Disentis (German) or Mustér (Romansh), is a community of the district Surselva in the Northwest of the Canton of Graubunden or Grisons in Switzerland. The skiing and summer tourism resort high up in the Rhine valley is the site of one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries in Switzerland.
The official language of the municipality is Romansch. German is the second language though nearly everybody is bilingual in both of these languages. Communal laws, though, exist only in Romansh.
Disentis is today one of the most important centers of the Romansh language, especially of its Sursilvan dialect. It also plays an important role as cultural centre through the high school of the monastery.
Disentis lies on the highest step of the Rhine valley, where the roads of the Oberalp pass coming from central and western Switzerland and of the Lukmanier pass coming from the Ticino meet. It is a train station of the Glacier Express, connected by train and road to the Valais via Oberalp pass and to Chur following the Rhine valley. The Lukmanier pass road is in summer served by a post bus line.
Other than using a car or local buses, the Rhätische Bahn (Rhaetian Railway) is the main method of transport here throughout the upper Rhein valley
Disentis Abbey, founded in ca. 720, was already in early medieval times the cultural and political centre of the area. Situated on the road to the Lukmanier pass used by the German emperors on their way to Italy, Disentis became a place of international importance in the high Middle Ages and the prince abbot of Disentis was the lord of the Rhine valley.
Tourism started around 1870 and today Disentis is a resort Disentis offering 150 km hiking trails in summer and 30 km cross-country tracks in winter.
Just above the village lies the source of the River Rhine.
There are 14 hotels and 21 restaurants, and together with neighbour municipality Sedrun, Disentis offers a total of 10'000 beds in hotels and holiday apartments.
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