The Ferrera Valley (, ) is a valley 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 of Graubünden between

Schams image:Schams Andeer.jpg, thumb , The Schams north of Andeer. In the top left, the ruins of Cagliatscha Castle The Schams () is a section of the Hinterrhein (river), Hinterrhein valley in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Graubünden. Geograp ...

and

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 ...

. It is 10 km long and is drained by 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 only villages in the valley are Innerferrera and Ausserferrera. Administratively, the municipality of Ferrera coincides with the valley. In the

Early Modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

, the Ferrera Valley was known for its

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

. The

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

industry provided its inhabitants with a livelihood. The ''Schmelzra'' mine at the entrance of the valley, is now an

industrial heritage Industrial heritage refers to the physical and intangible legacy of industrialisation, including buildings, machinery, workshops, sites, and landscapes of historical and technological significance. Stefan Berger and Steven High define industrial h ...

site and has since 1972 been in the care of the

cultural heritage management Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. Ann Marie Sullivan, Cultural Heritage & New Media: A Future for the Past, 15 J. MARSHALL REV. INTELL. PROP. L. 604 (2016) https://repository.jmls.edu/cg ...

of the Canton of Graubünden. Until the 20th century, a linguistic border separated the valley from Avers: in the

valley, people spoke a

Walser German Walser German () 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), and Austria (Vorarlberg ...

dialect, in the Ferrera Valley, people spoke Romansh. In both valleys, the dominant religion is the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...

Gallery

File: Kamin Schmelzanlage.JPG , Ruins of a smelter works File: Val Ferrer Stausee.JPG , Reservoir at the Ferrera Dotier Works File: Averser Rhein im Ferreratal 1827.jpg , Avers Rhine in the Ferrera Valley, lithograph from 1827

References

External links

Website of the municipality of Ferrera, with information about the history of the valley
Valleys of Graubünden Valleys of the Alps Alpine Rhine basin {{Graubünden-geo-stub