Station Stugl/Stuls

It may sound unspectacular to refer to Stugl/Stuls station as a passing loop. And the fact that the buildings are listed as heritage sites doesn’t immediately reveal the uniqueness of the place. Yet, Stugl/Stuls station is a one-of-a-kind railway heritage ensemble.

On a plateau that is partly natural and partly carved out of the mountainside, nestled in the forest between Filisur and Bergün, stand buildings that have told the story of early railway operations on the Albula line for over 100 years. A trackman's house was built here, as regulations at the time required such shelters every three kilometers along the railway. Behind the old station building, which once housed the stationmaster and his family, still stand the obligatory outhouse, a washhouse, and further away, a workers’ barrack originally used during the construction of the Albula Tunnel. After being moved to Stugl, the barrack served for several years as a classroom for the children of railway workers. Before that, two shift workers would share a bed in it. The station of Stugl/Stuls, with its unchanged appearance for over a century, seems almost fairy-tale-like – perhaps also because no other settlement is visible nearby.

The actual village of Stugl/Stuls lies high up on the mountainside. There, on a hilltop, stands a small church that crowns the picturesque setting. It features frescoes dating back to around 1350, likely painted by a student of Giotto, the Florentine master and pioneer of the Renaissance. Once again, the Albula Valley reveals its rich cultural history – even in its remote corners.