Discover Sternenberg: Hiking, Culture and Nature

When looking for a hotel in Sternenberg, you can first consider what you want your stay to focus on: hikes, church events, local history or winter activities. The routes vary considerably in length, while cultural and local themes each offer their own highlights. This lets you plan your trip around the activities that matter most to you.

Hikes by duration and landscape

Short circular trails from Sternenberg take between 45 minutes and an hour. A hiking trail from Sternenberg church to the Hörnli takes just under an hour and a half. A longer option is the hike from Bauma via Sternenberg to Saland: it is just under 13 kilometres long and takes around four hours. These times help you distinguish between shorter walks and a longer day of hiking.

The hike from Bauma via Sternenberg to Saland leads through dense forest and wild ravines, past waterfalls and the Hagheerenloch. The cave is around 30 metres deep. The «Genuss mit Aussicht» route connects Bauma, Sternenberg, Manzenhub and Saland. Along the way towards Manzenhub and Wila, the route offers views across the entire Alpine chain; from Sternenberg, the views extend across twelve densely forested valleys and ravines.

The Jakob-Stutz-Weg can also be started in Sternenberg. Guided group tours on this trail are available by telephone appointment. Those interested in the history of the Hagheerenloch will also encounter it in a legend: a dragon guards a treasure inside, which can only be retrieved by making a pact with the devil. On the legend walk to the Hagheerenloch, visitors hear a version adapted by Simon Berginz and Andi Wullschleger, accompanied by Walter Ledermann from the Bauma Chronicle Archive.

Church and history

Sternenberg church was built in 1706. An evening sing-along is held there on the first Friday of every month, and everyone is welcome. The mountain prayer service takes place every Wednesday morning from 7 to 8 am. It follows a simple liturgy with psalms, songs and moments of silence. This early-morning prayer, which has been held for many years, is known as the mountain prayer. If you would like to plan your trip around one of these events, check the current schedule in advance.

Local history also offers specific points of interest: the Russian writer, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate and regime critic Alexander Isayevich Solzhenitsyn spent one summer in 1974 in the village of Sternenberg. A guided tour of a holiday home in the wider Bauma and Sternenberg area provides background on his story and is available on request. The 2004 comedy film «Sternenberg» was filmed, among other places, in the rooms of the «Sternen».

Local specialities and winter activities

The Preisig cheese dairy produces more than a dozen different semi-hard and soft cheeses from fresh, silage-free milk sourced from the region. The cheese shop in Sternenberg sells dairy and cheese specialities made in-house, as well as other groceries. The Gasthaus Sternen is a family-run establishment whose values and traditions have been preserved and developed over decades. Marianne Brühwiler-Rüegg has shaped the inn since 1996. It serves generous, traditional à la carte dishes and daily menus, including seasonal asparagus dishes, game from the Sternenberg hunt and meat cooked on a «hot stone».

The Sternenberg ski lift can be reached by car or PostBus. Night skiing is available on Friday and Saturday evenings; the lift operates for this when there are at least five people. Check whether it is running on your chosen travel date. The Sternenberg observatory offers a view of the universe; check booking details before visiting.

Getting to the hiking trails

To hike from Bauma via Sternenberg to Saland, take the S26 from Winterthur or Rüti ZH to Bauma. PostBus route 809 connects Bauma with Sternenberg. If you are planning your route by public transport, check the timetable before departure.

Discover more destinations: Weisslingen, Bauma, Illnau-Effretikon, Hittnau, Wila, Fehraltorf, Lindau, Pfäffikon.

Back to the main travel overview: Pfäffikon.