Tartar – Church History, Cultural Archive and Trails on Heinzenberg

Tartar offers visitors several ways to plan a stay focused on church history, the cultural archive and trails on Heinzenberg. If you are looking for a hotel in Tartar, these topics can help you plan your days around your interests in culture or tours.

Church History and the Village Fire

The Church of St. Stephen in Tartar was first mentioned in 1505. Before the Reformation, Tartar was ecclesiastically affiliated with Cazis Monastery and was required to pay tribute and interest. The village fire of 1806 also shaped local history: it destroyed practically all of Tartar. The Stecher House, the church, two other houses and three barns survived. Today, the municipality of Tartar shares a church community with Portein, Sarn and Präz.

The Cazis Cultural Archive

The Cazis Cultural Archive collects cultural objects and documents from municipal collections and private homes and makes them accessible to the public. Its holdings include documents on the excavations at Petrushügel and Cresta, as well as translations of the witch trials in Sarn. The Municipality of Cazis photo collection in the archive contains more than 5,500 images dating from 1870 to the present. The library holds around 2,500 works, including many antiquarian books.

The archive presents a special exhibition on a specific topic at least once a year. During a visit, you can choose a favourite object together with someone and write your own story about it. The Cazis Cultural Archive is open every last Saturday of the month from 1 pm to 5 pm at Tartar Municipal Hall. Small groups can visit outside regular opening hours by calling +41 79 419 31 65 to register. Check the opening hours before your visit.

Tartar Tower Clock Museum

The Tartar Tower Clock Museum collection includes more than 50 mechanically sound, working tower clocks. The museum is closed until further notice. The address is Kirchgasse 11, 7422 Tartar. There is no parking at the museum itself; visitors should use the car park at the village entrance. Take the closure into account when planning your visit.

Hiking and Cycling Tours

The Pelegrinadi is an easy 18.6-kilometre pilgrimage trail on Heinzenberg. Six stations invite you to stop for a break, pause and reflect. Coloured poles mark the route; a pass, information in the churches and sensory stations make the hike interactive. You can combine the stages as you wish, from a simple Sunday stroll to a long day hike. Check seasonal conditions before setting out.

The Cazis Mitte circular cycling route passes through Tartar and continues through the village to the Vallar turn-off. It then runs through the Porteiner Tobel, with a singletrack and sections where you need to push your bike, up to Oberi Baria. Shaded, refreshing forest sections follow the streams on Heinzenberg. You can start and finish the tour at any point.

The Cazner Fraktionen circular route takes a different course: on the return leg, it passes through Tartar and then descends into the valley via Valleina and Schauenberg. The route runs through four of Cazis’s localities and passes well-preserved village centres, distinctive buildings and viewing platforms. The high-altitude trail on the Thusis–Glaspass–Thusis tour also runs through the Cruttiser Tobel and back to Thusis via Tartar.

Reading Breaks and Time Outdoors

Four reading benches in Tartar each have a box of books and magazines for all ages. You can read the books on site, borrow them for a few days or return later to continue reading. Another place to take a break is the fire pit at the Tartar shooting range: it is beside a small pond and a stream and has a sheltered seating area.

On Heinzenberg, the experience “Wild Herbs Meet the Cooking Pot over the Fire” combines a guided walk to gather seasonal wild herbs with preparing and tasting them together over a fire. If you would like to include this activity in your plans, check whether a session falls within your travel dates.

Getting There

Tartar is served by PostBus route 90.532 between Thusis and Präz. Check the timetable for your planned travel date.

Discover more destinations: Masein, Rodels, Feldis, Innerferrera, Sufers, Scharans, Zillis, Urmein.

Return to the main travel overview: Hinterrhein.