ViaRhenana: from Bad Zurzach to Eglisau

We hike through an idyllic meadow landscape along the Rhine, past former Roman fortifications and federal bunkers, river power stations and bridges.

Before Zurzach (Tenedone in Latin) became a place of pilgrimage and market town, the Celtic settlement of Tenedo already existed here around 400 BC. The Romans expanded it in the 4th century AD as a base to secure their border on the High Rhine. Near the legionary camp of Vindonissa, they first built a fort and later a double fort between the Schlösslibuck and the Kirchlibuck, where remains of the walls can still be seen today. The Romans also used watchtowers to monitor the border, the remains of which can be found along the hiking trail.

The legend of Saint Verena, who probably came from Thebes in Egypt and is said to have helped numerous sick people on the Kirchlibuck, also dates back to the 4th century. The castle chapel of St. Verena and Mauritius stands here today.

In the 12th century, the von Wasserstelz family built three castles in and on the High Rhine. Only ruins remain of Weisswasserstelz on the right northern bank near Hohentengen (D). In 1938, the Swiss army built an infantry bunker on the foundations of the former moated castle of Schwarzwasserstelz. Only the Rotwasserstelz castle in Hohentengen remains. On the other side of the Kaiserstuhl-Hohentengen Rhine bridge lies the listed town of Kaiserstuhl. The two are also linked by a cross-border sculpture trail.

Idyllic meadow landscapes along the High Rhine enrich the varied hiking route to the stage destination, the wine village of Eglisau.