St. Moritz
Encyclopedia
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland
. It is a municipality
in the district of Maloja
in the Swiss canton
of Graubünden
. The highest summit in the Eastern Alps
, the Piz Bernina
, lies a few kilometres south of the town.
St. Moritz is first mentioned around 1137-39 as ad sanctum Mauricium. The town was named after Saint Maurice
, a Coptic Orthodox, and Roman Catholic saint.
Pilgrims travelled to Saint Mauritius, the church of the springs, where they drank from the blessed, bubbling waters of the Mauritius springs in the hopes of being healed. In 1519, the Medici pope, Leo X, promised full absolution to anyone making a pilgrimage to the church of the springs. In the 16th century, the first scientific treatises about the St. Moritz mineral springs were written. In 1535, Paracelsus, the great practitioner of nature cures, spent some time in St. Moritz.
Although it received some visitors during the summer, the origins of the winter resort only date back to September 1864, when St. Moritz hotel pioneer, Johannes Badrutt, made a wager with four British summer guests: that they should return in winter and if it was not to their liking, he would pay for the cost of their journey from London and back. If they found St. Moritz attractive in winter, he would invite them to stay as his guests for as long as they wished. This marked not only the start of winter tourism in St. Moritz but the start of winter tourism in the whole of the Alps. The first tourist office in Switzerland was established the same year in the town. St. Moritz developed rapidly in the late nineteenth century and the first electric light in Switzerland was installed in 1878 at the Kulm Hotel and the first curling tournament on the continent held in 1880. The first European Ice-Skating Championships were held at St. Moritz in 1882 and first golf tournament in the Alps held in 1889. The first bob run and bob race was held in 1890 and by 1896 St. Moritz became the first town in the Alps to install electric trams and opened the Palace Hotel
. In 1906, a horse race was held on snow (1906) and on the frozen lake (1907). The first ski school in Switzerland was established in St. Moritz in 1929.
In 1928 St. Moritz hosted the 1928 Winter Olympic Games and the stadium still stands today. It later hosted the 1948 Winter Olympic Games. St. Moritz has hosted over 20 FIBT World Championships
, three FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (1934/1974/2003) over 40 Engadin Ski Marathons since 1969 and over 30 Engadin Ski Marathons since 1978. It has also hosted many other events since, including some unlikely ones on the frozen lake in the 1970s and 1980s such as a golf tournament, (1979), a polo tournament (every year in February starting in 1985)
and cricket (1989). St. Moritz has also been the venue for many Sailing and Windsurfing World Championships.
Since the registration of a new trademark
by the tourist office in 1987, St. Moritz is also known as Top of the World.
The municipality is located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district. It consists of the settlements of St. Moritz-dorf (elevation 1830 metres (6,003.9 ft)), Bad (ele. 1775 metres (5,823.5 ft)), and Champfèr (ele. 1825 metres (5,987.5 ft)) as well as the village section of Suvretta.
and 1948 Winter Olympics
. It also hosted the 1934, 1974 and 2003 Alpine Skiing World Championships. It is one of three cities that have hosted the Winter Olympic Games
twice, the others being Innsbruck, Austria and Lake Placid, New York
in the United States
. Additionally, it has hosted the FIBT World Championships (bobsleigh
and skeleton racing
) a record 21 times. Since 1985, St. Moritz has hosted the Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow; an annual high-goal tournament featuring many of the world's finest teams. In its current form, the tournament lasts four days and is played on a specially marked field located on the frozen lake.
St. Moritz is extremely popular in the summer months as an altitude training base for distance athletes, particularly cyclists
, runners
, and race walkers
. Its popularity extends to the altitude, weather, world class athletics track, and availability of paths and trails in the area.
In 1904 the oldest and worlds last remaining natural bob run was opened. The 1722 meter long ice chanel - also known as the world biggest "ice sculpture" - is built every winter from ground up with only snow and water. The bob run hosted numerous world championships and was used in both olympic wintergames. In the early 30s some members of the bob club, started taking guests for taxi rides along, today with slightly modified racing bobs.
For the 1928 games, the cross-country skiing
and the cross-country skiing part of the Nordic combined
events took place around the hills of St. Moritz. Twenty years later, the city again the cross-country skiing
, the cross-country skinng part of the Nordic combined
, and the ice hockey
events took place in St. Moritz.
In addition to the above sports, St. Moritz is also well known as a destination for sailing. It is the host venue for the annual St. Moritz Match Race held on lake St. Moritz. The St. Moritz Match Race event is part of the prestigious World Match Racing Tour
which covers 3 continents. The event draws the world's best sailing teams to St. Moritz in a gladiatorial battle of nerve and skill on the water. The identical supplied (BLU-26) boats are raced two at a time in an on the water dogfight which tests the sailors and skippers to the limits of their physical abilities. Points accrued count towards the World Match Racing Tour and a place in the final event, with the overall winner taking the title ISAF World Match Racing Tour Champion. Match racing is an ideal sport for spectators in St. Moritz. Racing in such close proximity (approx. 15m) to the Lake St. Moritz shoreline provides excellent heart of the action viewing for the audience.
attended by the international Upper class
.
Popular pastimes include skiing
, snowboarding
, and hiking
, and nearby there is also the world famous Cresta Run
toboggan
course.
The year-round population is 5600, with some 3000 seasonal employees supporting hotels and rental units with a total of 13,000 beds.
climate with cold, moderately snowy winters and mild, wet summers.
, the gender distribution of the population was 45.4% male and 54.6% female. The age distribution, , in St. Moritz is; 423 children or 7.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 502 teenagers or 9.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 960 people or 17.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,055 people or 18.9% are between 30 and 39, 864 people or 15.5% are between 40 and 49, and 820 people or 14.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 532 people or 9.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 289 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 121 people or 2.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 23 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older.
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 34.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(24.5%), the SP
(22.4%), and the CVP
(17%).
).
Romansh dialect of Puter. Due to increasing trade with the outside world, Romansh usage began to decline. In 1880, only 50.2% spoke Romansh as a first language. Romansh lost ground to both German and Italian. In 1900, 31% of the population spoke Italian as a first language, and in 1910, it was about the same. In the following years, the percentage of Romansh and Italian speakers both decreased against German speakers. In 1941, only 20% spoke Romansh, and in 1970 it was 8%. In 2000, only 13% of the population of St. Moritz even understood Romansh.
. The Glacier Express
and Bernina Express
trains also stop at this station.
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....
. It is a 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 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 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...
. The highest summit in the Eastern Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, the Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina is the highest mountain of the Eastern Alps and the highest point of the Bernina Range the highest peak in south Rhetic Alps. It is also the farthest easterly mountain higher than 4,000 m in the Alps, the highest point of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and the fifth-most prominent...
, lies a few kilometres south of the town.
History
Votive offerings, swords, and needles from the Bronze Age, were found at the base of the springs in St. Moritz, which indicate that the Celts had already discovered them.St. Moritz is first mentioned around 1137-39 as ad sanctum Mauricium. The town was named after Saint Maurice
Saint Maurice
Saint Maurice was the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century, and one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that group. He was the patron saint of several professions, locales, and kingdoms...
, a Coptic Orthodox, and Roman Catholic saint.
Pilgrims travelled to Saint Mauritius, the church of the springs, where they drank from the blessed, bubbling waters of the Mauritius springs in the hopes of being healed. In 1519, the Medici pope, Leo X, promised full absolution to anyone making a pilgrimage to the church of the springs. In the 16th century, the first scientific treatises about the St. Moritz mineral springs were written. In 1535, Paracelsus, the great practitioner of nature cures, spent some time in St. Moritz.
Although it received some visitors during the summer, the origins of the winter resort only date back to September 1864, when St. Moritz hotel pioneer, Johannes Badrutt, made a wager with four British summer guests: that they should return in winter and if it was not to their liking, he would pay for the cost of their journey from London and back. If they found St. Moritz attractive in winter, he would invite them to stay as his guests for as long as they wished. This marked not only the start of winter tourism in St. Moritz but the start of winter tourism in the whole of the Alps. The first tourist office in Switzerland was established the same year in the town. St. Moritz developed rapidly in the late nineteenth century and the first electric light in Switzerland was installed in 1878 at the Kulm Hotel and the first curling tournament on the continent held in 1880. The first European Ice-Skating Championships were held at St. Moritz in 1882 and first golf tournament in the Alps held in 1889. The first bob run and bob race was held in 1890 and by 1896 St. Moritz became the first town in the Alps to install electric trams and opened the Palace Hotel
Badrutt's Palace Hotel
The historic Palace Hotel in St. Moritz — more recently renamed as Badrutt's Palace Hotel — is an internationally known hotel in St Moritz, Switzerland, famous for its glitz and glamor...
. In 1906, a horse race was held on snow (1906) and on the frozen lake (1907). The first ski school in Switzerland was established in St. Moritz in 1929.
In 1928 St. Moritz hosted the 1928 Winter Olympic Games and the stadium still stands today. It later hosted the 1948 Winter Olympic Games. St. Moritz has hosted over 20 FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
, three FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (1934/1974/2003) over 40 Engadin Ski Marathons since 1969 and over 30 Engadin Ski Marathons since 1978. It has also hosted many other events since, including some unlikely ones on the frozen lake in the 1970s and 1980s such as a golf tournament, (1979), a polo tournament (every year in February starting in 1985)
and cricket (1989). St. Moritz has also been the venue for many Sailing and Windsurfing World Championships.
Since the registration of a new trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
by the tourist office in 1987, St. Moritz is also known as Top of the World.
Geography
St. Moritz has an area, , of 28.7 square kilometres (11.1 sq mi). Of this area, 28.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 19.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 8.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (44.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district. It consists of the settlements of St. Moritz-dorf (elevation 1830 metres (6,003.9 ft)), Bad (ele. 1775 metres (5,823.5 ft)), and Champfèr (ele. 1825 metres (5,987.5 ft)) as well as the village section of Suvretta.
Sport
St. Moritz has been the host city for the 19281928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
and 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
. It also hosted the 1934, 1974 and 2003 Alpine Skiing World Championships. It is one of three cities that have hosted the Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
twice, the others being Innsbruck, Austria and Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Additionally, it has hosted the FIBT World Championships (bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
and skeleton racing
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
) a record 21 times. Since 1985, St. Moritz has hosted the Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow; an annual high-goal tournament featuring many of the world's finest teams. In its current form, the tournament lasts four days and is played on a specially marked field located on the frozen lake.
St. Moritz is extremely popular in the summer months as an altitude training base for distance athletes, particularly cyclists
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, runners
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
, and race walkers
Race walking
Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
. Its popularity extends to the altitude, weather, world class athletics track, and availability of paths and trails in the area.
In 1904 the oldest and worlds last remaining natural bob run was opened. The 1722 meter long ice chanel - also known as the world biggest "ice sculpture" - is built every winter from ground up with only snow and water. The bob run hosted numerous world championships and was used in both olympic wintergames. In the early 30s some members of the bob club, started taking guests for taxi rides along, today with slightly modified racing bobs.
For the 1928 games, the cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing at the 1928 Winter Olympics
At the 1928 Winter Olympics, two cross country skiing events were contested. The 50 km competition was held on Tuesday, February 14, 1928 while the 18 km event was held on Friday, February 17, 1928.-Medal summary:...
and the cross-country skiing part of the Nordic combined
Nordic combined at the 1928 Winter Olympics
At the 1928 Winter Olympics one individual Nordic combined event was contested. It was held on Friday, February 17, 1928 and on Saturday, February 18, 1928 . Unlike today the ski jump was the last event held...
events took place around the hills of St. Moritz. Twenty years later, the city again the cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics
At the 1948 Winter Olympics, three cross country skiing events were contested. The 18 km competition was held on Saturday, January 31, 1948, the relay event was held on Tuesday, February 3, 1948, and the 50 km event was held on Friday, February 6, 1948....
, the cross-country skinng part of the Nordic combined
Nordic combined at the 1948 Winter Olympics
At the 1948 Winter Olympics, the Individual Nordic combined event was contested.-Individual:February 1, 1948-References:*...
, and the ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics
In Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics, Team Canada returned to its dominance, winning their fourth Gold Medal out of the first five Olympic Games.-Rival United States teams:...
events took place in St. Moritz.
In addition to the above sports, St. Moritz is also well known as a destination for sailing. It is the host venue for the annual St. Moritz Match Race held on lake St. Moritz. The St. Moritz Match Race event is part of the prestigious World Match Racing Tour
World Match Racing Tour
The World Match Racing Tour is a professional sailing series, featuring 9 World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation with “Special Event” status...
which covers 3 continents. The event draws the world's best sailing teams to St. Moritz in a gladiatorial battle of nerve and skill on the water. The identical supplied (BLU-26) boats are raced two at a time in an on the water dogfight which tests the sailors and skippers to the limits of their physical abilities. Points accrued count towards the World Match Racing Tour and a place in the final event, with the overall winner taking the title ISAF World Match Racing Tour Champion. Match racing is an ideal sport for spectators in St. Moritz. Racing in such close proximity (approx. 15m) to the Lake St. Moritz shoreline provides excellent heart of the action viewing for the audience.
Tourism
St. Moritz, due to its favorable location, enjoys over 300 days of sunshine a year. Every winter this alpine village hosts the "White Turf" horse race on the frozen Lake St. MoritzLake St. Moritz
Lake St. Moritz is a lake near St. Moritz, Switzerland. With a surface of 0.78 km², it is smaller than the main lakes of the Upper Engadin valley ....
attended by the international Upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
.
Popular pastimes include skiing
Skiing
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....
, 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 hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, and nearby there is also the world famous Cresta Run
Cresta Run
The Cresta Run is a natural ice 1,212.5 m long skeleton racing toboggan track in the Swiss winter sports town of St. Moritz, and one of the few runs dedicated primarily to skeleton. It was built in 1884 near the hamlet of Cresta in the municipality of Celerina/Schlarigna by Major Bulpett, eventual...
toboggan
Toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled which is a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people down a hill or other slope for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites...
course.
The year-round population is 5600, with some 3000 seasonal employees supporting hotels and rental units with a total of 13,000 beds.
Main sights
- The Segantini Museum: dedicated to Giovanni SegantiniGiovanni SegantiniGiovanni Segantini was an Italian painter known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps. He was one of the most famous artists in Europe in the late 19th century, and his paintings were collected by major museums. In later life he combined a Divisionist painting style with Symbolist images...
, a painter that lived the last five years of his life in EngadinEngadinThe 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...
e. The Segantini Museum is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional SignificanceThe Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
. - The bobsled runSt. Moritz-Celerina Olympic BobrunThe St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun is a bobsleigh piste located in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Constructed in 1903, it officially opened on New Year's Day 1904 and is the oldest bobsleigh track in the world and the only one that is naturally refrigerated...
: a very rare natural bob sleigh typically running by mid December each year - Viewing the glacier landscape: there are a number of notable vistas. Much can be seen by descending from DiavolezzaDiavolezzaThe Diavolezza is a mountain in the area of Pontresina in Graubünden. It has a height of 2978 m and is located southeast of Munt Pers ....
to the Morteratsch GlacierMorteratsch GlacierThe Morteratsch Glacier is the largest glacier by area in the Bernina Range of the Bündner Alps in Switzerland....
. - The 3300 metres high Piz CorvatschPiz CorvatschPiz Corvatsch is a mountain in the Bernina Range in Switzerland. A minor summit, Piz Murtel , lies just above the cable car station .-Weather:- References :...
with its ice caveIce caveThe term ice cave refers to any type of natural cave that contains significant amounts of perennial ice...
and its eight-kilometer long ski slope down to St.Moritz-Bad.
Climate
St Moritz has an Alpine climateAlpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
climate with cold, moderately snowy winters and mild, wet summers.
Population
St. Moritz has a population (as of ) of . , 38.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of 4.9%., the gender distribution of the population was 45.4% male and 54.6% female. The age distribution, , in St. Moritz is; 423 children or 7.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 502 teenagers or 9.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 960 people or 17.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,055 people or 18.9% are between 30 and 39, 864 people or 15.5% are between 40 and 49, and 820 people or 14.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 532 people or 9.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 289 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 121 people or 2.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 23 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older.
| Historic Population | |
|---|---|
| year | population |
| 1803 | 183 |
| 1850 | 228 |
| 1900 | 1,603 |
| 1910 | 3,197 |
| 1950 | 2,558 |
| 1960 | 3,751 |
| 1970 | 5,699 |
| 1980 | 5,900 |
| 1990 | 5,426 |
| 2000 | 5,589 |
| Population by Nationality (Census 2000) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Number Without dual-citizens |
Number Including dual-citizens |
| Switzerland | 3079 | 3527 |
| Italy | 897 | 1162 |
| Portugal | 435 | 445 |
| Germany | 202 | 232 |
| Serbia-Montenegro | 106 | 108 |
| Austria | 74 | 104 |
| France | 56 | 73 |
| Croatia | 62 | 63 |
| Spain | 33 | 41 |
| United Kingdom | 30 | 41 |
| Netherlands | 17 | 29 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 27 | 28 |
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 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 34.9% 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....
(24.5%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(22.4%), 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...
(17%).
Education
In St. Moritz about 65.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or 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...
).
Employment
St. Moritz has an unemployment rate of 1.38%. , there were 73 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 10 businesses involved in this sector. 900 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 55 businesses in this sector. 3,501 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 468 businesses in this sector. The Badrutts Palace Hotel (Five Star) has a staff of 520 persons and is the biggest employer in St.Moritz.Languages
Most of the population speaks German (58.8%), with Italian being second most common (21.8%), and Portuguese being third (6.6%). Originally, 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, only 50.2% spoke Romansh as a first language. Romansh lost ground to both German and Italian. In 1900, 31% of the population spoke Italian as a first language, and in 1910, it was about the same. In the following years, the percentage of Romansh and Italian speakers both decreased against German speakers. In 1941, only 20% spoke Romansh, and in 1970 it was 8%. In 2000, only 13% of the population of St. Moritz even understood Romansh.
| Languages in St. Moritz GR | ||||||
| Languages | Census 1980 | Census 1990 | Census 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| German | 3092 | 52.41 % | 3186 | 58.72 % | 3286 | 58.79 % |
| 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... |
1608 | 27.25 % | 1157 | 21.32 % | 1220 | 21.83 % |
| Romansh | 569 | 9.64 % | 338 | 6.23 % | 264 | 4.72 % |
| Population | 5900 | 100 % | 5426 | 100 % | 5589 | 100 % |
Transportation
Rhaetian Railway operates trains to St. Moritz (Rhaetian Railway station)St. Moritz (Rhaetian Railway station)
St. Moritz is a railway station in St. Moritz, Switzerland. It is the southern terminus of the Albula Railway line from Chur. Hourly services operate on this section of the line. There is also an hourly service on the Bernina Railway line from St. Moritz to Tirano, Italy...
. The Glacier Express
Glacier Express
The Glacier Express is an express train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The train is operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway...
and Bernina Express
Bernina Express
The Bernina Express is an express train connecting Chur in Switzerland with Poschiavo and Tirano in Italy, by crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south. For most of its journey, the train also passes along and through the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina...
trains also stop at this station.
In popular culture
- St. Moritz is featured in the opening scenes of The Man Who Knew Too MuchThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)The Man Who Knew Too Much is a British suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring Peter Lorre, and released by Gaumont British. It was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of Hitchcock's British period....
, a 1934 thriller directed by Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
. - St. Moritz was mentioned in the 1964 James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film GoldfingerGoldfinger (film)Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
as a skiing resort. Also mentioned in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes OnlyFor Your Eyes Only (film)For Your Eyes Only is the twelfth spy film in the James Bond series and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It marked the directorial debut of John Glen, who had worked as editor and second unit director in three other Bond films. The screenplay by Richard Maibaum...
. - In the Ian FlemingIan FlemingIan Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service the villain BlofeldErnst Stavro BlofeldErnst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and a supervillain from the James Bond series of novels and films, who was created by Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory. An evil genius with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and is arguably...
uses Piz GloriaPiz GloriaPiz Gloria is the name of the revolving restaurant on the Schilthorn near Mürren in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. The cable car station and the restaurant were designed by the Bernese architect, Konrad Wolf...
, a mountaintop facility in a resort near St. Moritz, as his base of operations. The real Piz Gloria is in another part of Switzerland. - St. Moritz is mentioned in the 1969 Peter Sarstedt hit "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)", where the song describes a Euro jet-setter who flies to St. Moritz during the winter.
- St. Moritz is mentioned in the popular comedic play "Private Lives", by Noel Coward.
See also
- Glacier ExpressGlacier ExpressThe Glacier Express is an express train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The train is operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway...
- Bernina ExpressBernina ExpressThe Bernina Express is an express train connecting Chur in Switzerland with Poschiavo and Tirano in Italy, by crossing the Swiss Alps from north to south. For most of its journey, the train also passes along and through the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina...
- Swiss AlpsSwiss AlpsThe Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
- Hotel St. Moritz in New York, named after the city
External links
- http://www.stmoritz.ch Official website
- http://www.stmoritz-gemeinde.ch Municipality