Abbey precinct

Stiftsbibliothek. (Picture taken of a postcard I bought for CHF 1.80)

St Gallen is located in the north eastern part of Switzerland, about an hour away from Zurich by train. St Gallen is home to the Abbey library or Stiftsbibliothek, which houses over 170,000 documents, mostly handwritten from a thousand years ago. The Abbey precinct (located 10 minutes on foot from the train station) used to be a monastery and the town later developed into a culture and education hub for Europe.

While I was in the library, I couldn't help but draw a parallel to what used to be Al-Andalus in the muslim world. Andalus was the beacon of art, science and culture of Europe under Muslim rule. I'm sure if the libraries and books hadn't been burned down during the Reconquest, it would most definitely rival this one here if it was still standing. I was pretty sad and contemplative as the thought filled my mind as I toured the library. My only consolation is that I know Allah is with us always insya Allah. May we always be protected from fitnah of this dunya. Amiin.

En route the library, we passed by Stadtlounge. Stadtlounge (Citylounge) is a square lined with red polymer carpets in St Gallen. In some city maps, the area is purposefully marked in red. What's cool about it is that it's like a huge living room, complete with sofas, lounge chairs and hanging lamps.


Since we went to St Gallen on a Sunday, all the shops were closed. (Please note that in Switzerland, family time and work life balance are very much valued. Most shops close at 6pm from Monday to Saturday except Thursdays with extended hours until 8pm, and close on Sundays) Hence, the library was the only place we visited. Also because we had a train to catch to Appenzell. More on Appenzell next time!


Here's how much you need:
Return train ticket from Zurich to St Gallen - CHF 60
Entrance fee to Stiftsbibliothek - CHF 12
English audio guide at Stiftfbibliothek - CHF 3

St Gallen city map