Castasegna
Encyclopedia
Castasegna is a former municipality
in the district of Maloja
in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
, right at the Italian
border. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia
. The town is situated in the Bergell
valley, above the river Mera
.
Castasegna has an area, , of 6.8 km² (2.6 sq mi). Of this area, 19.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 40.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (38.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
The municipality is located in the Bergell sub-district of the Maloja district in the lower section of the Bergell valley. It consists of the linear village
of Castasegna with the Italian border on the edge of town and the neighboring Italian village of Villa di Chiavenna
nearby. The main highway in the valley used to run through the main, narrow street. In order to relieve the town of the congestion, the highway was moved just below, along the valley floor.
On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of Bondo
, Castasegna, Soglio
, Stampa
, and Vicosoprano
merged into a new municipality of as Bregaglia
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 46.4% male and 53.6% female. The age distribution, , in Castasegna is; 20 children or 10.5% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 20 teenagers or 10.5% are 10 to 14, and 6 teenagers or 3.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 10 people or 5.3% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 41 people or 21.6% are 30 to 39, 28 people or 14.7% are 40 to 49, and 16 people or 8.4% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 19 people or 10.0% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 18 people or 9.5% are 70 to 79, there are 9 people or 4.7% who are 80 to 89, and there are 3 people or 1.6% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SP
which received 46.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(29.9%), the FDP
(18.5%) and the CVP
(4.7%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Castasegna about 70.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule
).
Castasegna has an unemployment rate of 0.69%. , there were 14 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 34 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 5 businesses in this sector. 64 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 18 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
forest in Europe, known as Brentan. The town's name means chestnut grove and the tree is featured on the coat of arms.
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 Maloja
Maloja (district)
Maloja District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of . It is trilingual, with official languages used by municipalities inside the district being, in order of dominance, German, Italian, and Romansh.It consists of two...
in the Swiss
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....
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...
, right at the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
border. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia
Bregaglia
Bregaglia is a municipality in the district of Maloggia in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a merger of the municipalities of Bondo, Castasegna, Soglio, Stampa and Vicosoprano, all located in the Val Bregaglia.-External links:...
. The town is situated in the Bergell
Val Bregaglia
The Val Bregaglia or Bergell Tal is an alpine valley of Switzerland and Italy at the base of which runs the river Mera River...
valley, above the river Mera
Mera River
The Mera is a river in Switzerland and Italy. Its source is near the Maloja Pass, in Graubünden, Switzerland. It flows west through the Val Bregaglia and crosses the Italian border near Soglio...
.
Geography
The municipality is located in the Bergell sub-district of the Maloja district in the lower section of the Bergell valley. 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 Castasegna with the Italian border on the edge of town and the neighboring Italian village of Villa di Chiavenna
Villa di Chiavenna
Villa di Chiavenna is a comune in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 100 km north of Milan and about 35 km northwest of Sondrio, on the border with Switzerland....
nearby. The main highway in the valley used to run through the main, narrow street. In order to relieve the town of the congestion, the highway was moved just below, along the valley floor.
On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of Bondo
Bondo, Switzerland
Bondo is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:...
, Castasegna, Soglio
Soglio, Switzerland
Soglio is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden close to the border with Italy. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:...
, Stampa
Stampa
Stampa is a former municipality in the Maloja district of the Swiss canton, Graubünden. It is now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:Stampa has an area, , of . Of this area, 14.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.8% is forested...
, and Vicosoprano
Vicosoprano
Vicosoprano is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and is the largest village in the Val Bregaglia. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:...
merged into a new municipality of as Bregaglia
Bregaglia
Bregaglia is a municipality in the district of Maloggia in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a merger of the municipalities of Bondo, Castasegna, Soglio, Stampa and Vicosoprano, all located in the Val Bregaglia.-External links:...
.
Demographics
Castasegna has a population of 191, of which 8.4% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -11.8%., the gender distribution of the population was 46.4% male and 53.6% female. The age distribution, , in Castasegna is; 20 children or 10.5% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 20 teenagers or 10.5% are 10 to 14, and 6 teenagers or 3.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 10 people or 5.3% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 41 people or 21.6% are 30 to 39, 28 people or 14.7% are 40 to 49, and 16 people or 8.4% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 19 people or 10.0% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 18 people or 9.5% are 70 to 79, there are 9 people or 4.7% who are 80 to 89, and there are 3 people or 1.6% 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 SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
which received 46.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(29.9%), 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....
(18.5%) 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...
(4.7%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Castasegna about 70.9% 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...
).
Castasegna has an unemployment rate of 0.69%. , there were 14 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 34 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 5 businesses in this sector. 64 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 18 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 207 |
| 1900 | 239 |
| 1910 | 261 |
| 1950 | 197 |
| 1980 | 174 |
| 2000 | 190 |
Languages
Most of the population speaks Italian (80.0%), with German being second most common (15.8%) and Romansh being third ( 3.2%). Traditionally, the Italian spoken in Castasenga is a Lombard dialect. Since the early 20th Century the municipality had a German speaking minority.| Languages in Castasegna GR | ||||||
| Languages | Census 1980 | Census 1990 | Census 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| 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.... |
44 | 25.29 % | 41 | 23.30 % | 30 | 15.79 % |
| Romansh | 14 | 8.05 % | 9 | 5.11 % | 6 | 3.16 % |
| 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... |
115 | 66.09 % | 126 | 71.59 % | 152 | 80.00 % |
| Population | 174 | 100 % | 176 | 100 % | 190 | 100 % |
Sights
Castasegna has the largest ChestnutSweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...
forest in Europe, known as Brentan. The town's name means chestnut grove and the tree is featured on the coat of arms.