 28) and assistants Jon and Lorenz Ragut Tscharner made the first ascent of Piz Bernina (4,049 m) — the only four-thousander in the Eastern Alps. They departed the Bernina Inn at 6 a.m. with surveying instruments and reached the summit around 6 p.m. The legendary Biancograt ('White Ridge'), nicknamed the 'Himmelsleiter' (Ladder to Heaven), was first climbed in 1878 by Paul Güssfeldt.

The Alpine ibex was hunted to near-extinction; by the early 19th century only about 100 survived in the Gran Paradiso region of Italy. The first successful reintroduction to Switzerland took place in the 1920s on Piz Albris (3,166 m) above Pontresina. The colony has grown to approximately 1,700-1,800 animals — one of the largest in the Alps. Each spring, ibex migrate down near the village. Pontresina is known as the 'Steinbock-Paradies' with an Ibex Promenade, Ibex Gallery, and children's Ibex Playground.

The Diavolezza (2,958 m) means 'she-devil' in Romansh/Italian. According to Engadin legend, a beautiful mountain fairy named Diavolezza enchanted young men, luring them to their deaths in the glacier. A youth named Aratsch disappeared into the icefalls of the Pers Glacier. A cable car was first built in 1956; by 1980 a 125-person cable car was installed. The Diavolezza offers one of the most spectacular panoramas in the Alps: Piz Bernina, Piz Palü, and the Pers and Morteratsch glaciers spread out below.

Giovanni Segantini (1858-1899) moved to the Engadin in 1894. Commissioned to create a vast panoramic painting for the 1900 Paris World's Fair, he worked on his Alpine Triptych (Life-Nature-Death) from the Schafberg above Pontresina. He fell ill with acute peritonitis and died on 28 September 1899, age 41, in the mountain hut now named Segantinihütte. The Segantini Museum in St. Moritz, opened in 1908, houses the Alpine Triptych.

Sgraffito (from Italian 'sgraffiare' — to scratch) is the distinctive wall decoration of Engadin villages. Italian master builders brought the technique in the 16th century: ornaments are etched into damp plaster to reveal darker mortar beneath. Popular motifs include geometric patterns, wavy ribbons, rosettes, and mythological figures. The technique reached its heyday in the 17th-18th centuries. Pontresina's Via Maistra features outstanding examples on traditional Engadin houses with deep-set windows and heavy entrance gates.

Chalandamarz is a Romansh spring festival celebrated on 1 March throughout the Engadin. Children parade with the largest cowbells they can carry, cracking whips and singing to drive away winter spirits. The tradition dates to Roman times when 1 March was the new year. It became known internationally through the children's book Schellen-Ursli (A Bell for Ursli) by Selina Chönz and Alois Carigiet (1945). The Spaniola Tower, built around 1210 for the noble Pontresina family, is a five-sided medieval residential tower.

The Bernina railway was built 1906-1910. The full line from St. Moritz to Tirano opened on 5 July 1910. It crosses the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres — the highest railway crossing in the Alps without a tunnel. The journey traverses 196 bridges and 55 tunnels. The iconic Brusio circular viaduct forms a complete 360-degree loop. In July 2008, the Albula and Bernina lines were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The line was electrified from the start at 750 V DC, powered by hydroelectric stations.