{{short description|Mountain range in Switzerland}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox mountain | name = Churfirsten (Electors) | image = Aerial image of Churfirsten (view from the southeast).jpg | image_caption = The Churfirsten range as seen from the southeast (in August 2025); from right to left: Tristencholben, Chäserrugg, Hinderrugg, Schibenstoll, Zuestoll, Brisi, Frümsel and Selun | elevation_m = 2306 | elevation_ref = | prominence = | parent_peak = | map = Switzerland#Canton of St. Gallen#Alps | map_caption = Location in Switzerland##Location in the Canton of St. Gallen##Location in the Alps | location = Toggenburg, St. Gallen | country = Switzerland | range = Appenzell Alps | coordinates = {{coord|47|9|7|N|9|17|53|E|region:CH-SG_type:mountain_source:dewiki|display=inline,title}} }}
The '''Churfirsten''' is a mountain range in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. They form the natural boundary between the canton's Toggenburg and Sarganserland districts. They are the southernmost range of the Appenzell Alps, separated from the Glarus Alps by the Seez Valley and Lake Walen ({{lang|de|Walensee}}).
They consist of a limestone ridge running east to west, with the individual peaks formed by erosion. The ridge is defined much more sharply to the south than to the north, with an almost vertical drop of several hundred meters towards ''Walenstadtberg'' and eventually Lake Walen at {{convert|419|m}}. The southern slope of the range was significantly formed by the Rhine Glacier during the Würm glaciation.
There are several hiking routes on the range.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-950 |title=Churfirsten-Weg |publisher=SwitzerlandMobility |access-date=16 October 2025}}</ref> The Schwendiseen are two small lakes on the northern side of the range (below Chäserrugg). Wildenmannlisloch is a cave on the northern slope of the Selun. Quinten is a car-free village south-west of Churfirsten on the northern shore of Lake Walen.
==Name== The name is a plural, indicating the peaks forming the historical boundary of the bishopric of Chur. It has historically also been folk-etymologized as ''Kurfürsten'', i.e. the 7 prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire who in the later medieval period (until 1648) numbered seven, which in turn encouraged the count of seven main or "official" peaks.<ref>Schweizerisches Idiotikon, [http://idiotikon.ch/Register_alt/faksimile.php?&band=1&spalte=1024 s.v. "First"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226142323/http://idiotikon.ch/Register_alt/faksimile.php?&band=1&spalte=1024 |date=2014-02-26 }}. The word ''First'' (dialectal also ''Fürst''; from Middle High German ''virst'') has a primary meaning of "roof-beam; gable", but secondarly came to mean "summit, mountain-top".</ref>
==Peaks== [[File:Churfirsten Zeichnung.jpg|thumb|left|upright|An early 20th-century drawing of the Churfirsten as seen from the south (e.g. from Flumserberg), enumerating nine peaks: Selun, Frümsel, Brisi, Zuestoll, Scheibenstoll, Hinterrugg, Chäserrugg, Tristenkolben, Gamserrugg. (A. Heim 1913) |480x480px]] The standard "seven peaks" of the Churfirsten are (from west to east): *Selun: {{cvt|2205|m}} *Frümsel: {{cvt|2263|m}} *Brisi: {{cvt|2279|m}} *Zuestoll: {{cvt|2235|m}} *Schibenstoll: {{cvt|2234|m}} *Hinterrugg: {{cvt|2306|m}} *Chäserrugg: {{cvt|2262|m}}, accessible by a funicular and aerial tram {{clear left}} The count of exactly seven peaks is contrived; sometimes, Chäserrugg is not included and counted as part of Hinterrugg, because of its topographical prominence of a mere {{cvt|14|m}}.
The Churfirsten seven peaks listed above have remarkably uniform heights, within just above a {{cvt|100|m}} difference; the ridge continues both to the east and the west with a number of further peaks between {{convert|2000 and 2200|m}} that are not usually included as Churfirsten:
*Peaks to the west of Selun: Wart at {{cvt|2068|m}}, Schären (or ''Schäären'') at {{cvt|2184|m}}, Nägeliberg at {{cvt|2153|m}}, Glattchamm at {{cvt|2084|m}}, Leistchamm at {{cvt|2101|m}}. *Peaks to the east of Chäserrugg: Tristenkolben at {{cvt|2159|m}}, Gamserrugg at {{cvt|2076|m}} (accessible by a chairlift). [[File:Toggenburg view.jpg|thumb|View from the north (Toggenburg)]]
==See also== * Alpstein * List of mountains of the canton of St. Gallen * Tourism in Switzerland
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Churfirsten}} * [http://www.chaeserrugg.ch/en Chäserrugg website] * [https://chaeserrugg.roundshot.com/#/ Chäserrugg roundshot] * [https://www.hikr.org/dir/tag/churfirsten/tour/ Churfirsten on Hikr]
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Category:Mountains of the Alps Category:Mountains of Switzerland Category:Mountains of the canton of St. Gallen Category:Toggenburg Category:Tourist attractions in the canton of St. Gallen