Grächen
Encyclopedia
Grächen is a municipality
in the district of Visp in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
The village is situated at an altitude of 1620 metres (5,315 ft) on a terrace above St. Niklaus
in the Mattertal
, north of the Mischabel range (and Dom).
times. It certainly was a hunting ground for early Bronze Age
alpine people(celts List of Celts). Around 750 (CE), the Alamanni
started to settle in the upper (German-speaking) part of what is now the canton of Valais.
Grächen is first mentioned in 1210 as de Grachan. In 1250 it was mentioned as de Granges. Grächen developed into a community of farmers in servitude and paying tribute to various feudal lords, until they finally reached their independence as a community (from the Bishop of Sion
) in the 19th century.
Thomas Platter
, a famous citizen of 16th century Grächen, published his autobiography describing a life from humble beginnings as a goatherd to a fulfilled existence as lord of a manor, master of herbal lore, publisher and school director. His son Felix Platter became a famous medical doctor and anatomist.
The municipality is located in the Visp district, on a terrace below the Ried Glacier. The glacier extends about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Ried to Bärgji and is about 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi).
of the municipal coat of arms
is Azure, issuant from base three Cliffs Or from which are rising as many Pine trees Vert trunked and rooted proper.
Most of the population speaks German
(1,229 or 98.0%) as their first language, Dutch
is the second most common (11 or 0.9%) and French
is the third (4 or 0.3%). There is 1 person who speaks Italian
and 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. The population was made up of 603 Swiss men (44.2% of the population) and 58 (4.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 650 Swiss women (47.6%) and 54 (4.0%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 888 or about 70.8% were born in Grächen and lived there in 2000. There were 214 or 17.1% who were born in the same canton, while 96 or 7.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 42 or 3.3% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 26.2% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 60.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.6%.
, there were 521 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 624 married individuals, 69 widows or widowers and 40 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 477 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 118 households that consist of only one person and 43 households with five or more people. , a total of 456 apartments (31.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 890 apartments (62.3%) were seasonally occupied and 83 apartments (5.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 35.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.17%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 75.92% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(13.04%), the SP
(5.52%) and the FDP
(4.26%). In the federal election, a total of 527 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 50.8%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
election a total of 591 votes were cast, of which 44 or about 7.4% were invalid. The voter participation was 57.8%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
election a total of 523 votes were cast, of which 32 or about 6.1% were invalid. The voter participation was 50.9%, which is much less than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
the total number of full-time equivalent
jobs was 379. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 13, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 59 of which or (0.0%) were in manufacturing and 56 (94.9%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 307. In the tertiary sector; 69 or 22.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 51 or 16.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 124 or 40.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 8 or 2.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 3 or 1.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 8 or 2.6% were in education and 8 or 2.6% were in health care.
, there were 78 workers who commuted into the municipality and 222 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 14.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 39% used a private car.
Grächen is situated on the Monte Rosa tour
hiking trail and provides for a natural stop between Saas-Fee
and Europahütte. It is also a base for many hiking and mountaineering trips.
Grächen has a quite small ski area of 40 km (24.9 mi). In 2011, a plan to renovate and enlarge the ski area was launched.
Grächen also attracts many people due to its closeness to Zermatt
and to Saas-Fee
, two major ski resorts.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 5 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 0.40% of the population), and there were 13 individuals (or about 1.04% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 0.32% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist
. 11 (or about 0.88% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 13 individuals (or about 1.04% of the population) did not answer the question.
. The wettest month is November during which time Grächen receives an average of 55 mm (2.2 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 6.9 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is August, with an average of 8.6, but with only 53 mm (2.1 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is January with an average of 32 mm (1.3 in) of precipitation over 6.2 days.
). Of the 69 who completed tertiary schooling, 73.9% were Swiss men, 17.4% were Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 104 students in the Grächen school system. The education system
in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
. During that school year, there was one kindergarten class (KG1 or KG2) and 18 kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Grächen there were a total of 5 classes and 104 students in the primary school. The secondary school
program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower and upper secondary students from Grächen attend their school in a neighboring municipality.
, there were 43 students from Grächen who attended schools outside the municipality.
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 Visp 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 Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
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 village is situated at an altitude of 1620 metres (5,315 ft) on a terrace above St. Niklaus
St. Niklaus
St. Niklaus is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:St. Niklaus is first mentioned in 1233 as chousun. In 1272 it was mentioned as ecclesia Sancti Nicholai de Chouson, Gebreitun de Gazun, 1388 in villa sti nicolai de chosun, fr...
in the Mattertal
Mattertal
The Matter Valley is located in southwestern Switzerland, south of the Rhone valley in the canton of Valais. The village of Zermatt is the most important settlement of the valley, which is surrounded by many four-thousanders, including the Matterhorn.-Geography:Located in the Pennine Alps, the...
, north of the Mischabel range (and Dom).
History
Settlements in the area of Grächen probably date back to neolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
times. It certainly was a hunting ground for early 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...
alpine people(celts List of Celts). Around 750 (CE), the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
started to settle in the upper (German-speaking) part of what is now the canton of Valais.
Grächen is first mentioned in 1210 as de Grachan. In 1250 it was mentioned as de Granges. Grächen developed into a community of farmers in servitude and paying tribute to various feudal lords, until they finally reached their independence as a community (from the Bishop of Sion
Bishop of Sion
The Diocese of Sion is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is the oldest bishopric in the country and one of the oldest north of the Alps. The cathedral at Sion, "Notre-Dame du Glarier" was fortified by walls and crowns one of the two hills on which...
) in the 19th century.
Thomas Platter
Thomas Platter
Thomas Platter was a Swiss humanist scholar and writer.His sons Felix Platter and Thomas Platter the Younger both studied medicine, a thwarted ambition of Platter's own early life...
, a famous citizen of 16th century Grächen, published his autobiography describing a life from humble beginnings as a goatherd to a fulfilled existence as lord of a manor, master of herbal lore, publisher and school director. His son Felix Platter became a famous medical doctor and anatomist.
Geography
Grächen has an area, , of 14.3 square kilometre. Of this area, 13.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 53.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 5.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and 27.5% is unproductive land.The municipality is located in the Visp district, on a terrace below the Ried Glacier. The glacier extends about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Ried to Bärgji and is about 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi).
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Azure, issuant from base three Cliffs Or from which are rising as many Pine trees Vert trunked and rooted proper.
Demographics
Grächen has a population of . , 6.4% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (2000–2010 ) the population has changed at a rate of -1.7%. It has changed at a rate of 1.6% due to migration and at a rate of 0.9% due to births and deaths.Most of the population speaks 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....
(1,229 or 98.0%) as their first language, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
is the second most common (11 or 0.9%) and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is the third (4 or 0.3%). There is 1 person who speaks 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 1 person who speaks Romansh.
, the population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. The population was made up of 603 Swiss men (44.2% of the population) and 58 (4.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 650 Swiss women (47.6%) and 54 (4.0%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality, 888 or about 70.8% were born in Grächen and lived there in 2000. There were 214 or 17.1% who were born in the same canton, while 96 or 7.7% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 42 or 3.3% were born outside of Switzerland.
, children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 26.2% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 60.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 13.6%.
, there were 521 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 624 married individuals, 69 widows or widowers and 40 individuals who are divorced.
, there were 477 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.6 persons per household. There were 118 households that consist of only one person and 43 households with five or more people. , a total of 456 apartments (31.9% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 890 apartments (62.3%) were seasonally occupied and 83 apartments (5.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 35.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.17%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss 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 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...
which received 75.92% 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...
(13.04%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(5.52%) and the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
(4.26%). In the federal election, a total of 527 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 50.8%.
In the 2009 Conseil d'Etat/Staatsrat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
election a total of 591 votes were cast, of which 44 or about 7.4% were invalid. The voter participation was 57.8%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election
Swiss Council of States election, 2007
Elections were held to the Council of States of Switzerland in October and November 2007 as part of the 2007 federal election. All 46 members of the Council of States were elected from all cantons of Switzerland. The first round was held on 21 October...
election a total of 523 votes were cast, of which 32 or about 6.1% were invalid. The voter participation was 50.9%, which is much less than the cantonal average of 59.88%.
Economy
, Grächen had an unemployment rate of 2.6%. , there were 49 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 29 businesses involved in this sector. 61 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 12 businesses in this sector. 356 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 81 businesses in this sector. There were 592 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 38.9% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
jobs was 379. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 13, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 59 of which or (0.0%) were in manufacturing and 56 (94.9%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 307. In the tertiary sector; 69 or 22.5% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 51 or 16.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 124 or 40.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 8 or 2.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 3 or 1.0% were technical professionals or scientists, 8 or 2.6% were in education and 8 or 2.6% were in health care.
, there were 78 workers who commuted into the municipality and 222 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 2.8 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 14.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 39% used a private car.
Tourism
In the 20th century, Grächen changed from a farming community to a popular tourist destination. In 1937, 7000 visitors spent the night there, today, some 500,000 visitors do.Grächen is situated on the Monte Rosa tour
Monte Rosa tour
The Monte Rosa Tour is a circular hiking trail through the Swiss & Italian Alps around Monte Rosa . The tour also encircles the Dom in the Mischabel range.Typical overnight stops are* Zermatt* Theodulpass...
hiking trail and provides for a natural stop between Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
and Europahütte. It is also a base for many hiking and mountaineering trips.
Grächen has a quite small ski area of 40 km (24.9 mi). In 2011, a plan to renovate and enlarge the ski area was launched.
Grächen also attracts many people due to its closeness to Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants....
and to Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
, two major ski resorts.
Religion
From the , 1,166 or 93.0% were Roman Catholic, while 46 or 3.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 5 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 0.40% of the population), and there were 13 individuals (or about 1.04% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 4 (or about 0.32% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. 11 (or about 0.88% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 13 individuals (or about 1.04% of the population) did not answer the question.
Weather
Grächen has an average of 84.1 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 523 mm (20.6 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is November during which time Grächen receives an average of 55 mm (2.2 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 6.9 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is August, with an average of 8.6, but with only 53 mm (2.1 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is January with an average of 32 mm (1.3 in) of precipitation over 6.2 days.
Education
In Grächen about 488 or (38.9%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 69 or (5.5%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
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...
). Of the 69 who completed tertiary schooling, 73.9% were Swiss men, 17.4% were Swiss women.
During the 2010-2011 school year there were a total of 104 students in the Grächen school system. The education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. During that school year, there was one kindergarten class (KG1 or KG2) and 18 kindergarten students. The canton's school system requires students to attend six years of primary school. In Grächen there were a total of 5 classes and 104 students in the primary school. The secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
program consists of three lower, obligatory years of schooling (orientation classes), followed by three to five years of optional, advanced schools. All the lower and upper secondary students from Grächen attend their school in a neighboring municipality.
, there were 43 students from Grächen who attended schools outside the municipality.
External links
- http://www.matterhornvalley.ch/e/ -- Tourist information.
- http://www.gemeinde-graechen.ch -- The website of the municipalityMunicipalities of SwitzerlandCommunes , 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...
. - http://www.wetter-graechen.ch -- ¨Weather information.