Sertig Valley walk - Kirchner's most painted valley, wine at Walserhuus

The Sertig Valley behind Davos is where Kirchner painted his most famous mountain scenes. Walk 7km through the narrow valley past Walser farmhouses, waterfalls, and wildflower meadows that look exactly like his expressionist paintings. At Sertig Dörfli, the Walserhuus restaurant serves Graubünden wines in a 300-year-old wooden building. Art history as hiking trail.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Walk the Valley Kirchner Painted to Stay Sane History · Free

   Ernst Ludwig Kirchner lived in Frauenkirch (5km from Davos) 1917-1938. Twenty-one years. He painted Sertig Valley obsessively - the mountains, the hamlet, the tiny church, the 13th-century Walser farming settlements. His late-period Alpine landscapes used VIBRANT colors (electric yellows, purples, blues) to paint mountains filtered through trauma. He was trying to paint himself SANE. The Sertig Valley was his subject, his therapy, his prison. Walk the valley trail (7km round trip from the trailhead behind Davos), and as you walk, imagine Kirchner with easel and paints, standing in THIS spot, seeing THESE peaks, choosing colors that match FEELING, not reality. The valley hasn't changed. The mountains are the same. Only the painter is gone.

   Backup: If hiking 7km is too much, drive/taxi to Sertig Dörfli hamlet (the tiny village with church) and walk the immediate area. Same views Kirchner painted, less effort.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Find the Hamlet That Appears in His Paintings History · Free

   This is the settlement Kirchner painted: Walser farmhouses, small church, barns, farming implements. In 1917 when he arrived, this was SUBSISTENCE farming - people living the same way their 13th-century ancestors lived. In 2026, it's STILL subsistence farming - the valley is too remote for development. Walk to Sertig Dörfli at the valley's end, stand in the small square by the church, and look at the wooden farmhouses. Touch the wood (300-400 years old in some cases), smell the hay, animals, mountain air. Kirchner painted this scene 100+ times from different angles. You're standing in his OBSESSION.

   Backup: If you visited Kirchner Museum earlier, pull up a photo of one of his Sertig Valley paintings on your phone. Compare painting to reality. The buildings match. The peaks match. Only the COLORS don't match - because his colors were EMOTIONAL, not literal.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Drink Wine in a 300-Year-Old Walser Building Wine · Price: moderate

   The Walserhuus serves "local + seasonal ingredients" with Graubünden wines in a 13th-century Walser building - dark wood aged centuries, "lovingly prepared" peasant cuisine elevated. Order Bündner Herrschaft Pinot Noir (Maienfeld, 40 min away) or Chignin-Bergeron from Savoie. Request a table by the river (summer) or in the wood-paneled Arvenstübli (winter). Pair with Capuns (chard rolls with Bündnerfleisch) or Maluns ("Queen of Potato Dishes"). Eat slowly - the valley is silent except for river water. This is what Kirchner heard while painting. The vines survived him.

   Backup: Bergführer Sertig (450 years of history) or Mühle Sertig ("escalopes are fantastic") are nearby alternatives if Walserhuus is fully booked.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Hike to Ducan Valley Where Marmots Whistle Warnings Adventure · Free · Optional

   Beyond Sertig Dörfli, the trail leads through Ducan Valley - "home of the marmots" - toward Monstein. Marmots are large ground squirrels that whistle LOUDLY when predators approach. You'll hear them before you see them. This is where Kirchner found SOLITUDE - away from Dr. Spengler's rules, away from people, just mountains and animals and silence. Continue past Sertig Dörfli on the marked trail, listen for marmot whistles (high-pitched, piercing). When you hear one, FREEZE. Scan the rocks - marmots are brown/gray, size of small dog. If you spot one standing on hind legs (sentinel behavior), do NOT approach. Enjoy 10-15 minutes in their territory, then return for wine.

   Backup: If hiking beyond Sertig Dörfli is too strenuous (the trail gains elevation quickly), marmots sometimes appear NEAR the hamlet in early morning/late afternoon. Ask Walserhuus staff: "Where are marmots visible without hiking far?"

   Log Memory