Switzerland's St Gallen offers an array of head-turning attractions

Dec 1, 2009, 4:55 GMT

St Gallen, Switzerland - Visiting St Gallen in Switzerland can be dangerous: it can lead to a stiff neck, a permanently open mouth and a few bruises on your head from knocking into light posts.

That's because many of the city's tourist attractions, such as its famous decorated bay windows, frescos and ornate art nouveau houses, lie a few metres above ground. St Gallen's traditional first-floor bars called 'Erststockbeizen' in German are also well worth a look.

A walk through the city means looking up a lot. That rule applies no where more than in St Gallen's most famous attraction, the World Heritage Site of the Abbey of St Gall. This sumptuous baroque cathedral and its library have wonderfully decorated ceilings that mesmerise the eyes.

Thankfully the artist Pipilotti Rist can help relax your neck muscles with her 'Red Carpet.' That is the name locals have given to the red painted area in the city centre that in the summer months turns into a lively spot.

The ground has been painted red, the concrete 'lounge furniture' is also red and so too is a concrete Porsche car with a concrete parking ticket attached to its windshield. The 'Red Carpet' is a lighthearted place that shows this traditional Swiss city also has a modern side.

But there is no ignoring St Gallen's 1,000 year history. If you arrive at the city's railway station there is an unusually large square and an enormous central post office outside. It gives the impression of a big metropolis but St Gallen has in fact only 70,000 inhabitants.

There is a reason why little St Gallen likes to make itself look big. 'In the past they wanted to show they were open to the world,' explains Claudia Schneider, a tour guide. 'They' refers to the city's textile merchant community who arrived in St Gallen around 1910, bringing with them 50 per cent of the world's production of embroidery.

The textile barons built large company offices, villas and museums in the art nouveau style. Today, many buildings still bear some of those brilliantly coloured decorated facades.

Another architectural feature the city has to offer are its fantastic bay windows. The 'Pelikan' and the 'Kugel' bay windows in the Schmidgasse and the medieval window on the 'Haus zur Greif' in Gallusstrasse are all highly decorated examples.

During Advent many visitors go to the abbey where a large Christmas tree is decorated every year by design students. Some of the more modern and risque decorations have led to heated discussion in recent years. Not far from the abbey is the Christmas market with about 60 stands which will be open 'til Christmas Eve.

Of special interest to visitors is the abbey's library. In order to protect the library's unique floor visitors must wear one of the 120 soft slippers that are available.

After a day spent looking around the next thing is to make your way to one of the traditional bars that surround the abbey. 'Erststockbeizen' are first-floor bars that usually consist of small rooms in centuries-old houses. Guests sit on wooden benches as they enjoy a drink or a meal.