Bergün
Encyclopedia
Bergün/Bravuogn is a municipality
in the district of Albula
in the canton
of Graubünden
in Switzerland
. The double name (German/Romansh) has been the official name since 1943.
The municipality is located in the Bergün sub-district of the Albula district. It is located on the Albula river and along the Albula pass
road.
It consists of the linear village
of Bergün/Bravuogn and the settlements of Latsch (on the right side terrace above the river) and Stugl/Stuls. Latsch joined the municipality in 1912 and Stugl/Stuls joined in 1920. From Stugl/Stuls towards Albula pass the settlement of Preda can be found which became a temporary village when the Albula railway tunnel was built between 1898 and 1903. Lai da Palpuogna
, a mountain lake, is located between Preda and Albula Pass
. Until 1943 Bergün/Bravuogn was known as Bergün.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 41.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(31.6%), the FDP
(19.1%) and the CVP
(6.3%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bergün/Bravuogn about 74.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Bergün/Bravuogn has an unemployment rate of 1.48%. , there were 59 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 58 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 11 businesses in this sector. 153 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 36 businesses in this sector.
, the gender distribution of the population was 56.4% male and 43.6% female. The age distribution, , in Bergün/Bravuogn is; 53 people or 10.2% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 36 people or 6.9% are 10 to 14, and 38 people or 7.3% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 62 people or 11.9% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 77 people or 14.8% are 30 to 39, 81 people or 15.6% are 40 to 49, and 56 people or 10.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 45 people or 8.7% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 38 people or 7.3% are 70 to 79, there are 28 people or 5.4% who are 80 to 89, there are 5 people or 1.0% who are 90 to 99, and 1 person or 0.2% who is 100 or more.
The historical population is given in the following table:
(as of 1941, still 53.6% Romansch-speaking). Since then, the loss of Romansch has sped up.
German is the only official language for municipality business although 26.7% of the population understands Romansch.
.
The park area of Ela Parc includes the whole of the Albula valley and invites hikers into an unspoilt landscape; hopes of the people from Bergün to join international tourism after the building of the railway to St. Moritz proved not to develop, so the Kurhaus Bergün remained the only Hotel built in 1905/06, allowing the village to remain rather unspoilt.
This very Albula Railway
instead became a UNESCO World Heritage Site itself in 2008.
is located just to the north of the village. Postbus
also operate buses though Bergün/Bravuogn.
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....
. The double name (German/Romansh) has been the official name since 1943.
Geography
Bergün/Bravuogn has an area, , of 145.6 km² (56.2 sq mi). Of this area, 21.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 20.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (57.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Bergün sub-district of the Albula district. It is located on the Albula river and along the Albula pass
Albula Pass
Albula Pass is a Swiss mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden. It lies in the Albula Range of the Alps...
road.
It consists of the linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
of Bergün/Bravuogn and the settlements of Latsch (on the right side terrace above the river) and Stugl/Stuls. Latsch joined the municipality in 1912 and Stugl/Stuls joined in 1920. From Stugl/Stuls towards Albula pass the settlement of Preda can be found which became a temporary village when the Albula railway tunnel was built between 1898 and 1903. Lai da Palpuogna
Lai da Palpuogna
Lai da Palpuogna is a mountain lake at Albula Pass in the municipality of Bergün, in the Grisons, Switzerland. In a 2007 television program of the Swiss channel SF 1, the lake was voted the most beautiful place in Switzerland....
, a mountain lake, is located between Preda and Albula Pass
Albula Pass
Albula Pass is a Swiss mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden. It lies in the Albula Range of the Alps...
. Until 1943 Bergün/Bravuogn was known as Bergün.
Demographics
Bergün/Bravuogn has a population (as of ) of . , 11.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -10.2%.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 41.9% 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....
(31.6%), 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....
(19.1%) 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...
(6.3%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Bergün/Bravuogn about 74.6% 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...
).
Bergün/Bravuogn has an unemployment rate of 1.48%. , there were 59 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 58 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 11 businesses in this sector. 153 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 36 businesses in this sector.
, the gender distribution of the population was 56.4% male and 43.6% female. The age distribution, , in Bergün/Bravuogn is; 53 people or 10.2% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 36 people or 6.9% are 10 to 14, and 38 people or 7.3% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 62 people or 11.9% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 77 people or 14.8% are 30 to 39, 81 people or 15.6% are 40 to 49, and 56 people or 10.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 45 people or 8.7% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 38 people or 7.3% are 70 to 79, there are 28 people or 5.4% who are 80 to 89, there are 5 people or 1.0% who are 90 to 99, and 1 person or 0.2% who is 100 or more.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1571 | 542 |
| 1803 | 495 |
| 1850 | 637 |
| 1900 | 1,537 |
| 1950 | 608 |
| 1970 | 451 |
| 1980 | 459 |
| 1990 | 480 |
| 2000 | 715 |
Languages
In the 2000 census, the inhabitants claimed the following languages: German 83.9%, Romansh 10.6%, Italian 3.1%. The Romansch speakers have their own spoken dialect and write Putér. Until the 19th century, this was the common tongue of most of the population (as of 1880, 80.4%). But Romansche quickly lost ground (as of 1910, only 57.62%). Then, the process stabilized until World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(as of 1941, still 53.6% Romansch-speaking). Since then, the loss of Romansch has sped up.
| Languages in Bergün/Bravuogn | ||||||
| Language | 1980 Census | 1990 Census | 2000 Census | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| German | 251 | 54.68% | 350 | 72.92% | 436 | 83.85% |
| Romansh | 158 | 34.42% | 101 | 21.04% | 55 | 10.58% |
| 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... |
40 | 8.71% | 21 | 4.38% | 16 | 3.08% |
| Population | 459 | 100% | 480 | 100% | 520 | 100% |
German is the only official language for municipality business although 26.7% of the population understands Romansch.
Heritage sites of national significance
The municipal church and the Chasa Jenatsch with its barn are listed as 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 park area of Ela Parc includes the whole of the Albula valley and invites hikers into an unspoilt landscape; hopes of the people from Bergün to join international tourism after the building of the railway to St. Moritz proved not to develop, so the Kurhaus Bergün remained the only Hotel built in 1905/06, allowing the village to remain rather unspoilt.
This very Albula Railway
Albula Railway
In 1890, the Davos hotelier Willem-Jan Holsboer proposed the construction of a rail link from Chur via Davos, and through a tunnel under the Scaletta Pass, to St Moritz, and then onwards via the Maloja Pass, to Chiavenna in Italy. Holsboer later had to abandon this planned Scalettabahn, in favour...
instead became a UNESCO World Heritage Site itself in 2008.
Transportation
Bergün/Bravuogn (Rhaetian Railway station)Bergün/Bravuogn (Rhaetian Railway station)
Bergün/Bravuogn is a railway station in Bergün/Bravuogn, Switzerland. It is located on the Albula Railway line from Chur to St. Moritz. Hourly services operate on this section of the line.-Rhaetian Railway services:*RE1/R11 - 1tph...
is located just to the north of the village. Postbus
Postbus
A postbus is a public bus service that is operated as part of local mail delivery. As a means to provide public transport in rural areas with lower levels of patronage where a normal bus service is uneconomic Postbus services are run by the postal delivery company and combine the functions of...
also operate buses though Bergün/Bravuogn.