Gold rush in Disentis.
It is not an April fools day joke. And no… it is not fool’s gold you will find in the Disentiser Rhine.
No it is the real precious yellow metal you will find in the Rhine: Gold, Aurum, Or
BUT BEWARE: Gold Fever is difficult to cure. The desire to find real gold can be very addictive.
So start Gold Panning and get your feet wet.
If you ever wondered where the gold came from the swiss tribes used in ancient times for their jewelry and coins? It was not from a swiss bank. They found it in their rivers.
In the Upper Rhine in Disentis you can still dig for gold today. Just like there was a goldrush in the ‘Wild West’ there is a gold rush going on today in Disentis, Switzerland.
You can learn the principles of gold digging during a one day course by a guy named Gold-Gusti. This gold-panning-course is held near the camping site Fontanivas.
In some neighboring villages in the Surselva you have to pay a tax when you are digging for gold. Not so in Disentis! What you find is what you keep, no taxes whatsoever. But… no gold digging on Christmas Day.
The gold one can find is called a nugget. It really is not a joke about finding gold. But as far as today i have not found any. But you can buy a nugget in the Gold shop on camping site Fontanivas if you are unlucky in the river.
It gives a certain adrenaline while searching for gold. Do I do it right? Do I have the right gear for gold panning? Will i get rich soon and retire after a vacation in Disentis? It certainly is cheaper than trying you luck in Las Vegas.
