From the friendly village of Maienfeld, a footpath leads through green, wooded corridors to the foot of the heights, which look down on the valley from this side, big and serious.
With this sentence Johanna Spyri began her world-famous book "Heidi's years of study and travel" in 1880. Since then the wine village Maienfeld in the holiday region Heidiland has been associated with Heidi. Since then, the little girl from the Swiss mountains has touched the hearts of entire generations around the globe. Looking for clues in Heidi's homeland.
High mountains, lush meadows
Without a doubt: Johanna Spyri was inspired by her friends in Bad Ragaz and the Bündner Herrschaft on one of her visits from the magnificent landscape to write her bestseller. Spyri himself loved nature. As the wife of a busy man, she lived in Zurich, but never really got happy with life in the city. So there are parallels between her life and her character.
In the village and on the alp
Where exactly the Heidi village and the Heidi alpine hut are (described by Johanna Spyri in the Heidi novel), is still unclear. "But "Heidis" experts agree that the most likely locations are at Rofels above Maienfeld and at Ochsenberg. So that's where Heidi fans from all over the world meet today.
On Heidi's footsteps in Maienfeld
Translated into over 50 languages
Johanna Spyri published a total of 48 books. The two volumes of the history of Heidi (published in 1880 and 1881) were without any doubt the most successful. The first translation into French was in 1882, the first English version two years later. It has now been translated into 50 languages. 12 feature films (last in 2015), 8 cartoons, 6 series, 8 comics and 4 musicals ensured that the Heidi myth spread worldwide. Many of the Heidi books are exhibited in the Heidi museum in the Heidi village.
A timeless story
Today Heidi is more than just a character in a novel. The most famous Swiss woman of all stands worldwide for values such as authenticity, naturalness, health, friendship and happiness. Values that can still be experienced today in the holiday region Heidiland. Whether on a hike very close to Heidi's beloved mountains or with a bath in the famous thermal waters of Bad Ragaz: In Heidi's homeland you can feel how Heidi felt on the alp for a moment.
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Impressions from Heidi's homeland
