The Cazis Cultural Archive is located in the Tartar municipal building, and several routes pass through the village. You can shape your stay around local history and collections, or choose cycling and hiking options. When planning, it makes a difference whether you have a specific cultural visit in mind or want to take a longer tour.
Cultural Archive and Church History
The Cazis Cultural Archive collects cultural objects and documents from municipal collections and private homes, and makes them accessible to the public. Its collections include documents about the excavations at PetrushĂĽgel and Cresta, as well as translations of the witch trials in Sarn. The library contains around 2,500 works, including many antiquarian books. The Cazis municipal photo collection spans the period from 1870 to the present day. At least once a year, the archive presents a special exhibition on a particular subject.
Your visit can also include a small activity of your own: as a pair, you can choose a favourite object and write a story about it. The Cultural Archive is open in the Tartar municipal building on the last Saturday of each month from 1 to 5 pm. Small groups can visit outside regular opening hours by calling +41 79 419 31 65 in advance. Check the opening hours before your visit.
St Stephen’s Church in Tartar is first mentioned in 1505. Before the Reformation, Tartar was ecclesiastically affiliated with Cazis Abbey and was liable to pay tribute and interest. The village fire of 1806 destroyed practically all of Tartar; the Stecherhaus, the church, two other houses and three barns survived. The early ties to the abbey’s history and the fire mark distinct chapters in the village’s past. Today, the municipality of Tartar maintains a church community with Portein, Sarn and Präz.
The Tartar Tower Clock Museum is closed until further notice. Its collection includes more than 50 mechanically sound, working tower clocks.
Cycling and Hiking Routes Connected with Tartar
The Cazis Mitte loop runs through Tartar and on through the village to the Vallar turn-off. It continues through the Porteiner Tobel gorge, along a singletrack and sections where you need to push your bike, as far as Oberi Baria. Shady, cooling forest sections follow the waterways on Heinzenberg. You can choose any point as your start and finish. This gives you flexibility when planning your tour, while the gorge, singletrack and push-bike sections help define the character of this loop.
Another route option is the Cazner Fraktionen loop: on the return leg, it passes through Tartar and then via Valleina and Schauenberg down into the valley. The loop passes through four Cazis districts and is framed by well-preserved village settings, distinctive buildings and viewing platforms. This gives it a different character from the Cazis Mitte loop, with its section through the Porteiner Tobel gorge. The high-altitude trail on the Thusis–Glaspass–Thusis tour also passes through the Cruttiser Tobel gorge and returns to Thusis via Tartar.
For a hike, consider the Pelegrinadi on Heinzenberg. This easy pilgrimage trail is 18.6 kilometres long and links six stops for pausing, reflecting and taking a break. Coloured posts mark the route; a pass, information in the churches and sensory stations make the hike interactive. You can combine the stages as you wish: the options range from a leisurely Sunday stroll to a full-day hike. Check seasonal conditions before setting off.
Reading Benches, Fire Pit and Getting There
Each of the four reading benches in Tartar has a box of books and magazines for all ages. You can read there, borrow books for a few days or return later to continue reading. The fire pit at the Tartar shooting range is beside a small pond and a stream, and includes a sheltered seating area.
Tartar can be reached by PostBus on route 90.532 between Thusis and Präz. Check the timetable before travelling. The different highlights can help you choose between a cultural programme, a loop tour and a longer hike: the archive and village history offer a different setting from the cycling routes or the freely combinable stages of the Pelegrinadi.
Discover more destinations: Feldis, Sufers, Zillis, Innerferrera, Präz, Nufenen, Flerden, Sarn.
Back to the main travel overview: Hinterrhein.
