Tarasp
Encyclopedia
Tarasp is a municipality
in the district of Inn in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
. Its eleven settlements are situated within the Lower Engadin
valley along the Inn River
, at the foot of the Sesvenna Range
.
Originally a Romansh language area, the majority of the population today speaks High Alemannic German
. Unlike the surrounding municipalities, the Tarasp parish is mainly Catholic
.
known as Schalensteine or Hexensteine were found in the Tarasp area. This indicates that stone age
food processing happened in the area. However, there are no records or indications of settlements in the area until the 11th Century.
The Lordship of Tarasp Castle
was established in the 11th century and for centuries claimed by the Bishopric of Chur and the Counts of Tyrol
. After the Lords of Tarasp had become extinct, their estates were a Tyrolean fief from 1239 on. Under the rule of the Habsburg archdukes of Austria
, also Counts of Tyrol since 1363, Tarasp from 1464 on was an Austrian exclave
inside the Free State of the Three Leagues
, an associate of the Old Swiss Confederacy
. In 1687 Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg
granted the Lordship of Tarasp to the Princes of Dietrichstein
as an immediate territory of the Holy Roman Empire
.
In the course of the 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss
and the Act of Mediation
, Austria finally ceded the territory to the Napoleonic Swiss Confederation, after which it was incorporated into the canton of Graubünden.
The neorenaissance-style Grand Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera
-Tarasp with Sgraffito
-Elements was opened on June 8, 1897 and was one of the first addresses in the Swiss Alps
and was a major Belle Époque
monument in Europe.
The municipality is located in the Sur Tasna sub-district of the Inn district on rhw right bank of the Inn river. It consists of the village of Tarasp with 10 sections and the castle hill.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The age distribution, , in Tarasp is; 26 children or 7.9% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 37 teenagers or 11.3% are 10 to 14, and 22 teenagers or 6.7% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 30 people or 9.1% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 42 people or 12.8% are 30 to 39, 53 people or 16.2% are 40 to 49, and 38 people or 11.6% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 30 people or 9.1% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 27 people or 8.2% are 70 to 79, there are 21 people or 6.4% who are 80 to 89, and there are 2 people or 0.6% who are 90 to 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 44% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP
(34.5%), the SPS
(16.3%) and the FDP
(5.2%).
In Tarasp about 66.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Tarasp has an unemployment rate of 3.83%. , there were 17 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 6 businesses involved in this sector. 9 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 220 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 21 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
rule, until World War I
the population spoke the Romansh dialect Vallader. In 1880, 92 % spoke Romansh, and in 1910 it was 87%. By World War II
the percentage had dropped to 79% (in 1941). German continued to gain ground, but even in 1970 45.3% of the population spoke Romansh. In 1990 a total of 58% could speak Romansh, though not all spoke it as a first language, and in 2000 a total of 46.6% could understand Romansh.
.
-Tarasp station is the eastern terminus of the private Rhaetian Railway network, served by trains from Chur
and Pontresina
.
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 Inn 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...
. Its eleven settlements are situated within the Lower Engadin
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...
valley along the Inn River
Inn River
The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres.- Geography :...
, at the foot of the Sesvenna Range
Sesvenna Range
The Sesvenna Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland, northern Italy and western Austria. It is considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps....
.
Originally a Romansh language area, the majority of the population today speaks High Alemannic German
High Alemannic German
High Alemannic is a branch of Alemannic German and is often considered to be part of the German language, even though it is only partly intelligible to non-Alemannic speakers....
. Unlike the surrounding municipalities, the Tarasp parish is mainly Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
History
Primitive grinding stonesMillstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
known as Schalensteine or Hexensteine were found in the Tarasp area. This indicates that stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
food processing happened in the area. However, there are no records or indications of settlements in the area until the 11th Century.
The Lordship of Tarasp Castle
Tarasp Castle
Tarasp Castle is a castle located in Switzerland, near Tarasp, in Lower Engadin, Graubünden. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.-External links:* * *...
was established in the 11th century and for centuries claimed by the Bishopric of Chur and the Counts of Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. After the Lords of Tarasp had become extinct, their estates were a Tyrolean fief from 1239 on. Under the rule of the Habsburg archdukes of Austria
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
, also Counts of Tyrol since 1363, Tarasp from 1464 on was an Austrian exclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
inside the Free State of the 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...
, an associate of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
. In 1687 Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
granted the Lordship of Tarasp to the Princes of Dietrichstein
Dietrichstein
Dietrichstein was the name of a German/Austrian noble family.Maximilian von Dietrichstein was created Graf von Dietrichstein on 18 September 1612 and Fürst von Dietrichstein zu Nikolsburg on 24 March 1639...
as an immediate territory of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
In the course of the 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
and the Act of Mediation
Act of Mediation
The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,...
, Austria finally ceded the territory to the Napoleonic Swiss Confederation, after which it was incorporated into the canton of Graubünden.
The neorenaissance-style Grand Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera
Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera
The neorenaissance-style Grand Hotel Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera with Sgraffito-Elements was one of the first addresses in the Swiss Alps and was a major Belle Époque monument in Europe...
-Tarasp with Sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
-Elements was opened on June 8, 1897 and was one of the first addresses in the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The 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....
and was a major Belle Époque
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
monument in Europe.
Geography
Tarasp has an area, , of 46.9 km² (18.1 sq mi). Of this area, 12.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 34.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (51.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Sur Tasna sub-district of the Inn district on rhw right bank of the Inn river. It consists of the village of Tarasp with 10 sections and the castle hill.
Demographics
Tarasp has a population (as of ) of . , 36.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 14.9%., the gender distribution of the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The age distribution, , in Tarasp is; 26 children or 7.9% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 37 teenagers or 11.3% are 10 to 14, and 22 teenagers or 6.7% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 30 people or 9.1% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 42 people or 12.8% are 30 to 39, 53 people or 16.2% are 40 to 49, and 38 people or 11.6% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 30 people or 9.1% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 27 people or 8.2% are 70 to 79, there are 21 people or 6.4% who are 80 to 89, and there are 2 people or 0.6% 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 44% 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...
(34.5%), the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(16.3%) 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....
(5.2%).
In Tarasp about 66.8% 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...
).
Tarasp has an unemployment rate of 3.83%. , there were 17 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 6 businesses involved in this sector. 9 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 4 businesses in this sector. 220 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 21 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1630 | 242 |
| 1835 | 403 |
| 1850 | 357 |
| 1900 | 278 |
| 1950 | 307 |
| 2000 | 328 |
Languages
Most of the population speaks German (52.4%), with Romansh being second most common (38.4%) and Portuguese being third ( 3.4%). Despite centuries of AustrianHabsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
rule, until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the population spoke the Romansh dialect Vallader. In 1880, 92 % spoke Romansh, and in 1910 it was 87%. By World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the percentage had dropped to 79% (in 1941). German continued to gain ground, but even in 1970 45.3% of the population spoke Romansh. In 1990 a total of 58% could speak Romansh, though not all spoke it as a first language, and in 2000 a total of 46.6% could understand Romansh.
| Languages in Tarasp | ||||||
| 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.... |
138 | 47.10 % | 125 | 51.87 % | 172 | 52.44 % |
| Romanish | 129 | 44.03 % | 102 | 42.32 % | 126 | 38.41 % |
| 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... |
8 | 2.73 % | 8 | 3.32 % | 8 | 2.44 % |
| Population | 293 | 100 % | 241 | 100 % | 328 | 100 % |
Heritage sites of national significance
Tarasp Castle and the Trinkhalle (drinking hall) are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significanceSwiss 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...
.
Transportation
The ScuolScuol
Scuol is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The official language in Scuol is Romansh.-Name:The official name has undergone several changes in the 20th century:...
-Tarasp station is the eastern terminus of the private Rhaetian Railway network, served by trains from Chur
Chur
Chur or Coire is the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and lies in the northern part of the canton.-History:The name "chur" derives perhaps from the Celtic kora or koria, meaning "tribe", or from the Latin curia....
and Pontresina
Pontresina
Pontresina is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-History and name:The city was first mentioned in medieval Latin documents as pontem sarasinam in 1137. In 1237 it was mentioned as de Ponte Sarraceno and in 1303 as ponte sarracino...
.