Tinizong-Rona: History, Nature and Trails

Tinizong-Rona brings together several themes to help you plan your trip: the history of the parish church of Son Plasch, trails along the Julia and the side valley of Val d’Err. You can get to know the area through its historical landmarks, its landscape or a specific tour.

Landscape and wildlife

The area includes a section of the main valley, which runs roughly from south to north and is traversed by the Julia, as well as the approximately 8 km-long side valley of Val d’Err to the east. A wooded slope separates the valley sections of Surgôt and Sotgôt. Large colonies of ibex and chamois live in Val d’Err. The course of the valley, the wooded change in elevation and the wildlife offer different insights into the character of the surroundings.

Son Plasch Church and local history

The oldest construction phase of the parish church of Son Plasch dates back to the 9th century. The Necrologium Curiense first mentions a priest at the church in 1180. The Late Gothic winged altar bears a painting signed by Jörg Kändel and dated 1512. These dates place the architectural and artistic history within a long development, though they do not refer to the same event.

The history of transport also goes back a long way: in Roman times, Tinizong was first mentioned as Tinnetione in the Itinerarium Antonini. From the late Middle Ages until 1834, the village held an important position as a transit point for traffic over the passes, with the Port. This history complements the story of Son Plasch with a look at Tinizong’s earlier role in travel across the passes.

Trails along the Julia and tours

The Vitaparcours starts in the lower part of Tinizong, near the football pitch. It follows the Julia towards Rona, through the forest and back to the starting point. The Julia riverside path has a specified starting point, length and duration: it starts at the Tinizong, Cadras stop, just after Savognin, is 5 km long and is listed as taking 1 hour and 10 minutes. These details offer practical guidance for planning.

Other routes each follow their own course. The Savognin–Bivio stage of the ViaSett climbs from Tinizong towards Val Mulegna and continues to Alp Suregn. The Rona bike route follows the Julia to Tinizong and then takes a shady forest path to Rona. The routes described therefore differ, for example, in their direction and specified course; the details for the Julia riverside path also include its length and duration.

Snowshoe tour and family tour

A snowshoe tour from Rona to Tinizong is listed at Plaz Beischen, at 1,547 m, with a difficulty rating of WT2. The ascent is listed as taking 1 to 1.5 hours over 200 metres of elevation gain, and the descent as 1.5 to 2 hours over 400 metres of elevation loss. The aspects listed are NE, E, SE and S. The separate times and elevation figures help you assess the ascent and descent when planning your own tour.

Family tours are offered at the ewz Tinizong hydroelectric power station, where the world of electricity production is explained in a fun way. Registration is required. If this tour is part of your plans, be sure to factor in the registration.

Getting here and your stay

Tinizong can be reached by PostBus from Chur or by the Rhaetian Railway to Tiefencastel, followed by a PostBus. When choosing your destination, you can consider whether you are most interested in the history of Son Plasch, one of the routes described or the tour that requires registration. The different starting points, tour details and historical landmarks offer specific starting points for planning.

Discover more destinations: Bivio, Mutten, Surava, Marmorera, Salouf, Cunter, Sur, Brienz/Brinzauls.

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