Sur, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Sur is a municipality
in the district of Albula
in the canton
of Graubünden
in Switzerland
.
The majority of its population are Romansh-speaking, with the 2000 census reporting that some 75% claimed it as their first language.
family. In 1663 the Capuchin friars
built the baroque
church of S. Catregna (Katharina) on the ruined foundations of the medieval
church of St. Bartholomäus. Today this church, together with the villages of Mulegns
and Marmorera
form a parish
. Until 1850 Sur was part of the municipality of Oberhalbstein in the League of God's House
. Before the construction of the Rhaetian Railway Sur was a cluster of farm houses and a major side industry was providing guides to travellers.
The municipality is located in the sub-district of Surses of the Albula district. It consists of the hamlets
of Furnatsch and Tgacrest as well as four alpine herding camps in Flix.
, the gender distribution of the population was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. The age distribution, , in Sur is; 12 people or 12.9% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 5 people or 5.4% are 10 to 14, and people or 0.0% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 7 people or 7.5% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 15 people or 16.1% are 30 to 39, 7 people or 7.5% are 40 to 49, and 14 people or 15.1% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 14 people or 15.1% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 14 people or 15.1% are 70 to 79, there are 3 people or 3.2% who are 80 to 89, and there are 2 people or 2.2% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 35.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(30.2%), the SPS
(25.9%) and the FDP
(7.8%).
In Sur about 58.3% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Sur has an unemployment rate of 1.35%. , there were 12 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 18 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 24 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 7 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
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 Albula
Albula (district)
Albula District is one of the eleven administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It has an area of 723.13 km² and has a population of ....
in the 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...
in Switzerland
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....
.
The majority of its population are Romansh-speaking, with the 2000 census reporting that some 75% claimed it as their first language.
History
The nearby Burg Spliatsch was built around the beginning of the 13th Century by the MarmelsBurg Marmels
Marmels Castle is a ruined castle in the municipality of Marmorera in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-Location:...
family. In 1663 the Capuchin friars
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
built the baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
church of S. Catregna (Katharina) on the ruined foundations of the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
church of St. Bartholomäus. Today this church, together with the villages of Mulegns
Mulegns
Mulegns is a municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-History:Around 600-500 BC, a copper mine and smelter were built in the Val Faller near modern Mulegns. The village was founded by a Walser group during the 15th Century. It was first mentioned in...
and Marmorera
Marmorera
Marmorera is a municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.Until the end of the 19th century, its population was almost exclusively Romansh-speaking...
form a parish
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
. Until 1850 Sur was part of the municipality of Oberhalbstein in the League of God's House
League of God's House
The League of God's House was formed in what is now Switzerland on January 29, 1367 to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. The League allied with the Grey League and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions in 1471 to form the Three Leagues...
. Before the construction of the Rhaetian Railway Sur was a cluster of farm houses and a major side industry was providing guides to travellers.
Geography
Sur has an area, , of 23.2 km² (9 sq mi). Of this area, 42.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (43.8%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the sub-district of Surses of the Albula district. It consists of 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 Furnatsch and Tgacrest as well as four alpine herding camps in Flix.
Demographics
Sur has a population (as of ) of . , 16.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -4%., the gender distribution of the population was 46.9% male and 53.1% female. The age distribution, , in Sur is; 12 people or 12.9% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 5 people or 5.4% are 10 to 14, and people or 0.0% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 7 people or 7.5% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 15 people or 16.1% are 30 to 39, 7 people or 7.5% are 40 to 49, and 14 people or 15.1% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 14 people or 15.1% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 14 people or 15.1% are 70 to 79, there are 3 people or 3.2% who are 80 to 89, and there are 2 people or 2.2% 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 35.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were 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...
(30.2%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(25.9%) 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....
(7.8%).
In Sur about 58.3% 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...
).
Sur has an unemployment rate of 1.35%. , there were 12 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 18 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 24 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 7 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 163 |
| 1900 | 178 |
| 1950 | 227 |
| 1960 | 155 |
| 1970 | 122 |
| 1980 | 112 |
| 1990 | 87 |
| 2000 | 93 |
Languages
Most of the population speaks Rhaeto-Romance (75.3%), with German being second most common (21.5%) and Italian being third ( 3.2%).| Languages in Sur | ||||||
| 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.... |
5 | 4.46 % | 12 | 13.79 % | 20 | 21.51 % |
| Romanish | 94 | 83.93 % | 66 | 75.86 % | 70 | 75.27 % |
| 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... |
4 | 3.57 % | 5 | 5.75 % | 3 | 3.23 % |
| Population | 112 | 100 % | 87 | 100 % | 93 | 100 % |