Alvaneu
Encyclopedia
Alvaneu is a municipality
in the district of Albula
in the canton
of Graubünden
in Switzerland
.
On 20 March 2007 Peter Martin Wettler, a media expert and resident of Zurich
was appointed Prince of Belfort by the village's authorities.
The municipality is located in the Belfort sub-district of the Albula district. It is located on a terrace above the Albula river. It consists of the village of Alvaneu (Alvaneu-Dorf) and Alvaneu-Bad on the valley floor. The municipality also includes the settlement of Aclas d'Alvagni as well as the alpine settlements of Creusch and Ramoz.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 42% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(25.1%), the SPS
(22.8%) and the FDP
(7.9%).
In Alvaneu about 69.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Alvaneu has an unemployment rate of 0.27%. , there were 43 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 37 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 124 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 23 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Although 31 % still speak some Romansch, German is now the only official language for municipality business.
Most of the population speaks German (76.4%), with Rhaeto-Romance being second most common (16.9%) and Italian being third ( 3.5%).
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Albula
Albula (district)
Albula District is one of the eleven administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It has an area of 723.13 km² and has a population of ....
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
On 20 March 2007 Peter Martin Wettler, a media expert and resident of Zurich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
was appointed Prince of Belfort by the village's authorities.
History
Alvaneu is first mentioned in 1244 as Aluenude. In 1530 it was mentioned as Allweneü.Geography
Alvaneu has an area, , of 35.7 km² (13.8 sq mi). Of this area, 27% is used for agricultural purposes, while 32.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (38.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Belfort sub-district of the Albula district. It is located on a terrace above the Albula river. It consists of the village of Alvaneu (Alvaneu-Dorf) and Alvaneu-Bad on the valley floor. The municipality also includes the settlement of Aclas d'Alvagni as well as the alpine settlements of Creusch and Ramoz.
Demographics
Alvaneu has a population (as of ) of . , 7.6% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -6.2%.In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 42% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(25.1%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(22.8%) and the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(7.9%).
In Alvaneu about 69.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Alvaneu has an unemployment rate of 0.27%. , there were 43 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 37 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 124 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 23 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1838 | 362 |
| 1850 | 354 |
| 1880 | 314 |
| 1900 | 382 |
| 1930 | 441 |
| 1950 | 475 |
| 1960 | 396 |
| 1970 | 421 |
| 1980 | 379 |
| 1990 | 380 |
| 2000 | 407 |
Languages
The traditional language of the population until the middle of the 19th century was Romansh. However, in 1880, only 80.1 % of the inhabitants spoke Romansch as their native language. This erosion continued (1910: 68.06 %, 1941: 56.0 %, 1970: 47.03 %). 1960 was the last census that counted a Romansch-speaking majority.| Languages in Alvaneu | ||||||
| Language | Census of 1980 | Census of 1990 | Census of 2000 | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... |
189 | 49.87 % | 230 | 60.53 % | 308 | 76.43 % |
| Romansh | 157 | 41.42 % | 109 | 28.68 % | 68 | 16.87 % |
| Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia... |
30 | 7.92 % | 28 | 7.37 % | 14 | 3.47 % |
| Population | 379 | 100 % | 380 | 100 % | 403 | 100 % |
Although 31 % still speak some Romansch, German is now the only official language for municipality business.
Most of the population speaks German (76.4%), with Rhaeto-Romance being second most common (16.9%) and Italian being third ( 3.5%).
External links
- Gemeinde Alvaneu -- official site of the municipality
- Bad Alvaneu -- thermal baths