Bregaglia (

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 ...

and rm, ) 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

Maloja Region Maloja Region is one of the eleven Districts of Switzerland, administrative districts in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It has an area of and a population of (as of ). It was created on 1 January 2017 as part o ...

in the canton of

Grisons The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include: *german: (Kanton) Graubünden ; * Romansh: ** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cant ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It was formed by the 2010 merger of the municipalities of Bondo,

Castasegna Castasegna () is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Grisons, on the Italian border. It is currently part of the municipality of Bregaglia. The town is situated in the Bergell valley, above the river Mera. ...

, Soglio,

Stampa Stampa is a former municipality in the Maloja district of the Swiss canton, Graubünden. It is now part of the municipality of Bregaglia. History Stampa is first mentioned after 1354 as ''Stamppa'' and was named so in honor of the Stampa fami ...

and

Vicosoprano Vicosoprano is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and is the largest village in the Val Bregaglia. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia. History Vicosoprano is first mentioned in 1096 a ...

, all located in the

Val Bregaglia The Val Bregaglia ( lmo, Val Bregaja; german: Bergell, ; rm, ) is an alpine valley of Switzerland and Italy at the base of which runs the river Mera ( lmo, Maira in Switzerland). Most of the valley falls within the Swiss district of Maloja i ...

. Bregaglia is the only Italian-speaking municipality in Switzerland in which the majority of the population is

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

History

Bondo

Under the

Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

Bondo belonged to the ''Ministerium Bergallia'', which was a dependant of the early

Bishops of Chur The Bishop of Chur (German: ''Bischof von Chur'') is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur, Grisons, Switzerland (Latin: ''Dioecesis Curiensis'').consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

in 1250. During the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

Bondo was part of several villages that were collectively known as ''di là dell'acqua'' (‘across the water’), which were part of the district of Sotto Porta/ Unterporta. In 1367 Bondo, together with the rest of Sotto Porta/Unterporta, joined the

League of God's House The League of God's House (German: ''Gotteshausbund'', Italian: ''Lega Caddea'', rm, ) was formed in what is now Switzerland on 29 January 1367, to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. The League allied wi ...

(German: ''Gotteshausbund''). In 1380 it was first mentioned under the name of Bondo. In German it was also known as ''Bundth'' while in Romansh it was known as ''Buond''. In 1552 the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

reached the village. During the 16th century some of the population left Bondo to Italy, and later to eastern Europe (either as bakers or soldiers). This trend has continued into the 20th century, except many now leave for northern Graubünden or the rest of Switzerland. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

the

Three Leagues The Three Leagues, sometimes referred to as Raetia, was the alliance of 1471 of the League of God's House, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions, and the Grey League, leading eventually to the formation of the Swiss canton of Graubünden (Grison ...

were rocked by the ''

Bündner Wirren The Bündner Wirren ( rm, Scumbigls grischuns/Scumpigls grischuns/Sgurdins grischuns, french: Troubles des Grisons, it, Torbidi grigionesi, English: ''Graubünden disturbances'' or ''Revolt of the Leagues'') was a conflict that lasted between 161 ...

'' or Confusion of the Leagues, as the decentralized leagues fought each other over religion and politics. In 1621, during the Confusion, Spanish troops burned the entire town to the ground, destroying about 248 structures. The town was rebuilt along new central streets.

Castasegna

Castasegna is first mentioned in 1374 as ''Castexegnia''. Castasegna has the largest

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

forest in Europe, known as Brentan. The town's name means ''chestnut grove'' and the tree is featured on the coat of arms.

Soglio

Soglio is first mentioned in 1186 as ''de Solio''.

Stampa

Stampa is first mentioned after 1354 as ''Stamppa''.

Vicosoprano

Vicosoprano is first mentioned in 1096 as ''Vicus Supranus''.

Geography

Bregaglia had an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 14.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 21.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and 63.4% is unproductive land. Over the past two decades (1979/85-2004/09) the amount of land that is settled has increased by and the agricultural land has decreased by .Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Regional portraits
accessed 27 October 2016

Demographics

Bregaglia has a population () of . , 13.4% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 4 years (2010-2014) the population has changed at a rate of -3.62%. The

birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...

in the municipality, in 2014, was 7.7, while the

death rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of de ...

was 11.6 per thousand residents. , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 16.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 59.2% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 24.2%. In 2015 there were 608 single residents, 726 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 124 widows or widowers and 78 divorced residents. In 2014 there were 692 private households in Bregaglia with an average household size of 2.21 persons. In 2013 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 1.28. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.87%.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:1100 height:500 PlotArea = height:350 left:100 bottom:90 right:100 Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:1900 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:400 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:80 start:0 Colors= id:BO value:yellowgreen legend:Bondo id:CA value:green legend:Castasegna id:SO value:blue legend:Soglio id:ST value:red legend:Stampa id:VI value:yellow legend:Vicosoprano PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:30 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from: 0 till:230 text:"230" color:BO bar:1860 from: 0 till:261 text:"261" color:BO bar:1870 from: 0 till:229 text:"229" color:BO bar:1880 from: 0 till:265 text:"265" color:BO bar:1888 from: 0 till:282 text:"282" color:BO bar:1900 from: 0 till:304 text:"304" color:BO bar:1910 from: 0 till:291 text:"291" color:BO bar:1920 from: 0 till:268 text:"268" color:BO bar:1930 from: 0 till:261 text:"261" color:BO bar:1941 from: 0 till:244 text:"244" color:BO bar:1950 from: 0 till:239 text:"239" color:BO bar:1960 from: 0 till:254 text:"254" color:BO bar:1970 from: 0 till:209 text:"209" color:BO bar:1980 from: 0 till:184 text:"184" color:BO bar:1990 from: 0 till:161 text:"161" color:BO bar:2000 from: 0 till:181 text:"181" color:BO bar:1850 from: 230 till:437 text:"207" color:CA bar:1860 from: 261 till:452 text:"191" color:CA bar:1870 from: 229 till:456 text:"227" color:CA bar:1880 from: 265 till:520 text:"255" color:CA bar:1888 from: 282 till:521 text:"239" color:CA bar:1900 from: 304 till:543 text:"239" color:CA bar:1910 from: 291 till:552 text:"261" color:CA bar:1920 from: 268 till:483 text:"215" color:CA bar:1930 from: 261 till:458 text:"197" color:CA bar:1941 from: 244 till:435 text:"191" color:CA bar:1950 from: 239 till:436 text:"197" color:CA bar:1960 from: 254 till:485 text:"231" color:CA bar:1970 from: 209 till:427 text:"218" color:CA bar:1980 from: 184 till:358 text:"174" color:CA bar:1990 from: 161 till:337 text:"176" color:CA bar:2000 from: 181 till:371 text:"190" color:CA bar:1850 from: 437 till:825 text:"388" color:SO bar:1860 from: 452 till:856 text:"404" color:SO bar:1870 from: 456 till:825 text:"369" color:SO bar:1880 from: 520 till:873 text:"353" color:SO bar:1888 from: 521 till:859 text:"338" color:SO bar:1900 from: 543 till:892 text:"349" color:SO bar:1910 from: 552 till:903 text:"351" color:SO bar:1920 from: 483 till:814 text:"331" color:SO bar:1930 from: 458 till:755 text:"297" color:SO bar:1941 from: 435 till:721 text:"286" color:SO bar:1950 from: 436 till:723 text:"287" color:SO bar:1960 from: 485 till:811 text:"326" color:SO bar:1970 from: 427 till:646 text:"219" color:SO bar:1980 from: 358 till:578 text:"220" color:SO bar:1990 from: 337 till:553 text:"216" color:SO bar:2000 from: 371 till:543 text:"172" color:SO bar:1850 from: 825 till:1153 text:"328" color:ST bar:1860 from: 856 till:1218 text:"362" color:ST bar:1870 from: 825 till:1197 text:"372" color:ST bar:1880 from: 873 till:1283 text:"410" color:ST bar:1888 from: 859 till:1396 text:"537" color:ST bar:1900 from: 892 till:1337 text:"445" color:ST bar:1910 from: 903 till:1340 text:"437" color:ST bar:1920 from: 814 till:1293 text:"479" color:ST bar:1930 from: 755 till:1222 text:"467" color:ST bar:1941 from: 721 till:1152 text:"431" color:ST bar:1950 from: 723 till:1137 text:"414" color:ST bar:1960 from: 811 till:1246 text:"435" color:ST bar:1970 from: 646 till:1097 text:"451" color:ST bar:1980 from: 578 till:998 text:"420" color:ST bar:1990 from: 553 till:1041 text:"488" color:ST bar:2000 from: 543 till:1074 text:"531" color:ST bar:1850 from: 1153 till:1536 text:"383" color:VI bar:1860 from: 1218 till:1626 text:"408" color:VI bar:1870 from: 1197 till:1594 text:"397" color:VI bar:1880 from: 1283 till:1682 text:"399" color:VI bar:1888 from: 1396 till:1814 text:"418" color:VI bar:1900 from: 1337 till:1754 text:"417" color:VI bar:1910 from: 1340 till:1826 text:"486" color:VI bar:1920 from: 1293 till:1775 text:"482" color:VI bar:1930 from: 1222 till:1666 text:"444" color:VI bar:1941 from: 1152 till:1564 text:"412" color:VI bar:1950 from: 1137 till:1552 text:"415" color:VI bar:1960 from: 1246 till:1814 text:"568" color:VI bar:1970 from: 1097 till:1484 text:"387" color:VI bar:1980 from: 998 till:1395 text:"397" color:VI bar:1990 from: 1041 till:1434 text:"393" color:VI bar:2000 from: 1074 till:1503 text:"429" color:VI

Heritage sites of national significance

The '' Castelmur'' medieval fortifications, the church of S. Maria and the ''Palazzo Salis'' in Bondo, the ''Casa Antonio No. 139'', the ''Casa Battista no. 131'', the ''Casa Di Mezzo No. 137'' and the ''Cas’Alta No. 120'' in Soglio and the Palazzo Castelmur in Stampa are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. File:Castelmur Turm von SE2.jpg, Castelmur Castle a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

way-station and medieval fortress File:Castelmur mit Nossadunna.jpg, Swiss Reformed Church ''di Nossa Donna'' File:Hotel Palazzo Salis Exterior.jpg, Palazzo Salis File:Hotel Palazzo Salis Interior.jpg, Dining room of Hotel Palazzo Salis File:CH Coltura Palazzo Castelmur 2.jpg, Palazzo Castelmur The church of S. Maria in Castelmur was largely rebuilt in the 19th century, but still has its Romanesque campanile. S. Maria in Bondo also has a Romanesque bell tower. This church was restored in the 17th century but retains an important late 15th-century fresco cycle. The remains of the painter Varlin are interred in the nearby cemetery.''Bondo'' at viabregaglia.com
/ref> Further notable buildings include the Casa Molinari, the Palazzo Scartazzini of 1690, the Palazzo Scartazzini am Platz (formerly Cortini) of 1763 and the Palazzo Salis; this last was begun by Jerome de Salis-Soglio in 1765 for his wife Mary and completed by their son in 1774. There is also a group of crotti towards Promontagno. In the twentieth century the painter Varlin captured much of the spirit of the village.

Economy

, there were a total of 896 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 104 people worked in 31 businesses in the primary economic sector. A vast majority (81.7%) of the primary sector employees worked in very small businesses (less than ten employees). The remainder worked in 1 small business with a total of 19 employees. 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 306 workers in 45 separate businesses. A minority (44.4%) of the secondary sector employees worked in very small businesses. There were 9 small businesses with a total of 170 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 second ...

provided 486 jobs in 147 businesses. There were 6 small businesses with a total of 142 employees. In 2014 a total of 1.3% of the population received social assistance. In the second quarter of 2016 an average of 370 workers commuted from outside Switzerland to work in the municipality, representing a large minority of the employees. In 2015 local hotels had a total of 41,439 overnight stays, of which 31.4% were international visitors. Elektrizitätswerk der Stadt Zürich (EWZ) operates a

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

in Castasegna.

Politics

In the 2015 federal election the most popular party was the FDP with 28.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (28.2%), the BDP (21.5%) and the SP (12.2%). In the federal election, a total of 554 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 can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...

was 46.1%. The 2015 election saw a large change in the voting when compared to 2011. The percentage of the vote received by the FDP increased from 20.5% in 2011 to 28.3% in 2015, while the percentage that the SP received dropped from 17.3% to 12.2%.

Crime

In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the

Swiss Criminal Code , french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer , citation = , territorial_extent = Switzerland , enacted_by = Federal Assembly of Switzerland , date_enacted = 20 Decemb ...

(running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Bregaglia was 15.3 per thousand residents or about 23.7% of the average rate in the entire country. During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 23 per thousand residents which was over twice the national rate. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 4.5 per thousand residents. This rate is 246.2% greater than the rate in the district and 275.0% greater than the cantonal rate.

Notable residents

Soglio village is the commune of origin for the Salis family, one of the oligarch families of the

. There are several Salis houses in the village: Casa Alta; Casa Battista; Casa di Mezzo; and Casa Antonio. The Casa Battista is now a hotel – ''Hotel Palazzo Salis'' (formerly ''Pensione Willy'') – while the others are tenements. For centuries the Salis family fortunes influenced the region, and the bars from the family arms are present in the coat of arms of the municipality, below the capricorn, which indicates church membership. One family of famous artists, the Giacometti, come from Stampa. The most famous members of the family are: *

Giovanni Giacometti Giovanni Ulrico Giacometti (7 March 1868 – 25 June 1933) was a Swiss painter. He was the father of artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti and architect Bruno Giacometti. Biography He was the fourth in a family of eight children. His father, ...

(1868–1933) *

Augusto Giacometti Augusto Giacometti (16 August 1877 – 9 June 1947) was a Swiss painter from Stampa, Graubünden, cousin of Giovanni Giacometti who was the father of Alberto, Diego and Bruno Giacometti. He was a prominent as a painter in the Art Nouvea ...

(1877–1947), cousin of Giovanni *

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and ...

(1901–1966), son of Giovanni *

Diego Giacometti Diego Giacometti (15 November 1902 – 15 July 1985) was a Swiss sculptor and designer, and the younger brother of the sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Youth Diego Giacometti was born in Borgonovo, a Swiss village near the Italian border. Son of An ...

(1902–1985), son of Giovanni *

Bruno Giacometti Bruno Giacometti (24 August 1907 — 21 March 2012) was a Swiss architect and the brother of the artists Alberto Giacometti, Alberto and Diego Giacometti. He was among the most notable post-World War II architects in Switzerland. Biography Giac ...

(1907-2012), son of Giovanni

Climate

Soglio has an average of 101.8 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 May during which time Soglio receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.7 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 12.7 days., the weather station elevation is 1093 meters above sea level. Vicosoprano has an average of 111.4 days of rain per year and on average receives of

. The wettest month is May during which time Vicosoprano receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.3 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 13.3 days., the weather station elevation is 1075 meters above sea level.

References

External links

Bregaglia su PortaleBregaglia.ch

sul sito della RSI {{Authority control Municipalities of Graubünden Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden Populated places established in 2010