Reformierte Pfarrkirche

The Reformed Church of Splügen is one of the most important buildings

of the village. Even from afar, its tower shapes the silhouette of the town – you can see

it immediately comes to mind when you think of Splügen. When the church was built in 1689

was built, the Rheinwald experienced an economic heyday. The

Trade over the passes brought prosperity to the valley, and the population

grew. The congregation therefore decided to build a new and larger church,

closer to the village.

This is how one of the architecturally most important Reformed churches was created

Graubünden. When you look at the interior, you might notice the

clear separation between the nave and the choir.

This room layout comes from the Catholic building tradition, in which the

choir was reserved for the clergy and the altar. With the Reformation

however, the meaning of the church interior changed fundamentally. Not

more the altar, but the sermon moved into the center. Therefore, the

pulpit occupies a particularly prominent place in Reformed churches,

while altars and lavish illustrations largely disappeared.

Nevertheless, the traditional design has been retained in many places. Look at you

in the interior: the simple white walls allow the

room appear bright, wide and solemn – in the spirit of the Reformed

Opinion that wanted to direct the view to the essentials. At the same time

the carved wooden benches tell of the social differences of the

at that time. The wealthy families had their own places,

while the simple villagers sat on the ordinary pews

. The church was originally covered with shingles, because for the

heavy stone slabs, as they are traditionally used in Splügen,

the roof is too steep. Incidentally, the architect Peter Zurr was not only

master builder, but also engineer: a few years later he built the old

Landbrugg in Hinterrhein and blew up a small road in the rock of the

Bergünersteins. Ten years before the Splügner church, he probably built

also the church of Sarn am Heinzenberg, which looks very similar.