Sils Maria

Sils Maria, known in Romansh as Segl Maria, is a village in the Upper Engadine, in the canton of Graubünden, sitting at around 1,800 metres above sea level on the shore of Lake Sils. The village is known for having hosted Friedrich Nietzsche during several summer stays; the house where he lodged is now home to the Nietzsche-Haus museum, which is open to visitors. The surrounding mountain scenery, overlooked by peaks such as Piz de la Margna, makes for excellent walking in summer and cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in winter. Lake Sils, one of the larger stretches of water in the region, is suitable for swimming, paddleboarding and gentle walks along its shores, particularly towards the wooded Chastè peninsula. Sils Maria lies close to Silvaplana and St. Moritz, giving easy access to the wider tourist and sporting facilities of the Upper Engadine, including the Corvatsch ski area. The village retains a traditional Engadine architectural character, with stone houses featuring sgraffito facades typical of the region.