Surselva ("high forest" in Romantsch) is the upper interior Rhine valley which flows from its source close to the Oberalp Pass, West of Sedrun, down to the Eastern town of Ilanz in the Canton of Grisons. It is one of the mountainous parts in Switzerland of untouched beauty, in which the inhabitants speak (and are very attached to) Romantsch, the fourth Swiss national language.



At the beginning of the last century, the Surselva's inhabitants were mainly isolated mountain farmers. A considerable economic development has taken place after the Second World War, creating multiple activities and opportunities such as modern dairy farming, forestry and timber industries, game hunting, hydro power production and several other diversified industries such as the tourist industry which has become of significant importance over the years.

The Surselva region can be reached from Chur by train or by car. The train, which is run by the Raethic Railway Company, is the first leg of the popular Glacier Express route which, in a one-day summer trip, carries tourists from St. Moritz to Zermatt, over the Oberalp Pass, West of Sedrun.
 
The journey from the intercontinental Zurich airport to Chur by car or by train takes approximately two hours. The main road in the Rhine Valley runs along the borders between Switzerland, Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
 
The main city of the Surselva region is Disentis, 1,100 meters high. From there, a road crosses the Alps over the Lukmanier Pass leading to the Tessin, the Italian part of Switzerland. The placer gold activities and the discovery point of gold in the Tavesh unit are located on this road, at the entrance of the Lukmanier gorge, just a 1.5 km from Disentis.

An impressive ancient Benedictine monastery, first mentioned in 735 AD, overlooks the village of Disentis. The Monastery still owns quite an extensive area of farming land and is the seat of a well-known high school. The name of Disentis in Romantsch is Mustèr, derived from ‘monastery’.