Travel Guide to Sankt Gallen, Switzerland

The Swiss city St. Gallen is a well-developed industrial region. However, this is not the only notable fact about this place as much attention here is paid to the arrangement of the city, the restoration of ancient architectural structures, especially the facades of houses with numerous bay windows. Textile industry is among the well-developed sectors of the economy of the city. St. Gallen’s development started in the XV century. This place is also famous for its printing, paper, machinery industries, embroidery, as well as high-quality service sector.

The city got its name from the famous monk-preacher St. Gallus, who had settled on this land. Later Benedictine monasteries, which had been powerful in Europe at that time, started appearing here, turning the settlement into a city. The ancient abbey library, which had survived through centuries, is the priceless heritage and the memory of the city’s founder. The library is decorated in the rococo style. The library keeps a unique collection of ancient manuscripts and first printed books.

St. Gallen is the city of amazing architecture. Here not only historic monuments are beautifully decorated with stucco, frescoes and mosaics, but the ordinary houses as well. Living quarters are no less grand and stunning with their stone carvings and bas-reliefs. Among other attractions are St. Catherine's Monastery, the Cathedral, Charles Gates, numerous old towers, University of St. Gallen which has brought international fame to the city, and Textile Museum that exhibits best examples of fabrics, famous lace and amazing artistic compositions made of textile.