Ilanz
Encyclopedia
Ilanz is a municipality
in the district of Surselva
in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
.
in 1395. The Grey League was the second of Three Leagues
which eventually formed canton Graubünden
. Johannes von Ilanz, the Abbott of Disentis, was among the three nobles instrumental in creating this "eternal alliance."
Ilanz has a special place in the history of the Protestant Reformation
. In the 1520s, the Diet of Ilanz declared that citizens of the Three Leagues should be free to choose between Catholicism and the Protestant forms of Christianity rising to the fore. The so-called “Ilanz Reformation” of 1526 resulted in another systematic shock to the Catholic Church which had been under philosophical attack since Zurich in 1523 when Protestantism first rose to primacy in a major population center. These and other events resulted in a counter-reformation within the Swiss Confederation that reversed many of the gains of the Reformation in Switzerland
.
Ilanz has an area, , of 4.7 km² (1.8 sq mi). Of this area, 24.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 50.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 18.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (5.7%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
The municipality is located in the Ilanz sub-district of the Surselva district. It is the first town on the Rhine; the Rhine headwaters gather here to become the valley of the Vorderrhein
.
Illanz is the market town for the surrounding area. It is also the nearest major town to the Weisse Arena ski resort situated just further up the valley. In Ilanz are the major train station, large supermarket and nearest hospital of the area.
Ilanz is situated in a fork of the Surselva and the Vrin
/Vals
valley, which is split by Piz Mundaun
. The neighbouring villages of Ruschein and Ladir are accessed from Ilanz, as well as Vrin, Vals and Obersaxen
. It consists of the village of Ilanz and since 1978 the village of Strada.
, the gender distribution of the population was 45.2% male and 54.8% female. The age distribution, , in Ilanz is; 247 children or 9.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 348 teenagers or 14.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 306 people or 12.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 378 people or 15.2% are between 30 and 39, 347 people or 13.9% are between 40 and 49, and 285 people or 11.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 208 people or 8.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 200 people or 8.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 138 people or 5.5% who are between 80 and 89 there are 31 people or 1.2% who are between 90 and 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 47.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(22.7%), the FDP
(14.5%) and the SP
(12.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Ilanz about 67.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Ilanz has an unemployment rate of 1.44%. , there were 24 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 8 businesses involved in this sector. 550 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 39 businesses in this sector. 2,073 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 202 businesses in this sector.
From the , 1,577 or 63.4% are Roman Catholic, while 562 or 22.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
. Of the rest of the population, there are 94 individuals (or about 3.78% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 19 individuals (or about 0.76% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 89 (or about 3.58% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 8 individuals (or about 0.32% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 76 (or about 3.05% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 63 individuals (or about 2.53% of the population) did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
. The wettest month is August during which time Ilanz receives an average of 102 mm (4 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.4 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is June, with an average of 11.5, but with only 93 mm (3.7 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 63 mm (2.5 in) of precipitation over 11.4 days.
The Church of S. Margreta and the Church of S. Martin are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
.
American university professor Robert H. Billigmeier (1917–1996) spent his sabbaticals in Ilanz. Fluent in both German and Romansch, he was deeply interested in multiculturalism and authored several books to include the nationally acclaimed, Crisis in Swiss Pluralism, published in 1979. He was of German and Swiss origin with his maternal ancestry tracing back to Strada (now part of Ilanz).
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 Surselva
Surselva (district)
Surselva District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of ....
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...
.
History
Ilanz is first mentioned in 765 as Iliande. Ilanz became the capital of the newly formed Grey LeagueGrey 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...
in 1395. The Grey League was the second of 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...
which eventually formed canton 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...
. Johannes von Ilanz, the Abbott of Disentis, was among the three nobles instrumental in creating this "eternal alliance."
Ilanz has a special place in the history of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. In the 1520s, the Diet of Ilanz declared that citizens of the Three Leagues should be free to choose between Catholicism and the Protestant forms of Christianity rising to the fore. The so-called “Ilanz Reformation” of 1526 resulted in another systematic shock to the Catholic Church which had been under philosophical attack since Zurich in 1523 when Protestantism first rose to primacy in a major population center. These and other events resulted in a counter-reformation within the Swiss Confederation that reversed many of the gains of the Reformation in Switzerland
Reformation in Switzerland
The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate and population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matters in Zürich and spread to several other cantons of the Old Swiss...
.
Geography
The municipality is located in the Ilanz sub-district of the Surselva district. It is the first town on the Rhine; the Rhine headwaters gather here to become the valley of the Vorderrhein
Vorderrhein
The Vorderrhein is one of the two sources of the Rhine. Its catchment area of is located predominantly in the Canton of Graubünden . The Vorderrhein is about long, thus more than 5% longer than the Hinterrhein...
.
Illanz is the market town for the surrounding area. It is also the nearest major town to the Weisse Arena ski resort situated just further up the valley. In Ilanz are the major train station, large supermarket and nearest hospital of the area.
Ilanz is situated in a fork of the Surselva and the Vrin
Vrin
Vrin is a municipality in the Val Lumnezia. It belongs to the circle of Lugnez/Lumnezia in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland....
/Vals
Vals, Switzerland
Vals is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-History:Archeological finds from the Bronze Age around the thermal baths and Tomül pass as well as Iron Age items on the slopes of the Valserberg indicate that this area was used before written history...
valley, which is split by Piz Mundaun
Piz Mundaun
Piz Mundaun is a mountain in the Lepontine Alps, situated near Obersaxen in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-External links:*...
. The neighbouring villages of Ruschein and Ladir are accessed from Ilanz, as well as Vrin, Vals and Obersaxen
Obersaxen
Obersaxen is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Obersaxen is first mentioned in 765 as Supersaxa though this is from a copy which dates from later...
. It consists of the village of Ilanz and since 1978 the village of Strada.
Demographics
Ilanz has a population (as of ) of . , 15.4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 0.8%. Most of the population speaks German (59.3%), with Romansh being second most common (29.9%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 3.3%)., the gender distribution of the population was 45.2% male and 54.8% female. The age distribution, , in Ilanz is; 247 children or 9.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 348 teenagers or 14.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 306 people or 12.3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 378 people or 15.2% are between 30 and 39, 347 people or 13.9% are between 40 and 49, and 285 people or 11.5% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 208 people or 8.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 200 people or 8.0% are between 70 and 79, there are 138 people or 5.5% who are between 80 and 89 there are 31 people or 1.2% who are between 90 and 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 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 47.3% 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...
(22.7%), 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....
(14.5%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(12.8%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Ilanz about 67.3% 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...
).
Ilanz has an unemployment rate of 1.44%. , there were 24 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 8 businesses involved in this sector. 550 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 39 businesses in this sector. 2,073 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 202 businesses in this sector.
From the , 1,577 or 63.4% are Roman Catholic, while 562 or 22.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
Swiss 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 are 94 individuals (or about 3.78% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 19 individuals (or about 0.76% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 89 (or about 3.58% of the population) who are Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There are 8 individuals (or about 0.32% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 76 (or about 3.05% of the population) belong 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 63 individuals (or about 2.53% of the population) did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1835 | 574 |
| 1850 | 663 |
| 1900 | 981 |
| 1950 | 1,640 |
| 2000 | 2,488 |
- Population includes Strada
Weather
Ilanz has an average of 112.6 days of rain per year and on average receives 952 mm (37.5 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 August during which time Ilanz receives an average of 102 mm (4 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.4 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is June, with an average of 11.5, but with only 93 mm (3.7 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 63 mm (2.5 in) of precipitation over 11.4 days.
Sociology and Heritage sites of national significance
The ruins of Grüneck Castle (Ruine Grüneck), destroyed before 1544, are visible today.The Church of S. Margreta and the Church of S. Martin are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
American university professor Robert H. Billigmeier (1917–1996) spent his sabbaticals in Ilanz. Fluent in both German and Romansch, he was deeply interested in multiculturalism and authored several books to include the nationally acclaimed, Crisis in Swiss Pluralism, published in 1979. He was of German and Swiss origin with his maternal ancestry tracing back to Strada (now part of Ilanz).