, neighboring_municipalities=

Arosa , neighboring_municipalities= Alvaneu, Davos, Langwies, Lantsch/Lenz, Molinis, Peist, Schmitten, Tschiertschen, Vaz/Obervaz, Wiesen , twintowns = Fukumitsu (Japan) Arosa is a town and a municipality in the Plessur Region in the canton o ...

Bergün/Bravuogn Bergün/Bravuogn (german: Bergün, rm, , in the local Romansh dialect ''Brauégn'') is a village and former municipality in the Albula Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The double name (German/Romansh) has been the official na ...

, Klosters-Serneus,

Langwies Langwies is a former municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Langwies, Calfreisen, Castiel, Lüen, Molinis, Peist Peist is a former municipality in t ...

, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

and 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 ...

in the

Prättigau/Davos Region Prättigau/Davos Region is one of the eleven administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It had an area of and a population of (as of ).. It was created on 1 January 2017 as part of a reorganization of the Canton repl ...

in the

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 ente ...

of Graubünden,

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

. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian Alps, between the Plessur and

Albula Range The Albula Alps are a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. They are considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps, more specifically the Western Rhaetian Alps. They are named after the river Albula. According to AVE (see map), th ...

s. The municipality covers nearly the entire valley of the Landwasser, and the centre of population, economic activity, and administration is two adjacent villages: Davos Dorf () and Davos Platz (''Davos'' ''Place''), at above sea level. Gaining prominence in the 19th century as a mountain health resort, Davos is perhaps best known today for hosting the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

—often referred to simply as "Davos"—an annual meeting of global political and corporate leaders. With a long history of winter sport, Davos also has one of Switzerland's largest

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

s, and hosts the international

Spengler Cup The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss tea ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

tournament each December.

Name

''Tavau'' is the Romansh name, and derives from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

''tubus'', here used in the sense of ''ravine''.

History

Johann Heinrich Müller, 1825-1894 J02 Davos

The current settlement of the Davos area began in the

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

with the immigration of Rhaeto-Romans. The village of Davos is first mentioned in 1213 as ''Tavaus''. From about 1280 the barons of

Vaz AvtoVAZ ( rus, АвтоВАЗ, p=ɐftoˈvas) is a Russian automobile manufacturing company owned by the state. It was formerly named as VAZ ( rus, ВАЗ), an acronym for Volga Automotive Plant in Russian (russian: Во́лжский автомо ...

allowed German-speaking

Walser The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic. They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser people are named a ...

colonists to settle and conceded them extensive self-administration rights. In 1289 an agreement between the people of Davos and the baron of Vaz included that the Davoser citizens would not have to pay personal taxes, only the Government of Davos had to pay a yearly amount of goods to the baron of Vaz. became the largest Walser settlement area in eastern Switzerland. Natives still speak a

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is ...

that is atypical for Graubünden, showing similarities with the German spoken in

Raron Raron (french: Rarogne) is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Raron is first mentioned around 1101–1200 as ''Rarogni''. In 1146 it was mentioned as ''Rarun''. A settlement on the Heidnis ...

in Canton

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...

. In 1436, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions was founded in Davos. From the middle of the 19th century, Davos modeled on Görbersdorf (now

Sokołowsko Sokołowsko (german: Görbersdorf) is a village and traditional climatic health resort in Gmina Mieroszów, within Wałbrzych County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. First information about Goerbersdorff appears in 1357,as a ...

) became a popular destination for the sick and ailing because the

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

in the high valley was deemed excellent by doctors (initiated by

Alexander Spengler Alexander Spengler (20 March 1827 – 1 November 1901) was a German physician and the first physician specializing in tuberculosis in Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , ...

) and recommended for

lung disease The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side ...

patients.

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

, who suffered from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

, wintered in Davos in 1880 upon the recommendation of his Edinburgh physician Dr. George Balfour.

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. A sanatorium in Davos is also the inspiration for the Berghof Sanitorium in

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

's novel ''Der Zauberberg'' (''

The Magic Mountain ''The Magic Mountain'' (german: Der Zauberberg, links=no, ) is a novel by Thomas Mann, first published in German in November 1924. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of twentieth-century German literature. Mann s ...

''). Between 1936 and 1938,

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-century ...

, then at the end of his life and living in Davos since 1917, depicted Davos and the Junkerboden. His painting has a both Romantic and

pantheistic Pantheism is the belief that reality, the universe and the cosmos are identical with divinity and a supreme supernatural being or entity, pointing to the universe as being an immanent creator deity still expanding and creating, which has ...

atmosphere and simplified formal structure. During the ''natural ice'' era of

winter sport Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold are ...

s, Davos and the ''

Davos Eisstadion Eisstadion Davos is an indoor arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated. Every year the Spengler Cup is played in this arena. Major renova ...

'' were a mecca for

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skati ...

. Many international championships were held here, and many world records were set, beginning with Peder Østlund who set four records in 1898. The only European

Bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

Championship was held in the town in 1913. Subsequently, Davos became a ski resort, especially frequented by tourists from the United Kingdom and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. After peaking in the 1970s and 1980s, the city settled down as a leading but less high-profile tourist attraction. The American Van Leer family immigrated from here with their former Valär surname. Today Valärs still live and are members of government.

Geography

Topography

The main village of Davos lies at the top of the narrow valley of the Landwasser at an altitude of , just below the

Wolfgang Pass Wolfgang Pass () is a high mountain pass in the eastern Swiss Alps in the canton of Grisons in Switzerland. It connects Klosters and Davos with Davos being almost level with the pass. The pass road has a maximum grade of 10 percent and is kept op ...

. Lake Davos is northeast of the village, formerly the source of the Landwasser. The municipality of Davos () has an area (as of the 2004/09 survey) of , including most of the Landwasser valley and its side valleys. Of this area, about 35.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 40.5% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of or about 1.2% of the total area was covered with buildings, an increase of over the 1985 amount. Over the same time period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by and is now about 0.22% of the total area. Of the agricultural land, is fields and grasslands and consists of alpine grazing areas. Since 1985 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by . Over the same time period the amount of forested land has increased by . Rivers and lakes cover in the municipality.Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Regional portraits
accessed 27 October 2016 The Wolfgang Pass divides the waters flowing into the Landquart from the valley of the Landwasser, and has a year-round road and

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 Rh ...

connection. Crossing the pass leads to the village of

Klosters Klosters is a Swiss village in the Prättigau, politically part of the municipality of Klosters-Serneus, which belongs to the political district Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden. In 2021, the municipality shortened its name to Kl ...

and the Prättigau. Three long side valleys reach out to the south from the main valley of the Landwasser, one of which leads to the

Flüela Pass The Flüela Pass (german: Flüelapass, rm, Pass dal Flüela, elevation ) is a high mountain pass of the Swiss Alps in Graubünden. Traditionally considered the boundary between the Albula and Silvretta Alps, the pass crosses the watershed / dr ...

and the

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 ...

beyond.

Political divisions

The municipality of Davos is divided completely into six ''Fraktionsgemeinden'': Davos Dorf, Davos Platz, Davos Frauenkirch, Davos Glaris, Davos Monstein, and Davos Wiesen. The names of the ''Fraktionsgemeinden'' correspond to their largest village within. Smaller populated places in the municipality are: the village of Davos Clavadel, the

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

of Laret, Wolfgang, Obem See, Meierhof, Stilli, Bünda, and Spina (in the main Landwasser valley), and Tschuggen, Dörfji, In den Büelen, Hof, Teufi, Gadmen, Am Rin, Dürrboden, Sertig Dörfli, Oberalp, Inneralp (in the side valleys). Until 2017 the municipality was located in the Davos subdistrict of the Prättigau/Davos district; after 2017 it is part of the Prättigau/Davos Region. In terms of area, it was the largest municipality in Switzerland in 2009 after a municipal

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspec ...

with Wiesen. Davos lost this distinction after the formation of

Glarus Süd Glarus Süd is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Glarus. It comprises the upper Linth valley, and the entire Sernf valley, and includes the villages of Betschwanden, Braunwald, Diesbach, Elm, Engi, Haslen, Hätzingen, Leuggelbach, Linthal, ...

in 2010, and today is the 4th largest in the canton of Graubünden.

Climate

Davos has a

subalpine climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

( Köppen ''Dfc'') with an average of 125.3 days of precipitation per year and on average receives of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

. The wettest month is August during which time Davos receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.6 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is July, with an average of 13.8, but with only of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 7.9 days, of which in 11.1 days are snowfall.

Politics

Government

The Small Country Council (''Kleiner Landrat'') constitutes the

executive government The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ba ...

of the municipality of Davos 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 five councilors (german: Landrat/-rätin), each presiding over a department (''Departement'') comprising several bureaus. The president of the executive department acts as president of the municipality (''Landammann'' or ''Gemeindepräsident''). In the mandate period 2017–2020 (''Legislatur'') the Small Country Council is presided by ''Landammann'' Tarzisius Caviezel. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Grand Country Council are carried by the Small Country Council. The regular election of the municipal councils by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of the municipality of Davos allowed to vote and being registered can be elected as a member of the Small Country Council for a maximal period of twelve years. The delegates are selected by means of a system of '' Majorz''. The President is elected as such as well by a public election while the heads of the other departments are assigned by the collegiate. They usually meet once a week. , Davos's Small Country Council is made up of two members of FDP ( FDP.The Liberals, of whom one is the president), one BDP ( Conservative Democratic Party), one SP (

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

), and one SVP (

Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party (german: Schweizerische Volkspartei, SVP; rm, Partida populara Svizra, PPS), also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (french: Union démocratique du centre, UDC; it, Unione Democratica di Centro, UDC), is a nati ...

). The last regular elections (''Landschaftswahlen'') were held on 5 June 2016.

Parliament

The Grand Country Council (''Grosser Landrat'') holds

legislative power A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known a ...

. It is made up of 17 members, with elections held every four years. The Grand Country Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the Small Country Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of ''Majorz''. The sessions of the Grand Country Council are public. They usually meet ten times a year. Members of the Grand Country Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Davos allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Grand Country Council for a maximal period of twelve years. The last regular election of the Grand Country Council was held on 5 June 2016 for the mandate period (german: Legislatur) from January 2017 to December 2020. Currently the Grand Country Council consist of 7 The Liberals (FDP/PLR), 4 Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), 2 members of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), and one each of the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD), Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC), Evangelical People's Party (EVP/PES), and one independent.

Federal elections

National Council

In the 2015 federal election the most popular party was the SVP with 30.0% of the votes. The next five parties were the FDP (20.4%), the BDP (15.8%), the SP (14.7%), the glp (12.1%), and CVP (5.2%). In the federal election, a total of 3,231 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 Univ ...

was 46.7%.

International relations

Sister and twin towns

None. Former relations have been cancelled since February 2010 by the council due to thorough austerity measures.

Demographics

Population

Davos has a population () of . , 27.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. In 2015 7.3% of the population was born in Germany and 6.9% of the population was born in Portugal. Over the last four years (2010-2014) the population has changed at a rate of -0.27%. The

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

in the municipality, in 2014, was 9.1, 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 d ...

was 8.2 per thousand residents. Most of the population () speaks

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

(86.3%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common (2.8%) and Italian being third (2.7%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 28-Oct-2009 , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 17.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 64.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.2%. In 2015 there were 5,099 single residents, 4,666 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 550 widows or widowers and 794 divorced residents. In 2014 there were 5,441 private households in Davos with an average household size of 2.03 persons. Of the 2,133 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 30.7% were single family homes and 39.1% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 25.9% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 8.3% 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 23.46. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.71%.

Historic population

The historic 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:14000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:2400 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:600 start:0 PlotData= color:yellowgreen width: 35 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1850 from:start till:1680 text:"1,680" bar:1860 from:start till:1705 text:"1,705" bar:1870 from:start till:2002 text:"2,002" bar:1880 from:start till:2865 text:"2,865" bar:1888 from:start till:3891 text:"3,891" bar:1900 from:start till:8089 text:"8,089" bar:1910 from:start till:9905 text:"9,905" bar:1920 from:start till:9727 text:"9,727" bar:1930 from:start till:11164 text:"11,164" bar:1941 from:start till:9259 text:"9,259" bar:1950 from:start till:10433 text:"10,433" bar:1960 from:start till:9588 text:"9,588" bar:1970 from:start till:10238 text:"10,238" bar:1980 from:start till:10468 text:"10,468" bar:1990 from:start till:10957 text:"10,957" bar:2000 from:start till:11417 text:"11,417" bar:2010 from:start till:11237 text:"11,237" bar:2014 from:start till:11136 text:"11,136" bar:2015 from:start till:12624 text:"12,624"

Education

In Davos about 74% of the population (ages 25–64) have completed either nonmandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either a 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 art ...

'').

Economy

Davos is a tourist community and a regional center. , there were a total of 8,853 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 203 people worked in 80 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 construc ...

employed 996 workers in 145 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 7,654 jobs in 926 businesses. In 2014 a total of 5,211 employees worked in 908 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 17 mid sized businesses with 2,074 employees and 1 large business which employed 369 people. In 2014 a total of 23.5% of the population received social assistance. In 2015 local hotels had a total of 797,348 overnight stays, of which 46.9% were international visitors.

Religion

From the , 5,321 residents (46.6% of the population) 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 ...

while 3,950 residents (34.6%) 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 let ...

. Of the rest of the population, there were 10 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who belong to the Christian Catholic faith, 439 individuals (3.85% of the population) who belonged to the Orthodox Church, 274 (2.40%) who belonged to another Christian church, 79 (0.69%) who were

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 ...

, 56 (0.49%) who belonged to another faith (not listed), and eight residents (0.07%) were

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. In addition, 832 residents (7.29%) belonged to no faith, were

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 sufficien ...

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 448 individuals (3.92%) did not answer the question.Graubunden Population Statistics
accessed 21 September 2009

Sports

Davos's

team,

HC Davos Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos plays in the National League (NL). The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team players and ...

, plays in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL). Their home arena is the

Vaillant Arena Eisstadion Davos is an indoor arena in Davos, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of HC Davos. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated. Every year the Spengler Cup is played in this arena. Major renova ...

. In December of each year, the team and arena host the

, an international tournament first held in 1923. Besides

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

, offering some of pistes, Davos has the largest natural

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

field in Europe.

is occasionally played there. An international tournament, starting in 2014, has been organised. The

1913 European Bandy Championships 1913 European Bandy Championships was the first, and so far the only, European Championship tournament in bandy. The competition was held in February 1913 in Saint-Moritz, Switzerland. Background Modern bandy originated in England and the first ...

in Davos is so far the only one of its kind. There are six main ski areas in winter, with a total of of slopes: * Parsenn / Gotschna which connects to the partner town of Klosters from Davos Dorf *

Jakobshorn The Jakobshorn () is a mountain of the Albula Alps, overlooking Davos in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is also one of the five skiing regions of the Davos Klosters Mountains, offering 14 pistes. Located at the northern end of the range ...

which can be reached from Davos Platz directly *

Pischahorn The Pischahorn is a mountain of the Silvretta Alps, located east of Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, T ...

which can be reached by frequently running buses into Flüela valley * Rinerhorn to start from Davos Glaris *

Madrisahorn The Madrisa (or ''Madrisahorn'') is a mountain in the Rätikon mountain range, overlooking Klosters in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Its summit (2,826 metres) is located near the Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the R ...

located in neighbouring Klosters * Schatzalp is privately owned by the Schatzalp Hotel and a specialty as a "decelerated" skiing area All areas offer summer transport as well on to the main peaks from mid May until end of October. The remote side valleys heading towards the

e area are worth long hikes towards the passes of Sertig or Scaletta Pass to reach, for example,

Piz Kesch Piz Kesch ( German) or Piz d'Es-cha ( Rumantsch) is a peak in the Albula Alps of the Rhaetian Alps in Switzerland. At , it is the highest peak in the Albula Alps and the municipality of Bergün, Grisons. The first ascent was made 1846 by J. Co ...

, an

Ultra prominent peak An ultra-prominent peak, or Ultra for short, is a mountain summit with a topographic prominence of or more; it is also called a P1500. The prominence of a peak is the minimum height of climb to the summit on any route from a higher peak, or ...

. To the north there are no valleys but rather a direct one-day ascent to continue across a pass into the "Schanfigg" valley towards the rival resort of

or even to continue to

Lenzerheide Lenzerheide ( Romansh: ''Lai'') is a mountain resort in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland at the foot of the Parpaner Rothorn. The village lies in the municipality Vaz/Obervaz in the district of Albula, sub-district Alvaschein. The ...

in a two-day hike.

Culture

Davos is home to seven sites that are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. These heritage sites include the Town Archives, the Kirchner Museum, the ''Grosses Jenatschhaus'' (a type of charity house known as a ''Pfrundhaus'') and the Forest Cemetery (''Waldfriedhof''). Several hotels and spas are also included on the list. The three hotels or former hotels are: ''Berghotel Schatzalp'', the former ''Grand Hotel Belvédère'', and the ''Zürcher Höhenklinik von R. Gaberel''. Davos hosts annual meetings of the

. The city was featured in an episode of ''

Viva La Bam ''Viva La Bam'' is an American reality television series that stars Bam Margera and his friends and family. The show is a spin-off from MTV's '' Jackass'', in which Margera and most of the main cast appeared. Each episode had a specific theme, ...

'', when cities around

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

were visited. On 14 March 2003, a festival called ''Winterjam'' was held in the city and bands such as

Sum 41 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" Mc ...

Crazy Town Crazy Town (sometimes abbreviated as CXT) is an American rap rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. Crazy Town is best known for their 2000 hit single "Butterfly", which reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' ...

, and

Guano Apes Guano Apes are a German rock band formed in 1994 in Göttingen. The band consists of Sandra Nasić (vocals), Henning Rümenapp (guitars, backing vocals), Stefan Ude (bass, backing vocals), and Dennis Poschwatta (drums, backing vocals). AllMus ...

performed during this event.

Transport

Davos is part of the rail network of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB). The RhB has two main stations in Davos: (northeast) and (southwest). Other stations in the municipality include and towards

, and , , , and towards

Filisur Filisur is an Alpine village and former municipality in the Albula Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The village sits on a hillside with a view to the west where the two rivers Albula/Alvra from the Albula Pass and Landwasser ...

. The valley station Davos Dorf DKB of the funicular

Parsennbahn The Parsenn Funicular (german: Davos Parsenn Bahn, DPB) is a funicular railway in the resort of Davos in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The line links the town of Davos with the Weissfluhjoch ridge and the Parsenn ski area. The funicular is c ...

Weissfluhjoch The Weissfluhjoch () is a summit southeast of the Weissfluh () situated in the Plessur Range in Graubünden. Since 1932, a funicular railway (the Parsennbahn) leads to its summit from Davos. On the Weissflujoch are located several laborato ...

( Parsenn) is in Davos Dorf, the one to Schatzalp, the station ''Davos Platz Schatzalpbahn'' in Davos Platz. Also in Davos Platz are the bottom stations of the cable car to the

, the station ''Davos Platz DKB'' (right next to the corresponding railway station), but also the one of the chair lift to ''Usser Isch'', namely the ''Davos Platz (Talstation Carjöl)''. The bottom station of the lift to Rinerhorn is right next to RhB station ''Davos Glaris''. The one (''Dörfji'') of the Pischa area in the side valley of the Flüela, reachable by bus. Local buses are operated by Verkehrsbetrieb der Landschaft Davos Gemeinde (vbd).

Research

Davos has several research institutes: the AO Foundation focusing on trauma and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), the World Radiation Center (PMOD/WRC) and the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) of the

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL, German: ''Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft'', French: ''Institut fédéral de recherches sur la forêt, la neige et le paysage'') is a Swi ...

(WSL).

Notable people

The arts

* Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889 in Davos – 1943), painter, sculptor, architect and dancer *

Dorothea Wieck Dorothea Wieck, born Dora Bertha Olavia Wieck (3 January 1908 in Davos, Switzerland – 20 February 1986 in Berlin, West Germany), was a German theatre and film actress. Early years Dorothea Wieck was born Dora Bertha Olavia Wieck and grew up ...

(1908 in Davos – 1986), a German theatre and film actress *

Ernst Haefliger Ernst Haefliger (6 July 191917 March 2007) was a Swiss tenor. Biography Haefliger was born in Davos, Switzerland, on 6 July 1919 and studied at the Wettinger Seminary and the Zürich Conservatory. Later he became a pupil of Fernando Carpi in G ...

(1919 in Davos – 2007), tenor *

Eberhard W. Kornfeld Eberhard W. Kornfeld (23 September 1923 – 13 April 2023) was a Swiss auctioneer, author, art dealer, and collector based in Bern. Early life Eberhard W. Kornfeld was born in Basel on 23 September 1923. After a commercial apprenticeship with ...

(born 1923), art collector; made Honorary citizen of Davos in 2004 *

Jürg Federspiel Jürg Fortunat Federspiel (28 June 1931 – 12 January 2007) was a Swiss writer, born in Kemptthal, Canton Zurich. Federspiel authored more than 20 novels and short story collections. Background and education Federspiel grew up in Davos ...

(1931–2007), writer, grew up in Davos *

Thomas Hirschhorn Thomas Hirschhorn (born 16 May 1957) is a Swiss artist. He lives and works in Paris.Randy Kennedy (June 27, 2013)Bringing Art and Change to Bronx''New York Times''. Life and works In the 1980s, Thomas Hirschhorn came to Paris with the will to ...

(born 1957), artist, grew up in Davos *

Marc Forster Marc Forster (born 30 November 1969) is a Swiss filmmaker. He is best known for directing the feature films ''Monster's Ball'', '' Finding Neverland'', '' Stranger than Fiction'', ''The Kite Runner'', ''Quantum of Solace'', ''World War Z'', and ' ...

(born 1969), German and Swiss director and filmmaker, grew up in Davos made freeman of Davos in 2007

Politics, public service and business

Wilhelm Vischer Wilhelm Eduard Vischer (30 April 1895 in Davos – 27 November 1988 in Montpellier) was a Swiss pastor, theologian, Hebraist, Old Testament scholar and amateur Lied lyricist. One of his major areas of study was that of Christ in the Old Testa ...

(1895 in Davos – 1988), a pastor, theologian, Hebraist, Old Testament scholar and amateur Lied lyricist *

Ursula Wyss Ursula Wyss (born 8 February 1973 in Davos) is a Swiss politician and economist. She represented the Canton of Bern in the Swiss National Council as member of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP) from 6 December 1999 to 3 March 2013. ...

(born 1973 in Davos), economist, Swiss National Councillor 1999–2013 and former

Municipal Councilor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Science, medicine & TB patients

(1827–1901), a German and Swiss physician, specialised in TB in Davos *

John Addington Symonds John Addington Symonds, Jr. (; 5 October 1840 – 19 April 1893) was an English poet and literary critic. A cultural historian, he was known for his work on the Renaissance, as well as numerous biographies of writers and artists. Although m ...

(1840–1893), an English poet and literary critic, TB patient in Davos from 1877. *

Carl Rüedi Carl Rüedi (April 21 (or 23?), 1848 – June 17, 1901) was a Swiss pulmonologist and at his lifetime one of the best-known physicians in Graubünden. Rüedi rose to fame around the world after having treated the Scottish author Robert Louis Ste ...

(1848 in Davos – 1901), a

pulmonologist Pulmonology (, , from Latin ''pulmō, -ōnis'' "lung" and the Greek suffix "study of"), pneumology (, built on Greek πνεύμων "lung") or pneumonology () is a medical specialty that deals with diseases involving the respiratory tract.

, treated

(1850–1894), a Scottish novelist and travel writer, TB patient in Davos in the 1880s. *

Oscar Levertin Oscar Ivar Levertin (17 July 1862, Norrköping – 22 September 1906) was a Swedish poet, critic and literary historian. Levertin was a dominant voice of the Swedish cultural scene from 1897, when he started writing influential high-profile ...

(1862–1906) a Swedish poet and literary historian; lived in Davos 1888-1890. *

(1880–1938 in Davos), German artist, TB patient, lived in Davos from 1917; namesake of the local art museum *

Philipp Bauknecht Philipp Bauknecht (1884, Barcelona - 26 February 1933, Davos) was a German Expressionist painter and graphic artist. Most of his works are landscapes and still-lifes. Biography He was born in Barcelona, where his father was working as a watc ...

(1884 – 1933 in Davos), German expressionist painter, TB patient from 1910 *

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau an ...

(1889–1931 in Davos), an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator, TB patient from 1929, buried in Chur *

Klabund Alfred Henschke (4 November 1890 – 14 August 1928), better known by his pseudonym Klabund, was a German writer. Life Klabund, born Alfred Henschke in 1890 in Crossen, was the son of an apothecary. At the age of 16 he came down with tuberculo ...

(1890 – 1928 in Davos), aka ''Alfred Henschke'', German writer and painter, TB patient

Sport

Fritz Kraatz Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin ...

(1906–1992), ice hockey player, competed in the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; german: II. Olympische Winterspiele; it, II Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, II Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. M ...

Paul Söllner Paul Söllner (5 June 1911 – 8 April 1991) was a German rower who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was born in Davos and died in Murnau am Staffelsee. In 1936 he won the gold medal as member of the German boat in the coxed four comp ...

(1911 in Davos – 1991), German rower, competed in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-s ...

* Albert Künzler (1911 in Davos – ??), ice hockey player, competed in the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

Andreas Däscher Andreas Däscher (born 9 June 1927) is a Swiss former ski jumper who is best known for developing the parallel style, or Däscher technique, in the 1950s. This technique became widely used throughout ski jumping until the early 1990s. This tech ...

(born 1927 in Davos), ski jumper, competed at the

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Giochi Olimpici invernali) and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( lld, Anpezo 1956 or ), was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, fro ...

and developed the

Daescher technique The sport of ski jumping has seen the use of numerous different techniques, or "styles", over the course of its more than two-hundred-year history. Depending on how the skis are positioned by an athlete, distances have increased by as much as withi ...

Franz Berry Franz Berry (21 November 1938 – 6 July 2009) was a Swiss ice hockey player who played for the Switzerland men's national ice hockey team at the 1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condo ...

(1938 in Davos – 2009), ice hockey player, competed in the

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

and

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

Peter Frei Peter Frei (born 6 August 1946 in Davos) is a Swiss former alpine skier who competed in the 1968 Winter Olympics. Career He raced for the SC Davos. At the Lauberhorn ski races in 1968 he skied with the number 162 on the fifth place at the sl ...

(born 1946 in Davos), alpine skier, competed in the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

Nicolas Gilliard Nicolas Gilliard (born 27 October 1947) is a Swiss former breaststroke swimmer. He competed in three events at the 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of th ...

(born 1947 in Davos), swimmer, competed at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport ev ...

Paul Accola Paul Accola (born 20 February 1967 in Davos) is a Swiss former Alpine skier. He came in first in the overall World Cup in 1992, and won a total of four medals at the Winter Olympics and World Championships in the combined event. By the end of hi ...

(born 1967 in Davos),

alpine skiing World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ( ...

, overall champion *

Martina Accola Martina Accola (born 8 March 1969, Davos) is a Swiss former alpine skier who competed in the 1994 Winter Olympics and 1998 Winter Olympics. She is the sister of former alpine skiing World Cup overall champion Paul Accola. Accola was born to Paul ...

(born 1969, Davos), alpine skier, competed in the

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

and

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in th ...

Andrea Senteler Andrea Senteler (born 28 April 1977) is a Swiss former cross-country skier. She competed in the women's 5 kilometre classical at the 1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 19 ...

(born 1977), cross-country skier, competed in the

* Carmen Schäfer (born 1981 in Davos), a curler * Andres Ambühl (born 1983 in Davos), ice hockey forward *

Iouri Podladtchikov Iouri Iourеvich Podladtchikov (russian: Юрий Юрьевич Подладчиков, born 13 September 1988) is a Russian-born Swiss snowboarder. He rides goofy stance. He has competed since 2000. He won the gold medal for the halfpipe at th ...

(born 1988), a Russian-born Swiss snowboarder, brought up in Davos, gold medallist at the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympi ...

Dino Wieser Dino Wieser (born June 13, 1989) is a Swiss professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for and is an alternate captain of HC Davos in the National League (NL). Playing career On March 18, 2013, Wieser was signed to a three-year con ...

(born 1989 in Davos), ice hockey forward * Stefanie Müller (born 1992 in Davos), Alpine snowboarder, competed at the

Claude-Curdin Paschoud Claude-Curdin Paschoud (born April 3, 1994) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for HC Davos in the Swiss National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (N ...

(born 1994 in Davos), ice hockey defenceman

References

External links

*
Tourism information
* {{Authority control Cities in Switzerland Municipalities of Graubünden Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden