SCHWEIZ / SUISSE / SVIZZERA / SVIZRA	SWITZERLAND
Sankt Gallen / Saint Gall / San Gallo / Son Gagl

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Nesslau is situated at an elevation of 841 m in the upper Thur valley in the Toggenburg district of the Swiss canton Sankt Gallen, about 26 km southwest of Sankt Gallen. The current municipality was formed in 2013 and includes the villages of Nesslau, Krummenau and Stein. The municipality has a population of about 3,700 (2022).

The area was incorporated into the domains of the counts of Toggenburg and the Abbey of Sankt Gallen from the 12th century. Nesslau was first mentioned in 1178 as Mezellouo. In 1261 it was mentioned as Nesselove and ze dem Wassere. In 912 the hamlet of Lutenwil was mentioned as Lutherraheimara. Krummenau was first mentioned in 1266 as Crumbenowe. Sidwald developed into a regional cattle market from the 16th century. After a series of fires in the benedictine abbey of Alt Sankt Johann in the upper Toggenburg, the monastery was moved to Neu Sankt Johann near Sidwald in 1626. From 1831 to 2002, Nesslau was the administrative center of the constituency of Obertoggenburg. The railway connecting Ebnat-Kappel to Nesslau-Neu St. Johann was opened in 1912, resulting in development of tourism in the region. The former municipality of Nesslau was merged with Krummenau into Nesslau-Krummenau in 2005. A further merger with Stein in 2013 resulted in the current municipality of Nesslau.

The reformed church of Nesslau [left, no. 4525: background right] goes back to a chapel that had been mentioned first in 1178. A church was first mentioned in 1261. The current church was built in 1497. This church was incorporated into the monastery of Alt St. Johann in 1513. In 1528 the Reformation was introduced, but Catholic services were also held again since 1595. From 1602 the church served both denominations as a shared church (simultaneum) until 1806 when the Catholics of the town became part of the parish Neu St. Johann. The church building was renovated in 1929.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesslau, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesslau]