Samedan (, ) is a town and
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 administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other fed ...
in 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 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 ...
. It is served by
Samedan railway station
Samedan railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Samedan, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is an important interchange station on the Rhaetian Railway network between the Albula Railway line (between Chur and St. Morit ...
on the
Rhaetian Railway
The Rhaetian Railway (german: Rhätische Bahn; it, Ferrovia retica; rm, Viafier retica), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB ...
network and by the
Samedan Airport
Samedan Airport, french: Aéroport de Samedan, it, Aeroporto di Samedan , also known as Engadin Airport,, french: Aéroport d'Engadin, it, Aeroporto d'Engadina, rm, Eroport da l'Engiadina is a regional airport in Samedan in the Engadin valley ...
.
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 Heinrich Müller may refer to:
* Heinrich Müller (cyclist) (born 1926), Swiss cyclist
* Heinrich Müller (footballer, born 1888) (1888–1957), Swiss football player and manager
* Heinrich Müller (footballer, born 1909) (1909–2000), Austrian ...
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
![Samedanwinter2005-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Samedanwinter2005-01.jpg)
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
, image = UnterinntalWest.JPG
, image_caption = Lower Inn valley from Rattenberg castle
, source1_location = Swiss Alps (Lägh dal Lunghin)
, source1_elevation =
, source1_coordinates=
, mouth_location = Danube (Passau)
, mo ...
. After 2017 it was part of the Maloja Region. It consists of the village of Samedan and the
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of Punt Muragl, the upper section of the
Val Bever
Val may refer to: Val-a
Film
* ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo
Military equipment
* Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies
* AS Val, a So ...
as well as an
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
that includes nearly the entire
Val Roseg
The Val Roseg is a valley of the Swiss Alps, located on the north side of the Bernina Range in the canton of Graubünden (Engadin). The valley is drained by the ''Ova da Roseg'', a tributary of the Flaz (Inn basin), at Pontresina. Most of the vall ...
, a valley surrounded by the highest mountains of the canton:
Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina ( Romansh, it, Pizzo Bernina, ) is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the highest point of the Bernina Range, and the highest peak in the Rhaetian Alps. It rises and is located south of Pontresina and near the major Alpine r ...
,
Piz Scerscen
Piz Scerscen ( Romansh, it, Monte Scerscen, formerly ''Monte Rosso di Scerscen''), culminating at 3,971 m above sea level, is one of the highest peaks in the Bernina Range, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a satellite ...
and
Piz Roseg
Piz Roseg (pronounced as ''peetse rawzech'') is a mountain of the Bernina Range, overlooking the Val Roseg in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
There are two summits on its main ridge:
:*the south-east and higher summit (3,937 m)
:*the north-w ...
. Until 1943 Samedan was known as Samaden.
Demographics
![Samedan houses](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Samedan_houses.jpg)
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
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 2013, was 8.3 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 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:
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8)
ImageSize = width: auto height:200 barincrement:45
PlotArea = top:20 left:40 bottom:20 right:35
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:4000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:800 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:200 start:0
PlotData=
color:yellowgreen width: 35 mark:(line,white) align:center
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
Puter (also spelled Putèr; rm, puter ) is a variety of Romansh spoken in the Engadin valley in Graubünden, which is in the southeastern part of Switzerland. It is spoken in the central northwestern end of the valley between S-chanf and St. ...
. 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
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 42.3%.
In the 2007 federal election
This electoral calendar 2007 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2007 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, although they are not elections. By-elections are not i ...
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
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 ...
'').[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
The Rhaetian Railway (german: Rhätische Bahn; it, Ferrovia retica; rm, Viafier retica), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB ...
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
with regular trains towards Pontresina
Pontresina ( rm, Puntraschigna) is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.
History and name
Pontresina was first mentioned in medieval Latin documents as ''ad Pontem Sarisinam'' in 1137 and ''de Ponte Sa ...
, Chur
, neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers
, twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), ...
and St. Moritz
St. Moritz (also german: Sankt Moritz, rm, , it, San Maurizio, french: Saint-Moritz) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in ...
, and a regional airport (Engadin Airport
Samedan Airport, french: Aéroport de Samedan, it, Aeroporto di Samedan , also known as Engadin Airport,, french: Aéroport d'Engadin, it, Aeroporto d'Engadina, rm, Eroport da l'Engiadina is a regional airport in Samedan in the Engadin valley ...
). Both the Bernina Express
The Bernina Express is a train connecting Chur (or Davos) in Switzerland to Poschiavo in Switzerland and Tirano in Italy by crossing the Swiss Engadin Alps. For most of its journey, the train also runs along the World Heritage Site known as the ...
and Glacier Express
The Glacier Express (GEX) is a direct train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz via Andermatt in the central Swiss Alps. The train is not an "express" in the sense of being a high-speed train ...
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
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 construction. ...
employed 500 workers in 51 separate businesses. 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 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
The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...
(Dfc). Between 1961 and 1990 Samedan had an average of 95.5 days of rain per year and on average received 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 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
The Upper Engadine Cultural Archives is collecting of historical records and documents from Upper Engadine (Switzerland) and the neighbouring region. The Archives are housed in the ''Chesa Planta'', a 16th century house in Samedan. The building an ...
is housed in the Chesa Planta in Samedan.
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
escapes from Blofeld's base at Piz Gloria
Piz Gloria is a revolving restaurant at the -high summit of the Schilthorn near Mürren in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.
Overview
The cable car station and the restaurant were designed by Bernese architect Konrad Wolf. The Piz restaurant c ...
to Samedan in Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...
's ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service On Her Majesty's Secret Service may refer to:
* ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (novel), a 1963 novel by Ian Fleming
* ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (film), a 1969 film adaptation of the novel
** ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (sou ...
'' 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
The Contagious Diseases Acts (CD Acts) were originally passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1864 (27 & 28 Vict. c. 85), with alterations and additions made in 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. 35) and 1869 (32 & 33 Vict. c. 96). In 1862, a com ...
, Josephine Butler
Josephine Elizabeth Butler (' Grey; 13 April 1828 – 30 December 1906) was an English feminist and social reformer in the Victorian era. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the end of coverture ...
, holidayed in Samedan in 1881 preferring it to Pontresina
Pontresina ( rm, Puntraschigna) is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.
History and name
Pontresina was first mentioned in medieval Latin documents as ''ad Pontem Sarisinam'' in 1137 and ''de Ponte Sa ...
. 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