Graubünden
Encyclopedia
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
. The name Graubünden translates as the "Grey Leagues," referring to the canton's origin in three local alliances, the League of God's House
, the Grey League
, and the League of Ten Jurisdictions. Graubünden is also home to three of Switzerland's ethnic groups and the subsequent languages of Swiss German
, Italian
and Romansh are all native to the state. It is also the only canton where the dialects of the ancient Romansh language are still spoken.
The area of this largest of the cantons of Switzerland is 7105.2 square kilometres (2,743.3 sq mi). Only about a third of this is commonly regarded as productive land of which forests cover about a fifth of the total area. The canton is entirely mountainous, comprising the highlands of the Rhine and Inn
river valleys. In its southeastern part lies the only official Swiss National Park
. In its northern part the mountains were formed as part of the thrust fault that was declared a geologic UNESCO
World Heritage Site
, under the name Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
, in 2008. Another Biosphere Reserve is the Biosfera Val Müstair
adjacent to the Swiss National Park whereas Ela Nature Park is one of the regionally supported parks.
There are many significant elevations in the Grison Alps
, including the Tödi
at 3614 metres (11,857 ft) and the highest peak Piz Bernina
at 4049 metres (13,284.1 ft). Many of the mountain ranges feature extensive glaciers, such as at the Adula
, the Albula
, the Silvretta
, the Bernina
, the Bregaglia
and the Rätikon
ranges. The mountain ranges in the central area are very deep, some of which are considered the deepest valleys in Europe
. These valleys were originally settled by the Raetia
ns (Rhaeti).
Graubünden borders on the cantons of St. Gallen
to the northwest, Glarus
, Uri
to the west, and Ticino
to the southwest. It also shares international borders with Italy (South Tyrol
and Lombardy
), Austria (Tyrol
and Vorarlberg
) and Liechtenstein. The capital city is Chur. The world-famous resorts of St. Moritz
and Davos-Klosters
are located in the canton, completed by the larger all year round tourism destinations of Arosa
, Flims
, Lenzerheide
, Scuol-Sammnaun
and more.
The Inhabitants of Grisons are called grisonians.
, was known as Curia in Roman times. The area later was part of the lands of the diocese at Chur
.
In 1367 the League of God's House
(Cadi, Gottes Haus, Ca' di Dio) was founded to resist the rising power of the Bishop of Chur
. This was followed by the establishment of the Grey League
(Grauer Bund), sometimes called Oberbund, in 1395 in the Upper Rhine valley. The name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey clothes worn by the people and was used exclusively after March 16, 1424. The name of this league later gave its name to the canton of Graubünden. A third league was established in 1436 by the people of ten bailiwick
s in the former Toggenburg countship
, as the dynasty of Toggenburg had become extinct. The league was called League of the Ten Jurisdictions
(Zehngerichtebund).
The first step towards the canton of Graubünden was when the league of the Ten Jurisdictions allied with the League of God's House in 1450. In 1471 the two leagues allied with the Grey League. In 1497 and 1498 the Leagues allied with the Old Swiss Confederacy
after the Habsburgs acquired the possessions of the extinct Toggenburg dynasty in 1496, siding with the Confederacy in the Swabian War
three years later. The Habsburgs were defeated at Calven Gorge
and Dornach
, helping the Swiss Confederation and the allied leagues of the canton of Grisons to be recognised. However the Three Leagues
remained a loose association until the Bundesbrief of September 23, 1524.
The last traces of the Bishop of Chur's jurisdiction were abolished in 1526. The Musso war
of 1520 drove the Three Leagues closer to the Swiss Confederacy. In 1798, the lands of the canton of Graubünden became part of the Helvetic Republic
as the Canton of Raetia
. With the Act of Mediation
the "perpetual ally" of Switzerland
became a canton in 1803. The constitution of the canton dates from 1892. In the following century, there have been about 30 changes made to the constitution.
The arms of the three original leagues are were combined into the modern cantonal coat of arms in 1933.
The Grand Council , the legislature of the canton, sits in Chur, the cantonal capital. Its 120 members, elected in 39 districts using a majority system
, are in office for four years. The next district elections are scheduled for 2014. The cantonal government, exercising executive authority, is made up of five members, elected by the parliament for a term of four years and limited
to two terms. The current President of Government is Hansjörg Trachsel.
The constitution of Graubünden, last revised on 14 September 2003, states in its preamble
that the canton's purpose is to "safeguard freedom, peace, and human dignity, ensure democracy and the Rechtsstaat
, promote prosperity and social justice
and preserving a sane environment for the future generations, with the intention of promoting trilingualism and cultural variety and conserving them as part of our historical heritage".
The constitution allows for the enfranchisement of foreign residents
at a municipal level, at discretion of the local governments. In 2009, the municipality of Bregaglia
became the first in the canton to make use of this provision, granting voting rights to foreigners.
Graubünden is divided into 11 districts:
.
and Protestantism
. Both are well-represented in the canton, with Roman Catholics forming a slight plurality (47% Catholic to 41% Protestant). There is a linguistic element to the religions, for the canton's German-speakers have been majority Protestant, whereas the Italian and Romansh speakers (and their descendants who may no longer speak those languages) are majority Roman Catholic.
Graubünden is the only canton of Switzerland with three official languages: German
in the northwest (68%), Romansh in the Engadin
and around Disentis/Mustér
(15%), and Italian
in the Italian Graubünden
(10%) with the remaining 7% speaking another language. Western Lombard
is also spoken, primarily in the region of Val Poschiavo, though it has no official recognition.
Romansh is an umbrella term
covering a group of closely related dialect
s, spoken in southern Switzerland and all belonging to the Rhaeto-Romance
language family. These dialects include Sursilvan
, Sutsilvan
,
Surmiran
, Puter and Vallader. Romansh was nationally standardised in 1982 by Zürich
-based linguist Heinrich Schmid
. The standardised language, called Rumantsch Grischun, has been slowly accepted.
Romansh has been recognized as one of four "national languages" by the Swiss Federal Constitution
since 1938. It was also declared an "official language" of the Confederation in 1996, meaning that Romansh speakers may use Rumantsch Grischun for correspondence with the federal government and expect to receive a response in the same language.
Romansh has a status of an official language at a cantonal level. Municipalities in turn are free to specify their own official languages.
Before the introduction of the official written form of Rumantsch Grischuni in 2003, books for pupils in public schools were printed in the five different idioms throughout the state.
Agriculture is still essential to keep remote valleys inhabited and is therefore supported by subsidies by the authorities both national and regional. Eight percent of the population work in agriculture and forestry, where 50 per cent of the production is certified as organic. Agriculture includes forests and mountain pasturage in summer, particularly of cows, sheep and goats. There is wine production
in the Rhine Valley north to the capital Chur.
24 per cent of the workforce are employed in industry whereas 68 per cent work in the service industry where tourism reaches a remarkable 14 per cent of the GDP. Tourism is concentrated around the towns of Davos/Arosa
, Flims
and St. Moritz
/Pontresina. There are, however, a great number of other tourist resorts in the canton, divided by the official tourist board for winter sports for example into categories "Top - Large - Small and beautiful" -yet still not including all of them...
The Chur area is also an industrial centre. In the southern valleys of Mesolcina and Poschiavo there is corn (maize
) and chestnut
farming.
Transport has always been an important issue in the area; cart tracks from the Roman era were found on Julierpass and Septimerpass was rebuilt for cart use in 1387 and, although it later became unimportant, it is still in its 1800 form (for hikers only). Corniche
paths were necessary for long stretches, and gorges such as the Viamala
gave construction problems for any kind of transport. The first real roads of 4 yards width were built across the Alps from around 1816, one of which is still in a very good historical condition as this connection across Splügen Pass
lost its importance after the opening of rail tunnels crossing the alps. The last valley to be connected to the road system in the state of Graubünden was Avers
, whose remote hamlet of Juf
was only reached in 1897. Eventually, the inhabitants of Graubünden gave up their resistance against individual motor traffic in 1926, and the 1967 opened San Bernardino road tunnel
, built to host tourism traffic, is used also by heavy goods vehicles nowadays although not really suitable for them for its ascent gradients. Most other passes have lost their importance for goods transport nowadays. Huge efforts ensure Public transport to (nearly) every settlement by an integrated timetable of postbuses and the Rhaetian Railway, the largest narrow-gauge railway network in Switzerland, in which the cantonal government is the largest shareholder. Even Juf, inhabited by some 30 people only but holding an European record
, is reached 5 times a day by public transport. The Swiss Federal Railways extend only a few kilometres into the canton, to the capital, Chur, where passengers transfer to the Rhaetian Railway. "Rhaetia
" is the Latin name for the area. The Albula Line became a UNESCO world heritage as did the Bernina Railway
, the highest and only railway to cross the alps without the use of a tunnel at the pass. In winter some of the road passes are closed whereas several high mountain passes such as the Julier
, Bernina
and Lukmanier
are kept open all winter (subject to restrictions). Being the highest elevated state in Switzerland, Graubünden hosts huge alpine areas that are not accessible by any means of transport but have to be walked to.
s are located in the canton: the Benedictine Convent of Saint John
, the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
and the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula
and Bernina
Landscapes.
The Graubünden are known for a dried-beef delicacy called Bündnerfleisch and for a nut and honey pie known as Bündner Nusstorte
. Another specialty, predominantly made in the western part of Grison, is Capuns a hearty meal of meat, cheese and chard leaves.
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 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 canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
, Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
, Glarus
Canton of Glarus
The Canton of Glarus is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.The majority of the population identifies as Christian, about evenly split between the Protestant and Catholic confessions.-History:According to legend, the...
and St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
and international borders with Italy
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...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
. The name Graubünden translates as the "Grey Leagues," referring to the canton's origin in three local alliances, the League of God's House
League of God's House
The League of God's House was formed in what is now Switzerland on January 29, 1367 to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. The League allied with the Grey League and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions in 1471 to form the Three Leagues...
, the Grey League
Grey League
The Grey League , sometimes called Oberbund, formed in 1395 in the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein valleys, Raetia. The name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey clothes worn by the people. The league became part of the canton of Graubünden. The Grey League allied itself to the two other...
, and the League of Ten Jurisdictions. Graubünden is also home to three of Switzerland's ethnic groups and the subsequent languages of Swiss German
Swiss German
Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
, 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...
and Romansh are all native to the state. It is also the only canton where the dialects of the ancient Romansh language are still spoken.
Geography
Inn River
The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres.- Geography :...
river valleys. In its southeastern part lies the only official Swiss National Park
Swiss National Park
The Swiss National Park is located in the canton of Graubünden in the east of Switzerland between Zernez, S-chanf, Scuol and the Fuorn Pass in the Engadin valley on the border with Italy....
. In its northern part the mountains were formed as part of the thrust fault that was declared a geologic UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, under the name Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
Glarus thrust
The Glarus thrust is a major thrust fault in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. Along the thrust the Helvetic nappes were thrusted more than 100 km to the north over the external Aarmassif and Infrahelvetic complex...
, in 2008. Another Biosphere Reserve is the Biosfera Val Müstair
Val Müstair
Val Müstair is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val Müstair and Müstair.-Demographics:...
adjacent to the Swiss National Park whereas Ela Nature Park is one of the regionally supported parks.
There are many significant elevations in the Grison Alps
Grison Alps
The Grison Alps are the mountains of the Graubünden canton of Switzerland . There are many significant peaks in the Grison Alps, including the Tödi and the highest peak, Piz Bernina...
, including the Tödi
Tödi
The Tödi , or Piz Russein, is the highest mountain in the Glarus Alps and the highest summit in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. It is located on the border between the cantons of Graubünden and Glarus...
at 3614 metres (11,857 ft) and the highest peak Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina is the highest mountain of the Eastern Alps and the highest point of the Bernina Range the highest peak in south Rhetic Alps. It is also the farthest easterly mountain higher than 4,000 m in the Alps, the highest point of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and the fifth-most prominent...
at 4049 metres (13,284.1 ft). Many of the mountain ranges feature extensive glaciers, such as at the Adula
Lepontine Alps
The Lepontine Alps are a mountain range in the central part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy .On the north the upper Rhône valley separate them from the Bernese Alps and the Furka Pass and the upper Reuss valley separates them from the Urner Alps; on the west the Simplon Pass...
, the Albula
Albula Range
The Albula Alps is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. It is considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps. It is named after the River Albula...
, the Silvretta
Silvretta
The Silvretta Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps shared by Tirol, Vorarlberg and Graubünden . The Austrian states of Tirol and Vorarlberg are connected by a pass road . The majority of the peaks are elevated above three thousand metres and are surrounded by glaciers...
, the Bernina
Bernina Range
The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps. It is one of the highest ranges of the Alps, covered with many glaciers. Piz Bernina , its highest peak, is the most easterly four thousand-metre...
, the Bregaglia
Bregaglia Range
The Bregaglia Range is a small group of mostly granite mountains in Graubünden, Switzerland and the Province of Sondrio, northern Italy. It derives its name from the partly Swiss, partly Italian valley, the Val Bregaglia, and is known as Bergell in German...
and the Rätikon
Rätikon
The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as the Rhine. In the south, the Prättigau is its limit, in the...
ranges. The mountain ranges in the central area are very deep, some of which are considered the deepest valleys in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. These valleys were originally settled by the Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
ns (Rhaeti).
Graubünden borders on the cantons of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
to the northwest, Glarus
Canton of Glarus
The Canton of Glarus is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus.The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German.The majority of the population identifies as Christian, about evenly split between the Protestant and Catholic confessions.-History:According to legend, the...
, Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
to the west, and Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
to the southwest. It also shares international borders with Italy (South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
and Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
), Austria (Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
and Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
) and Liechtenstein. The capital city is Chur. The world-famous resorts of St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
and Davos-Klosters
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
are located in the canton, completed by the larger all year round tourism destinations of Arosa
Arosa
Arosa is a town and a municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is both a summer and a winter tourist resort.-History:...
, Flims
Flims
Flims is a municipality in the district of Imboden in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The town of Flims is dominated by the Flimserstein which you can see from almost anywhere in the area....
, Lenzerheide
Lenzerheide
Lenzerheide is a mountain resort in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It lies at the foot of the Parpaner Rothorn. The village belongs to the municipality Vaz/Obervaz in the district of Albula, sub-district Alvaschein....
, Scuol-Sammnaun
Scuol
Scuol is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The official language in Scuol is Romansh.-Name:The official name has undergone several changes in the 20th century:...
and more.
The Inhabitants of Grisons are called grisonians.
History
Most of the lands of the canton were once part of a Roman province called Raetia which was established in 15 BC. The current capital of Graubünden, ChurChur
Chur or Coire is the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and lies in the northern part of the canton.-History:The name "chur" derives perhaps from the Celtic kora or koria, meaning "tribe", or from the Latin curia....
, was known as Curia in Roman times. The area later was part of the lands of the diocese at Chur
Bishop of Chur
The Bishop of Chur is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur, Grisons, Switzerland .-History:...
.
In 1367 the League of God's House
League of God's House
The League of God's House was formed in what is now Switzerland on January 29, 1367 to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. The League allied with the Grey League and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions in 1471 to form the Three Leagues...
(Cadi, Gottes Haus, Ca' di Dio) was founded to resist the rising power of the Bishop of Chur
Bishop of Chur
The Bishop of Chur is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur, Grisons, Switzerland .-History:...
. This was followed by the establishment of the Grey League
Grey League
The Grey League , sometimes called Oberbund, formed in 1395 in the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein valleys, Raetia. The name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey clothes worn by the people. The league became part of the canton of Graubünden. The Grey League allied itself to the two other...
(Grauer Bund), sometimes called Oberbund, in 1395 in the Upper Rhine valley. The name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey clothes worn by the people and was used exclusively after March 16, 1424. The name of this league later gave its name to the canton of Graubünden. A third league was established in 1436 by the people of ten bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
s in the former Toggenburg countship
Counts of Toggenburg
The Counts of Toggenburg ruled the Toggenburg region of today's Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, as well as parts of the Canton of Glarus, Thurgau, Grisons, Vorarlberg, and Zurich when their influence was most extensive....
, as the dynasty of Toggenburg had become extinct. The league was called League of the Ten Jurisdictions
League of the Ten Jurisdictions
The League of the Ten Jurisdictions was the last of the Three Leagues founded during the Middle Ages in what is now Canton Graubünden of Switzerland. The League was created in the County of Toggenburg after the counts of Toggenburg died out. The League initially existed to resist the power of the...
(Zehngerichtebund).
The first step towards the canton of Graubünden was when the league of the Ten Jurisdictions allied with the League of God's House in 1450. In 1471 the two leagues allied with the Grey League. In 1497 and 1498 the Leagues allied with the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
after the Habsburgs acquired the possessions of the extinct Toggenburg dynasty in 1496, siding with the Confederacy in the Swabian War
Swabian War
The Swabian War of 1499 was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of Habsburg...
three years later. The Habsburgs were defeated at Calven Gorge
Battle of Calven
The Battle of Calven took place on May 22, 1499 at the exit of the Val Müstair in the Grisons to the Vinschgau in County of Tyrol between the forces of king Maximilian I of the House of Habsburg and those of the free federation of the Three Leagues of the Grisons...
and Dornach
Battle of Dornach
The Battle of Dornach was a battle fought on 22 July 1499 between the troops of Emperor Maximilian I and the Old Swiss Confederacy close to the Swiss village of Dornach....
, helping the Swiss Confederation and the allied leagues of the canton of Grisons to be recognised. However the Three Leagues
Three Leagues
The Three Leagues was the alliance of 1471 of the League of God's House, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and the Grey League, leading eventually to the formation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Most of the lands of Graubünden were part of the Roman province Raetia in 15 BC...
remained a loose association until the Bundesbrief of September 23, 1524.
The last traces of the Bishop of Chur's jurisdiction were abolished in 1526. The Musso war
Musso war
The Musso war was an armed conflict between the federation of the Three Leagues in the Grisons, an associate state of the Old Swiss Confederacy, and the Duchy of Milan early in the 16th century....
of 1520 drove the Three Leagues closer to the Swiss Confederacy. In 1798, the lands of the canton of Graubünden became part of the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
as the Canton of Raetia
Canton of Raetia
Raetia was the name of a canton of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, corresponding to modern Graubünden and composed of the Free State of the Three Leagues...
. With the Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...
the "perpetual ally" of 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....
became a canton in 1803. The constitution of the canton dates from 1892. In the following century, there have been about 30 changes made to the constitution.
The arms of the three original leagues are were combined into the modern cantonal coat of arms in 1933.
Government
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
, are in office for four years. The next district elections are scheduled for 2014. The cantonal government, exercising executive authority, is made up of five members, elected by the parliament for a term of four years and limited
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
to two terms. The current President of Government is Hansjörg Trachsel.
The constitution of Graubünden, last revised on 14 September 2003, states in its preamble
Preamble
A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute...
that the canton's purpose is to "safeguard freedom, peace, and human dignity, ensure democracy and the Rechtsstaat
Rechtsstaat
Rechtsstaat is a concept in continental European legal thinking, originally borrowed from German jurisprudence, which can be translated as "legal state", "state of law", "state of justice", or "state of rights"...
, promote prosperity and social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and preserving a sane environment for the future generations, with the intention of promoting trilingualism and cultural variety and conserving them as part of our historical heritage".
The constitution allows for the enfranchisement of foreign residents
Right of foreigners to vote
Suffrage, the right to vote in a particular country, generally derives from citizenship. In most countries, the right to vote is reserved to those who possess the citizenship of the country in question. Some countries, however, have extended suffrage rights to non-citizens...
at a municipal level, at discretion of the local governments. In 2009, 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:...
became the first in the canton to make use of this provision, granting voting rights to foreigners.
Districts
- AlbulaAlbula (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 ....
with capital TiefencastelTiefencastelTiefencastel is a municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-History:Tiefencastel is first mentioned in 831 as in Castello Impitinis. Starting around in the 14th Century it was known as Tüffenkasten.-Geography:Tiefencastel has an area, , of... - BerninaBernina (district)Bernina District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of 237.2 km² and has a population of ....
with capital PoschiavoPoschiavoPoschiavo is a municipality in the district of Bernina in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-History:Poschiavo is first mentioned in 824 as in Postclave though this comes from a later copy of the original document.. In 1140 it was mentioned as de Pusclauio. It was formerly known by the... - HinterrheinHinterrhein (district)Hinterrhein District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of .Hinterrhein District consists of five Kreise and twenty-eight municipalities...
with capital ThusisThusisThusis is a municipality in the district of Hinterrhein in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-Geography:Thusis has an area, , of . Of this area, 18% is used for agricultural purposes, while 58.2% is forested... - ImbodenImboden (district)Imboden District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of .It consists of two Kreise and seven municipalities:-Languages:...
with capital Domat/EmsDomat/EmsDomat/Ems is a municipality in the district of Imboden in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.- History :Domat/Ems is first mentioned in 765 as colonia de Amede. Ems is the German name for the municipality, Domat is the Romansh name and since 1943 the official name has been the combination of both.-... - InnInn (district of Switzerland)Inn District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of .It consists of four Kreise and thirteen municipalities:-Languages:...
with capital ScuolScuolScuol is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The official language in Scuol is Romansh.-Name:The official name has undergone several changes in the 20th century:... - LandquartLandquart (district)Landquart District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of .It consists of two Kreise and ten municipalities:...
with capital IgisIgisIgis is a municipality in the district of Landquart in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Far more known than its proper name Igis is its hamlet Landquart, for its Rail Station and motorway exit.-History:... - MalojaMaloja (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...
with capital SamedanSamedanSamedan is a town and municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Samedan is first mentioned in 1139 as Samaden. In 1334 it was mentioned as Semeden, in 1367 as Semaden, in 1498 as Sumada and in 1527 as Sameden... - MoesaMoesa (district)Moesa District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of . The official language is Italian.It consists of three Kreise and seventeen municipalities:...
with capital RoveredoRoveredoRoveredo is a municipality in the district of Moësa in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-Geography:Roveredo has an area, , of . Of this area, 8.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 75% is forested... - PlessurPlessur (district)Plessur District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of . The district is named after the river Plessur which crosses it....
with capital ChurChurChur or Coire is the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and lies in the northern part of the canton.-History:The name "chur" derives perhaps from the Celtic kora or koria, meaning "tribe", or from the Latin curia.... - Prättigau/DavosPrättigau/Davos (district)Prättigau/Davos District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of .It consists of seven Kreise and fifteen municipalities:...
with capital DavosDavosDavos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range... - SurselvaSurselva (district)Surselva District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of ....
with capital IlanzIlanzIlanz is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Ilanz is first mentioned in 765 as Iliande. Ilanz became the capital of the newly formed Grey League in 1395. The Grey League was the second of Three Leagues which eventually formed canton Graubünden...
Municipalities
There are 190 municipalities in the cantonMunicipalities of the canton of Graubünden
There are 180 municipalities in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland .-Mergers:January 1, 2002: Camuns, Surcasti, Tersnaus and Uors-Peiden merged to form the municipality of Suraua.January 1, 2003: Donath and Patzen-Fardün merged to form Donat...
.
Demographics
The population of the canton (as of ) is . , the population included 28,008 foreigners, or about 14.84% of the total population. The main religions are CatholicismRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
. Both are well-represented in the canton, with Roman Catholics forming a slight plurality (47% Catholic to 41% Protestant). There is a linguistic element to the religions, for the canton's German-speakers have been majority Protestant, whereas the Italian and Romansh speakers (and their descendants who may no longer speak those languages) are majority Roman Catholic.
Languages
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....
in the northwest (68%), Romansh in the 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...
and around Disentis/Mustér
Disentis/Mustér
-Demographics:Disentis/Mustér has a population of . , 8.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -4.7%....
(15%), and 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...
in the Italian Graubünden
Italian Graubünden
The Italian Graubünden or Italian Grigioni is the region of the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland where Italian and the related Lombard are spoken....
(10%) with the remaining 7% speaking another language. Western Lombard
Western Lombard
Western Lombard is a Romance language spoken in Italy, in the Lombard provinces of Milan, Monza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Sondrio, a small part of Cremona , Lodi and Pavia, and the Piedmont provinces of Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and a small part of Vercelli , and Switzerland...
is also spoken, primarily in the region of Val Poschiavo, though it has no official recognition.
Romansh is an umbrella term
Umbrella term
An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of concepts that all fall under a single common category. Umbrella term is also called a hypernym. For example, cryptology is an umbrella term that encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis, among other fields...
covering a group of closely related dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s, spoken in southern Switzerland and all belonging to the Rhaeto-Romance
Rhaeto-Romance languages
Rhaeto-Romance languages are a Romance language sub-family which includes multiple languages spoken in north and north-eastern Italy, and Switzerland...
language family. These dialects include Sursilvan
Sursilvan
Sursilvan is a group of dialects of the Romansh language spoken in the Surselva, on the western bank of the Rhine. The most closely related variety is Sutsilvan, which is spoken in the area located to the east.- Example :...
, Sutsilvan
Sutsilvan
Sutsilvan is a group of dialects of the Romansh language. It is spoken on the eastern bank of the Rhine....
,
Surmiran
Surmiran
Sursilvan is a group of dialects of the Romansh language. It is spoken in Surmeira and in the Albula Valley in Switzerland.-The "Hail Mary" in Surmiran:...
, Puter and Vallader. Romansh was nationally standardised in 1982 by Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
-based linguist Heinrich Schmid
Heinrich Schmid
Heinrich Schmid was a Swiss linguist and "father" of the Rhaeto-Romance Dachsprachen Rumantsch Grischun and Ladin Dolomitan....
. The standardised language, called Rumantsch Grischun, has been slowly accepted.
Romansh has been recognized as one of four "national languages" by the Swiss Federal Constitution
Swiss Federal Constitution
The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 is the third and current federal constitution of Switzerland. It establishes the Swiss Confederation as a federal republic of 26 cantons , contains a catalogue of individual and popular rights , delineates the responsibilities of the...
since 1938. It was also declared an "official language" of the Confederation in 1996, meaning that Romansh speakers may use Rumantsch Grischun for correspondence with the federal government and expect to receive a response in the same language.
Romansh has a status of an official language at a cantonal level. Municipalities in turn are free to specify their own official languages.
Before the introduction of the official written form of Rumantsch Grischuni in 2003, books for pupils in public schools were printed in the five different idioms throughout the state.
Economy
Maienfeld
Maienfeld is a municipality in the district of Landquart in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is a tourist destination in the Alps, both because of the local wine and because it was the setting of the story Heidi.- History :...
in the Rhine Valley north to the capital Chur.
24 per cent of the workforce are employed in industry whereas 68 per cent work in the service industry where tourism reaches a remarkable 14 per cent of the GDP. Tourism is concentrated around the towns of Davos/Arosa
Arosa
Arosa is a town and a municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is both a summer and a winter tourist resort.-History:...
, Flims
Flims
Flims is a municipality in the district of Imboden in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The town of Flims is dominated by the Flimserstein which you can see from almost anywhere in the area....
and St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
/Pontresina. There are, however, a great number of other tourist resorts in the canton, divided by the official tourist board for winter sports for example into categories "Top - Large - Small and beautiful" -yet still not including all of them...
The Chur area is also an industrial centre. In the southern valleys of Mesolcina and Poschiavo there is corn (maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
) and chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
farming.
Transport
Corniche
The word corniche typically refers to a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side of the road and falling away on the other...
paths were necessary for long stretches, and gorges such as the Viamala
Viamala
Viamala or Via Mala is an ancient and notorious section of the Hinterrhein River between Zillis-Reischen and Thusis in the Canton of Graubünden...
gave construction problems for any kind of transport. The first real roads of 4 yards width were built across the Alps from around 1816, one of which is still in a very good historical condition as this connection across Splügen Pass
Splügen Pass
The Splügen Pass is a high mountain pass which marks the boundary between the Lepontine and Rhaetian Alps....
lost its importance after the opening of rail tunnels crossing the alps. The last valley to be connected to the road system in the state of Graubünden was Avers
Avers
Avers is a municipality in the district of Hinterrhein in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It includes Juf, the highest-altitude year-round settlement in Europe.-History:...
, whose remote hamlet of Juf
Juf
Juf is a village in the municipality of Avers in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. At above sea level, it is the highest village with permanent residents in Switzerland and in Europe. Juf has a population of about 24 inhabitants divided over 6 families in a concentrated settlement. They were...
was only reached in 1897. Eventually, the inhabitants of Graubünden gave up their resistance against individual motor traffic in 1926, and the 1967 opened San Bernardino road tunnel
San Bernardino Pass
San Bernardino Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the Hinterrhein and the Mesolcina valleys between Thusis and Bellinzona . Located in the far eastern side of the Western Alps it is not to be confused with the Great St. Bernard Pass and the Little St. Bernard Pass...
, built to host tourism traffic, is used also by heavy goods vehicles nowadays although not really suitable for them for its ascent gradients. Most other passes have lost their importance for goods transport nowadays. Huge efforts ensure Public transport to (nearly) every settlement by an integrated timetable of postbuses and the Rhaetian Railway, the largest narrow-gauge railway network in Switzerland, in which the cantonal government is the largest shareholder. Even Juf, inhabited by some 30 people only but holding an European record
Extreme points of Switzerland
-Elevation:See also:*List of highest points of the cantons of Switzerland*List of tallest structures in Switzerland-Latitude and longitude:See also: Geographical centre of Switzerland-See also:*Extreme points of Earth*Geography of Switzerland...
, is reached 5 times a day by public transport. The Swiss Federal Railways extend only a few kilometres into the canton, to the capital, Chur, where passengers transfer to the Rhaetian Railway. "Rhaetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
" is the Latin name for the area. The Albula Line became a UNESCO world heritage as did the Bernina Railway
Bernina Railway
The Bernina Railway is a single track metre gauge railway line forming part of the Rhaetian Railway . It links the spa resort of St. Moritz, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, with the town of Tirano, in the Province of Sondrio, Italy, via the Bernina Pass...
, the highest and only railway to cross the alps without the use of a tunnel at the pass. In winter some of the road passes are closed whereas several high mountain passes such as the Julier
Julier Pass
The Julier Pass is a mountain pass in Switzerland, in the Albula Range of the Alps. It connects the Engadin valley with the rest of Graubünden...
, Bernina
Bernina Pass
The Bernina Pass is a high mountain pass in the Bernina Range of the Alps, in the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland. It connects the famous resort town of St. Moritz in the Engadin valley with the Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo, which ends in the Italian town of Tirano in Valtellina....
and Lukmanier
Lukmanier Pass
Lukmanier Pass is a pass in the Swiss Alps.The road from Disentis/Mustér in the canton of Graubünden leads through the Val Medel across the pass to the Blenio valley and Biasca in the canton of Ticino.The Pass is kept opened during the winter.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe*...
are kept open all winter (subject to restrictions). Being the highest elevated state in Switzerland, Graubünden hosts huge alpine areas that are not accessible by any means of transport but have to be walked to.
Culture
The canton is known as a region with a high density of medieval castles (and ruins) for example in the Domleschg area. Close by lies the church of Zillis, where 1130/40 a famous romanesque illustrated ceiling was added which is now treated as national heritage. Three World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s are located in the canton: the Benedictine Convent of Saint John
Benedictine Convent of Saint John
The Convent of Saint John is an ancient Benedictine monastery in Müstair village of Val Müstair, Switzerland, and, by reason of its exceptionally well-preserved heritage of Carolingian art, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.-History:...
, the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
Glarus thrust
The Glarus thrust is a major thrust fault in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. Along the thrust the Helvetic nappes were thrusted more than 100 km to the north over the external Aarmassif and Infrahelvetic complex...
and the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula
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...
and Bernina
Bernina Railway
The Bernina Railway is a single track metre gauge railway line forming part of the Rhaetian Railway . It links the spa resort of St. Moritz, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, with the town of Tirano, in the Province of Sondrio, Italy, via the Bernina Pass...
Landscapes.
The Graubünden are known for a dried-beef delicacy called Bündnerfleisch and for a nut and honey pie known as Bündner Nusstorte
Bündner Nusstorte
The Bündner Nusstorte , also known as Engadiner Nusstorte, is a traditional sweet, caramelised nut filled pastry from canton Graubünden in Switzerland. The modern filled Nusstorte was first widely available in the 1960s though it was invented in the 1920s...
. Another specialty, predominantly made in the western part of Grison, is Capuns a hearty meal of meat, cheese and chard leaves.
External links
- Portal of the Canton Grisons – Official website
- Graubünden Tourism
- Official Statistics