Graubünden

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Graubünden

canton and historical league, Switzerland

Also known as: Grigioni, Grishun, Grisons

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(German), French:: Grisons

Italian:: Grigioni

Romansh:: Grishun

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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.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Jeannine Deubel.

Engadin

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Engadin

valley, Switzerland

Also known as: Engadina, Engadine, Engiadina

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(German), French:: Engadine

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Engadin, Swiss portion of the upper Inn (Romansh En) River valley, in Graubünden canton, extending about 60 mi (100 km) from the Inn’s source near the Maloja Pass (5,955 ft [1,815 m]) northeast to Finstermünz (3,621 ft), near the Austrian border. It is bounded on the south by the Bernina Alps and on the north by the Albula and Silvretta groups. The valley is divided both administratively and geographically (at the Zernez Gorge) into Upper and Lower Engadin.

There are traces of Bronze Age settlement in the valley. As part of the Roman province of Raetia, it was thoroughly Romanized. During the 4th and 5th centuries territorial sovereignty passed to the bishops of Chur (Coire). The bishop later became a prince of the Holy Roman Empire and allied himself with the Habsburgs. Lower Engadin, not entirely an ecclesiastical domain, was in the 8th century assigned by Charlemagne to the counts of Toggenburg and was absorbed into what came to be known as the county of Tirol, which passed to the Habsburgs in 1363. The Raetian leagues were formed and joined with the Gotteshausbund in 1471 to curtail the power of the Habsburgs. Lower Engadin officially achieved independence with the defeat of the Habsburgs in the battle at Calven Gorge in 1499, but this was not secured until 1652. The Engadin was included in Raetia canton of the Helvetic Republic (1801–03) and in Graubünden canton after 1803.

Because of high elevation the scenery of the Upper Engadin is stark, with no tillage; firs and larches flourish, and the Alpine flora is rich and varied. The chief resources are hay meadows, pastures, and forests. In Lower Engadin tillage is more varied, and grain is grown. There are important reserves of waterpower. Tourism is a major industry. The mineral spring of Sankt Moritz has been famous for centuries, and the Upper Engadin, including the villages of Sils-Maria (with the Friedrich Nietzsche house) and Pontresina, became fashionable in the 19th century as an “air cure” and winter-sports centre. Lower Engadin has two major tourist attractions: the mineral springs of Scuol, below Tarasp, and the Swiss National Park, a wildlife sanctuary.

Because Tarasp remained in the hands of the Habsburgs until 1803, its inhabitants adhered to Roman Catholicism. Easier communications with the Tirol caused Samnaun to adopt Catholicism and German speech. The upper Spöl Valley (Livigno) is Italian speaking. The population is primarily, however, Protestant and Romansh speaking.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.