The Lower Engadine village of Martina is close to Scuol on the still tiny River Inn, near the border crossing to Austria. The village has only 100 inhabitants but two churches and almost all the houses are in traditional Engadine style.

Martina or Martinsbruck, lies at 1035 m at the end of the Lower Engadine, encircled by mountains in the three-country corner of Switzerland, Austria, Italy. On the north side of the Inntal valley (Silvretta Group) is the 3146-m-high Piz Mundin, to the south, the Piz Lad (2808 m). The language spoken here is Vallader, the Lower Engadine dialect of Rhaeto-Romanic.

After the Martina customs post, you continue on Swiss soil for several kilometres through the narrow valley carved out by River Inn, which here forms the border to Austria. In Vinadi, just before the actual border, a narrow road leads off into the Samnauntal valley (Swiss duty-free area and winter-sport region of the Samnaun/Ischgl Silvretta arena). On the eastern side of the Inn, a road winds up from Martina to the Austrian holiday resort of Nauders and the Reschenpass on the Austrian-Italian border.

Martina is one of the three factions of the Tschlin municipality. The village of Tschlin perches like an eagle’s nest on a wonderful, sunny terrace 500 metres above the valley floor, overlooking the Inn.

Although Martina numbers only around 100 inhabitants, it has two churches well worth viewing: San Plasch dating from 1515 and San Niclà dating from the12th century with a monumental painting of St. Christopher. Tschlin also boasts the «Stampararia Strada» Printing Museum. The printing company was founded in 1680. Following a gentle renovation, the building is now one of the best preserved farmhouses of the era and is itself an object of interest.

Highlights

• Altfinstermünz bridge – five kilometres down from Martina, this historic, fortified bridge is known to have existed in Roman times and was an important customs post into the 19th century.
• Inn Valley in Lower Engadine - from Scuol down, the course of the Inn creates a narrow, romantic and sparsely inhabited valley as far as the Swiss border.
• Samnaun – duty-free paradise for lovers of expensive perfume, high-percentage specialities and cheap petrol. Also a major winter-sport resort.