Tujetsch is a municipality of 1200 (2024) in the Graubünden canton of Switzerland.
Understand
[edit | edit source]History
[edit | edit source]The Tujetsch Valley has been an important transit route for as long as it's been known: many megaliths and cup-marked stones have been found along ancient mule tracks crossing the Oberalp and Chrüzli Passes. Following the founding of the Disentis Abbey in the 8th century, the valley was gradually settled, with scattered farming communities developing across the region.
During the Middle Ages, Walser settlers arrived via the Oberalp Pass and Val Medel, leaving a legacy of German place names and family names despite later assimilation into the Romansh-speaking population. Sedrun, whose parish church was consecrated in 1205, emerged as the valley's main settlement; there has never been a village named Tujetsch.
Until the mid-20th century, Tujetsch was primarily an agricultural community. The region was known for the now-extinct Tavetsch sheep, once the smallest sheep breed in Switzerland. Mining, soapstone stove production, pottery, and seasonal migration provided additional income. Modern tourism began with the construction of the Oberalp Road in the 1860s, followed by the opening of the Furka–Oberalp Railway in 1926 and the development of ski facilities after the 1950s, transforming Tujetsch into a major alpine tourism destination.
Get in
[edit | edit source]By train
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The world's deepest train station
Switzerland is no stranger to achieving unusual or absolutely ridiculous engineering feats. If constructing the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, wasn't enough, there were also plans for 1 Porta Alpina Station to be constructed 800 metres beneath the surface, connected to the surface using high-speed elevators. If constructed, this would've made Porto Alpina a little under seven times deeper than the current deepest underground station (in Chongqing). Plans to construct the station were shelved indefinitely in 2007 as the logistics behind actually operating a station that deep were simply uneconomical. There were also issues regarding temperature differences (almost a 50°C change between the platforms and the surface during winter), capacity, space, and also the mere fact that when all of these issues were put together, it made almost no sense to use Porta Alpina over the existing surface railway line. Today, the portal to the station is still visible, and so are the platforms from the tunnel (but blink, and you'll miss them). |
The line that runs through the municipality is the R45 on the Furka Oberalp Line, running between Andermatt and Disentis/Mustér. The main station in the municipality is at 1 Sedrun Station. The line runs hourly, with westbound trains towards Andermatt arriving at :33, and eastbound trains towards Disentis/Mustér arriving at :23 (as of June 2026).
Other stations in the area include 2 Bugnei Station, 3 Rueras Station, 4 Dieni Station and 5 Tschamut-Selva. All of which are also on the R45 and receive the same level of frequency.
By car
[edit | edit source]Tujetsch is on Highway 19, about 24 km (about 30–35 minutes) east of Andermatt and 70 km (about 80–90 minutes) west of Chur. The roads on both ends are windy, but the route from Chur is a bit more manageable; the road from Andermatt, however, is full of hairpin bends.
Get around
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See
[edit | edit source]- 2 Milez. A lift station and a mountain, with a few restaurants that surround. Reachable from the gondola at Dieni Station.
Do
[edit | edit source]Buy
[edit | edit source]Eat
[edit | edit source]- 1 Baan Na Restaurant, Via Alpsu 47, ☏ +41 81 525 66 66. Th–Tu 11:00–14:00, 17:30–22:00. A mid-range Thai restaurant.
- 2 Cuschina Menono, Via Alpsu 153, ☏ +41 79 219 17 64. Splurge restaurant.
Drink
[edit | edit source]- 1 Mac Bar Sedrun, Via Alpsu 105, ☏ +41 81 949 11 82, [email protected]. F Sa 20:00–00:30.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]- 1 Hotel La Cruna, Via Alpsu 65, ☏ +41 81 920 40 40, [email protected]. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00.