Samedan, Switzerland

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

History

Samedan is first mentioned in 1139 as ''Samaden''. In 1334 it was mentioned as ''Semeden'', in 1367 as ''Semaden'', in 1498 as ''Sumada'' and in 1527 as ''Sameden''.

Johann Heinrich Müller, 1825-1894 J08 Samaden.JPG, Samedan c. 1870 with the Bernina hotel (opened in 1865), one of the oldest hotels in the Engadin. Etching by Heinrich Müller
Samedan circa 1870.jpg, A photograph of Samedan in the circa 1870s
Samedan circa 1870 B.jpg, Another photographic view of Samedan in the circa 1870s
ETH-BIB-Samedan-LBS H1-017880.tif, Aerial view (1954)

Geography

Samedan has an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 15.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 9.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and 72.9% 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 2 May 2016

Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district in the central Oberengadin valley along the Inn river. After 2017 it was part of the Maloja Region. It consists of the village of Samedan and the hamlet of Punt Muragl, the upper section of the Val Bever as well as an exclave that includes nearly the entire Val Roseg, a valley surrounded by the highest mountains of the canton: Piz Bernina, Piz Scerscen and Piz Roseg. Until 1943 Samedan was known as Samaden.

Demographics

Samedan has a population () of . , 23.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 3 years (2010–2013) the population has changed at a rate of 1.31%. The birth rate in the municipality, in 2013, was 8.3 while the death rate was 7.0 per thousand residents.

, children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 18.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 64.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.3%.

In 2013 there were 1,423 private households in Samedan. Of the 489 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 21.9% were single family homes and 47.6% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 22.5% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 9.4% were built between 1991 and 2000.Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB – Thema 09 – Bau- und Wohnungswesen
accessed 5 May 2016 In 2012 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 31.86. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 2.14%.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following chart:

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bar:1850 from:start till:412 text:"412"
bar:1860 from:start till:516 text:"516"
bar:1870 from:start till:690 text:"690"
bar:1880 from:start till:754 text:"754"
bar:1888 from:start till:843 text:"843"
bar:1900 from:start till:967 text:"967"
bar:1910 from:start till:1293 text:"1,293"
bar:1920 from:start till:1500 text:"1,500"
bar:1930 from:start till:1783 text:"1,783"
bar:1941 from:start till:1427 text:"1,427"
bar:1950 from:start till:1685 text:"1,685"
bar:1960 from:start till:2106 text:"2,106"
bar:1970 from:start till:2574 text:"2,574"
bar:1980 from:start till:2553 text:"2,553"
bar:1990 from:start till:2875 text:"2,875"
bar:2000 from:start till:3069 text:"3,069"
bar:2013 from:start till:3007 text:"3,007"

Languages

Most of the population () speaks German (61.5%), with Romansh being second most common (16.7%) and Italian being third (14.9%). Originally, the entire population spoke the Upper-Engadin Romansh dialect of Putèr. Due to increasing trade with the outside world, Romansh usage began to decline in the 19th century. In 1880, only 47% spoke Romansh as a first language, while in 1910, it was 45% and in 1941, it was 42%. The Romansh-speaking percentage dropped until, in 1970, only 31% spoke it as their first language. In the 1980s, Romansh speakers increased slightly, but since then, the proportion has decreased. However, in 2000, there were 42% who understood Romansh even if it was not their first language.

Politics

In the 2015 federal election the most popular party was the SVP with 23.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (22.5%), the BDP (19.6%) and the SP (16.4%). In the federal election, a total of 821 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 42.3%.

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SP which received 30.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (28.7%), the FDP (28.2%) and the CVP (10.4%).

Education

In Samedan about 75.7% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a ''Fachhochschule'').Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 20 October 2009

Transportation

It is the administrative center of the upper Engadin region, and services include a regional hospital (Spital Oberengadin), a major RhB railway station with regular trains towards Pontresina, Chur and St. Moritz, and a regional airport (Engadin Airport). Both the Bernina Express and Glacier Express trains pass Samedan.

Economy

, there were a total of 2,891 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 26 people worked in 8 businesses in the primary economic sector. The secondary sector employed 500 workers in 51 separate businesses. Finally, the tertiary sector provided 2,365 jobs in 335 businesses. In 2013 a total of 31.9% of the population received social assistance.

Heritage sites of national significance

The Catholic ''Church of the Sacred Heart'' and the '' Library of Fundaziun de Planta'' are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.

File:Samedan-Herz-Jesu-Kirche.jpg, Church of the Sacred Heart
File:Samedan Bibliothek der Stiftung Planta.jpg, Biblioteca da la Fundaziun de Planta

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification classifies its climate as subarctic (Dfc). Between 1961 and 1990 Samedan had an average of 95.5 days of rain per year and on average received of precipitation. The wettest month was August during which time Samedan received an average of of precipitation. During this month there was precipitation for an average of 11.5 days. The driest month of the year was February with an average of of precipitation over 5 days.

Cultural references

The Upper Engadine Cultural Archives is housed in the Chesa Planta in Samedan.

James Bond escapes from Blofeld's base at Piz Gloria to Samedan in Ian Fleming's ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' where he is rescued by his future wife, Tracy.

The nineteenth century campaigner for women's rights and the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, Josephine Butler, holidayed in Samedan in 1881 preferring it to Pontresina. She walked extensively with friends whilst her husband, because of his rheumatism, painted and sketched. He preached at the local Protestant church, which was largely run by another English clergyman Mr Eardley.Diary of stay in the Engadine held at Women's Library London

References

External links

Official website

*

{{Authority control

Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden