Zuoz () 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 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
Graubünden.
History
Zuoz is first mentioned about 840 as ''Zuzes''.
[ Historically, Zuoz was the political center of the upper Engadin. It was the seat of the local bishop. But, it has long ago been supplanted by other ]Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine ( rm, ;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ' ...
villages such as St. Moritz and Samedan
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 ''Sa ...
.
In 1137-39 the village was acquired from the count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
von Gamertingen by the Bishop 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'').[chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...]
of the Oberengadin. The Planta family remained in power until 1798. In 1367, Zuoz 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 ...
under the leadership of the Amtmann
__NOTOC__
The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff. He was the most seni ...
Thomas Planta.
The continuing arguments between Zuoz and Samedan
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 ''Sa ...
led, in 1438, to the division of the court into two parts, the courts of Sur and Suot Funtauna Merla. In 1492, the village bought the Bishop's property and rights to tax in Zuoz. Then, in 1526 the Bishop lost the right to high justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judicial power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents.
Low just ...
with the ''Ilanzer articles''. In the Swabian War
The Swabian War of 1499 ( gsw, Schwoobechrieg (spelling depending on dialect), called or ("Swiss War") in Germany and ("War of the Engadin") in Austria) was the last major armed conflict between the Old Swiss Confederacy and the House of Hab ...
the inhabitants ignited their fields to force the enemy to retreat. Over the course of the 15th Century, several villages became independent of Zuoz. S-chanf
S-chanf (; german: Scanfs; it, Scanevo) is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
Localities in the municipality of include Susauna, Chapella and Cinuos-chel.
Name
is first mentioned around 1137–1139 as ''Sc ...
left in 1518, La Punt Chamues-ch
La Punt Chamues-ch (; it, label=Italian and official name until 1943, Ponte-Campovasto) is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
History
La Punt Chamues-ch is first mentioned around 1137-39 as ''Campolovasto'' ...
in 1528 and Madulain
Madulain () is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
History
Madulain is first mentioned around 1137-39 as ''Madulene''.
Guardaval Castle was built near the village of Madulain in the 13th century to administ ...
in 1534. In 1554, Zuoz joined 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 ...
and converted.
In 1512, 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 (Grisons) ...
conquered the Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; rm, Vuclina (); lmo, Valtelina or ; german: Veltlin; it, Valtellina) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Toda ...
valley. The improved trade routes and money that this valley brought, led to a golden age in the Engadin valley. During this time in Zuoz; a Latin school was established, the first written Romansh language was developed and choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
singing spread in both religious and everyday theater. In addition Zuozer students visited foreign schools.
After 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) from 1618 to 1639, many residents of the village emigrated seeking jobs in other regions. The loss of the Valtellina valley led to further emigrations and loss of political power. Following the end of the Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
and creation of the Canton of Raetia in the French controlled Helvetic Republic
The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
in 1798, all of Zuoz's privileges and political power vanished. It became a simple farming village. Zuoz still practices ancient traditions which date back to long before the Catholic Christianity. These include San Gian and Chalandamarz[
]
Geography
Zuoz has an area, , of . Of this area, 49.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 9.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (40.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[
Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district, after 2017 it was part of the Maloja Region. The village center is located on the slope of Munt Albanas and is surrounded by new developments.
]
Demographics
Zuoz has a population (as of ) of . , 37.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.[ Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -5.8%.][Swiss Federal Statistical Office]
accessed 21-Oct-2009
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.[Graubunden in Numbers]
accessed 21 September 2009 The age distribution, , in Zuoz is; 127 children or 9.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. 88 teenagers or 6.5% are 10 to 14, and 241 teenagers or 17.8% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 154 people or 11.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 164 people or 12.1% are 30 to 39, 202 people or 14.9% are 40 to 49, and 152 people or 11.2% are 50 to 59. 101 people or 7.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old. The senior population distribution is 87 people or 6.4% are 70 to 79, there are 34 people or 2.5% who are 80 to 89, there are 2 people or 0.1% who are 90 to 99, and 1 person who is 100 or more.[Graubunden Population Statistics]
accessed 21 September 2009
In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 42.3% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (25.6%), the SP (25.2%) and the CVP (5%).[
In Zuoz about 72.5% 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 ...
'').[
Zuoz has an unemployment rate of 1.37%. , there were 40 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 10 businesses involved in this sector. 116 people are employed in 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 ...
and there are 15 businesses in this sector. 462 people are employed in 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 ...
, with 59 businesses in this sector.[
From the , 476 or 35.2% are ]Roman Catholic
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 lette ...
, while 667 or 49.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church
The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...
. Of the rest of the population, there are 36 individuals (or about 2.66% of the population) who belong to the Orthodox Church, and there are 7 individuals (or about 0.52% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 14 (or about 1.03% of the population) who are Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic. There are 6 individuals (or about 0.44% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 107 (or about 7.91% 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 40 individuals (or about 2.96% of the population) did not answer the question.[
The historical population is given in the following table:][
]
Languages
Most of the population () speaks German (53.2%), with Romansh being second most common (25.8%) and Italian being third ( 9.8%).[ Until the 19th Century, the entire population spoke the Upper-Engadin Romansh dialect of Puter. Due to increasing trade with the outside world, Romansh usage began to decline. In 1880 about 85% spoke Romansh as a first language, while in 1910 and again in 1941 it was only 56%.
]
Education
The public primary school system is Scoula Zuoz (german: Gemeindeschule Zuoz).[Gemeindeschule Zuoz]
" Zuoz. Retrieved on November 15, 2016. Its two sites are Scoula da La Plaiv and Scoula Primara Zuoz. Scuola Primaria Zuoz has primary levels, and da La Plaiv has secondary and ''realschule
''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
'' classes.[
]Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is an international boarding school in Zuoz, near St.Moritz in Switzerland. Founded in 1904, it is located in the upper part of the alpine village in the area of Surmulins. There are around 300 pupils, including 220 in the bo ...
, a private school, is in Zuoz.
Tourism
Zuoz is an example of a traditional Engadin village. It has many cobblestoned streets and old buildings. In the winter it offers a family ski resort with chair and T-bar lifts, as well as a cross-country ski center. In the summer it has a golf course and hiking trails.
Zuoz is home to the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is an international boarding school in Zuoz, near St.Moritz in Switzerland. Founded in 1904, it is located in the upper part of the alpine village in the area of Surmulins. There are around 300 pupils, including 220 in the bo ...
, a preparatory school which has a high proportion of foreign nationals.
Hotels include the Posthotel Engadina and Hotel Castell. The latter is a 5-star hotel with several restaurants, a sauna and an outdoor mountain pool.
Zuoz is the location of one of Robert Maillart
Robert Maillart (16 February 1872 – 5 April 1940) was a Swiss civil engineer who revolutionized the use of structural reinforced concrete with such designs as the three-hinged arch and the deck-stiffened arch for bridges, and the beamles ...
's pioneering reinforced concrete bridges (1901).
Zuoz also still retains many of its ancient traditions which it inherited from the Roman empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
, including San Gian and Chalandamarz.
The ''Chaplutta S. Bastiaun'' and ''Chasa Pult'' are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance
21.11.2008 version, accessed 21-Oct-2009
Transportation
The municipality has a railway station, , on the Bever–Scuol-Tarasp line. It has regular service to , , , and .
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden
Populated places on the Inn (river)