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'' Chur (, locally ; it, Coira ; rm, label=
Sursilvan Sursilvan (; also ''romontsch sursilvan'' ; Sursilvan, Vallader, Surmiran, Sutsilvan, and Rumantsch Grischun: ''sursilvan''; Puter: ''sursilvaun'') is a group of dialects of the Romansh language spoken in the Swiss district of Surselva. It is t ...
, Cuera ; rm, label= Vallader, Cuoira ; rm, label= Puter and Rumantsch Grischun, Cuira ; rm, label= Surmiran, Coira; rm, label=
Sutsilvan Romansh (; sometimes also spelled Romansch and Rumantsch; Sursilvan: ; Vallader, Surmiran, and Rumantsch Grischun: ; Putèr: ; Sutsilvan: , , ; Jauer: ) is a Gallo-Romance language spoken predominantly in the Swiss canton of the Grison ...
, Cuera or ; french: Coire ) la, CVRIA, and . is the capital and largest town of the
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...
of the
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 ...
and lies in the Grisonian Rhine Valley, where the Rhine turns towards the north, in the northern part of the canton. The city, which is located on the right bank of the Rhine, is reputedly the oldest town of Switzerland. The official language of Chur is German,In this context, the term "German" is used as an umbrella term for any variety of German. A person is allowed to communicate with the authorities by using any kind of German, in written or oral form. However, the authorities will always use
Swiss Standard German Swiss Standard German (german: Schweizer Standarddeutsch), or Swiss High German (german: Schweizer Hochdeutsch or ''Schweizerhochdeutsch''), referred to by the Swiss as ''Schriftdeutsch'', or ''Hochdeutsch'', is the written form of one of four o ...
(the Swiss variety of
Standard German Standard High German (SHG), less precisely Standard German or High German (not to be confused with High German dialects, more precisely Upper German dialects) (german: Standardhochdeutsch, , or, in Switzerland, ), is the standardized variety ...
) in documents, or any written form. In spoken interaction, ''Hochdeutsch'' (Swiss Standard German or what the particular speaker considers as "High German") or any other dialectal variant can be used.
but the main spoken language is the local variant of Alemannic, known as
Grisonian German Swiss German (Standard German: , gsw, Schwiizerdütsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch Mundart,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no defined orthography for any of them, many different spelling ...
. Romansh and Italian are significantly spoken in the city as a result of the trilingual identity of the canton. On 1 January 2020 the former municipality of Maladers merged into Chur and on 1 January 2021 Haldenstein also merged.


History

Archaeological evidence of settlement at the site, in the Eastern Alps, goes back as far as the Pfyn culture (3900-3500 BC), making Chur one of the oldest settlements in Switzerland. Remains and objects from the
Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
and Iron Ages have also been found in the eastern sector of the current city's centre. These include Bronze Age Urnfield and Laugen-Melaun settlements from 1300 to 800 BC and Iron Age settlements from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC. The Roman Empire conquered the area that then came to be known as the Roman province of Raetia in
15 BC __NOTOC__ Year 15 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further infor ...
. Under emperor
Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...
(late 3rd century AD), the existing settlement of ''Curia Raetorum'' (later Chur) was made the capital of the newly established province of Raetia prima. In the 4th century, Chur became the seat of the first Christian bishopric north of the Alps. Despite a legend assigning its foundation to an alleged Briton king, St. Lucius, the first known bishop is one Asinio in AD 451. The bishop soon acquired great temporal powers, especially after his dominions were made, in 831, dependent on the Empire alone. After the invasion of the Ostrogoths, it may have been renamed ''Theodoricopolis''; in the 6th century it was conquered by the Franks. The city suffered several invasions, by the
Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...
in 925–926, when the cathedral was destroyed, and by the Saracens (940 and 954),Stadtbrände
fro
Official Website
but afterwards it flourished thanks to its location, where the roads from several major Alpine transit routes come together and continue down the Rhine. The routes had been already used under the Romans but acquired greater importance under the Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Otto I granted the town the right to collect tolls in 952 and appointed his vassal Hartpert as bishop of Chur in 958, giving the bishopric further privileges. In 1170 the bishop became a prince-bishop and kept total control over the road between Chur and
Chiavenna Chiavenna ( lmo, Ciavèna ; la, Clavenna; rm, Clavenna or ''Claven''; archaic german: Cläven or ''Kleven'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. It is the centre of the Alpine ...
. In the 13th century, the town had some 1,300 inhabitants and was surrounded by a line of walls. In the 14th century, at least six fires damaged or destroyed the monasteries of St. Luzi and St. Nicolai, St. Martin's church and twice destroyed much of the town. The
Gotteshausbund The League of God's House (German language, German: ''Gotteshausbund'', Italian language, 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 Hous ...
(League of the House of God) was formed in 1367 in Chur to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. Chur was the chief town of the League and one of the places the Leagues' assemblies met regularly. A burgmeister (mayor) of Chur is first mentioned in 1413, The bishop's residence was attacked by the inhabitants in 1418 and 1422, when a series of concessions were wrung out of him. On 27 April 1464, most of the town was destroyed in a fire, which only the bishop's estates and St. Luzi monastery survived. With the bishops' power waning as he came increasingly under the influence of the nearby
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
County of Tyrol, the citizens sent a delegation to Emperor Frederick III. The Emperor reconfirmed the historic rights of Chur and also granted them extensive new rights which freed the city from the bishop's power. In 1465 the citizens wrote a constitution which granted all governmental power to Chur's guilds. All government positions were restricted to guild members, allowing the guilds to regulate all aspects of life in Chur. Because guild membership was the only route to political power, local patricians and nobles quickly became guild members, often joining the winemakers guild. The Chur lead League of the House of God allied with the Grey League and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions in 1471 to form the Three Leagues. In 1489 Chur obtained the right to have a tribunal of its own, but never had the title of Free Imperial City. In 1497–98, concerned about Habsburg expansion and with the Bishop of Chur quarrelling with Austria, the Three Leagues formed an alliance with the Swiss Confederation. In 1499 the Swabian War broke out between the Three Leagues and Austria and quickly expanded to include the Confederation. During the war, troops from Chur fought under the Bishop's Vogt Heinrich Ammann in the Lower Engadin, in Prättigau and near Balzers. Troops from Chur also took part in the 1512 invasion of the Valtellina and the Second
Musso War The Musso War (or War of Musso) was an armed conflict between the federation of the Three Leagues (german: Drei Bünde), which functioned as an associate state of the Old Swiss Confederacy, and the Duchy of Milan early in the 16th century. The co ...
in 1530–31. In 1523 Johannes (Dorfmann) Comander was appointed parish priest of St. Martin's Church and began preaching the new faith of the Protestant Reformation. It spread rapidly and by 1525 the bishop had fled the city and Protestant services were taking place in the churches of St. Martin and St. Regula. The
Ilanz articles Ilanz ( rm, Glion) is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The former municipality of Ilanz was congruent with the town of Ilanz. On 1 January 1978, the former municipality of Strada merged into the ...
of 1524 and 1526 allowed each resident of the Three Leagues to choose their religion, and sharply reduced the political and secular power of the Bishop of Chur and all monasteries in League territory. By 1527 all of Chur, except the bishop's estates, had adopted the Reformation. On 1 January 1529 Abbot Theodore Schlegel was publicly beheaded. Bishop Thomas Planta, a friend of St. Charles Borromeo, tried, but without success, to suppress Protestantism. He died, probably poisoned, 5 May 1565. During the 16th century the German language started to prevail over Romansh. In 1479 about 300 houses and stalls burned in another fire. Nearly a century later on 23 July 1574, a fire destroyed 174 houses and 114 stalls, or about half the city. Two years later on 21 October 1576, another 53 houses were burned. Two years after the 1576 fire, the perpetrator, Hauptmann Stör, was executed. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Three Leagues became the canton of Graubünden in 1803. The guild constitution of the city of Chur lasted until 1839, while in 1874 the '' Burgergemeinde'' was replaced by an ''Einwohnergemeinde''. When Graubünden became a canton in 1803, Chur was chosen as its capital.


Geography and climate


Topography

Chur had an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 17.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 52.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 3.9% 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.
Chur is situated at a height of
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
, on the right bank of the torrent Plessur, just as it issues from the valley Schanfigg, and about a mile above its junction with the Rhine, almost entirely surrounded by the Alps, overshadowed by the Mittenberg (northeast) and Pizoggel (southwest), hills that guard the entrance to the deep-cut valley Schanfigg. The altitude in the city area varies from
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
to above sea level, the Churer Hausberg Brambrüesch (accessible from the
Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
) situated at
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
. The water of Chur's spring is exported and sold as Passugger mineral water.


Climate

Chur has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
in spite of its inland position. Summers are warm and sometimes hot, normally averaging around during the day, whilst winter means are around freezing, with daytime temperatures being about . Between 1981 and 2010 Chur had an average of 104.6 days of rain per year and on average received of precipitation. The wettest month was August during which time Chur received an average of of precipitation. During this month there was precipitation for an average of 11.2 days. The driest month of the year was February with an average of of precipitation over 6.6 days., the weather station elevation is
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
.


Politics


Coat of arms

Blazon: ''Argent, a city gate gules with three merlons, within which a capricorn rampant sable, langued and viriled of the second.''


Administrative divisions


Government

The City Council (''Stadtrat'') constitutes the executive government of the City of Chur and operates as a
collegiate authority Collegiate may refer to: * College * Webster's Dictionary, a dictionary with editions referred to as a "Collegiate" * ''Collegiate'' (1926 film), 1926 American silent film directed by Del Andrews * ''Collegiate'' (1936 film), 1936 American musi ...
. It is composed of only three councilors (german: Stadtrat/ Stadträtin), each presiding over a department. In the mandate period 2021–2024 (''Legislatur'') the City Council is presided by ''Stadtpräsident''
Urs Marti Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or ''Urus'' (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc. ...
. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Municipal Council (parliament) are carried by the City Council. The regular election of the City Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of Chur allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council. The current mandate period is from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2024. The delegates are elected by means of a system of Proporz. The mayor is elected as such by public election by means of a system of Majorz, while the heads of the other departments are assigned by the collegiate. , Chur's City Council is made up of one representative of the FDP ( FDP.The Liberals, who is also the mayor), one of the SP ( Social Democratic Party), and one new member of The Centre (former CVP/PDC and BDP/PBD), giving the right parties a new majority of two out of three seats. The last regular election was held on 27 September 2020.


Parliament

The Municipal Council (''Gemeinderat'') holds legislative power. It is made up of only 21 members, with elections held every four years. The Municipal Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the City Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of Proporz. The sessions of the Municipal Council are public. Unlike members of the City Council, members of the Municipal Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Chur allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Municipal Council. The parliament holds its meetings in the ''Rathaus'' (Town Hall). The last regular election of the Municipal Council was held on 27 September 2020 for the mandate period (german: Legislatur) from January 2021 to December 2024. Currently the Municipal Council consist of 6 (-, no change) members of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), 4 (-) Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), 4 (+1) The Liberals (FDP/PLR), 3 (+1) The Centre (former CVP/PDC and BDP/PBD), 3 (+2) Green Liberal Party (GLP/PVL), 2 (-) ''Freie Liste & Grüne'' (Free List & Greens), while the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD) lost all their 3 seats due to Dissolution and merged with former CVP.


Elections


National Council

In the 2015 federal election the most popular party was the SVP/UDC with 26.43% of the vote followed almost equally by the SP/PS (25.96%), then the CVP/PDC (13.74%), the FDP/PLR (12.06%), the BDP/PBD (11.97), and the GLP/PVL (9.71). In the federal election, a total of 11,102 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 45.4%.


International relations

Chur is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: * Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany * Cabourg, France * Mayrhofen, Austria * Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg * Terracina, Italy


Demographics


Population

Chur has a population (as of ) of . In 2008, 17.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, by 2014 that number was 19.2%. Over the last 4 years (2010-2014) the population has changed at a rate of 2.34%. The birth rate in the municipality, in 2014, was 9.2, while the death rate was 10.0 per thousand residents. Most of the population () speaks German (81.0%), with Italian being second most common (6.4%) and Romansh being third (5.3%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 27-Oct-2009.
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.Graubunden in Numbers
accessed 21 September 2009.
The age distribution, , in Chur is; 3,087 children or 9.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. 1,602 teenagers or 4.9% are 10 to 14, and 2,194 teenagers or 6.7% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 4,770 people or 14.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 5,517 people or 16.7% are 30 to 39, 4,616 people or 14.0% are 40 to 49, and 4,254 people or 12.9% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 3,090 people or 9.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 2,314 people or 7.0% are 70 to 79, there are 1,307 people or 4.0% who are 80 to 89, there are 233 people or 0.7% who are 90 to 99, and 5 people who are 100 or more.Graubunden Population Statistics
accessed 21 September 2009.
In 2015 there were 15,557 single residents, 13,722 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 1,948 widows or widowers, 3,423 divorced residents and 2 people who did not answer the question. In 2014 there were 16,970 private households in Chur with an average household size of 2.00 persons. Of the 3,792 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 37.8% were single family homes and 39.7% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 20.5% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 8.8% 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 7.71. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.6%.


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:800 height:500 PlotArea = top:10 left: 100 bottom:90 right:100 Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:40000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:8000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1600 start:0 Colors= id:TO value:yellowgreen legend:Total id:GE value:teal legend:German_Speaking id:IT value:green legend:Italian_Speaking id:RM value:lightpurple legend:Romansh_Speaking id:PR value:oceanblue legend:Protestant id:CA value:darkblue legend:Roman_Catholic id:SW value:red legend:Swiss PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1780 from:start till:2331 text:"2,331" color:TO bar:1860 from:start till:6990 text:"6,990" color:TO bar:1880 from:start till:8753 text:"8,753" color:TO bar:1888 from:start till:9259 text:"9,259" color:TO bar:1900 from:start till:11532 text:"11,532" color:TO bar:1910 from:start till:14639 text:"14,639" color:TO bar:1930 from:start till:15574 text:"15,574" color:TO bar:1950 from:start till:19382 text:"19,382" color:TO bar:1970 from:start till:31193 text:"31,193" color:TO bar:1990 from:start till:32868 text:"32,868" color:TO bar:2000 from:start till:32989 text:"32,989" color:TO bar:2010 from:start till:36690 text:"36,690" color:TO LineData = points:(222,166)(273,168) color:GE points:(273,168)(324,183) color:GE points:(324,183)(375,206) color:GE points:(375,206)(426,219) color:GE points:(426,219)(477,251) color:GE points:(477,251)(528,326) color:GE points:(528,326)(579,347) color:GE points:(579,347)(630,357) color:GE points:(222,93)(273,92) color:IT points:(273,92)(324,97) color:IT points:(324,97)(375,102) color:IT points:(375,102)(426,98) color:IT points:(426,98)(477,100) color:IT points:(477,100)(528,120) color:IT points:(528,120)(579,110) color:IT points:(579,110)(630,107) color:IT points:(222,100)(273,102) color:RM points:(273,102)(324,105) color:RM points:(324,105)(375,107) color:RM points:(375,107)(426,107) color:RM points:(426,107)(477,110) color:RM points:(477,110)(528,123) color:RM points:(528,123)(579,113) color:RM points:(579,113)(630,108) color:RM points:(171,132)(222,154) color:PR points:(222,154)(273,155) color:PR points:(273,155)(324,166) color:PR points:(324,166)(375,182) color:PR points:(375,182)(426,188) color:PR points:(426,188)(477,207) color:PR points:(477,207)(528,243) color:PR points:(528,243)(579,230) color:PR points:(579,230)(630,217) color:PR points:(630,217)(681,212) color:PR points:(171,117)(222,114) color:CA points:(222,114)(273,117) color:CA points:(273,117)(324,130) color:CA points:(324,130)(375,144) color:CA points:(375,144)(426,147) color:CA points:(426,147)(477,165) color:CA points:(477,165)(528,245) color:CA points:(528,245)(579,249) color:CA points:(579,249)(630,237) color:CA points:(630,237)(681,244) color:CA points:(171,154)(222,169) color:SW points:(222,169)(273,171) color:SW points:(273,171)(324,187) color:SW points:(324,187)(375,210) color:SW points:(375,210)(426,227) color:SW points:(426,227)(477,269) color:SW points:(477,269)(528,353) color:SW points:(528,353)(579,363) color:SW points:(579,363)(630,361) color:SW points:(630,361)(681,387) color:SW : Language adds up to over 100% due to counting all languages, not just first language.


Religion

From the , 14,713 or 44.6% are Roman Catholic, while 12,199 or 37.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there are 15 individuals (or about 0.05% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland, there are 589 individuals (or about 1.79% of the population) who belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, and there are 532 individuals (or about 1.61% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 13 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who are Jewish, and 917 (or about 2.78% of the population) who are
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. There are 424 individuals (or about 1.29% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 1,998 (or about 6.06% of the population) belong to no church, are
agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
or
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, and 1,589 individuals (or about 4.82% of the population) did not answer the question.


Education

In Chur about 70.3% of the population (between age 25 and 64) have completed either non-mandatory
upper secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...
or additional higher education (either University or a ''
Fachhochschule A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...
''). The town is home to the
Cantonal School of Graubünden The Cantonal School of Graubünden (german: Bündner Kantonsschule, also known as Kantonsschule Halde; rm, Scola chantunala grischuna; it, Scuola cantonale grigione) is the largest high school in the Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival f ...
.


Economy

, there were a total of 32,448 people employed in the municipality. Of these, 108 people worked in 26 businesses in the primary economic sector. A majority (68.5%) of the primary sector employees worked in very small businesses (less than ten employees). The remainder worked in 2 small businesses with a total of 34 employees. The secondary sector employed 3,645 workers in 345 separate businesses. A minority (21.2%) of the secondary sector employees worked in very small businesses. There were 75 small businesses with a total of 1,731 employees and 12 mid sized businesses with a total of 1,141 employees. Finally, the tertiary sector provided 28,695 jobs in 3,375 businesses. In 2014 a total of 16,854 employees worked in 3,306 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 65 mid-sized businesses with 9,093 employees and 4 large businesses which employed 2,748 people (for an average size of 687). In 2014 a total of 7.7% of the population received social assistance. In 2015 local hotels had a total of 152,629 overnight stays, of which 47.8% were international visitors. There were two movie theaters in the municipality, in 2015, with a total of 4 screens and 736 seats.


Crime

In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the Swiss Criminal Code (running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Chur was 68.6 per thousand residents, only slightly higher than the national average of 64.6 per thousand. During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 15.7 per thousand residents, which is about one and half times the national rate. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 2.4 per thousand residents, or about half the national rate.


Transportation

Chur is by rail from Zürich, and is the meeting-point of the routes from Italy over many alpine passes ( Lukmanier Pass, Splugen Pass, and San Bernardino Pass), as well as from the Engadine ( Albula Pass, Julier Pass), so that it is the centre of an active trade (particularly in wine from the Valtelline), though it also has a few local factories. The city's main railway station is where the
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
system link with that of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB). While the SBB lines serve most of Switzerland, most of Graubünden's internal rail traffic is served by RhB lines. One of the RhB lines (to Arosa) uses on-street running through streets in the centre of Chur and Sand in order to reach the station—see Chur Stadtbahn. There are three other railway stations in Chur: * Chur Stadt (on the Chur-Arosa line) * Chur West * Chur Wiesental * There is also a postbus station situated above the railway station. Chur is linked by a motorway—the A13.


Culture and tourism


Main sights

Chur is home to many buildings or other sites that are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. There are two archeological sites in Chur, the old city which is a medieval city and Welschdörfli a prehistoric settlement and Roman Vicus. There are four archives or libraries; the bishop's palace (library and archive), the Cantonal Library, the Cantonal Archive of Graubünden and the city archive of Chur. There are also four museums on the list; the '' Bündner Kunstmuseum'' (Art Museum), ''Bündner Naturmuseum'' (Natural History Museum), the ''Dommuseum'' and the ''Rätisches Museum'' in the Haus Buol. Three churches are included in the list; The cathedral of the Assumption, the Catholic Church of St. Luzi and the
Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
church of St. Martin. There are 15 other buildings that are also heritage sites; these include the ''Alte Kaserne'' at Zeughaus 3 (the Old Armory), the Confederation Paper Mill, the Main Post Office, the new Town Hall, headquarters of the Rhätische Bahn and several old patrician houses. With the 2021 merger of Haldenstein into Chur, the ''Ruins of Haldenstein fortress'' and ''
Haldenstein Castle Haldenstein Castle is a castle in the former municipality of Haldenstein (now part of Chur) of the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. See also * List of castles in Switzerland This lis ...
'' became part of Chur.


Gallery

File:Chur-Poststrasse.jpg, Poststrasse, Old Town File:Kunstmuseum Chur.jpg, Bündner Kunstmuseum (Grisonian Art Museum) File:Chur-St. Martin.jpg, Church of St. Martin File:Chur Kantonsgericht.jpg, Kantonsgerichtsgebäude (home of cantonal court) File:Chur, St. Maria Himmelfahrt, Vorderseite.jpg, St. Maria Himmelfahrt (cathedral of the Assumption) File:Chur in Graubünden (Zwitserland) 41.jpg, Street in Altstadt The first church on the cathedral site was built in the first half of the 5th century. The Romanesque
crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
was probably built under Bishop Tello (758-73). It contains remarkable paintings by
Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...
and Hans Holbein. The current building was built between 1154 and 1270. In 1272 it was dedicated to Saint Mary of the Assumption. The round
arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
window along the center axis is the largest medieval window in Graubünden. The late-
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
high altar was completed in 1492 by Jakob Russ. The Church of St. Luzi was probably built in the 8th century, though the first record of it appears in 821 when the relics of St. Luzius were removed from the church. It may have been the site of a
Carolingian 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 ...
scribes' school during the early middle ages. In 1149 it became the church of the
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
monastery. The town is home to the Giger Bar designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger, the Old Town, the art gallery, and the natural history museum.


Sport

Chur's ice hockey team, EHC Chur, plays in the Swiss 1. Liga, the third tier of the Swiss ice hockey league system. They play their home games in the 6,500-seat Hallenstadion. The American football team Calanda Broncos (formally the Landquart Broncos) moved to Chur in 2009, playing their home games at Ringstrasse Stadium. The Broncos currently play in the Nationalliga A and are the most successful Swiss American football team with the record for most
Swiss Bowl The Swiss Bowl is the annual national championship game in the sport of American football in Switzerland, first held in 1986. It is contested by the two best teams of the Nationalliga A. The Calanda Broncos are the record winners of the Swiss B ...
wins (eight wins) as well as winning the EFAF Cup in 2010 and the Eurobowl in 2012. As of 2017 they finished first in the league, hosting
Swiss Bowl XXXII Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places *Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss International A ...
in Ringstrasse Stadium where they defeated the
Basel Gladiators , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), Sa ...
42–6 on 8 July. The local football team are FC Chur 97 who play in the sixth division of
Swiss football Football is the most popular sport in Switzerland. The Swiss Football Association was formed in 1895 and was a founder member of the sport's international governing body FIFA in 1904. The Swiss cities of Zürich and Nyon are home to FIFA and ...
. They play home games at Ringstrasse.


List of notable people


Early times

* George Blaurock (–1529), Grisonian Catholic pater and leading personality of the
Radical Reformation The Radical Reformation represented a response to corruption both in the Catholic Church and in the expanding Magisterial Protestant movement led by Martin Luther and many others. Beginning in Germany and Switzerland in the 16th century, the Ra ...
, one of the founders of Anabaptism * Johannes Fabricius Montanus (1527–1577), German theologian and poet * Jörg Jenatsch (1596–1639), Grisonian politician during Thirty Years' War, assassinated in Chur. *
Soloman Sprecher von Bernegg Soloman Sprecher von Bernegg (14 December 1697 – 14 September 1758)Hans Jacob Leu, ''Allgemeines Helvetisches, Eydgenößisches, Oder Schweitzerisches ..., Volume 5'', Hans Ulrich Denzler, 1751, p.357. was a Habsburg military commander in the ...
(1697–1758), Habsburg field marshal in the Seven Years' War


18th century

*
Jerome, 2nd Count de Salis Jérôme de Salis, 2nd Count de Salis-Soglio (8 July 17098 August 1794) was a Count de Salis-Soglio. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and sometime British Resident in the Grisons. He was also known as ''Hieronimus, Gerolamo, Geronimo, Harry, ...
(1709–1794), a Fellow of the Royal Society and sometime British Resident in the Grisons. * Jeremiah Theus (1716–1746), Swiss-American painter, primarily of portraits. *
Angelica Kauffman Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, K ...
RA (1741–1801), Austrian Neoclassical painter, successful career in London and Rome. * Richard La Nicca (1794–1883 in Chur), a Swiss engineer, planned and implemented the
Jura water correction The correction of the waters of the Swiss Jura consisted of a wide series of hydrological undertakings carried out in Switzerland in the region of the three lakes: Lake Morat connected to Lake Neuchatel by the Broye Canal, the latter connected t ...
project in the Swiss Jura


19th century

*
Alexander Moritzi Alexander Moritzi (1806-1850) was a Swiss naturalist and early proponent of evolution. Moritzi born in Chur, Graubünden. His ''Réflexions sur l'espèce en histoire naturelle'', which means "Reflections on Species in Natural History," was publ ...
(1806–1850), a Swiss naturalist and early proponent of evolution *
Gottfried Ludwig Theobald Gottfried Ludwig Theobald (21 December 1810 in Allendorf – 15 September 1869 in Chur) was a German-Swiss geologist and cartographer. He studied theology at the universities of Marburg and Halle, then served as a curate in Hanau. Being dis ...
(1810–1869 in Chur), a German-Swiss geologist and cartographer, taught in Chur 1854–1869. * Johann Baptista von Tscharner (1815–1879), born and died in Chur, lawyer and politician * Philip Schaff (1819–1893) Protestant theologian and church historian, lived and taught in the United States * Johann Coaz (1822– 1918), a forester, topographer and mountaineer from Graubünden * Simeon Bavier (1825–1896), a politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council 1878-1883 *
Eduard Killias Eduard Killias (1 March 1829, in Chur – 14 November 1891, in Chur) was a Swiss physician and naturalist. He studied medicine in Tübingen, Zurich, Bern, Prague and Vienna, obtaining his doctorate in medicine and surgery in 1852. Afterwards, he w ...
(1829–1891), a Swiss physician, naturalist and balneologist *
Carl Hilty Carl Andreas Hilty (28 February 1833 – 12 October 1909) was a Swiss people, Swiss lawyer, professor of constitutional law, politician, philosopher, lay theologian and writer. Life Family background, education and early career Hilty was b ...
(1833–1909), a philosopher, writer and worked as a lawyer in Chur for 20 years * Adolfo Kind (1848–1907), a chemical engineer and one of the fathers of skiing in Italy *
Clara Ragaz Clara Ragaz (30 March 1874 – 7 October 1957) was one of the most noted Swiss feminist pacifists of the first half of the twentieth century. She was a founder of the Swiss Federation of Abstinent Women, an organization that supported the temperan ...
(1874–1957) feminist,
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
and supporter of the temperance movement * Jakob Buchli (1876–1945), engineer in the field of locomotive design * Alfred Heuß (1877–1934), German musicologist * Josias Braun-Blanquet (1884–1980), a
phytosociologist Phytosociology, also known as phytocoenology or simply plant sociology, is the study of groups of species of plant that are usually found together. Phytosociology aims to empirically describe the vegetative environment of a given territory. A speci ...
and botanist *
Rosa Gutknecht Laura Elisabeth Rosa Gutknecht (1885–1959) was a German-born Swiss theologian and cleric. In 1918, together with Elise Pfister, she was one of the first two women to graduate in theology. The same year, both were ordained as pastors of the Ref ...
(1885–1959), a German-born Swiss theologian and cleric, in 1918 she was one of the first two women to graduate in theology and be ordained as pastors * Harry Clarke (1889–1931 in Chur), an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator * Kurt Huber (1893–1943), a university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi group White Rose *
Maurice Conradi Maurice Alexander Morisovich Conradi (Russian: Морис Морисович Конради; 16 June 1896, in Saint Petersburg − 7 February 1947, in Chur) was a White Army emigre participant of the First World War and the Russian Civil War and ...
(1896–1947 in Chur), a Russian White movement officer who fought in WWI and the
Civil War in Russia {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers o ...


20th century

* Robert Platow (1900–1982 in Chur), German journalist, founder and publisher of the ''Platow Brief'' *
Heinrich Willi Heinrich Willi (4 March 1900 – 16 February 1971) was a Swiss pediatrician who specialised in neonatology and co-discovered Prader–Willi syndrome with Andrea Prader. Biography Heinrich Willi was born in 1900 in Chur. He received his medical qu ...
(1900–1971), pediatrician who co-discovered Prader–Willi syndrome *
Andreas Walser Andreas Walser (13 April 1908 – 19 March 1930) was a Swiss painter. He was born in Chur and moved to Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an a ...
(1908–1930), a Swiss painter in Paris * Gustav Guanella (1909–1982), a Swiss inventor, developed high-frequency electronics *
Meinrad Schütter Meinrad Schütter (21 September 1910 – 12 January 2006) was a Swiss composer. He studied with Willy Burkhard during World War II and with Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theori ...
(1910–2006), a Swiss composer *
Rudolf Olgiati Rudolf Olgiati (Chur, 7 September 1910 – Flims, 25 September 1995) was a Swiss architect. Olgiati is known for his work with Alfred Werner Maurer on the French Riviera, and has had some of his more notable work exhibited in the 1977 ETH Zürich ...
(1910–1995), local architect, of the New Objectivity movement * H. R. Giger (1940–2014), visual artist, painter and Oscar winner * Peter Zumthor (born 1943), an uncompromising and minimalist Swiss architect, works in Chur *
Alex P. Schmid Alex Peter Schmid (born 1943) is a scholar in terrorism studies, who from 1999 to 2005 was Officer-in-Charge of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna. He is particularly known for his work on t ...
(born 1943), a Swiss-born Dutch scholar in terrorism studies and former Officer-in-Charge of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations * Mario Illien (born 1946), engineer, specialising in motorsport engine design * Robert Indermaur (born 1947), a Swiss painter and sculptor *
Hans Danuser Hans Danuser (born in 1953 in Chur) is a Swiss artist and photographer. His first major work, the cycle ''In Vivo'', brought him international fame, therein he broke several societal taboos with respect to genetic research and nuclear physics. S ...
(born 1953), a Swiss artist and photographer *
Corin Curschellas Corin Curschellas (; born 2 July 1956) is a Swiss singer-songwriter, vocalist (jazz, folk music, world music, chanson), free improvisation, actress (theatre, film, musical), voice actress in (radio drama and audio books) as well as voice instruc ...
(born 1956), a Swiss singer-songwriter, vocalist, free improvisation, actress and voice actress *
Valerio Olgiati Valerio Olgiati (born 1958) is a Swiss architect. He initially studied architecture at ETH Zurich, a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland, after which he lived in Switzerland, followed by Los Angeles in the United States. He mad ...
(born 1958), renowned architect of Grisonian buildings *
Raphael Zuber Raphael Zuber (born 5 June 1973 in Chur) is a Swiss architect. Biography Raphael Zuber studied at ETH Zurich until 2001 and practiced with Valerio Olgiati in Zurich. After graduating, he founded an architectural office in Chur. Zuber taught at ...
(born 1973), architect * Adrian J. Meier (born 1976), politician of local council and explorer *
Rebecca Indermaur Rebecca Indermaur (born 1976) is a Swiss film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Theres in the 2010 horror film ''Sennentuntschi'', Geissenpeterin in the 2015 children's film ''Heidi'', and as Mona in the 2018 romantic c ...
(born ), a Swiss film and television actress. Retrieved 21 November 2018.


Sport

*
Rico Bianchi Enrico Bianchi (born 13 May 1930) is a Switzerland, Swiss Rowing (sport), rower who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was born in Chur. In 1952 he was a crew member of the Swiss boat which won the silver me ...
(born 1930), a Swiss rower, competed in the
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
and
1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
*
Yvonne Rüegg Yvonne Rüegg (born 2 August 1938) is a Swiss former alpine skier. At the 1960 Winter Olympics, she won the gold medal in giant slalom. She was born in Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, F ...
(born 1938), a Swiss former alpine skier, gold medallist in giant slalom at the
1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...
*
Renato Tosio Renato Tosio (born 16 November 1964 in Wil, Switzerland) is a retired Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender. He is popular for his energetic style of play, for his sportsmanship and also for being a great entertainer and showman. Playing car ...
(born 1964), former ice hockey goaltender of EHC Chur * Mario Frick (born 1974), a Swiss-born Liechtensteiner retired professional footballer who is currently a manager for FC Vaduz; 664 team games and 125 for his national team *
Giorgio Rocca Giorgio Rocca (born 6 August 1975) is an Italian former alpine skier, a specialist in slalom skiing. Together with Marc Girardelli, Ingemar Stenmark and Marcel Hirscher, he is one of four skiers to have won 5 Alpine Skiing World Cup slaloms in a ...
(born 1975), an Italian former alpine skier *
Thierry Paterlini Thierry Paterlini (born 27 April 1975 in Chur, Graubünden) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman. He currently plays for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League A. He first played professionally in the National League B with Grasshop ...
(born 1975), a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman *
Binia Feltscher Binia Feltscher (born 13 October 1978 in Chur) is a Switzerland, Swiss retired Curling, curler from Flims. She was the Skip (curling), skip of the 2014 and 2016 World championship curling teams from Switzerland. From 2006 to 2013 she was known as ...
(born 1978), Swiss curler, silver medallist at the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...
* Nino Schurter (born 1986), mountain biker and Olympic gold medalist, lives in Chur * Nino Niederreiter (born 1992), second highest NHL-drafted Swiss-born hockey player File:Georg Jenatsch.jpg, Georg Jenatsch, 1636 File:Angelika Kauffmann - Self Portrait - 1784.jpg, Angelika Kauffmann, self portrait, 1784 File:Schaff P.jpg, Philip Schaff File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146II-744, Kurt Huber.jpg, Kurt Huber File:HR Giger 2012.jpg, HR Giger, 2012 File:AUT vs. LIE 2015-10-12 (194).jpg, Mario Frick, 2015 File:Nino Schurter at the Worlds 2011.jpg, Nino Schurter, 2011


Notes and references


Notes


References


Literature

* * A. Eichhorn, Episcopatus Curiensis (St Blasien, 1797) * W. von Juvalt, ''Forschungen fiber die Feudalzeit im Curischen Raetien'', two parts (Zürich, 1871) * C. Kind, ''Die Reformation in den Bistumern Chur und Como'' (Coire, 1858) * Conradin von Moor, Geschichte von Curraetien (2 vols., Coire, 1870–1874) * P. C. you Planta, ''Des alte Raetien'' (Berlin, 1872); Idem, Die Curraetischen Herrschaften in der Feudalzeit (Bern, 188i); Idem, ''Verfassungsgeschichte der Stadt Cur im Mittelalter'' (Coire, 1879); Idem, ''Geschichte von Graubünden'' (Bern, 1892). * *
Principality of Liechtenstein homepage on religion


External links


City of Chur – official website

Chur tourism office


{{Authority control Cantonal capitals of Switzerland Cities in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden Municipalities of Graubünden Populated places on the Rhine Street running