Juf () is a village in the

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

Avers Avers (; , ) is a high Alpine valley region and a municipality in the Viamala Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It includes Juf, the highest-altitude year-round settlement in Europe. History Avers is first mentioned in 1292 as ''An ...

in the canton of

Grisons The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include: * ; *Romansh language, Romansh: ** ** ** ** ** **; * ; * ; * . See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. At above sea level, it is historically the highest village with permanent residents in Western Europe, as well as one of its coldest localities. As of 2016, Juf had a population of 31 inhabitants divided between six families in a concentrated settlement. They were 20 in 1991 and 30 in 2001. The first inhabitants were immigrant

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 Swiss Alps, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser peopl ...

who arrived in 1292.

Geography and climate

Juf is located just above the right banks of the river Jufer Rhein, before its confluence with the Bergalgabach, both forming the

Avers Rhine The Avers Rhine (, ) is a tributary of the Hinterrhein/Rein Posteriur in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Course It rises in Avers at the confluence of the Bergalgabach with the slightly smaller Jufer Rhine. The Jufer Rhine rises in, and ...

. The small Jufer Rhein valley is enclosed by several summits over 3,000 metre-high, the highest being

Mazzaspitz The Mazzaspitz (3,164 m) is a mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a l ...

, Piz Piot and

Piz Turba Piz Turba is a mountain of the Oberhalbstein Alps, located between Juf Juf () is a village in the municipality of Avers in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland. At above sea level, it is historically the highest village with permanent reside ...

. The valley is almost entirely above 2,000 metres. Juf differs from settlements in lower valleys in being well above the

tree line The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...

, the nearest forest being about 5 kilometres away from the village. As a result, the area experiences a cold and wet climate, classified as an

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

climate ( ET), with average temperatures far lower than those of

La Brévine La Brévine (, ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel Canton in Switzerland. It is the largest village in its eponymous valley, ''Vallée de la Brévine.'' The area is renowned for its complex m ...

, traditionally considered the coldest inhabited place in Switzerland. Snowfalls are possible even during summer. Wood was transported for building houses and stables, but historically,

dry dung fuel Dry dung fuel (or dry manure fuel) is animal feces that have been dried in order to be used as a fuel source. It is used in many countries. Using dry manure as a fuel source is an example of reuse of human excreta. A disadvantage of using this k ...

from the inhabitants’ animals was burned for fuel. Old structures for drying

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nut ...

can still be seen on the southern ends of some Juf stables. Juf is composed of two distinct sections: the highest (2,126 m), at the village entry, and the lowest (2,117 m), at the end of the paved road and near the river.

Transport

Despite its remote location, Juf can be reached by public transport eight times a day all year round, as all post buses running to the high valley of Avers go on to the very end of the road at Juf. It is nevertheless a very remote valley, its infrastructure designed primarily to encourage tourism (two platter lifts for skiing in winter at nearby Juppa), and has been spared the technical installations, such as power lines or tourist resorts, which might otherwise ruin its "pristine beauty".

Note

Another source gives the title of Europe's highest village to Li Baita, a part of Trepalle, Italy, however without mentioning the number of residents. Just above Juf is an old farmhouse, the Platten-hof, birthplace of writer Johann Rudolf Stoffel. This is considered the highest farmhouse in Europe.

References

External links

Village visit is elevating experience
swissworld.org {{authority control Avers Villages in Graubünden