Val Müstair (german: Münstertal) is 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

Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region is one of the eleven administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in ...

in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of

Tschierv Tschierv is a village in the Val Müstair municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. In 2009 Tschierv merged with Fuldera, Lü, Müstair, Santa Maria Val Müstair and Valchava to form the municipality of Val M� ...

, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava,

Santa Maria Val Müstair Santa Maria Val Müstair ( rm, Soncha Maria) is a village in the Val Müstair municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. In 2009 Santa Maria Val Müstair merged with Lü, Müstair, Fuldera, Tschierv and Valchava to ...

and Müstair.

Demographics

Val Müstair has a population (as of ) of .

Geography

The Val Müstair (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Münstertal'', it, Val Monastero) is a

mountain valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

in the Swiss Alps. It connects the

Fuorn Pass Fuorn Pass or Ofen Pass ( Romansh: ''Pass dal Fuorn'', german: Ofenpass, it, Passo del Forno) (el. 2149 m.) is a high alpine mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The name is based on the ovens that were used in ironwork ...

, () with the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

province of

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province , image_skyline = ...

and the

Vinschgau The Vinschgau, Vintschgau () or Vinschgau Valley ( it, Val Venosta ; rm, Vnuost ; lld, Val Venuesta; medieval toponym: ''Finsgowe'') is the upper part of the Adige or Etsch river valley, in the western part of the province of South Tyrol, Italy. ...

(). The

Benedictine Convent of Saint John , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

at Müstair (''monastery''), a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, was probably founded by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

, sharing history with its neighbor, the

Marienberg Abbey Marienberg Abbey (german: Abtei Marienberg; it, Abbazia Monte Maria) is a Benedictine Order, Benedictine abbey in Mals, Vinschgau in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It was founded in 1149 or 1150 by Ulrich von Tarasp and other nobles. It has ma ...

. The most important villages in the Val Müstair are:

(), Valchava (), Sta. Maria (), Müstair () (all Swiss) and

Taufers im Münstertal Taufers im Münstertal (; it, Tubre ; rm, Tuer) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about west of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Switzerland. Geography As of November 30, 2010, it had a population ...

in South Tyrol. There are no other inhabited connected valleys, but the road over the

Umbrail Pass Umbrail Pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass on the Swiss-Italian border connecting Santa Maria in Val Müstair with Bormio in the Adda valley. On the Italian side, it connects to the Stelvio Pass road and the Valtellina. It is currently the hig ...

(and the

Stelvio Pass The Stelvio Pass ( it, Passo dello Stelvio , ''Giogo dello Stelvio'' ; german: Stilfser Joch; ) is a mountain pass in Northern Italy, northern Italy bordering Switzerland at an elevation of Height above mean sea level, above sea level. It is the L ...

) is connected with Sta. Maria. The largest part of the valley is part of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. A small part lies within the Italian province of

. The

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

is located at approximately 1245 meter between Müstair (1247 meter) and

(1240 meter). The river in the valley is the

Rom Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

(''Il Rom'' or ''Rombach'').

Naming convention

Contrary to the common notion, where the beginning of a valley is referred as the "upper valley" and the end as the "lower valley", in Val Müstair these are referred to as "inner" and "outer" respectively. This is often reflected in location names. For instance, the valley is traditionally divided into three thirds: * Terzal d'Aint (inner third) with Tschierv, Fuldera and Lü * Terzal d'Immez (middle third) with Valchava and Sta. Maria * Terzal d'Oura (outer third) with Müstair Incidentally, this division corresponds to the first three plateaus occurring on the Swiss part of the valley.

Language

The majority of the population in the new municipality speaks Romansh, with a large

speaking minority. The following table lists the historical language distribution of the formerly independent municipalities and also for the combined municipality:

Heritage sites of national significance

The

is both listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance and a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Weather

Müstair village has an average of 86.7 days of rain 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, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

. The wettest month is August during which time Müstair receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 9.3 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 10, but with only of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 9.3 days., the Müstair village weather station elevation is 1248 meters above sea level. The higher elevation village of Sta. Maria Val Müstair has an average of 94.6 days of rain per year and on average receives of precipitation. The wettest month is August during which time Sta. Maria Val Müstair receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 10.6 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 10.6 days.

Tourism

There is a small amount of car parking in the village. It is the starting point for a number of hiking trails. Above Tschierv, at the mountain Minschuns, is a little ski resort. In 2009, during the International Year of Astronomy, a new public observatory Alpine Astrovillage Lü-Stailas was inaugurated. The center is equipped with robotic telescopes for direct observations, as well as for

astrophotography Astrophotography, also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky. The first photograph of an astronomical object (the Moon) was taken in 1840, but it was no ...

. The equipment is also used to provide introductory courses for amateur astronomers. The Astrovillage is located on a terrace at an elevation of .

Sports

Val Müstair has hosted several stages of the

Tour de Ski Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

, a cross-country skiing stage event.

Notable residents

Donna Leon Donna Leon (; born in Montclair, New Jersey) is the American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice, Italy, featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti. In 2003, she received the Corine Literature Prize. Leon lived in Veni ...

, Usonian crime novelist.