Graubünden
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What is Graubünden?
Graubünden is the largest and most easterly canton in Switzerland, with an area of 2,743 square miles (7,105 square km). It is a mountainous region in the Central Alps. The valleys were originally settled by the Raeti, and the region was designated a county by Charlemagne around 806 CE.
The Gotteshausbund league was founded in 1367, followed by the Oberbund, or Grauerbund ("Gray League"), in 1395. The name Graubünden ("Gray Leagues") came from the gray cloth worn by the men. Graubünden entered the Swiss Confederation in 1803. The population is about one-half German-speaking, one-sixth Italian-speaking, and one-third Romansh- and Ladin-speaking. Tourism is important in the valleys, spas, and resorts, including Davos and Saint Moritz.
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Where is Graubünden located in Switzerland?
Graubünden is the largest and most easterly canton in Switzerland, located in the southeastern part of the country, and borders both Italy and Austria. This mountainous canton is situated in the Central Alps and encompasses a total area of 2,743 square miles (7,105 square km). The Swiss National Park is also located in Graubünden, near the Italian border, which is northeast of Saint Moritz.
The name Graubünden, meaning "Gray Leagues," originated from the homespun gray cloth worn by men of the Grauerbund, or Oberbund ("Gray League").
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What languages are spoken in Graubünden?
Graubünden is a multilingual canton in Switzerland where German, Italian, and Romansh are spoken. German is spoken by about half of the population, mainly around the capital city of Chur. About one-sixth of the population, living in the southern valleys, speaks Italian. Romansh, along with Ladin, is spoken by about one-third of the population in the Bündner Oberland and the Vorderrhein and Engadin valleys. Romansh is a Rhaetian language with two main dialects, Sursilvan and Sutsilvan. Since 1938, Romansh has been a national language of Switzerland for cantonal purposes, and in 1996, it was accorded semi-official status.
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What was the historical league of Graubünden?
The historical league of Graubünden in Switzerland refers to three separate leagues that eventually formed the canton of Graubünden:
- League of the House of God Founded in 1367 to reduce the rising power of the bishop of Chur.
- Gray League Established in 1395 in the upper Rhine valley. The name "Gray League," or Grauerbund, came from the gray homespun cloth worn by the men of the region, which eventually led to the name Grisons, or Graubünden ("Gray Leagues"), for the entire canton.
- League of the Ten Jurisdictions Formed in 1436 by inhabitants of ten bailiwicks of the former countship of Toggenburg after its dynasty became extinct.
These three leagues allied between 1450 and 1471. The Swiss victories at Calven Gorge and Dornach led the Habsburgs to recognize the practical independence of the Swiss and their allies. Graubünden entered the Swiss Confederation in 1803.
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How did Graubünden become part of Switzerland?
Graubünden, Switzerland's largest and easternmost canton, joined the Swiss Confederation in 1803 after a brief period in the Helvetic Republic.
Originally settled by the Raeti, the region was part of the Roman province of Raetia from 15 BCE. Ruled largely by the bishop of Chur, the area saw the rise of leagues like the Gotteshausbund (1367) and the Grauerbund (1395) to counter the bishop's power.
These leagues, along with the Zehngerichtenbund (1436), allied with the Swiss Confederation, leading to conflicts with the Habsburgs and eventual recognition of Swiss independence. After being briefly included in the Helvetic Republic, Graubünden formally became part of Switzerland in 1803.
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What are some important cultural or natural features of Graubünden today?
Graubünden, the largest and most easterly canton in Switzerland, boasts several notable cultural and natural features. The Swiss National Park, established in 1914, is a magnificent nature reserve in the Central Alps, home to diverse wildlife and rare Alpine plants.
Culturally, Graubünden is known for its Rhaetian dialects, including Romansh and Ladin, which are survivals of an ancient Romance language. Romansh has been a national language in Switzerland since 1938. Folk arts like music, wood carving, and embroidery are also integral to the canton's cultural identity. Additionally, the Kirchner Museum stands as a prime example of northern Swiss architecture.
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Graubünden, largest and most easterly canton of Switzerland; it has an area of 2,743 square miles (7,105 square km), of which two-thirds is classed as productive (forests covering one-fifth of the total). The entire canton is mountainous, containing peaks and glaciers of the Tödi (11,857 feet [3,614 meters]), Bernina (13,284 feet [4,049 meters]), Adula, Albula, Silvretta, and Rhätikon ranges in the Central Alps. These ranges are penetrated by a system of level valleys, of which the inner ones are the highest in central Europe. The principal valleys, running southwest to northeast, are those of the Upper Rhine.
The valleys were originally settled by the Raeti (Rhaeti), a people probably Celtic in origin. Most of the modern canton formed the southern part of Raetia, a province set up by the Romans in 15 bce. Designated a county by the emperor Charlemagne about 806 ce, the region was largely ruled from the episcopal see of Chur (Coire), the bishop of which had become a prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1170.
The Gotteshausbund (“League of the House of God”), founded in 1367 to stem the bishop’s rising power, was followed in 1395 by the Oberbund, or Grauerbund (“Gray League”) of the upper Rhine valley. The use of the word gray (German grau, French gris, Romansh grisch) in this context derived from the homespun gray cloth worn by the men and gave rise to the name of the Grisons, or Graubünden (“Gray Leagues”), for the whole canton. A third Raetian league, called the Zehngerichtenbund (“League of the Ten Jurisdictions” or “Courts”), was founded in 1436 by the inhabitants of 10 bailiwicks of the former countship of Toggenburg, whose dynasty had become extinct (see Toggenburg Succession). The Zehngerichtenbund allied with the Gotteshausbund in 1450 and with the Oberbund in 1471.
The passing of the Toggenburg possessions to the elder Habsburgs in 1496 led the Oberbund and Gotteshausbund to ally with the Swiss Confederation. The Swiss victories at Calven Gorge and Dornach in the ensuing war compelled the Habsburgs to recognize the practical independence of the Swiss and their allies. In 1526 the last traces of the temporal jurisdiction of the bishops of Chur were abolished. After a brief inclusion in the Helvetic Republic, the Graubünden, or Grisons, entered the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) in 1803. The cantonal constitution dates from 1892.
Forests and mountain pastures are used in the summer to graze goats and sheep. Wine is produced below Chur, the capital, and corn (maize) and chestnuts are grown in the Mesolcina and Poschiavo valleys. Tourism is important in the canton’s valleys, spas, and resorts, notably at Davos, Saint Moritz, Pontresina, and Arosa. There are some light industries around Chur. About one-half of the population, mainly around Chur, speaks German; about one-sixth, in the southern valleys, speaks Italian; and about one-third, in the Bündner Oberland and the Vorderrhein and Engadin valleys, speaks Romansh and Ladin, survivals of an ancient Romance language. The population has a small Roman Catholic majority. Pop. (2007 est.) 187,920.