"Sils - the sights" Top 5 Page for this destination Saint Moritz Things to Do Tip by german_eagle

Sils' main attraction is the surrounding landscape. That won't ever change (hopefully). But it has to offer some more things to do and see, some of them often overlooked. The Nietzsche house is probably the best known of them. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche spent the summers 1881-87 in this house. He was sick with headache (probably light allergy), retired from the University Basel and had discovered that he felt better in the cool and dry climate in the Upper Engadine. He praised Sils as "loveliest place of the world", did long walks in the sun along the lakes and wrote - e.g. the famous "Thus spoke Zarathustra", "East of Good and Evil", "Ecce Homo". At the end of the beautiful peninsula Chaste is a monument for him, a stone with a poem engraved:

Sils-Maria
Hier saß ich, wartend, - doch auf Nichts,
Jenseits von Gut und Böse, bald des Lichts
Genießend, bald des Schattens, ganz nur Spiel,
Ganz See, ganz Mittag, ganz Zeit ohne Ziel.

Da, plötzlich, Freundin! wurde Eins zu Zwei -
- und Zarathustra ging an mir vorbei ...

The interior of the Nietzsche house is well preserved. You can see the basic room where he lived e.g. It is also home for the Nietzsche Association which researches his works and hosts conferences/seminars. Check the website for opening hours and admission fee.

Each part of Sils has a Parish church - Sils-Baselgia's is very picturesque from outside, in the most beautiful setting, a late-Romanesque church without any works of art worth to see, though. The Parish church of Sils-Maria was built in the early 17th century and renovated 1009/10. Again, the interior is nothing special but at least the woodcarved pulpit (Swiss pine) is beautiful and there is a decoration around the apse with an interesting pattern.

Another place to see is the small Robbi museum next to the Parish church in Sils-Maria. Andrea Robbi (1864-1945) grew up in Italy as son of a family from the Engadine. He studied in Munich (together with Giovanni Giacometti), Milan, Rome, Paris and Dresden before returning to the Engadine. His paintings were only recently discovered as excellent art. Now many of them are on display in this small museum which also shows temporary exhibits on contemporary local art.
Open Tue-Sun 4-6 pm.

Last but not least I'd like to recommend the botanical garden in Sils, right in the centre of the village on the small hill Muot Marias. Open always and free. You can see about 150 species of Alpine flowers plus enjoy the panoramic views of the landscape.

othercontact: www.nietzschehaus.ch
Website: http://www.sils.ch