Guarda, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Guarda is a municipality
in Inn District in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
.
Guarda was awarded the Wakker Prize
for the preservation of its architectural heritage in 1975.
The municipality is located in the Sur Tasna sub-district of the Inn district on a terrace above the left bank of the Inn river. It consists of the linear village
of Guarda above the valley and the settlement of Giarsun along the valley floor.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The age distribution, , in Guarda is; 8 children or 5.6% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 9 teenagers or 6.3% are 10 to 14, and 7 teenagers or 4.9% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 16 people or 11.1% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 13 people or 9.0% are 30 to 39, 28 people or 19.4% are 40 to 49, and 17 people or 11.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 13 people or 9.0% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 21 people or 14.6% are 70 to 79, there are 12 people or 8.3% who are 80 to 89.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 46.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(35%), the CVP
(8.7%) and the FDP
(7.4%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Guarda about 77.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Guarda has an unemployment rate of 1.83%. , there were 27 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 19 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 8 businesses in this sector. 56 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 14 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
In 1975 the Swiss Heritage Society
awarded Guarda the Wakker Prize
for the preservation of its architectural heritage. The award notes that it is one of the best preserved and characteristic villages of the Unterengadin. It notes that the municipality struggled with a harsh landscape and the demands of tourism as well as the migration of young people from the village into the cities of Switzerland.
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 Inn District 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...
.
Guarda was awarded the Wakker Prize
Wakker Prize
The Wakker Prize is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage....
for the preservation of its architectural heritage in 1975.
Geography
Guarda has an area, , of 31.5 km² (12.2 sq mi). Of this area, 35.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 12.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (51.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Sur Tasna sub-district of the Inn district on a terrace above the left bank of the Inn river. 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 Guarda above the valley and the settlement of Giarsun along the valley floor.
Demographics
Guarda has a population (as of ) of . , 13.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -13.4%., the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The age distribution, , in Guarda is; 8 children or 5.6% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 9 teenagers or 6.3% are 10 to 14, and 7 teenagers or 4.9% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 16 people or 11.1% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 13 people or 9.0% are 30 to 39, 28 people or 19.4% are 40 to 49, and 17 people or 11.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 13 people or 9.0% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 21 people or 14.6% are 70 to 79, there are 12 people or 8.3% who are 80 to 89.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 46.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(35%), 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...
(8.7%) and 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....
(7.4%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Guarda about 77.3% 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...
).
Guarda has an unemployment rate of 1.83%. , there were 27 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 19 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 8 businesses in this sector. 56 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 14 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 280 |
| 1900 | 245 |
| 1950 | 193 |
| 1980 | 134 |
| 1990 | 165 |
| 2000 | 144 |
Wakker Prize
Swiss Heritage Society
The Swiss Heritage Society is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of Switzerland’s architectural heritage. Its focus is on the preservation of important landmarks, the development of the structural environment, and the promotion of good architectural design.The SHS was founded...
awarded Guarda the Wakker Prize
Wakker Prize
The Wakker Prize is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural heritage....
for the preservation of its architectural heritage. The award notes that it is one of the best preserved and characteristic villages of the Unterengadin. It notes that the municipality struggled with a harsh landscape and the demands of tourism as well as the migration of young people from the village into the cities of Switzerland.
Languages
Most of the population speaks Rhaeto-Romance (62.5%), with German being second most common (30.6%) and French being third ( 2.8%). The majority of the population speaks the Vallader dialect of Romansh. Until the 1980s, the village was almost totally Romansh speaking (1880 96%, 1900 99%, 1941 91% and 1980 90%). While the village school still supports the Romansh language, the German-speaking population is growing in Guarda.| Languages in Guarda | ||||||
| Languages | Census 1980 | Census 1990 | Census 2000 | |||
| 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.... |
9 | 6.72 % | 42 | 25.45 % | 44 | 30.56 % |
| Romanish | 121 | 90.30 % | 119 | 72.12 % | 90 | 62.50 % |
| Population | 134 | 100 % | 165 | 100 % | 144 | 100 % |