St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high

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 ...

resort town in the

Engadin The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna'' ...

e in

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 an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

of about above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. It is

Upper Engadine The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna ...

's major town and a

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' ...

in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss canton of the Grisons. St. Moritz lies on the southern slopes of the

Albula Alps The Albula Alps are a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. They are considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps, more specifically the Western Rhaetian Alps. They are named after the river Albula. According to AVE (see map), ...

below the

Piz Nair Piz Nair () is a mountain of the Albula Alps in Switzerland, overlooking St. Moritz in the canton of Graubünden. The peak is easily accessible from the village with a funicular and a cable car; the upper station unloads below the summit. B ...

() overlooking the flat and wide glaciated valley of the Upper Engadine and eponymous lake: Lake St. Moritz. It hosted the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

and

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

History

Votive offerings, swords, and needles from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

found at the base of the springs in St. Moritz indicate that the

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

had already discovered them. St. Moritz is first mentioned around 1137–39 as ''ad sanctum Mauricium''. The village was named after

Saint Maurice Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, Maurits, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptians, Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Roman Empire, Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favourite and most widely venerated saints of tha ...

, an

early Christian Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and be ...

saint from southern Egypt said to have been martyred in the 3rd century by

Maximian Maximian (; ), nicknamed Herculius, was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar (title), Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocleti ...

in Switzerland while serving as leader of the

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christianity, Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Roman Egypt, Egypt —"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men" — consisting of Christian soldiers who were marty ...

. Pilgrims traveled to Saint Mauritius, often to the church of the springs, where they drank from the blessed, bubbling waters of the Mauritius springs in the hopes of being healed. In 1519, the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

pope

Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Me ...

promised full absolution to anyone making a pilgrimage to the church of the springs. In the 16th century, the first scientific treatises about the St. Moritz mineral springs were written. In 1535,

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. H ...

, the great practitioner of natural remedies, spent some time in St. Moritz. Although it received some visitors during the summer, the origins of the winter resort only date back to September 1864, when St. Moritz hotel pioneer

Caspar Badrutt Caspar Badrutt (July 21, 1848June 28, 1904) was a Swiss businessman, hotelier and restaurateur. He was the founder and proprietor of the famous Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Badrutt was almost solely responsible for developin ...

made a wager with four British summer guests: they should return in winter and, if the village was not to their liking, then he would reimburse their travel costs. If they were to find St. Moritz attractive in winter, then he would invite them to stay as his guests for as long as they wished. This marked not only the start of winter tourism in St. Moritz but also the start of winter tourism in the whole of the Alps. The first tourist office in Switzerland was established the same year in the village. St. Moritz developed rapidly in the late nineteenth century; the first electric light in Switzerland was installed in 1878 at the Kulm Hotel, and the first

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...

tournament on the continent was held in 1880. The first European Ice-Skating Championships were held at St. Moritz in 1882 and first golf tournament in the Alps held in 1889. The first bob run and bob race was held in 1890. By 1896, St. Moritz became the first village in the Alps to install electric trams and opened the Palace Hotel. A horse race was held on snow in 1906, and on the frozen lake the following year. The first ski school in Switzerland was established in St. Moritz in 1929. St. Moritz hosted the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Swit ...

—the stadium still stands today—and again in

. It has hosted over 20

FIBT World Championships The IBSF World Championships (known as the FIBT World Championships until 2015), part of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, have taken place on an annual basis since FIBT World Championships 1930, 1930. Starting with 2002, no Wo ...

, four

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). History The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. It consisted of Downhill (ski competition), ...

(1934/1974/2003/2017) and over 40

Engadin Skimarathon The Engadin Skimarathon is an annual cross-country skiing race (ski marathon) held on the second Sunday of March in the upper Engadine valley (Switzerland), between Maloja and S-chanf. It debuted in 1969 and has been a part of Worldloppet as l ...

s since 1969. It has also hosted many other events since, including some unlikely ones on the frozen lake in the 1970s and 1980s such as a golf tournament, (1979), a snow polo tournament (held every year in January since 1985) and Cricket on Ice (1989). St. Moritz has also been the venue for many sailing and windsurfing world championships. Since the early 1980s St. Moritz is also promoted and known as ''Top of the World''. The expression was registered as a

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

by the tourist office in 1987.

Geography

St. Moritz has an area (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 26.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 20.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.0% is settled (buildings or roads) and 44.8% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of or about 5.6% of the total area was covered with buildings, an increase of over the 1985 amount. Over the same time period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by and is now about 1.15% of the total area. Of the agricultural land is fields and grasslands, and consists of alpine grazing areas. Since 1985 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by . Over the same time period the amount of forested land has increased by . Rivers and lakes cover in the municipality.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Regional portraits
accessed 27 October 2016 The highest summit in the

Eastern Alps The Eastern Alps are usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley, up to the Splügen Pass at the Main chain of the Alps, Alpine divide, and down the Liro (Como), Liro River to Lake Como in the south. ...

Piz Bernina Piz Bernina (Romansh language, Romansh, , ) is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the highest point of the Bernina Range, and the highest peak in the Rhaetian Alps. It rises and is located south of Pontresina in the Bernina Region and ne ...

at , located southeast of the village. Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district, after 2017 it was part of the Maloja Region. It consists of the settlements of (elev. ), Bad (), Champfèr (), and the village section of Suvretta.

Sport

St. Moritz has been a resort for winter sport vacations since the 19th century. Students from

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

went there to play each other; the predecessor of the recurring Ice Hockey Varsity Match was a

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

match played in St. Moritz in 1885. St. Moritz was the host city for the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in ...

and

, one of three cities to host twice, along with

Innsbruck, Austria Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a population of 132,493 in 2018. In the ...

, and Lake Placid in the United States. It also hosted the

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. Additionally, St. Moritz has hosted the FIBT World Championships (

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobslei ...

and skeleton racing) a record 21 times. Since 1985, it has hosted Snow

Polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

St. Moritz, a tournament featuring many of the world's finest team and played on a specially marked field on the frozen lake. St. Moritz is extremely popular in the summer months as an

altitude training Altitude training is the practice by some endurance athletes of training for several weeks at high altitude, preferably over above sea level, though more commonly at intermediate altitudes due to the shortage of suitable high-altitude locations. ...

base for distance athletes, particularly

cyclists Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for pur ...

, runners, and race walkers. Its popularity extends to the altitude, weather, world class

athletics track An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial Race track#Surfaces, running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditi ...

, and availability of paths and trails in the area. In 1904, the oldest and world's last remaining natural bob run was opened. The ice channel – also known as the world's biggest is built every winter from the ground up with only snow and water. The bob run hosted numerous world championships and was used in both Olympic Winter Games. In the early 1930s, some members of the bob club started taking guests along for taxi rides; today they run with slightly modified racing bobs. For the 1928 games, the

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

and the cross-country skiing part of the

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics in ...

events took place around the hills of St. Moritz. Twenty years later, once again the

, the cross-country skiing part of the

, and the

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

events took place in St. Moritz. In addition to the above sports, St. Moritz is also well known as a destination for sailing. It is the host venue for the annual St. Moritz Match Race held on lake St. Moritz. The St. Moritz Match Race event is part of the prestigious

World Match Racing Tour The World Match Racing Tour (or WMRT) is, since 2000, an annual series of professional sailing match race events held in multiple countries. Since 2006, the winner of the WMRT series has been named the Match Racing World Champion. Throughou ...

which covers three continents. The identical supplied (BLU-26) boats are raced two at a time in an on the water dogfight which tests the sailors and skippers to the limits of their physical abilities. Points accrued count towards the World Match Racing Tour and a place in the final event, with the overall winner taking the title ISAF World Match Racing Tour Champion. St Moritz Panorama

Tourism

Thanks to its favorable location, St. Moritz enjoys over 300 days of sunshine a year. Every winter it hosts the "White Turf" horse race on the frozen Lake St. Moritz, attended by the international

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...

. Prominent property owners in St. Moritz included

Sonja Ziemann Sonja Alice Selma Toni Ziemann (; 8 February 1926 – 17 February 2020) was a German film and television actress. In the 1950s, she was among Germany's most prominent actresses, awarded the 1950 Bambi for appearing, together with Rudolf Prack, ...

Gunter Sachs Fritz Gunter Sachs colloquially Gunter Sachs (14 November 1932 – 7 May 2011) also Gunter Sachs von Opel was a German-born Swiss industrial heir, socialite, art collector, photographer and author. He was primarily known for his jet set life ...

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born ''Heribert Adolf Ernst Karajan''; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, ...

Lakshmi Mittal Lakshmi Niwas Mittal (; born 15 June 1950 in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India) is an Indian steel magnate, based in the United Kingdom. He is the executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, the world's second largest steelmaking company ...

Ivan Glasenberg Ivan Glasenberg (born 7 January 1957) is a South African business executive and former chief executive officer of Glencore, one of the world's largest commodity trading and mining companies. He was the company's CEO from 2002 to 2021. Glasenberg ...

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

Maurizio Gucci Maurizio Gucci (26 September 1948 – 27 March 1995) was an Italian businessman and the one-time head of the Gucci fashion house. He was the son of actor Rodolfo Gucci, and grandson of the company's founder Guccio Gucci. On 27 March 1995, he wa ...

Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...

Ingvar Kamprad Feodor Ingvar Kamprad (; 30 March 1926 – 27 January 2018) was a Swedish billionaire who founded IKEA in 1943 and grew into a multinational retail company that became the world's largest furniture seller in 2008. He moved to Switzerland w ...

Helmut Horten Helmut Horten (8 January 1909 – 30 November 1987) was a German entrepreneur who built up and owned the fourth-largest chain of department stores in Germany, Horten AG. The business practices of Mr. Horten flourished during the Nazi era, when ...

Giovanni Agnelli Giovanni Agnelli (13 August 1866 – 16 December 1945) was an Italian industrialist and principal founder of Fiat S.p.A., established in 1899. Under his leadership, Fiat became a cornerstone of Italy's automotive industry, significantly contr ...

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...

, Remo Ruffini,

Dean and Dan Caten Dean and Dan Caten (née Catenacci; born December 19, 1964) are Canadian people, Canadian fashion designers, radio personalities, and businessmen. They are identical twin brothers and the founders and owners of Dsquared², an Italian luxury fash ...

, Andrei Melnitschenko, the

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

family, Aristoteles Onassis and

Stavros Niarchos Stavros Spyrou Niarchos (, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and increasing demand for oil, ...

. Popular pastimes include

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

, and

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

, and nearby there is also the world-famous

Cresta Run The Cresta Run is a natural ice track in eastern-Switzerland used for skeleton-toboggan racing. Located in the winter sports town of St. Moritz, the run is one of the few in the world dedicated entirely to skeleton. It was built in 1884 nea ...

toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled used in snowy winter recreation. It is also a traditional form of cargo transport used by the Innu, Cree and Ojibwe of North America, sometimes part of a dog train. It is used on snow to carry one or more people (o ...

course. The year-round population is 5,600, with some 3,000 seasonal employees supporting hotels and rental units with a total of 13,000 beds. The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is a large luxury hotel in St. Moritz.

Main sights

*The Segantini Museum: dedicated to

Giovanni Segantini Giovanni Segantini (15 January 1858 – 28 September 1899) was an Italian painter known for his large pastoral landscapes of the Alps. He was one of the most famous artists in Europe in the late 19th century, and his paintings were collected by ...

, a painter that lived the last five years of his life in

e. The Segantini Museum is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. *The bobsled run: a very rare all-natural venue, typically open by mid-December *Viewing the glacier landscape: there are a number of notable vistas. Much can be seen by descending from

Diavolezza The Diavolezza is a col and ski resort above the Val Bernina in Graubünden. The col has an altitude of Swiss Confederation: Maps of Switzerland'. Retrieved 26 March 2021. and is located between Munt Pers (northwest, ) and Piz Trovat (south ...

to the

Morteratsch Glacier The Morteratsch Glacier () is the largest glacier by area in the Bernina Range of the Bündner Alps in Switzerland. By area and by volume (1.2 km3), it is the third largerst glacier in the eastern alps, after the Pasterze Glacier and . T ...

. *The

Piz Corvatsch Piz Corvatsch () is a mountain in the Bernina Range of the Alps, overlooking Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana in the Engadin region of the canton of Grisons. With an elevation of , it is the highest point on the range separating the main Inn val ...

with its

ice cave An ice cave is any type of natural cave (most commonly lava tubes or limestone caves) that contains significant amounts of perennial (year-round) ice. At least a portion of the cave must have a temperature below 0 °C (32 °F) all ye ...

and its lengthy

piste A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

down to St. Moritz-Bad.

Climate

St. Moritz has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: Dfc) due to its particularly high elevation near to 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 ...

. It has cool summers coupled with cold nights and very cold, snowy winters with highs around freezing and of average annual snowfall. The average temperature, about 2 °C (36 °F; measured in the nearby town of

Samedan Samedan (, locally ) is a town and municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Maloja Region in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Grisons. It is served by Samedan railway station on the Rhaetian Railway network and ...

), is extremely low compared to that of the Swiss Plateau. It is also significantly lower to that 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.

Demographics

Population

St. Moritz has a population (as of ) of . , 38.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the 10 years up to 2009 the population decreased at a rate of 4.9%.Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 20-Oct-2009 , the gender distribution of the population was 45.4% male and 54.6% female.Graubunden in Numbers
accessed 21 September 2009 The age distribution, , in St. Moritz is; 423 children or 7.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 502 teenagers or 9.0% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 960 people or 17.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 1,055 people or 18.9% are between 30 and 39, 864 people or 15.5% are between 40 and 49, and 820 people or 14.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 532 people or 9.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 289 people or 5.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 121 people or 2.2% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 23 people or 0.4% who are 90 and older.Graubunden Population Statistics
accessed 13 February 2010 In 2014 there were 2,822 private households in St. Moritz with an average household size of 1.84 persons. Of the 884 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 29.1% were single family homes and 40.8% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 19.9% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 8.6% were built between 1991 and 2000.Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB - Thema 09 - Bau- und Wohnungswesen
accessed 5 May 2016 In 2013 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 9.32. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.18%. {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:right;" , - style="background:#e3e3e3;" !colspan="2" , Historic Population , - style="background:#e3e3e3;" ! year ! population , - , 1803 , 183 , - , 1850 , 228 , - , 1900 , 1,603 , - , 1910 , 3,197 , - , 1950 , 2,558 , - , 1960 , 3,751 , - , 1970 , 5,699 , - , 1980 , 5,900 , - , 1990 , 5,426 , - , 2000 , 5,589 {, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , - style="background:#e3e3e3;" !colspan="3" , Population by nationality (Census 2000) , - style="background:#e3e3e3;" !Nationality !Number
Without dual-citizens !Number
Including dual-citizens , - , align="left", Switzerland , , style="text-align:center;", 3,079 , , style="text-align:center;", 3,527 , - , align="left", Italy, , style="text-align:center;", 897 , , style="text-align:center;", 1,162 , - , align="left", Portugal , , style="text-align:center;", 435 , , style="text-align:center;", 445 , - , align="left", Germany , , style="text-align:center;", 202 , , style="text-align:center;", 232 , - , align="left", Serbia-Montenegro , , style="text-align:center;", 106 , , style="text-align:center;", 108 , - , align="left", Austria , , style="text-align:center;", 74 , , style="text-align:center;", 104 , - , align="left", France , , style="text-align:center;", 56 , , style="text-align:center;", 73 , - , align="left", Croatia , , style="text-align:center;", 62 , , style="text-align:center;", 63 , - , align="left", Spain , , style="text-align:center;", 33 , , style="text-align:center;", 41 , - , align="left", United Kingdom , , style="text-align:center;", 30 , , style="text-align:center;", 41 , - , align="left", Netherlands , , style="text-align:center;", 17 , , style="text-align:center;", 29 , - , align="left", Bosnia-Herzegovina , , style="text-align:center;", 27 , , style="text-align:center;", 28

Politics

In the 2015 federal election, the most popular party was the FDP with 31.0% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (27.0%), the BDP (15.1%) and the CVP (11.0%). In the federal election, a total of 1,428 votes were cast, and the

voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...

was 54.1%. In the 2007 federal election, the most popular party was the SVP which received 34.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (24.5%), the SP (22.4%), and the CVP (17%).

Education

In St. Moritz about 65.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory

upper secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

or additional higher education (either university or a ''

Fachhochschule A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...

'').

Employment

St. Moritz is a regional economic centre and a tourist community. , there were a total of 7,590 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 24 people worked in 7 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 constructi ...

employed 1,039 workers in 74 separate businesses. A minority (17.0%) of the secondary sector employees worked in very small businesses. There were 22 small businesses with a total of 533 employees and 3 mid sized businesses with a total of 329 employees. 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 ...

provided 6,527 jobs in 768 businesses. In 2014 a total of 3,820 employees worked in 752 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 14 mid sized businesses with 1,928 employees and 2 large businesses which employed 779 people (for an average size of 389.5). The

Badrutt's Palace Hotel Badrutt's Palace Hotel AG, commonly known as Badrutt's Palace, is a luxury hotel and resort in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Opened in 1896, the hotel has 112 rooms and 43 suites, as well as 8 restaurants, 2 bars, a shopping center and spa area. In 2 ...

(Five Star) has a staff of 520 persons and is the biggest employer in St. Moritz. In 2014 a total of 9.3% of the population received social assistance. In the second quarter of 2016 an average of 1,062 workers commuted from outside Switzerland to work in the municipality, representing a minority of the employees. In 2015 local hotels had a total of 599,734 overnight stays, of which 69.2% were international visitors. In the same year there was one movie theater in the municipality with 267 seats.

Languages

Most of the population () speaks German (58.8%), with Italian being second most common (21.8%), and Portuguese being third (6.6%). Originally, the entire population spoke the Upper-

Romansh dialect of Puter. Due to increasing trade with the outside world, Romansh usage began to decline. In 1880, only 50.2% spoke Romansh as a first language. Romansh lost ground to both German and Italian. In 1900, 31% of the population spoke Italian as a first language, and in 1910, it was about the same. In the following years, the percentage of Romansh and Italian speakers both decreased against German speakers. In 1941, only 20% spoke Romansh, and in 1970 it was 8%. In 2000, only 4.7% of the population spoke Romansh. {, class="wikitable" , + Languages in St. Moritz GR , - ! rowspan="2", Languages !! colspan="2" , Census 1980 !! colspan="2" , Census 1990 !! colspan="2" , Census 2000 , - ! Number !! Percent !! Number !! Percent !! Number !! Percent , - ,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, , align=right , 3,092 , , align=right , 52.41% , , align=right , 3,186 , , align=right , 58.72% , , align=right , 3,286 , , align=right , 58.79% , - ,

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

, , align=right , 1,608 , , align=right , 27.25% , , align=right , 1,157 , , align=right , 21.32% , , align=right , 1,220 , , align=right , 21.83% , - , Romansh , , align=right , 569 , , align=right , 9.64% , , align=right , 338 , , align=right , 6.23% , , align=right , 264 , , align=right , 4.72% , - , Population , , align=right , 5,900 , , align=right , 100% , , align=right , 5,426 , , align=right , 100% , , align=right , 5,589 , , align=right , 100%

Transportation

St. Moritz is the highest town in the country with a railway station. St. Moritz railway station is situated in the centre of the town, near the lakeshore and at the bottom of ''Via Serlas''. It is operated by the

Rhaetian Railway The Rhaetian Railway (; ; ), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB operates all the railway lines of the Cantons of Switzerland, ...

, and is the terminus for Albula and Bernina railway lines. The

Glacier Express The Glacier Express is a direct Panorama Express (PE) train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz via Andermatt in the central Swiss Alps. The train provides a one-seat ride for an 8-hour end-to-e ...

and

Bernina Express The Bernina Express is a Panorama Express (PE) train connecting Chur to Tirano in Italy by crossing the Swiss Engadin Alps. For most of its journey, the train also runs along the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula ...

trains stop at St. Moritz. Near the railway station is an important Swiss PostBus stop. The St. Moritz–Corviglia funicular links St. Moritz with the Corviglia summit and ski area.

In popular culture

*Featured in the opening scenes of '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'', a

thriller directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

. *Mentioned in

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

films: '' Goldfinger'' of

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

and '' For Your Eyes Only'' in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. *Ski scenes from James Bond movies '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''

A View to a Kill ''A View to a Kill'' is a 1985 spy film, the fourteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the seventh and final appearance of Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from ...

'' were filmed at St. Moritz although attributed to other locations in the dialogue. *Mentioned in the 1969

Peter Sarstedt Peter Eardley Sarstedt (10 December 1941 – 8 January 2017) was a British singer-songwriter and instrumentalist. He was the brother of singers Eden Kane, a teenage pop idol and Clive Sarstedt, with both of whom he also recorded and performed ...

hit "

Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?" is a song by the British singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt. Its recording was produced by Ray Singer, engineered by John Mackswith at Lansdowne Recording Studios and released in 1969. The music has been descr ...

," describing a Euro jet-setter who flies to St. Moritz. *Mentioned in the popular 1990 romantic thriller novel ''

Memories of Midnight ''Memories of Midnight'', sometimes known as ''The Other Side of Midnight (Book 2)'', is a 1990 novel by Sidney Sheldon. It is a sequel to Sheldon's 1973 bestseller '' The Other Side of Midnight''. Plot summary The novel begins at the end of ...

'', by

Sidney Sheldon Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy '' The Bachelor and the Bobby-Sox ...

, as a ski-resort where the characters of Catherine Alexander and Kirk Reynolds go for vacation. *Location of Kars' hideout in ''

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly manga magazine ''Ultra Jum ...

Part 2: Battle Tendency''. *Mentioned in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

film, ''

The Prince and Me ''The Prince & Me'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge, and starring Julia Stiles, Luke Mably and Ben Miller, with Miranda Richardson, James Fox and Alberta Watson. The film focuses on Paige Morgan, a pre-med c ...

''. *Shown in an episode of ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

''; where Lois Lane's sister is running from the mob. *Shown in a first-season episode of '' Cheap Seats''. The Sklar brothers riff an episode of '' Wide World of Sports'' from the 1960s which showcased horse racing on a frozen Lake St. Moritz. *Mentioned in the 1990 novel, ''Public Secrets'', by

Nora Roberts Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of over 225 novels, known for romance novel, romance published under her own name. She also writes police procedurals which have elements of science fiction ...

, as a vacation getaway for character Emma McAvoy. * Included in the list of ski resorts in the refrain from the Global Deejays remix of the Sound of San Francisco (Snow Radio) version: "

Kitzbühel Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a town rights, medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbüh ...

Schladming Schladming () is a small former mining town in the northwest of the Austrian state of Styria that is now a popular tourist destination. It has become a large winter-sports resort and has held various skiing competitions, including most notably th ...

Ischgl Ischgl () is a town in the Paznaun valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Its ski resort is connected with that of Samnaun across the border in Switzerland to form one of the largest in the Alps. Ischgl was a major hotspot in 2020 of the COVID-19 ...

, St. Anton,

Zillertal The Ziller Valley () is a valley in Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria that is drained by the Ziller River. It is the widest valley south of the Inn (river), Inn Valley () and lends its name to the Zillertal Alps, the strongly Glacier, glaciated sectio ...

Seiser Alm (, ) is a Dolomite plateau and the largest high-elevation Alpine meadow () in Europe. Located in Italy's South Tyrol province in the Dolomites mountain range, it is a major tourist attraction, notably for skiing and hiking. Geography It is l ...

Kaprun Kaprun () is a municipality in the Zell am See District in the province of Salzburg (state), Salzburg in Austria. Together with the neighboring city of Zell am See the town presents itself as the tourist destination and skiing area "Zell am See-K ...

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

, Semmering, St. Moritz, Cortina, St. Johann,

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

". * Part of the Netflix movie

Army of Thieves ''Army of Thieves'' is a 2021 heist comedy film directed by Matthias Schweighöfer from a screenplay by Shay Hatten, based on a story he wrote with Zack Snyder. A prequel to ''Army of the Dead'' (2021), it is the second and final installment ...

. *The place where

hides from the Italian police, and meets

Paola Franchi Paola Franchi (born 17 November 1953) is an Italian interior designer, artist, author and former model. Her 2010 autobiography ''L'amore spezzato'' (''"The Broken Love"'') details her relationship with Italian businessman Maurizio Gucci, who was ...

, his future girlfriend (2021 movie ''

House of Gucci ''House of Gucci'' is a 2021 American biographical crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the 2001 book ''The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed'' by Sara Gay Forden. The film follows Patri ...

'', 2001 book ''The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed'', but also real-life events).

Notable people

(1909–1996), Greek magnate; lived in St. Moritz *

Bibi Torriani Richard "Bibi" Torriani (1 October 1911 – 3 September 1988) was a Swiss ice hockey player and coach, and luge athlete, also known as Riccardo Torriani. He played for HC Davos from 1929 to 1950, and served as Captain (ice hockey), captain of ...

(1911–1988), Swiss ice hockey player and coach,

IIHF Hall of Fame The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Interna ...

inductee * Lieutenant Colonel Digby Willoughby MC MBE (1934–2007), soldier and sportsman, chief executive of the St. Moritz Tobogganing Club from 1978 *

Günter Traub Günter Traub (born 13 March 1939) is a German speed skater. He competed in all speed skating events at the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics. His best achievement was 11th place in the 5000 m in 1964 and in 10000 m in 1968. During his career, Traub ...

(born 1939), German speed skater; lives in St. Moritz * Gian Franco Kasper (1944 in St. Moritz – 2021) a Swiss ski official and president of the

International Ski Federation The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS (), is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. It was previously known as the International Ski Federation () until 26 May 2022 when the name was cha ...

(FIS) from 1998 to 2021 * Clifton Wrottesley (born 1968), Irish sportsman and British peer; lives in St. Moritz *

Thomas Flohr Thomas Flohr (born 17 March 1960) is a Swiss billionaire businessman and amateur racing driver. He is the founder and chairman of VistaJet, a private jet charter company. As of March 2018, ''Forbes'' estimated his net worth to be US$2.3 billion. ...

(born 1969/1970), Swiss billionaire businessman, founder and chairman of

VistaJet VistaJet is a global business aviation company founded in 2004 by billionaire Thomas Flohr. The firm flies between any two points, under a "pay for hours flown" fare structure. In January 2023, its fleet consisted of over 360 planes including ...

; lives in St. Moritz

Notes

References

External links

*
St. Moritz Tourism
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:S Moritz Venues of the 1928 Winter Olympics 1940 Winter Olympics Venues of the 1948 Winter Olympics Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden Lakeside resorts in Switzerland Olympic cross-country skiing venues Olympic ice hockey venues Olympic Nordic combined venues Populated places on the Inn (river) Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Spa towns in Switzerland Venues of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics