Innovation is no foreign word for Beat Tinner, the youngest municipal president in the St. Gallen canton.

Wartau - the «sunny side» of the Werdenberg - is an attractive residential community for about 4’900 inhab-itants who appreciate the high quality of life found in the villages Oberschan, Gretschins, Fontnas, Malans, Azmoos, Trübbach and Weite as well as the hamlets Murris and Plattis.

Wartau is able to offer developed land in the residential as well as the commercial and industrial zones at attractive conditions. The municipal council places considerable value on the expansion of public infrastructures such as electricity, water and roads. Wartau features decisive locational advantages with the connection to the A13 motorway and «just around the corner» to the A3 motorway to Zurich as well as the proximity to the Sargans railway junction and the border railway station Buchs. Wartau lies in crossing point of European transport paths which offers promise for the future. The Wartau villages are provided with good connections to the regional centres Buchs, Sargans and Vaduz by means of regional bus lines.
The Wartau castle ruins, which is owned by the local municipality, is under historical protection and has already been renovated in 1932 and 1982, is among the most significant historic buildings in the region. The landmark symbol of the municipal-ity of Wartau was first mentioned by historical documents in 1261. Approximately 80 people are employed in agriculture and forestry. Highly-regarded grapes grow on the sunny slopes of the Wartau region. Gourmet friends and culinary-oriented tourists will find everything they are looking for in the well-known Wartau asparagus. Every year several hundred cattle and livestock spend the summer on the extensive alpine grazing pastures. And at Weite a modern vegetable and potato centre illustrates the relative importance of vegetable cultivation in the Rhine Valley - and the future-oriented thinking of the farming community.
In Gretschins you’ll find the historically important Artillery Fort Magletsch (AFOM - «The Hammer»), which is now open to the public daily as a fortress museum. Registrations and queries are to be sent to the following addresses: AFOM, PO Box 51, CH-9479 Oberschan; e-mail hs.eggenberger@bluewin.ch; or contact: Tel. No. +4181 783 24 66 or +4181 783 26 11; Fax +4181 783 26 12.
The Wartau countryside is not only pleasing to the eye, it is also the living area for many (partially) rare plant and animal species. Nature preservation concept has been prepared and realised for the 50 hectare area, which features rare flowers and plants.
A sustainable utilisation is ensured, and a land- scaping as well as ecological upgrading of the region has been achieved with the projects Schanerriet, Magletsch-Plattis Nature Reserve, Family and Nature Paradise Heuwiese/Cholau/Tratt as well as Burghügel/Bürgerwingert.
But Wartau has also written industrial history: The former Azmoos weaving mill was one of the first in Switzerland, and many people earned a living in the Gonzen iron mine. Today Wartau is the site of the globally active high-tech company Unaxis Balzers AG - a working place for over 800 personnel in the Trübbach Works - as well as over 200 employees in small and medium-sized businesses.
Whoever would like to find rest and recreation in a natural setting does not have to look long in the municipality of Wartau: The charming Wartau landscape offers a wealth of possibilities for leisure time activities corresponding to personal needs. The broad valley plain with its valley forests and hedge-rows invites visitors for strolling, jogging and bicycling. The slopes and hills along the base of Gonzen, Gauschla and Alvier offer numerous routes and paths for biking and hiking. In the summer, a splendid outdoor nature swimming pool facility in Oberschan even invites visitors to take a cool dip.

For more informations: http://www.wartau.ch