Biosfera Val Müstair

Regional nature park since 2011

The idyllic Val Müstair is a world apart and the only nature park with two UNESCO awards. The park is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Monastery of St. John in Müstair and, together with the Swiss National Park and parts of the municipality of Scuol, forms the first high alpine UNESCO biosphere reserve in Switzerland.

Different by nature.

In the sunny high valley of Val Müstair, 80% of the local farming is totally organic. The valley's multifaceted handicraft combines tradition with quality and the region offers unique cultivated and natural landscapes. The Val Müstair also holds distinctive treasures such as the Unesco World Heritage Convent of St John with the biggest and best preserved fresco cycle of the Early Middle Ages, the weaving mill «Manufactura Tessanda», many museums as well as typical Graubünden villages – all of this surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. From down in the valley of the Rom river (one of the last unobstructed main valley rivers) all the way up to the highest peaks, diverse habitats offer amazing living conditions for a great number of wild animals. This balanced interplay between ecology and economy should also guarantee the long-term livelihood of the local population.

The Biosfera Val Müstair isn't just a park of national importance but it also forms, together with the Swiss National Park and parts of the municipality of Scuol, the UNESCO biosphere reserve Engiadina Val Müstair. While the National Park already received that label in 1979, the Val Müstair was added in 2010 to the Biosphere reserve as a buffer and transition zone. The extended Biosphere reserve received the definitive label in 2017 once the municipality of Scuol has joined the project. A truly world-class small valley.