Silvaplana
Encyclopedia
Silvaplana is a municipality
in the district of Maloja
in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
and the name of a lake in the municipality.
-era broken pillars in the Julier pass
. The village church was first mentioned in 1356. A new, late gothic
church was built in 1491. In 1556 the village converted to the Protestant Reformation
.
Silvaplana has an area, , of 44.7 km² (17.3 sq mi). Of this area, 19.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (64.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
Silvaplana is located on Lake Silvaplana
in the Upper Engadine Valley
. It is located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja. Above the village at 2284 m (7,493.4 ft), the Julier Pass
connects the Engadine valley to the rest of Graubünden and the Rhine watershed. While the stream Ova dal Vallun which connects Lake Silvaplana and Lake Champfèr runs through the village. It consists of the village of Silvaplana and the hamlets
of Surlej and Albana as well as part of the village of Champfèr
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The age distribution, , in Silvaplana is; 79 children or 8.7% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 35 teenagers or 3.8% are 10 to 14, and 38 teenagers or 4.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 127 people or 13.9% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 188 people or 20.6% are 30 to 39, 140 people or 15.3% are 40 to 49, and 149 people or 16.3% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 88 people or 9.6% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 49 people or 5.4% are 70 to 79, there are 18 people or 2.0% who are 80 to 89, and there are 2 people or 0.2% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 36% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(35.1%), the SP
(17.6%) and the CVP
(7.7%).
In Silvaplana about 75.2% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Silvaplana has an unemployment rate of 1.74%. , there were 21 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 95 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 11 businesses in this sector. 492 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 72 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Romansh dialect of Puter. Due to increasing trade with the outside world, Romansh usage began to decline. In 1880 about 73.3% spoke Romansh as a first language, while in 1910 it was only 48.61%. The last time that Romansh was the majority language was in 1941 when 54.9% spoke it. By 1970 Romansh was a minority language, with only 200 out of 714 (28.01%) speaking the language. Due to Romansh instruction in the village school, in 2000 there were 34.1% who at least understood Romansh.
, kitesurfing
and dinghy-sailing
.
There is a major watersports centre on the SW shore. An advantage of this location is that spectators are never far from the action, as they might be for more conventional maritime locations.
In August 2007 the International Fireball Dinghy
sailing class conducted a World Championship event at Silvaplana; there were 95 boats that competed over 6 races. While there was high local media interest since the 2006 World Champions were a Swiss pair that won in Vancouver, Canada, the 2007 winners were Richard Estaugh and Rob Gardner from Great Britain
. The 2006 world champion Swiss team came in 11th in 2007.
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 Maloja
Maloja (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...
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...
and the name of a lake in the municipality.
History
The first sign of a settlement in the borders of the municipality are some romanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
-era broken pillars in the Julier pass
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...
. The village church was first mentioned in 1356. A new, late gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church was built in 1491. In 1556 the village converted to 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...
.
Geography
Silvaplana is located on Lake Silvaplana
Lake Silvaplana
Lake Silvaplana is a lake in the Upper-Engadine valley of Grisons, Switzerland. It takes its name from the village of Silvaplana. The lake is also connected to the nearby Lej da Champfèr....
in the Upper Engadine Valley
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...
. It is located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja. Above the village at 2284 m (7,493.4 ft), the Julier Pass
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...
connects the Engadine valley to the rest of Graubünden and the Rhine watershed. While the stream Ova dal Vallun which connects Lake Silvaplana and Lake Champfèr runs through the village. It consists of the village of Silvaplana 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 Surlej and Albana as well as part of the village of Champfèr
Champfèr
Champfèr is a village in the Upper Engadin valley of the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. The Western part of the village belongs to the municipality of Silvaplana and part of the village belongs to the municipality of St. Moritz. The two halves of the town are separated by the creek Ova da...
.
Demographics
Silvaplana has a population (as of ) of . , 27.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 11.1%., the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The age distribution, , in Silvaplana is; 79 children or 8.7% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 35 teenagers or 3.8% are 10 to 14, and 38 teenagers or 4.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 127 people or 13.9% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 188 people or 20.6% are 30 to 39, 140 people or 15.3% are 40 to 49, and 149 people or 16.3% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 88 people or 9.6% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 49 people or 5.4% are 70 to 79, there are 18 people or 2.0% who are 80 to 89, and there are 2 people or 0.2% who are 90 to 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 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 36% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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....
(35.1%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(17.6%) and 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...
(7.7%).
In Silvaplana about 75.2% 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...
).
Silvaplana has an unemployment rate of 1.74%. , there were 21 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 5 businesses involved in this sector. 95 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 11 businesses in this sector. 492 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 72 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1804 | 348 |
| 1850 | 205 |
| 1900 | 319 |
| 1950 | 333 |
| 1970 | 714 |
| 2000 | 913 |
Languages
Most of the population speaks German (65.9%), with Italian being second most common (15.9%) and Romansh being third (10.6%). Until the mid 19th Century, the entire population spoke the Upper-EngadinEngadin
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...
Romansh dialect of Puter. Due to increasing trade with the outside world, Romansh usage began to decline. In 1880 about 73.3% spoke Romansh as a first language, while in 1910 it was only 48.61%. The last time that Romansh was the majority language was in 1941 when 54.9% spoke it. By 1970 Romansh was a minority language, with only 200 out of 714 (28.01%) speaking the language. Due to Romansh instruction in the village school, in 2000 there were 34.1% who at least understood Romansh.
| Languages in Silvaplana | ||||||
| Languages | Census 1980 | Census 1990 | Census 2000 | |||
| Number | 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.... |
346 | 43.80 % | 434 | 60.28 % | 602 | 65.94 % |
| Romansh | 207 | 26.20 % | 141 | 19.58 % | 97 | 10.62 % |
| 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... |
138 | 17.47 % | 127 | 17.64 % | 145 | 15.88 % |
| Population | 790 | 100 % | 720 | 100 % | 913 | 100 % |
Sports
The lake is well known for its predictable winds and is therefore a popular venue for water-sailsports including particularly windsurfingWindsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
, kitesurfing
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a...
and dinghy-sailing
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
.
There is a major watersports centre on the SW shore. An advantage of this location is that spectators are never far from the action, as they might be for more conventional maritime locations.
In August 2007 the International Fireball Dinghy
Fireball (dinghy)
Originally designed by Peter Milne in 1962, the Fireball is a one-design high-performance sailing dinghy. The Fireball is sailed by a crew of two, and sports a single trapeze, symmetric spinnaker and chined hull. The class is strictly controlled, but has adapted to advances in building techniques...
sailing class conducted a World Championship event at Silvaplana; there were 95 boats that competed over 6 races. While there was high local media interest since the 2006 World Champions were a Swiss pair that won in Vancouver, Canada, the 2007 winners were Richard Estaugh and Rob Gardner from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The 2006 world champion Swiss team came in 11th in 2007.