Alt St. Johann
village and former political municipality in Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland
Alt St. Johann is a village in the Toggenburg region, since 2010 part of the municipality Wildhaus-Alt St.Johann in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland (the former municipalities of Alt St. Johann and Wildhaus merged on 1 January 2010).
History
Alt St. Johann is historically the site of a monastery dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, first mentioned in 1152.
Around 1200 castle Starkenstein was built by the counts of Werdenberg-Montfort.
From 1414, the castle passed to the counts of Toggenburg, and after their extinction to St. Johann abbey.
A village Sant Johann is first mentioned 1439.
The public source identifies “Alt St. Johann” as village and former political municipality in Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Johann, village and former.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Alt St. Johann”, the useful work is to connect “village and former political municipality in Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q286332. VIAF identifies the subject as 125229707. Authority coordinates are 47.183, 9.283. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2010, 1152, 1200 and 1414.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Alt St. Johann”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Alt St. Johann primary sources, Alt St. Johann archive and Johann research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alt St. Johann”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Alt St. Johann” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.