Splügen ( Romansh: ''Spleia'',

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 ...

: ''Spluga'') is a former

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

Viamala Region Viamala Region is one of the eleven regions of the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, Franc ...

in the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

of Graubünden. On 1 January 2006 Splügen incorporated its neighbouring municipality of Medels im Rheinwald. On 1 January 2019 the former municipalities of Hinterrhein,

Nufenen Nufenen (Italian: ''Novena'', Romansh: ''Nueinas'') is a former municipality in the Viamala Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2019 the former municipalities of Hinterrhein, Nufenen and Splügen merged to form the new mun ...

and Splügen merged to form the new municipality of

Rheinwald The Rheinwald (from Latin ''Rheni vallis'' meaning "Rhine Valley"; Romansh: ''Valrain'') is a valley in the Canton of Grisons in Switzerland, the first section of the Hinterrhein valley. The river Hinterrhein flows through three valleys in the ...

. In 1995, the

Swiss Heritage Society The Swiss Heritage Society (SHS) is a non-profit organization, non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of Switzerland's architecture, architectural heritage. Its focus is on the preservation of important landmarks, the development of ...

bestowed 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 ...

to Splügen.

History

Splügen is first mentioned about 840 as ''cella in Speluca''.

Geography

Splügen has an area, , of . Of this area, 38.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (42.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Rheinwald sub-district, of the Hinterrhein district, after 2017 it was part of the Viamala Region. It consists of the village of Splügen and since 1 January 2006, Medels im Rheinwald. It is a ''haufendorf'' (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) located on a ridge between the

Splügen pass The Splügen Pass (; ; ) is an Alpine mountain pass of the Lepontine Alps. It connects the Swiss, Grisonian Splügen to the north below the pass with the Italian Chiavenna to the south at the end of the Valle San Giacomo below the pass ...

and

San Bernardino pass San Bernardino Pass (, , ) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the Hinterrhein and the Mesolcina (Misox) valleys between Thusis ( canton of Graubünden) and Bellinzona ( canton of Ticino). Located in the far eastern side ...

. The

Splügen Pass The Splügen Pass (; ; ) is an Alpine mountain pass of the Lepontine Alps. It connects the Swiss, Grisonian Splügen to the north below the pass with the Italian Chiavenna to the south at the end of the Valle San Giacomo below the pass ...

road leads from Splügen to

Chiavenna Chiavenna (; ; ; or ; archaic or ) is a (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. It is the centre of the Alpine Valchiavenna region. The historic town is a member of the Cittaslow movement. Geo ...

and rises to a height of . The Italian name for the pass is ''Passo dello Spluga''. The pass is closed in winter nowadays and the whole route hosts a number of historically interesting spots that can be reached on a common multiday hike between Thusis and Chiavenna, passing the two gorges

Roflaschlucht The Rofla Gorge (, ) is an ancient and narrow section of the river Hinterrhein/Rein Posteriur between Sufers and Andeer in the canton of Graubünden. This narrow gorge was another obstacle on the approach to the two mountain passes Splügen P ...

and

Viamala Viamala or Via Mala (Romansh language, Romansh: literally, "bad path") is a narrow canyon, gorge along the river Hinterrhein (river), Hinterrhein between Zillis-Reischen and Thusis in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, as well as the an ...

north of Splügen.

Demographics

Splügen has a population (as of ) of . , 10.7% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -8.3%.Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 06-Oct-2009 , the gender distribution of the population was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.Graubunden in Numbers
accessed 21 September 2009 The age distribution, , in Splügen is; 25 people or 13.2% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. 22 people or 11.6% are 10 to 14, and 3 people or 1.6% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 8 people or 4.2% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 35 people or 18.5% are 30 to 39, 20 people or 10.6% are 40 to 49, and 15 people or 7.9% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 28 people or 14.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 21 people or 11.1% are 70 to 79, there are 11 people or 5.8% who are 80 to 89, and there are 1 people or 0.5% who are 90 to 99.Graubunden Population Statistics
accessed 21 September 2009 In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 47.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (23.4%), the SPS (22.6%) and the CVP (6.2%). In Splügen about 67.6% 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 ...

''). Splügen has an unemployment rate of 0.33%. , there were 39 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 16 businesses involved in this sector. 27 people are employed in 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 ...

and there are 6 businesses in this sector. 150 people are employed in 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 ...

, with 30 businesses in this sector. Spluegen view 1

The historical population is given in the following table:

Languages

Most of the population () speaks German (89.8%), with Italian being second most common (2.7%) and Portuguese being third (2.4%).

Tourism

Skiing

Splügen, in the winter, is a ski resort with a lift going in the direction of the Splügen Pass.

Heritage sites of national significance

The former ''Säumerherberge'' (mule drivers hostel) ''Weiss Kreuz'' is listed as a Swiss heritage sites of national significance.

Wakker Prize

In 1995, the Swiss Heritage Society bestowed the Wakker Prize to Splügen. The prize description notes that Splügen had reached a notable compromise between preservation and tourism. The old town was strictly protected to maintain the original appearance, while rational zone planning allowed development to occur outside the old village.Swiss Heritage Society
accessed 6 October 2009

References

External links

Official Web site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Splugen Rheinwald Former municipalities of Graubünden Cities in Switzerland Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden