Ardez
Encyclopedia
Ardez is a municipality
in the district of Inn in the canton
of Graubünden
in eastern Switzerland
. The village is located in the Lower Engadin
valley.
name of Steinsberg.
The municipality is located in the Sur Tasna sub-district of the Inn district, with the village on the left bank of the Inn river. It consists of the village of Ardez and the hamlets
of Bos-cha and Sur En.
, the gender distribution of the population was 52.0% male and 48.0% female. The age distribution, , in Ardez is; 48 children or 12.0% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 23 teenagers or 5.7% are 10 to 14, and 23 teenagers or 5.7% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 40 people or 10.0% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 55 people or 13.7% are 30 to 39, 54 people or 13.5% are 40 to 49, and 58 people or 14.5% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 35 people or 8.7% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 42 people or 10.5% are 70 to 79, there are 20 people or 5.0% who are 80 to 89, and there are 3 people or 0.7% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 47.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(29.8%), the FDP
(13.8%) and the CVP
(7.2%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Ardez about 70% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Ardez has an unemployment rate of 1.08%. , there were 40 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 19 businesses involved in this sector. 33 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 7 businesses in this sector. 49 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
The majority of the population speak the Vallader dialect of Romansh. Romansh is taught in the village school and spoken in the municipality. Until 1900 the municipality was nearly Romansh only (1880 94 %, 1900 94 %). The majority dropped throughout the 20th Century (1941 84 %, 1980 83 %). The modern situation with languages is given in the following table:
.
The Chastè site includes settlements from the late Bronze Age
(Melauner culture) into the early Iron Age
(Fritzens-Sanzeno culture) as well as some finds from the Roman Empire
.
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 Inn 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 eastern 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....
. The village is located in the Lower Engadin
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine is a long valley in the Swiss Alps located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream...
valley.
History
Ardez is first mentioned in 840 as Ardezis. In to the 19th Century it was known by the GermanGerman 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....
name of Steinsberg.
Geography
Ardez has an area, , of 61.4 km² (23.7 sq mi). Of this area, 29.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 20% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (49.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Sur Tasna sub-district of the Inn district, with the village on the left bank of the Inn river. It consists of the village of Ardez and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Bos-cha and Sur En.
Demographics
Ardez has a population (as of ) of . , 9.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 0.5%., the gender distribution of the population was 52.0% male and 48.0% female. The age distribution, , in Ardez is; 48 children or 12.0% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 23 teenagers or 5.7% are 10 to 14, and 23 teenagers or 5.7% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 40 people or 10.0% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 55 people or 13.7% are 30 to 39, 54 people or 13.5% are 40 to 49, and 58 people or 14.5% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 35 people or 8.7% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 42 people or 10.5% are 70 to 79, there are 20 people or 5.0% who are 80 to 89, and there are 3 people or 0.7% who are 90 to 99.
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 47.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(29.8%), 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....
(13.8%) and 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...
(7.2%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Ardez about 70% 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...
).
Ardez has an unemployment rate of 1.08%. , there were 40 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 19 businesses involved in this sector. 33 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 7 businesses in this sector. 49 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1835 | 599 |
| 1900 | 612 |
| 1910 | 1,005 |
| 1950 | 541 |
| 1960 | 480 |
| 1970 | 491 |
| 1980 | 383 |
| 1990 | 393 |
| 2000 | 401 |
- Population increase during railway construction.
Languages
Most of the population speaks Rhaeto-Romance (73.8%), with German being second most common (20.2%) and Italian being third ( 3.0%).The majority of the population speak the Vallader dialect of Romansh. Romansh is taught in the village school and spoken in the municipality. Until 1900 the municipality was nearly Romansh only (1880 94 %, 1900 94 %). The majority dropped throughout the 20th Century (1941 84 %, 1980 83 %). The modern situation with languages is given in the following table:
| Languages in Ardez | ||||||
| Languages | Census 1980 | Census 1990 | Census 2000 | |||
| Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | ||
| German | 50 | 13.05 % | 78 | 19.85 % | 81 | 20.20 % |
| Romanish | 316 | 82.51 % | 288 | 73.28 % | 296 | 73.82 % |
| 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... |
17 | 4.44 % | 26 | 6.62 % | 12 | 2.99 % |
| Population | 383 | 100 % | 393 | 100 % | 401 | 100 % |
Heritage sites of national significance
The Chasté (a prehistoric site, a medieval fortress and a church) and the Doppelwohnhaus (Double-house) with barn are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
The Chastè site includes settlements from the late Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
(Melauner culture) into the early Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
(Fritzens-Sanzeno culture) as well as some finds from the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.