Mons: Winter Trails and Churches

The winter hiking trail from Mon to Stierva offers magnificent views of the lower Albula Valley. Another route through the landscape is the Veia digl Pader: the 13.1 km hike begins in Stierva, leads via Plangs to Mon, and continues to Savognin. The section of the Via Sett between Mon and Savognin follows the Veia digl Pader and passes through a diverse cultural landscape with former arable terraces and prehistoric settlement sites.

On the panoramic trail from Stierva to Savognin, hikers can listen to the Romansh poems of Father Alexander Lozza along the way via the Parc Ela app. A route from Curvér pintg da Taspegn leads via Munter, Planezza and Plangs to Mon. The various route lengths and itineraries provide different points of comparison for planning your day. The PostBus between Tiefencastel and Stierva, which provides access to the Veia digl Pader, operates only with advance reservation made up to one hour before departure.

Culture and history

The over 1,000-year-old Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian stands in Mon on the historic thoroughfare. Its tower has coupled round-arched windows; traces of a depiction of Saint Christopher are still preserved on the tower. Saint Christopher is regarded as the patron saint of travellers. The old Church of St. Damian is listed in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property for Graubünden as a cultural asset of category B.

Mon was first mentioned around the year 1001 under the name de Maune. The Church of St. Francis in Mon is a Baroque church built between 1643 and 1648. The Catholic Church of St. Francis with its rectory is listed in the 2026 Swiss Inventory as a cultural asset of category A. It is considered the principal work of the master builder Giulio Rigaglia from Roveredo in the Misox. A fresco cycle created by Johann Rudolf Sturn in 1647 was rediscovered during the renovation from 1974 to 1976. The church also contains an organ created by Abbrederis in 1690, which was brought to Mon in 1712.

The floor plan of the former parish church of St. Damian, with a hall and semicircular apse, indicates an Early Romanesque building. The wall paintings in the former parish church date from the second half of the 14th century and are stylistically attributed to the so-called Master of Rhäzüns. The frescoes in the choir and in the southern part of the nave date from the second half of the 15th century and are attributed to the Lombard art circle.

Landscape and craftsmanship

Castela-Sendas in the municipality of Mon is designated as a cultural landscape with special management and includes hedges, shrubbery, terraces, low-nutrient meadows and wetlands. In August and October 2023, the restoration of three additional Tgamons continued: in the Tocfs area on Alp Foppa, Dartschapetta near Mon, and Sars below Cre digl Lai.

Regional products

The Sur Castelas farm shop in Mon sells alpine cheese, Salsiz, sausages, dried vegetables, dried fruit, potatoes and other products.

Other places: Alvaschein, Tinizong-Rona, Bergün, Surava, Lantsch/Lenz, Bivio, Vaz/Obervaz, Alvaneu

For the higher-level travel overview: Albula.