SCHWEIZ / SUISSE / SVIZZERA / SVIZRA	SWITZERLAND
Obwalden / Obwald / Obvaldo / Sursilvania

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Flüeli-Ranft is situated at an elevation of 728 m on a hill above the enntrance to the Melch valley in canton Obwalden. The village is part of the municipality Sachseln.

The village is best known as the home and place of activity of the Swiss patron and national saint, Nikolaus von Flüe, also known as Brother Klaus. Nikolaus was born here in 1417. In 1467, with the approval of his wife, he left his family to live the life of a travelling hermit. Returning home, he stayed in the Ranft gorge. Nikolaus died in 1487. His remains were buried in the parish church of Sachseln. In 1679 the coffin with his bones was transfered to the new parish and pilgrimage church. Nikolaus was canonised in 1947.

The Flüeli chapel [background left] was built in 1614–1618 and is dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo.

Today's Gasthaus Paxmontana [foreground right] was originally built in 1617 as a chaplaincy. The chaplain of Flüeli lived here and also ran the house as an inn for pilgrims. In 1908 the bishop of Chur forbade clergymen to run restaurants and thus the inn was then operated by various owners. In the 1990s it was thoroughly renovated by the Gasthaus Flüeli Foundation. In 2009 it was acquired by Paxmontana Ltd. and since then is known as Gasthaus Paxmontana.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flüeli-Ranft; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklaus_von_Flüe; https://niklaus-von-fluee.ch/orte-informationen/flueeli-ranft/flueeli-kapelle/, https://www.outdooractive.com/de/kapelle/zentralschweiz/flueeli-kapelle/23428514/; https://www.paxmontana.ch/de/Gasthaus/Geschichte]