Laax
Encyclopedia
Laax is a municipality
in the district of Surselva in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
.
The municipality is located in the Ilanz sub-district of the Surselva district. The municipality of Laax stretches from the village itself, to Plaun and the Vorab
, in the skiing area. This is all one valley and the river eventually flows to the Rhine river. It consists of the village of Laax and the hamlets
of Salums, Cons, Laax Murschetg, and Laax Dorf. The ski-lifts are in Laax Murschetg.
A small lake, Laaxersee
(Lag Grond), is located in the village.
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.1% male and 48.9% female. The age distribution, , in Laax is; 102 children or 8.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 147 teenagers or 12.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 152 people or 13.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 212 people or 18.4% are between 30 and 39, 171 people or 14.9% are between 40 and 49, and 184 people or 16.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 110 people or 9.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 49 people or 4.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 23 people or 2.0% who are between 80 and 89.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 37.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(27.9%), the FDP
(19.9%) and the SP
(14.1%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Laax about 74.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Laax has an unemployment rate of 1.58%. , there were 27 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 11 businesses involved in this sector. 61 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 14 businesses in this sector. 521 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 88 businesses in this sector.
From the , 788 or 68.5% are Roman Catholic, while 240 or 20.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
. Of the rest of the population, there are 12 individuals (or about 1.04% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church. There are 18 (or about 1.57% of the population) who are Islam
ic. There are 7 individuals (or about 0.61% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 70 (or about 6.09% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 15 individuals (or about 1.30% of the population) did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
and snowboarding
) and is part of the Weisse Arena Gruppe resort which combines the formerly separate resorts of Flims
, Laax and Falera
. In addition to winter sports, Laax is also known for summer sports such as hiking, downhill biking, and mountain biking. The village has views of the Signina group to the south and the Flimserstein to the north. The main facilities in the village include a swimming pool, a small supermarket, a post office and several shops, including a bakery.
It is regular host to international competitions such as the FIS
World Championship in skiing, the finals of the British Snowboard & Freeski Tour and the Burton
European Open in snowboarding.
Riders Palace
is a hotel for snowboarders and skiers and is part of the Design Hotels group.
In 2004 the resort was featured in the popular Xbox
snowboarding video game which sold more than one million copies, Amped 2
, and then in 2005 in the sequel Amped 3
on the Xbox 360
.
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 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...
.
Geography
Laax has an area, , of 31.7 km² (12.2 sq mi). Of this area, 35.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (29.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Ilanz sub-district of the Surselva district. The municipality of Laax stretches from the village itself, to Plaun and the Vorab
Vorab
The Vorab is a mountain in the Glarus Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Glarus and Graubünden. The summit is also named Bündner Vorab to distinguish it from a lower summit named Glarner Vorab...
, in the skiing area. This is all one valley and the river eventually flows to the Rhine river. It consists of the village of Laax and the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Salums, Cons, Laax Murschetg, and Laax Dorf. The ski-lifts are in Laax Murschetg.
A small lake, Laaxersee
Laaxersee
Laaxersee or Lag Grond is a lake in the village of Laax, Grisons, Switzerland. Its surface area is 5 ha and maximum depth 5.5 m.Fishing season is from May 1 to September 15. In winter, the lake is generally frozen....
(Lag Grond), is located in the village.
Demographics
Laax has a population (as of ) of . , 16.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 5.8%. Most of the population speaks German (50.3%), with Romansh being second most common (40.1%) and Portuguese being third ( 3.9%)., the gender distribution of the population was 51.1% male and 48.9% female. The age distribution, , in Laax is; 102 children or 8.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 147 teenagers or 12.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 152 people or 13.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 212 people or 18.4% are between 30 and 39, 171 people or 14.9% are between 40 and 49, and 184 people or 16.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 110 people or 9.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 49 people or 4.3% are between 70 and 79, there are 23 people or 2.0% who are between 80 and 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 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 37.2% 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...
(27.9%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(19.9%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(14.1%).
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Laax about 74.6% 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...
).
Laax has an unemployment rate of 1.58%. , there were 27 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 11 businesses involved in this sector. 61 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 14 businesses in this sector. 521 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 88 businesses in this sector.
From the , 788 or 68.5% are Roman Catholic, while 240 or 20.9% 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 12 individuals (or about 1.04% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church. There are 18 (or about 1.57% 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 7 individuals (or about 0.61% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 70 (or about 6.09% 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 15 individuals (or about 1.30% of the population) did not answer the question.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 277 |
| 1900 | 280 |
| 1950 | 328 |
| 1970 | 480 |
| 2000 | 1,150 |
Winter sports
It is famous for winter sports (mainly skiingSkiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
) and is part of the Weisse Arena Gruppe resort which combines the formerly separate resorts of 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....
, Laax and Falera
Falera
Falera is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.Falera is a part of the Alpenarena along with the towns of Flims and Laax and is the most secluded of the three.- History :...
. In addition to winter sports, Laax is also known for summer sports such as hiking, downhill biking, and mountain biking. The village has views of the Signina group to the south and the Flimserstein to the north. The main facilities in the village include a swimming pool, a small supermarket, a post office and several shops, including a bakery.
It is regular host to international competitions such as the FIS
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
World Championship in skiing, the finals of the British Snowboard & Freeski Tour and the Burton
Burton (Snowsports)
Burton Snowboards is a manufacturer of snowboards. Founded by Jake Burton Carpenter in 1977, the company specializes in a product line aimed at snowboarders: snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear, and accessories....
European Open in snowboarding.
Riders Palace
Riders Palace
Riders Palace is a ski and snowboard hotel in the town of Laax, Switzerland. Open only during the winter, Riders Palace is considered the "home away from home" by many skiers and snowboarders.-Information:...
is a hotel for snowboarders and skiers and is part of the Design Hotels group.
In 2004 the resort was featured in the popular Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
snowboarding video game which sold more than one million copies, Amped 2
Amped 2
Amped 2 is a sequel to Microsoft's snowboarding game Amped, which was an Xbox launch title. The game was introduced as part of the XSN Sports lineup, which included such games as NFL Fever, Top Spin and Rallisport Challenge.- Career Mode :The career mode in Amped 2 is much like other extreme...
, and then in 2005 in the sequel Amped 3
Amped 3
The game received moderate to good reviews, with critics citing the game's highly original art style as making up for the occasionally repetitive gameplay. One such reviewer was GameSpot, giving the game a score of 7.6, which they classed as "Good". The Review collation site GameRankings gave the...
on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.