Lumnezia is a valley region and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Surselva Region Surselva Region is one of the eleven administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It was created on 1 January 2017 as part of a reorganization of the canton.Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internationa ...

canton of Graubünden The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include: *german: (Kanton) Graubünden ; * Romansh: ** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Surmiran, (Ca ...

. The former municipalities of Cumbel, Degen,

Lumbrein Lumbrein is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The municipalities of Cumbel, Degen, Lumbrein, Morissen, Suraua, Vignogn, Vella, and Vrin merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municipality o ...

, Morissen,

Suraua Suraua is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The former municipality was formed on January 1, 2002, through the union of Camuns, Surcasti, Tersnaus, and Uors-Peiden. The municipalities ...

Vignogn Vignogn is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The municipalities of Cumbel, Degen, Lumbrein, Morissen, Suraua, Vignogn, Vella, and Vrin merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municip ...

Vella Vella is a village and a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The municipalities of Cumbel, Degen, Lumbrein, Morissen, Suraua, Vignogn, Vella, and Vrin merged on 1 January 2013 int ...

, and Vrin merged on 1 January 2013 into the new municipality of Lumnezia.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 2 January 2013 It covers the Val Lumnezia (german: Lugnez), a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internationa ...

high alpine valley. Its upper regions are among the most remote areas in the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swis ...

. The official language is Romansh. In 1998, the village of Vrin was awarded the

Wakker Prize The Wakker Prize (German: ''Wakkerpreis'', French: ''Prix Wakker'', Italian: ''Premio Wakker'') is awarded annually by the Swiss Heritage Society to a Municipality of Switzerland for the development and preservation of its architectural herita ...

for the preservation of its architectural heritage.

History

Neolithic and Megalithic Period

In the

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...

times the valley was probably inhabited by Chalcolithic (Copper-stone Age)

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (2004) ...

. Witness to this is the ''Crap da Treis Siarps'', the "Three Snakes Stone", a remnant of a Neolithic or Bronze Age

Megalithic A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

monument. It can be found at the slope of the Glogn gorge east of the Parish church of Pleif. Although the other megaliths of this monument have substantially weathered, the "Three Snakes Stone" is well preserved. It has three snakes and a half moon engraved, hinting at its use as either a burial site or as an archaeoastronomical site.

Roman Times

During Roman times Lumnezia was probably inhabited by a Celtic tribe known as the

Helvetii The Helvetii ( , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. According to Juliu ...

. It was a part of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Province of

Rhaetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with ...

. However, as there were hardly any natural resources in the valley and the alpine crossing into the

Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

would have been difficult, there are no significant archaeological finds of this period.

Middle Ages

Chronicles of the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

mention the Lumnezia because of its fertile soils and advantageous climate. In several sheltered parishes, such as Peiden

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...

es and

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

were grown. In the 6th century AD the parish church at Pleif near

was built. At about this time the valley became a

domain Domain may refer to: Mathematics *Domain of a function, the set of input values for which the (total) function is defined ** Domain of definition of a partial function ** Natural domain of a partial function ** Domain of holomorphy of a function * ...

of Bishopric Chur, with its inhabitants living in serfdom to the bishops at

Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembour ...

. At around 1,200 AD the Valser Valley, a side valley of the Val Lumnezia, was settled by an

Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pres ...

c tribe known as the

Walser The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic. They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser people are named ...

s. With the foundation of the

Grey League The Grey League (german: Grauer Bund, it, Lega Grigia, rm, Ligia Grischa or ), sometimes called ''Oberbund'', formed in 1395 in the '' Vorderrhein'' and '' Hinterrhein'' valleys, Raetia. The name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey c ...

in the 14th century, the valley emancipated itself politically.

Reformation and Enlightenment

1538 AD the citizens of the Val Lumnezia bought themselves off the feudal ownership. The parishes of the valley became autonomous and the feudal domains became partially private property. Within the Grey League legislatives and juridical councils emerged in the form of confederations comprising several parish councils — one of which became the municipality Lumnezia. This had, in particular, economical advantages, as the valley was then autonomous, being able to supply itself with food and goods. Across the Greina high plain, the cattle trade was done with cities as far afield as

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...

in Italy. As a bastion against the emerging

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

which has spread across Northern and Western Switzerland, the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

established 1621 AD a

n Capuchin congregation to spread the

counter reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

across the Val Lumnezia. This had the effect, that still today, the valley is conservative Roman Catholic, with sacred buildings, such as

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including th ...

churches dominating the landscape.

Industrial Age

The construction of the road to

Ilanz Ilanz ( rm, Glion) is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The former municipality of Ilanz was congruent with the town of Ilanz. On 1 January 1978, the former municipality of Strada merged into t ...

for

stagecoaches A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

in 1890 connected the Lumnezia to the infrastructure of the

Vorderrhein The Vorderrhein ( German; English: ''Anterior Rhine''; Sursilvan: ; Sutsilvan: ''Ragn Anteriur''; Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader, and Puter: ''Rain Anteriur''; Surmiran: ''Ragn anteriour'') is one of the two sources of the Rhine. Its catchment area ...

valley and the Swiss railway network.

Cumbel

Cumbel is first mentioned about 825 as ''Cumble''. Until 1983, the municipality was officially known as ''Cumbels''.

Degen

Degen is first mentioned about 840 as ''Higenae/Egenae''. Rumein was mentioned at about the same time as ''villa Ramnensis'', and in 1325 Vattiz was mentioned as ''Vatigis''.

Lumbrein

The Crestaulta hill near the hamlet of Surin was occupied since at least the early

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

(c. 2000-1700/1600 BC). However, Lumbrein is first mentioned about 850 as ''in villa Lamarine'' though this comes from a 16th-century copy of an earlier and now lost document. In 1231 it was mentioned as ''de Lumarins''.

Morissen

Morissen is first mentioned in 1210 as ''Mureizens''.

Suraua

The municipality was formed on 1 January 2002 through the merger of Camuns, Surcasti, Tersnaus, and Uors-Peiden. Camuns is first mentioned in 1543 as ''Gamundtz''. Surcasti is first mentioned in 1515 as ''Oberkastels'' and until 1943 it was known by its German name of ''Obercastels''. Tersnaus is first mentioned in 1362 as ''Terzenaus''. Uors was first mentioned in 831 as ''villa Vorce'', and in 1290 as ''Furze''. Peiden was first mentioned in 1345 as ''Pedens''.

Vignogn

Vignogn is first mentioned in 1325 as ''Vinanne''. In 1469 it was mentioned as ''Viends''.

Vella

While there is some evidence of a late

settlement and coins from the 3rd and 4th centuries have been found, Vella is first mentioned about 840 as ''ad sanctum Vincentium ..in valle Leguntia''. In 1290-98 it was mentioned as ''ad Ville, aput Villam''. The village church was the center of a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

that covered the entire valley. However, about 1300 Vals separated from the parish due to the desire of

Walser German Walser German (german: Walserdeutsch) and Walliser German (, locally ) are a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in parts of Switzerland (Valais, Ticino, Grisons), Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley), Liechtenstein ( Triesenberg, Planken), ...

speaking

immigrants to have their own religious leadership. Over the following centuries, most of the other villages in the valley also separated from the Vella parish (the most recent being Peiden in 1910). Due to the village's function as a religious center and the power of a local patrician family, ''de Mont'', Vella grew to be the most powerful village in the valley. Since 1887, it has been home to the sub-district secondary school.

Vrin

Vrin is first mentioned in 1208 as ''Varin''.

Geography

After the 2013 merger Lumnezia had an area of . Before the merger Lumnezia had an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 44.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 21.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.4% is settled (buildings or roads) and 32.0% is unproductive land. Over the past two decades (1979/85-2004/09) the amount of land that is settled has increased by and the agricultural land has decreased by .Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Regional portraits
accessed 2 May 2016

Geology

Tectonics and rock formations

The rock formations in the Val Lumnezia are mostly composed of

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

— geologically known as the Grisons slate belt — which forms the mountains and valleys south of the

. The slate is interbedded with dolomite and

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

. The Greina high Alpine plain distinguishes itself from the remainder of the Val Lumnezia by the occurrence of

crystallite A crystallite is a small or even microscopic crystal which forms, for example, during the cooling of many materials. Crystallites are also referred to as grains. Bacillite is a type of crystallite. It is rodlike with parallel longulites. Stru ...

rock formations, characteristic of the

Adula Alps , topo_map= Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo , photo=MonteLeone0001.jpg , photo_caption=Monte Leone , country_type= Countries , country= , subdivision1_type= Cantons, Regions , subdivision1= , parent= Western Alps , borders_o ...

. As several tectonic faults have fractured the original rock formations, the geological origin of the Grisons slate is unknown, but it is probably sediment of the thickness of some , which has formed during the Jurassic Period in estuaries. There are two types of slate in the Val Lumnezia: North of the river Glogn the slate of the

predominates, whereas South of the river Glogn the Lugnez slate can be found. (These strata run with an inclination of 75° towards the North West). The former has weathered substantially, the latter is more resistant. The most cohesive slate mass stretches across and area of approximately . South of this massive slate plate, again the rock formations show substantial tectonic disruptions.

Glaciers

The current geological morphology of the Val Lumnezia is due to the last widespread glaciation some 26,000 until 13,000 years ago, when the entire valley was covered by a giant glacier. The glacier swept the deposits in the direction of the

and when it melted, an undulating sheet of clay and gravel remained, which forms today's terraced plateaus of Lumnezia. The Piz Terri and the high Greina plain form a Nature reserve shared between

Grisons The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include: *german: (Kanton) Graubünden ; * Romansh: ** rm, label=Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cantu ...

and

. The Kar Glacier below the Piz Terri has seen a substantial reduction due to

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. Back in 1865 the glacier filled the area of the entire Lake Kar. This has resulted in massive

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

as the

permafrost Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...

ground thawed releasing rocks and gravel which has formed a massive

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments ...

below the Piz Terri. Other landslides have covered the remaining Glacier.

River systems

During snow melt and flash floods the river Glogn tends to flush away the slopes of its gorge resulting in the 1920s in the near evacuation of the Parish council Peiden on the northern site of the Glogn. However, the construction of several reservoirs and drainage systems along its path has alleviated this danger. Several streams emerging from the surrounding mountain ridges have cut small, but partially deep ravines and gullies into the terraced plateaus of the Val Lumnezia.

Ecology

Fauna

The fauna can be divided between high Alpine fauna and low Alpine fauna. At heights above in the Val Lumnezia the

marmot Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus ''Marmota'', with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, w ...

and the

chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the R ...

are of common occurrence and the

Alpine ibex The Alpine ibex (''Capra ibex''), also known as the steinbock, bouquetin, or simply ibex, is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. It is a sexually dimorphic species: males are larger and carry longer, curved ...

can be seen occasionally. Below that altitude, foxes, hares, wild boars and red deer can be found. With the onset of winter, the chamois move towards the valley. As there is a

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is kn ...

sanctuary some Alpine valleys further to the east, in

Trentino Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...

of Italy, it might occasionally happen that a bear from this sanctuary ventures through lower ranges of the Val Lumnezia. Some caves and buildings of the lower Val Lumnezia are inhabited by the

horseshoe bat Horseshoe bats are bats in the family Rhinolophidae. In addition to the single living genus, ''Rhinolophus'', which has about 106 species, the extinct genus '' Palaeonycteris'' has been recognized. Horseshoe bats are closely related to the Old ...

(''Rhinolophidae''), which is a protected species. In the higher and middle ranges of the valley several pairs of

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds ...

s have been resettled.

Transport

Airports

Both the international airports at Zürich-Kloten and

Milan Malpensa Milan Malpensa Airport is the largest international airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria, as well as the Swiss Canton of Ticino. The airport is northwest of Milan, next to the Ticino river dividing Lombardy and Pi ...

are about equidistant from the Lumnezia.

Railways

The Railway station is located at

Ilanz/Glion Ilanz/Glion (german: Ilanz ; rm, Glion ) is a municipality in the Surselva Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Castrisch, Ilanz, Ladir, Luven, Pitasch, Riein, Ruschein, Schnaus, Sevgei ...

in the valley of the Rein Anteriur. The

Rhaetian Railway The Rhaetian Railway (german: Rhätische Bahn; it, Ferrovia retica; rm, Viafier retica), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB ...

line to

Disentis/Mustér Disentis (German) or Mustér (, Romansh), with its official name Disentis/Mustér is a village and a municipality in the Surselva Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The skiing and summer tourism resort high up in the Rhine valley is the ...

serves the valley, with connecting services to the

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...

network at Chur. In addition,

is a stop for the famous

Glacier Express The Glacier Express (GEX) is a direct train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz via Andermatt in the central Swiss Alps. The train is not an "express" in the sense of being a high-speed train ...

Roads

The Lumnezia can be accessed only by the Via Principala road from

. Arriving from

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

and

, respectively, the Swiss Federal Highways A3 and A13(E43) to the San Bernardino road tunnel have to be left at the intersection Reichenau. The Swiss National Road 19 is to be followed to

. From here the Lumnezia can be reached taking the Via Principala past Cumbel into

or Vals. Arriving from

the Lumnezia can be reached leaving the A13(E43) at the intersection Reichenau. Arriving from

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ...

, Lumnezia can be reached via the Swiss Federal Highways A1 and A9 (E62) taking the

Furka Pass Furka Pass (french: Le Col de la Furka), with an elevation of , is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri. The Furka Oberalp Bahn line through the Furka Tunnel bypasses the pass. The base tunnel opened ...

road, the Swiss Federal Road 19, passing the Furka pass and the

Oberalp Pass Oberalp Pass ( rm, Alpsu or ''Cuolm d'Ursera''; german: Oberalppass) (2044 meters above sea level) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the cantons of Graubünden and Uri between Disentis/Mustér and Andermatt. Winter closure ...

Disentis Disentis (German) or Mustér (, Romansh), with its official name Disentis/Mustér is a village and a municipality in the Surselva Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The skiing and summer tourism resort high up in the Rhine valley is ...

. At

, the Swiss Federal Road 19 has to be left for the Via Prinzipala.

Demographics

Population

Lumnezia has a population () of . , 3.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 3 years (2010-2013) the population has changed at a rate of -4.42%. The

birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

in the municipality, in 2013, was 3.8 while the

death rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of de ...

was 16.0 per thousand residents. , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 16.5% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 58.0% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 25.5%.

Employment

, there were a total of 944 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 300 people worked in 126 businesses in the primary economic sector. The

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructio ...

employed 203 workers in 45 separate businesses. Finally, the

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

provided 441 jobs in 116 businesses. In 2013 a total of 31.3% of the population received social assistance.

Historic Population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:1100 height:500 PlotArea = top:10 left:100 bottom:90 right:100 Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:2800 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:600 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:120 start:0 Colors= id:CU value:yellowgreen legend:Cumbel id:DE value:green legend:Degen id:LU value:blue legend:Lumbrein id:MO value:red legend:Morissen id:SU value:yellow legend:Suraua id:VI value:orange legend:Vignogn id:VE value:coral legend:Vella id:VR value:powderblue legend:Vrin PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:30 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from: 0 till:278 text:"278" color:CU bar:1860 from: 0 till:304 text:"304" color:CU bar:1870 from: 0 till:304 text:"304" color:CU bar:1880 from: 0 till:307 text:"307" color:CU bar:1890 from: 0 till:331 text:"331" color:CU bar:1900 from: 0 till:342 text:"342" color:CU bar:1910 from: 0 till:275 text:"275" color:CU bar:1920 from: 0 till:280 text:"280" color:CU bar:1930 from: 0 till:304 text:"304" color:CU bar:1940 from: 0 till:331 text:"331" color:CU bar:1950 from: 0 till:298 text:"298" color:CU bar:1960 from: 0 till:296 text:"296" color:CU bar:1970 from: 0 till:291 text:"291" color:CU bar:1980 from: 0 till:268 text:"268" color:CU bar:1990 from: 0 till:257 text:"257" color:CU bar:2000 from: 0 till:288 text:"288" color:CU bar:1850 from: 278 till:533 text:"255" color:DE bar:1860 from: 304 till:582 text:"278" color:DE bar:1870 from: 304 till:574 text:"270" color:DE bar:1880 from: 307 till:558 text:"251" color:DE bar:1890 from: 331 till:546 text:"215" color:DE bar:1900 from: 342 till:556 text:"214" color:DE bar:1910 from: 275 till:488 text:"213" color:DE bar:1920 from: 280 till:507 text:"227" color:DE bar:1930 from: 304 till:562 text:"258" color:DE bar:1940 from: 331 till:614 text:"283" color:DE bar:1950 from: 298 till:621 text:"323" color:DE bar:1960 from: 296 till:595 text:"299" color:DE bar:1970 from: 291 till:568 text:"277" color:DE bar:1980 from: 268 till:535 text:"267" color:DE bar:1990 from: 257 till:516 text:"259" color:DE bar:2000 from: 288 till:535 text:"247" color:DE bar:1850 from: 533 till:1062 text:"529" color:LU bar:1860 from: 582 till:1086 text:"504" color:LU bar:1870 from: 574 till:1084 text:"510" color:LU bar:1880 from: 558 till:1087 text:"529" color:LU bar:1890 from: 546 till:1081 text:"535" color:LU bar:1900 from: 556 till:1087 text:"531" color:LU bar:1910 from: 488 till:1022 text:"534" color:LU bar:1920 from: 507 till:1033 text:"526" color:LU bar:1930 from: 562 till:1037 text:"475" color:LU bar:1940 from: 614 till:1178 text:"564" color:LU bar:1950 from: 621 till:1205 text:"584" color:LU bar:1960 from: 595 till:1145 text:"550" color:LU bar:1970 from: 568 till:1016 text:"448" color:LU bar:1980 from: 535 till:952 text:"417" color:LU bar:1990 from: 516 till:913 text:"397" color:LU bar:2000 from: 535 till:934 text:"399" color:LU bar:1850 from: 1062 till:1312 text:"250" color:MO bar:1860 from: 1086 till:1354 text:"268" color:MO bar:1870 from: 1084 till:1273 text:"189" color:MO bar:1880 from: 1087 till:1276 text:"189" color:MO bar:1890 from: 1081 till:1250 text:"169" color:MO bar:1900 from: 1087 till:1250 text:"163" color:MO bar:1910 from: 1022 till:1203 text:"181" color:MO bar:1920 from: 1033 till:1249 text:"216" color:MO bar:1930 from: 1037 till:1228 text:"191" color:MO bar:1940 from: 1178 till:1410 text:"232" color:MO bar:1950 from: 1205 till:1502 text:"297" color:MO bar:1960 from: 1145 till:1432 text:"287" color:MO bar:1970 from: 1016 till:1249 text:"233" color:MO bar:1980 from: 952 till:1167 text:"215" color:MO bar:1990 from: 913 till:1144 text:"231" color:MO bar:2000 from: 934 till:1145 text:"211" color:MO bar:1850 from: 1312 till:1474 text:"162" color:SU bar:1860 from: 1354 till:1533 text:"179" color:SU bar:1870 from: 1273 till:1426 text:"153" color:SU bar:1880 from: 1276 till:1435 text:"159" color:SU bar:1890 from: 1250 till:1410 text:"160" color:SU bar:1900 from: 1250 till:1417 text:"167" color:SU bar:1910 from: 1203 till:1353 text:"150" color:SU bar:1920 from: 1249 till:1427 text:"178" color:SU bar:1930 from: 1228 till:1391 text:"163" color:SU bar:1940 from: 1410 till:1580 text:"170" color:SU bar:1950 from: 1502 till:1651 text:"149" color:SU bar:1960 from: 1432 till:1568 text:"136" color:SU bar:1970 from: 1249 till:1342 text:"93" color:SU bar:1980 from: 1167 till:1229 text:"62" color:SU bar:1990 from: 1144 till:1217 text:"73" color:SU bar:2000 from: 1145 till:1220 text:"75" color:SU bar:1850 from: 1474 till:1673 text:"199" color:VI bar:1860 from: 1533 till:1706 text:"173" color:VI bar:1870 from: 1426 till:1577 text:"151" color:VI bar:1880 from: 1435 till:1598 text:"163" color:VI bar:1890 from: 1410 till:1561 text:"151" color:VI bar:1900 from: 1417 till:1551 text:"134" color:VI bar:1910 from: 1353 till:1498 text:"145" color:VI bar:1920 from: 1427 till:1578 text:"151" color:VI bar:1930 from: 1391 till:1542 text:"151" color:VI bar:1940 from: 1580 till:1757 text:"177" color:VI bar:1950 from: 1651 till:1855 text:"204" color:VI bar:1960 from: 1568 till:1753 text:"185" color:VI bar:1970 from: 1342 till:1508 text:"166" color:VI bar:1980 from: 1229 till:1428 text:"199" color:VI bar:1990 from: 1217 till:1407 text:"190" color:VI bar:2000 from: 1220 till:1399 text:"179" color:VI bar:1850 from: 1673 till:1902 text:"229" color:VE bar:1860 from: 1706 till:1935 text:"229" color:VE bar:1870 from: 1577 till:1824 text:"247" color:VE bar:1880 from: 1598 till:1877 text:"279" color:VE bar:1890 from: 1561 till:1828 text:"267" color:VE bar:1900 from: 1551 till:1823 text:"272" color:VE bar:1910 from: 1498 till:1787 text:"289" color:VE bar:1920 from: 1578 till:1908 text:"330" color:VE bar:1930 from: 1542 till:1880 text:"338" color:VE bar:1940 from: 1757 till:2135 text:"378" color:VE bar:1950 from: 1855 till:2273 text:"418" color:VE bar:1960 from: 1753 till:2160 text:"407" color:VE bar:1970 from: 1508 till:1909 text:"401" color:VE bar:1980 from: 1428 till:1808 text:"380" color:VE bar:1990 from: 1407 till:1805 text:"398" color:VE bar:2000 from: 1399 till:1840 text:"441" color:VE bar:1850 from: 1902 till:2368 text:"466" color:VR bar:1860 from: 1935 till:2318 text:"383" color:VR bar:1870 from: 1824 till:2234 text:"410" color:VR bar:1880 from: 1877 till:2260 text:"383" color:VR bar:1890 from: 1828 till:2219 text:"391" color:VR bar:1900 from: 1823 till:2189 text:"366" color:VR bar:1910 from: 1787 till:2179 text:"392" color:VR bar:1920 from: 1908 till:2277 text:"369" color:VR bar:1930 from: 1880 till:2232 text:"352" color:VR bar:1940 from: 2135 till:2542 text:"407" color:VR bar:1950 from: 2273 till:2714 text:"441" color:VR bar:1960 from: 2160 till:2553 text:"393" color:VR bar:1970 from: 1909 till:2242 text:"333" color:VR bar:1980 from: 1808 till:2074 text:"266" color:VR bar:1990 from: 1805 till:2056 text:"251" color:VR bar:2000 from: 1840 till:2089 text:"249" color:VR

Tourism

Skiing

There are two main skiing areas in the Lumnezia. The Piz Mundaun and the Piz Aul in the Valser Valley. There are various ski-lifts on the northern face of the valley, connecting the Lumnezia to the

Obersaxen Obersaxen ( rm, Sursaissa) is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of Obersaxen and Mundaun merged to form the new municipality of Obersaxen Mundaun. ...

ski area.

Sites of Interest

Mountains

* Piz Terri * Piz Aul * Piz Mundaun

Nature

* Glenner Gorge * Alpine Forests * Lake Kar

Heritage sites of national significance

The Chapel of St. Sebastian in Degen, the Crestaulta and Cresta Petschna (a Bronze Age settlement), the

necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually i ...

at Surin and the ''double house'' at number 30 in Lumbrien, the Church of S. Luregn/St. Lorenzare in Suraua, the Church of S. Vincenz/St. Vincent in Vella and the Church of S. Maria in Vrin are listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Crestaulta is a significant Bronze Age site on a hill about west of Surin. It was discovered in 1935 and excavated by Walo Burkart in 1935-38. Three settlement phases were discovered. The bottom layer dates from the early Bronze Age (c. 2000-1700/1600 BC) and included a number of post holes for simple huts with some attached

animal stall An animal stall is an enclosure housing one or a few animals. Stalls for animals can often be found wherever animals are kept: a horse stable is often a purpose-built and permanent structure. A farmer's barn may be subdivided into animal stalls ...

s. The hut was about . The second layer dates from the middle Bronze Age (1700/1600-1500/1400 BC) and consists of massive

dry stone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their construction me ...

walls, however there are no clear house or other building foundations. This layer also includes numerous animal stalls, a small round "cellar", part of a

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

and fire pits. The upper layer is also from the middle Bronze Age (1500/1400-1300 BC) and includes an animal stall, a

menhir A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found ...

or standing stone and a wooden floor. Additional excavations have discovered ceramic pots of a style that is now known as the ''Inner-alpine Bronze Age culture'' (german: Inneralpinen Bronzezeit-Kultur) or formerly as the ''Crestaulta-Kultur''. In the river Cresta Petschna, about from Crestaulta a cemetery or necropolis was discovered in 1947. It included at least 11 early Bronze Age graves. The items buried in the graves (sewing needles,

pendants A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jeweller ...

and arm rings) indicate that these were women's graves. The tower dates to the 12th century, and is first mentioned in 1253 as the property of the

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

von Überkastel. At that time it was the castle of the Überkastel family. When the family died out in the 15th century, the tower was used as a church tower for the Church of S. Luregn/St. Lorenz. Records of the church have been found from 1345, 1515 and 1520. The gothic church was consecrated in 1520. In 1774 it was rebuilt in a

style which remains today. During the restoration, a valuable

madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

statue was discovered, which is now in the museum at

Disentis Abbey Disentis Abbey (german: Reichskloster Disentis) is a Benedictine monastery in the Canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland, around which the present town of Disentis ( rm, Mustér) grew up. Early history Formerly the date of the foundation of ...

. The Church of St. Vincent is first mentioned about 843, when it was given Imperial support. It later came under the patronage of the Welfs and in the mid 10th century came under the authority of the cathedral of Constance. By the 14th century it was owned by the

of Belmont, but in 1371 was inherited by the family of Sax-Misox. Then, in 1483 it came under the authority of the

Bishop of Chur The Bishop of Chur (German: ''Bischof von Chur'') is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur, Grisons, Switzerland (Latin: ''Dioecesis Curiensis'').Gothic/ Romanesque church was rebuilt in 1661-62. The ''Church of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

(St. Maria) and

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

'' was consecrated in 1345. Until 1597 it was a chapel under the authority of the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities ...

of St. Vincenz in Pleif (part of the municipality of

). File:Degen Sebastianskapelle.jpg, Chapel of St. Sebastian File:Crestaulta Hütten.JPG, Buildings on the Crestaulta File:Crestaulta Keramik.jpg, Ceramics from Crestaulta File:Crestaulta Keramik1.jpg, Ceramics from Crestaulta File:Crestaulta Pfeilspitzen.jpg, Spearheads from Crestaulta File:Crestaulta Stichwerkzeuge.jpg, Needles from Crestaulta File:Crestaulta Plateau.jpg, Crestaulta site File:Surcasti Ansicht.jpg, Formerly castle Surcasti, now Church of S. Luregn/St. Lorenz File:Vella Kirche St.Vinzenz.jpg, Church of St. Vincent

Wakker Prize

Vrin was awarded the Wakker Prize for their integration of modern agricultural buildings into a traditional, historic village. The prize recognizes a project that the village has been involved in for a number of years. Throughout the 20th century, the village population has steadily decreased. In the 1980s and 1990s, Vrin entered a partnership between the village, the Cantonal

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

department and

ETH Zürich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , aca ...

to strengthen the village's infrastructure and lead to population growth. In the 1980s the residents of the village purchased all the free construction land to prevent

land speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.) Many s ...

and resultant price increases. The local architect, Gion A. Caminada, was hired to oversee construction. Meadows were cleared, a

butcher A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

was brought in, a

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

was founded and a

slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

, barns and multi-purpose hall were all added. Most of the structures were built from wood in a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...

style. .Zwei Dörfer – unterschiedliche Probleme
(Vals und Vrin), ETH Zürich, Assistenzprof. Gion A. Caminada, 2000

Weather

Vella has an average of 116 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, Rain and snow mixed, sleet, snow, ice pellets, ...

. The wettest month is August during which time Vella receives an average of of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.5 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 11.7, but with only of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 11.5 days., the weather station elevation is 1245 meters above sea level. Vrin has an average of 121.1 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives of

. The wettest month is August during which time Vrin receives an average of of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.7 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is July, with an average of 12.9, but with only of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 12.7 days.

Notable residents

* Carmen Casanova, Women's Alpine Skier (born 1980 in Vignogn)

Events

Open Air Lumnezia
– Popular Rock Concert in Degen

References

External links

Val Lumnezia tourist office
* {{Authority control Municipalities of Graubünden Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden Regions of Switzerland Valleys of the Alps Lumnezia Helvetii