Not very well known to the outside world, nor to Swiss people for that matter, Heiden is locate in the conservative canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Despite having just 4,000 inhabitants, it actually holds some significance to Swiss history. Henry Dunant, one of the founders of the ICRC spent the last two decades of his life in Heiden. Jakob Kellenberger, former Swiss Secretary of State and former ICRC President was born in Heiden.
Fittingly, the main attraction in Heiden is the Henry Dunant Museum, which is physically attached to the office wing of the town’s hospital. The museum details the life of Henry Dunant and compared his philosophy to that of Alfred Noble. My favourite exhibition was the part with Dunant’s handwritten statues for the Heiden branch of the Swiss Red Cross. It shows that even when he had achieved so much, Dunant is still passionate about getting the details right for a small town.
Henry Duanant Museum 
Back of the museum that is a hospital block 
Handwritten note of Dunant 
Town museum with a Dunant exhibition
Getting up and down Heiden is an attraction on its own. I took the PostBus there to get a nice view of the mountains and took the mountain railway down to admire Lake Constance from above. Affectionately called “Bärgbahnli” by the locals, the cogwheel mountain railway is the town’s only rail link to the rest of Switzerland. The rolling stock is over 70 years old and a real treat for anyone who enjoys nostalgia.
Cogwheel railway 
First class 
Second class 
Evangelical Church
