Cultural hike: Arosa - Litzirüti

We start at the station at the Obersee, hike through Arosa down to the Untersee, and from there take the marked forest path to Litzirüti. Water, forest, and the Arosa railway accompany you every step of the way. The short hike ends at the Litzirüti train station, from where you can take the train back to Arosa or head down the valley through the Schanfigg towards Chur.

Water everywhere

Three lakes and the still young but already wildly rushing Plessur accompany you on the way from Arosa to Litzirüti. The Arosa lakes, surrounded by mighty limestone mountains, please the eye. Whether they also pleased Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, the former ruler of Arosa, we do not know. What is certain is that in 1545 he was concerned about the rich fish catch because his subjects excessively exploited the fishing grounds there.

Perhaps he would have liked the stylish wooden bathing facility on the Untersee, which you reach after a short walk through Arosa. On a hot summer day, it is an ideal and refreshing first stop. From the Untersee, you continue your way to Litzirüti – beside you the railway embankment, beneath you the emerald-green reservoir Isel. Its history is also closely connected to the early Arosa tourism: Around 1900 it was a must for the spa hotels to be able to offer electric light to their noble clientele. The water for the first power plant was dammed in the Isel to a small lake, which was later enlarged several times. Today, apart from the raised dam, the lake fits in almost like a natural lake in the impressive mountain landscape.

The water with its primal force also accompanies you further. The foaming Plessur and the water-shaped Blau Rüfi – a huge erosion crater in the steep terrain – impressively show the forces at work in nature. In 1935, Litzirüti suffered severe damage when the small dam of the Lower Prätschsee broke.

After the Blau Rüfi, you discover a strange stone pattern on the path – a station of the learning trail schutz.wald.mensch, which runs from Arosa to Langwies. It playfully shows how important the forest is for us humans. Those who like to take a break will find a fire pit with wood and seating here – ideal for a picnic.

There's no need to hurry, as Litzirüti is almost in sight. At the small lake by the roadside, you can observe many small living creatures. Soon you reach the Arosa railway embankment again, which here gains altitude with a large double hairpin bend. It is called "In da Brünscht" here – a small tavern invites you to stop. However, your attention may be caught by the striking house with the tower-like building on the other side of the railway embankment: Until 1960, silver foxes, minks, and raccoons were bred there, and their pelts were sold in Arosa.

In the short descent through the forest, another station of the learning trail awaits you before you reach the flat valley floor in front of Litzirüti.

A stop at "In da Brünscht" is definitely worthwhile!

Author: Hansjürg Gredig, ZHAW Life Sciences and Facility Management

We start at the station at the Obersee, hike through Arosa down to the Untersee, and from there take the marked forest path to Litzirüti. Water, forest, and the Arosa railway are our constant companions. The short hike ends at the Litzirüti train station, from where we take the train back to Arosa or head down the valley through the Schanfigg towards Chur.

Water everywhere

Three lakes and the still young but already wildly rushing Plessur accompany us on the way from Arosa to Litzirüti. The Arosa lakes, surrounded by mighty limestone mountains, please the eye. Whether they also pleased the former ruler of Arosa, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, we do not know. But we do know that in 1545 he was concerned about the rich fish catch because his subjects excessively exploited the fishing grounds there. Perhaps he would have liked the stylish wooden bathing facility on the Untersee, which we reach after a short walk through Arosa. On a hot summer day, this is the first and certainly refreshing stop. From the Untersee, we continue our way to Litzirüti, beside us the railway embankment, beneath us the emerald-green reservoir Isel. Its history is also related to the early days of Arosa tourism. Around 1900, it was a must for the spa hotels to be able to offer electric light to their noble clientele. The water for the first power plant was dammed in the Isel to a small lake. It was enlarged several times over the following decades to meet the increasing electricity demand of the spa town. Today, apart from the raised dam, the lake fits in almost like a natural lake in the magnificent mountain landscape.

The water with its primal force also accompanies us on the further way. The foaming Plessur and the water-eroded Blau Rüfi, a huge erosion crater in the steep terrain, let us guess the forces involved in the persistent work of the water. Litzirüti suffered severe damage to houses, stables, road, and railway line in 1935, when the small dam of the Lower Prätschsee broke.

After the Blau Rüfi, we come across a strange stone pattern on the path. It is a station of the learning trail schutz.wald.mensch, which runs from Arosa to Langwies and playfully shows the meaning of the forest for humans. Those who want to eat what they brought have a nice spot here. There is a fire pit, wood, and a seating area. We have no reason to hurry; our destination Litzirüti is almost within reach, and so we admire the many small creatures in the small lake at the roadside. We reach the Arosa railway embankment again, which here gains height with a large double hairpin bend. It is called "In da Brünscht" here, a small tavern invites you to take a break. Our attention is also drawn to the striking house with the tower-like building on the other side of the railway embankment. Until 1960, silver foxes, minks, and raccoons were bred here, and the pelts were sold in Arosa. In the short descent through the forest, there is another station of the learning trail before we reach the flat valley floor in front of Litzirüti.

Author: Hansjürg Gredig, ZHAW Life Sciences and Facility Management