Versam
Encyclopedia
Versam is a municipality
in the district of Surselva
in the canton
of Graubünden
in Switzerland
.
The municipality is located in the Ilanz sub-district of the Surselva district. It is located above the Vorderrhein
canyon at the entrance to the Safien Valley. It consists of the linear village
of Versam and the hamlets
of Versam-Station, Arezen, Calörtsch and Sculms.
, the gender distribution of the population was 48.6% male and 51.4% female. The age distribution, , in Versam is; 35 children or 13.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 33 teenagers or 12.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 12 people or 4.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 41 people or 16.1% are between 30 and 39, 36 people or 14.1% are between 40 and 49, and 25 people or 9.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 29 people or 11.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 25 people or 9.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 15 people or 5.9% who are between 80 and 89 there are 4 people or 1.6% who are between 90 and 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 42.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(30.7%), the FDP
(16.7%) and the CVP
(9.1%).
In Versam about 78.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Versam has an unemployment rate of 0.52%. , there were 41 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 7 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 52 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 9 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
, the nearest Rhaetian Railway station, is located about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) from Versam. It is located on the Vorderrhein valley floor while Versam in on the heights above the station. To reach the village directly, there are two Postauto bus stops in the village.
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
Surselva (district)
Surselva District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of 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....
.
Geography
Versam has an area, , of 16.8 km² (6.5 sq mi). Of this area, 16.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 70.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (10.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Ilanz sub-district of the Surselva district. It is located above the Vorderrhein
Vorderrhein
The Vorderrhein is one of the two sources of the Rhine. Its catchment area of is located predominantly in the Canton of Graubünden . The Vorderrhein is about long, thus more than 5% longer than the Hinterrhein...
canyon at the entrance to the Safien Valley. It consists of the linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
of Versam 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 Versam-Station, Arezen, Calörtsch and Sculms.
Demographics
Versam has a population (as of ) of . , 4.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -18.5%. Most of the population speaks German (98.0%), with Romansh being second most common ( 1.6%) and Spanish being third ( 0.4%)., the gender distribution of the population was 48.6% male and 51.4% female. The age distribution, , in Versam is; 35 children or 13.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 33 teenagers or 12.9% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 12 people or 4.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 41 people or 16.1% are between 30 and 39, 36 people or 14.1% are between 40 and 49, and 25 people or 9.8% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 29 people or 11.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 25 people or 9.8% are between 70 and 79, there are 15 people or 5.9% who are between 80 and 89 there are 4 people or 1.6% who are between 90 and 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 42.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(30.7%), 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....
(16.7%) 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...
(9.1%).
In Versam about 78.9% 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...
).
Versam has an unemployment rate of 0.52%. , there were 41 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 7 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 52 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 9 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1803 | 357 |
| 1850 | 396 |
| 1900 | 316 |
| 1950 | 354 |
| 2000 | 255 |
Transportation
Versam-SafienVersam-Safien (Rhaetian Railway station)
-Rhaetian Railway services:*RE3/R31 - 1tph-External links:*...
, the nearest Rhaetian Railway station, is located about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) from Versam. It is located on the Vorderrhein valley floor while Versam in on the heights above the station. To reach the village directly, there are two Postauto bus stops in the village.