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, 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 ...
,
Churwalden Churwalden is a municipality in the Plessur Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It incorporates the former municipalities of Malix and Parpan. History Churwalden is first mentioned in 1149 as ''silva Augeria''. In 1191 it was ...
,
Tschiertschen-Praden Tschiertschen-Praden is a municipality in the Plessur Region in the Grisons, Switzerland. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Praden and Tschiertschen.Domat/Ems Domat/Ems ( rm, Domat ; german: Ems) is a municipality in the Imboden Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Domat/Ems is first mentioned in 765 as ''colonia de Amede''. Ems is the German name for the municipality, Domat is the ...
,
Felsberg Felsberg (german: rock hill, link=no) may refer to: * Felsberg, Hessen, a town in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Hessen, Germany * , a part of Überherrn, Landkreis Saarlouis, Saarland, Germany * Felsberg (Odenwald), a mountain in the Odenwald hills, Landk ...
,
Malix Malix was a municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of Malix and Parpan merged into the municipality of Churwalden. History Malix is first mentioned in 1149 as ...
,
Trimmis Trimmis is a municipality in the Landquart Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Trimmis is first mentioned in 765 as ''Tremine''. In 768 it was mentioned as ''Tremune''. Geography Trimmis has an area, , of . Of this area, 34 ...
,
Untervaz Untervaz is a municipality in the Landquart Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Untervaz is first mentioned between 768-800 as ''Uaze''. Between 801-850 it was mentioned as ''Vazes'' and between 1210-1300 it was called ''Vatz infe ...
,
Pfäfers Pfäfers is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The villages Pfäfers, St. Margrethenberg, Vadura, Valens, Vasön and Vättis belong to the municipality. History The '' ...
, twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany),
Cabourg Cabourg (; nrf, Cabouorg) is a commune in the Calvados department, region of Normandy, France. Cabourg is on the coast of the English Channel, at the mouth of the river Dives. The back country is a plain, favourable to the culture of cereal. ...
(France),
Mayrhofen Mayrhofen is a town in the Zillertal (Ziller river valley) in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is located approximately an hour from the Tyrolean capital city of Innsbruck. Population Tourism The town offers a variety of summer and winter spor ...
(Austria),
Mondorf-les-Bains Mondorf-les-Bains ( ; ) is a commune and town in south-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Remich. Mondorf-les-Bains is a spa town (hence its name), and has the only casino in Luxembourg. , the commune of Mondorf-les-Bains (other to ...
(Luxembourg),
Terracina Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity. History Ancient times Terracina appears in anci ...
(Italy) '' Chur (, locally ; it, Coira ; rm, label= Sursilvan, Cuera ; rm, label=
Vallader Vallader (Vallader, Sursilvan, Puter, Surmiran, and Rumantsch Grischun: ''vallader'' ; Sutsilvan: ') is a variety of the Romansh language spoken in the Lower Engadine valley (''Engiadina Bassa'') of southeast Switzerland, between Martina ...
, Cuoira ; rm, label= Puter and
Rumantsch Grischun Romansh (; sometimes also spelled Romansch and Rumantsch; Sursilvan: ; Vallader, Surmiran, and Rumantsch Grischun: ; Putèr: ; Sutsilvan: , , ; Jauer: ) is a Gallo-Romance language spoken predominantly in the Swiss canton of the ...
, Cuira ; rm, label=
Surmiran Surmiran (Surmiran, Vallader, Sutsilvan, Rumantsch Grischun: ''surmiran''; Puter: ''surmiraun'') is a dialect of the Romansh language Romansh (; sometimes also spelled Romansch and Rumantsch; Sursilvan: ; Vallader, Surmiran, and Rum ...
, Coira; rm, label= Sutsilvan, Cuera or ; french: Coire ) la, CVRIA, and . is the capital and largest
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...
of the Swiss canton of the Grisons and lies in the Grisonian Rhine Valley, where the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
turns towards the north, in the northern part of the canton. The city, which is located on the right bank of the Rhine, is reputedly the oldest town of Switzerland. The official language of Chur is
German 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 ...
,In this context, the term "German" is used as an umbrella term for any variety of German. A person is allowed to communicate with the authorities by using any kind of German, in written or oral form. However, the authorities will always use Swiss Standard German (the Swiss variety of Standard German) in documents, or any written form. In spoken interaction, ''Hochdeutsch'' (Swiss Standard German or what the particular speaker considers as "High German") or any other dialectal variant can be used. but the main spoken language is the local variant of
Alemannic Alemannic (''Alamannic'') or Alamanni may refer to: * Alemannic German, a dialect family in the Upper German branch of the German languages and its speakers * Alemanni, a confederation of Suebian Germanic tribes in the Roman period * Alamanni (surna ...
, known as Grisonian German. Romansh and
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
are significantly spoken in the city as a result of the trilingual identity of the canton. On 1 January 2020 the former municipality of
Maladers Maladers is a former municipality in the Plessur Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2020 the former municipality of Maladers merged into Chur. History Maladers is first mentioned in 1156 as ''de Maladru''. Geogra ...
merged into Chur and on 1 January 2021
Haldenstein Haldenstein is a former municipality in the Plessur Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2021 the former municipality of Haldenstein merged into the municipality of Chur. History Haldenstein is first mentioned in 1149 as ''La ...
also merged.


History

Archaeological evidence of settlement at the site, in the
Eastern Alps Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...
, goes back as far as the
Pfyn culture The Pfyn Culture is one of several archaeological cultures of the Neolithic period in Switzerland. It dates from c. 3900 BC to c. 3500 BC. Discovery The oldest traces of a settlement are about west of Pfyn in the former peat bog of ''Breitenloo ...
(3900-3500 BC), making Chur one of the oldest settlements in Switzerland. Remains and objects from the Bronze and
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
s have also been found in the eastern sector of the current city's centre. These include Bronze Age
Urnfield The Urnfield culture ( 1300 BC – 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and p ...
and Laugen-Melaun settlements from 1300 to 800 BC and Iron Age settlements from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC. The Roman Empire conquered the area that then came to be known as the Roman province of
Raetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west ...
in
15 BC __NOTOC__ Year 15 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further info ...
. Under emperor Diocletian (late 3rd century AD), the existing settlement of ''Curia Raetorum'' (later Chur) was made the capital of the newly established province of
Raetia prima Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with T ...
. In the 4th century, Chur became the seat of the first Christian bishopric north of the Alps. Despite a legend assigning its foundation to an alleged Briton king, St. Lucius, the first known bishop is one Asinio in AD 451. The bishop soon acquired great temporal powers, especially after his dominions were made, in 831, dependent on the
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
alone. After the invasion of the
Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
, it may have been renamed ''Theodoricopolis''; in the 6th century it was conquered by the
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
. The city suffered several invasions, by the Magyars in 925–926, when the cathedral was destroyed, and by the
Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
s (940 and 954),Stadtbrände
fro
Official Website
but afterwards it flourished thanks to its location, where the roads from several major Alpine transit routes come together and continue down the Rhine. The routes had been already used under the Romans but acquired greater importance under the
Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...
dynasty of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
.
Emperor Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...
granted the town the right to collect tolls in 952 and appointed his vassal Hartpert as bishop of Chur in 958, giving the bishopric further privileges. In 1170 the bishop became a prince-bishop and kept total control over the road between Chur and Chiavenna. In the 13th century, the town had some 1,300 inhabitants and was surrounded by a line of walls. In the 14th century, at least six fires damaged or destroyed the monasteries of St. Luzi and St. Nicolai, St. Martin's church and twice destroyed much of the town. The Gotteshausbund (League of the House of God) was formed in 1367 in Chur to resist the rising power of the Bishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. Chur was the chief town of the League and one of the places the Leagues' assemblies met regularly. A burgmeister (mayor) of Chur is first mentioned in 1413, The bishop's residence was attacked by the inhabitants in 1418 and 1422, when a series of concessions were wrung out of him. On 27 April 1464, most of the town was destroyed in a fire, which only the bishop's estates and St. Luzi monastery survived. With the bishops' power waning as he came increasingly under the influence of the nearby Habsburg
County of Tyrol The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised ...
, the citizens sent a delegation to Emperor Frederick III. The Emperor reconfirmed the historic rights of Chur and also granted them extensive new rights which freed the city from the bishop's power. In 1465 the citizens wrote a constitution which granted all governmental power to Chur's guilds. All government positions were restricted to guild members, allowing the guilds to regulate all aspects of life in Chur. Because guild membership was the only route to political power, local patricians and nobles quickly became guild members, often joining the
winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...
s guild. The Chur lead League of the House of God allied with the
Grey League The Grey League (german: Grauer Bund, it, Lega Grigia, rm, Ligia Grischa or ), sometimes called ''Oberbund'', formed in 1395 in the ''Vorderrhein'' and '' Hinterrhein'' valleys, Raetia. The name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey cl ...
and the
League of the Ten Jurisdictions The League of the Ten Jurisdictions was the last of the Three Leagues founded during the Middle Ages in what is now Graubünden, Canton Graubünden of Switzerland. The League was created in the County of Toggenburg after the counts of Toggenbur ...
in 1471 to form 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 (Grison ...
. In 1489 Chur obtained the right to have a tribunal of its own, but never had the title of
Free Imperial City In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
. In 1497–98, concerned about Habsburg expansion and with the Bishop of Chur quarrelling with Austria, the Three Leagues formed an alliance with the Swiss Confederation. In 1499 the
Swabian War 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 ...
broke out between the Three Leagues and Austria and quickly expanded to include the Confederation. During the war, troops from Chur fought under the Bishop's
Vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
Heinrich Ammann in the Lower
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 ...
, in
Prättigau The Prättigau, in the canton of Graubünden (Grisons), Switzerland, is the geographical region consisting of the main valley of the river Landquart and the valleys of its side-rivers and creeks. Landquart River, which drains into the Alpine Rhi ...
and near
Balzers Balzers is a village located in southern Liechtenstein. As of 2019, the village had a total population of 4,642. The main part of the village is situated along the east bank of the Rhine. History and culture Historically, the present-day form o ...
. Troops from Chur also took part in the 1512 invasion of 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 ...
and the Second Musso War in 1530–31. In 1523 Johannes (Dorfmann) Comander was appointed
parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
of St. Martin's Church and began preaching the new faith of 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 ...
. It spread rapidly and by 1525 the bishop had fled the city and Protestant services were taking place in the churches of St. Martin and St. Regula. The Ilanz articles of 1524 and 1526 allowed each resident of the Three Leagues to choose their religion, and sharply reduced the political and secular power of the Bishop of Chur and all monasteries in League territory. By 1527 all of Chur, except the bishop's estates, had adopted the Reformation. On 1 January 1529 Abbot Theodore Schlegel was publicly beheaded. Bishop Thomas Planta, a friend of St. Charles Borromeo, tried, but without success, to suppress Protestantism. He died, probably poisoned, 5 May 1565. During the 16th century the German language started to prevail over Romansh. In 1479 about 300 houses and stalls burned in another fire. Nearly a century later on 23 July 1574, a fire destroyed 174 houses and 114 stalls, or about half the city. Two years later on 21 October 1576, another 53 houses were burned. Two years after the 1576 fire, the perpetrator, Hauptmann Stör, was executed. After the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, the Three Leagues became the canton of Graubünden in 1803. The guild constitution of the city of Chur lasted until 1839, while in 1874 the '' Burgergemeinde'' was replaced by an ''Einwohnergemeinde''. When Graubünden became a canton in 1803, Chur was chosen as its capital.


Geography and climate


Topography

Chur had an area, (as of the 2004/09 survey) of . Of this area, about 17.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 52.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 26.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and 3.9% is unproductive land. Over the past two decades (1979/85–2004/09) the amount of land that is settled has increased by and the agricultural land has decreased by .Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Regional portraits
accessed 27 October 2016.
Chur is situated at a height of above sea level, on the right bank of the torrent Plessur, just as it issues from the valley Schanfigg, and about a mile above its junction with the Rhine, almost entirely surrounded by the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
, overshadowed by the Mittenberg (northeast) and Pizoggel (southwest), hills that guard the entrance to the deep-cut valley Schanfigg. The altitude in the city area varies from above sea level to above sea level, the Churer Hausberg Brambrüesch (accessible from the Old Town) situated at above sea level. The water of Chur's spring is exported and sold as Passugger mineral water.


Climate

Chur has an oceanic climate in spite of its inland position. Summers are warm and sometimes hot, normally averaging around during the day, whilst winter means are around freezing, with daytime temperatures being about . Between 1981 and 2010 Chur had an average of 104.6 days of rain per year and on average received of
precipitation 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 Chur received an average of of precipitation. During this month there was precipitation for an average of 11.2 days. The driest month of the year was February with an average of of precipitation over 6.6 days., the weather station elevation is above sea level.


Politics


Coat of arms

Blazon: ''Argent, a city gate gules with three
merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...
s, within which a capricorn rampant sable, langued and viriled of the second.''


Administrative divisions


Government

The City Council (''Stadtrat'') constitutes the
executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...
government of the City of Chur and operates as a collegiate authority. It is composed of only three councilors (german: Stadtrat/ Stadträtin), each presiding over a department. In the mandate period 2021–2024 (''Legislatur'') the City Council is presided by ''Stadtpräsident'' Urs Marti. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Municipal Council (parliament) are carried by the City Council. The regular election of the City Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of Chur allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council. The current mandate period is from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2024. The delegates are elected by means of a system of
Proporz ''Proporz'' (, from german: Proportionalität, "proportionality") is a long-standing practice in the Second Austrian Republic in which positions in government are distributed between political parties in a manner proportional to their electoral o ...
. The mayor is elected as such by public election by means of a system of Majorz, while the heads of the other departments are assigned by the collegiate. , Chur's City Council is made up of one representative of the FDP (
FDP.The Liberals french: PLR.Les Libéraux-Radicaux it, PLR.I Liberali Radicali rm, PLD.Ils Liberals , logo = , caption = Logo of the party in French, German, and Italian , leader1_title = President , leader1_name = Thierry Burkart ...
, who is also the mayor), one of the 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 Fo ...
), and one new member of The Centre (former CVP/PDC and BDP/PBD), giving the right parties a new majority of two out of three seats. The last regular election was held on 27 September 2020.


Parliament

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


Elections


National Council

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


International relations

Chur is twinned with: *
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe Bad Homburg vor der Höhe () is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, on the southern slope of the Taunus mountains. Bad Homburg is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. The town's official name is ''Bad Homburg v.d.Höhe'', w ...
, Germany *
Cabourg Cabourg (; nrf, Cabouorg) is a commune in the Calvados department, region of Normandy, France. Cabourg is on the coast of the English Channel, at the mouth of the river Dives. The back country is a plain, favourable to the culture of cereal. ...
, France *
Mayrhofen Mayrhofen is a town in the Zillertal (Ziller river valley) in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is located approximately an hour from the Tyrolean capital city of Innsbruck. Population Tourism The town offers a variety of summer and winter spor ...
, Austria *
Mondorf-les-Bains Mondorf-les-Bains ( ; ) is a commune and town in south-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Remich. Mondorf-les-Bains is a spa town (hence its name), and has the only casino in Luxembourg. , the commune of Mondorf-les-Bains (other to ...
, Luxembourg *
Terracina Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity. History Ancient times Terracina appears in anci ...
, Italy


Demographics


Population

Chur has a population (as of ) of . In 2008, 17.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, by 2014 that number was 19.2%. Over the last 4 years (2010-2014) the population has changed at a rate of 2.34%. The
birth rate 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 9.2, 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 10.0 per thousand residents. Most of the population () speaks German (81.0%), with Italian being second most common (6.4%) and Romansh being third (5.3%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 27-Oct-2009.
, the gender distribution of the population was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.Graubunden in Numbers
accessed 21 September 2009.
The age distribution, , in Chur is; 3,087 children or 9.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. 1,602 teenagers or 4.9% are 10 to 14, and 2,194 teenagers or 6.7% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 4,770 people or 14.5% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 5,517 people or 16.7% are 30 to 39, 4,616 people or 14.0% are 40 to 49, and 4,254 people or 12.9% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 3,090 people or 9.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 2,314 people or 7.0% are 70 to 79, there are 1,307 people or 4.0% who are 80 to 89, there are 233 people or 0.7% who are 90 to 99, and 5 people who are 100 or more.Graubunden Population Statistics
accessed 21 September 2009.
In 2015 there were 15,557 single residents, 13,722 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 1,948 widows or widowers, 3,423 divorced residents and 2 people who did not answer the question. In 2014 there were 16,970 private households in Chur with an average household size of 2.00 persons. Of the 3,792 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 37.8% were single family homes and 39.7% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 20.5% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 8.8% were built between 1991 and 2000.Swiss Federal Statistical Office STAT-TAB – Thema 09 – Bau- und Wohnungswesen
accessed 5 May 2016.
In 2013 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 7.71. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.6%.


Historic population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:800 height:500 PlotArea = top:10 left: 100 bottom:90 right:100 Legend = columns:3 left:220 top:70 columnwidth:160 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:40000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:8000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1600 start:0 Colors= id:TO value:yellowgreen legend:Total id:GE value:teal legend:German_Speaking id:IT value:green legend:Italian_Speaking id:RM value:lightpurple legend:Romansh_Speaking id:PR value:oceanblue legend:Protestant id:CA value:darkblue legend:Roman_Catholic id:SW value:red legend:Swiss PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1780 from:start till:2331 text:"2,331" color:TO bar:1860 from:start till:6990 text:"6,990" color:TO bar:1880 from:start till:8753 text:"8,753" color:TO bar:1888 from:start till:9259 text:"9,259" color:TO bar:1900 from:start till:11532 text:"11,532" color:TO bar:1910 from:start till:14639 text:"14,639" color:TO bar:1930 from:start till:15574 text:"15,574" color:TO bar:1950 from:start till:19382 text:"19,382" color:TO bar:1970 from:start till:31193 text:"31,193" color:TO bar:1990 from:start till:32868 text:"32,868" color:TO bar:2000 from:start till:32989 text:"32,989" color:TO bar:2010 from:start till:36690 text:"36,690" color:TO LineData = points:(222,166)(273,168) color:GE points:(273,168)(324,183) color:GE points:(324,183)(375,206) color:GE points:(375,206)(426,219) color:GE points:(426,219)(477,251) color:GE points:(477,251)(528,326) color:GE points:(528,326)(579,347) color:GE points:(579,347)(630,357) color:GE points:(222,93)(273,92) color:IT points:(273,92)(324,97) color:IT points:(324,97)(375,102) color:IT points:(375,102)(426,98) color:IT points:(426,98)(477,100) color:IT points:(477,100)(528,120) color:IT points:(528,120)(579,110) color:IT points:(579,110)(630,107) color:IT points:(222,100)(273,102) color:RM points:(273,102)(324,105) color:RM points:(324,105)(375,107) color:RM points:(375,107)(426,107) color:RM points:(426,107)(477,110) color:RM points:(477,110)(528,123) color:RM points:(528,123)(579,113) color:RM points:(579,113)(630,108) color:RM points:(171,132)(222,154) color:PR points:(222,154)(273,155) color:PR points:(273,155)(324,166) color:PR points:(324,166)(375,182) color:PR points:(375,182)(426,188) color:PR points:(426,188)(477,207) color:PR points:(477,207)(528,243) color:PR points:(528,243)(579,230) color:PR points:(579,230)(630,217) color:PR points:(630,217)(681,212) color:PR points:(171,117)(222,114) color:CA points:(222,114)(273,117) color:CA points:(273,117)(324,130) color:CA points:(324,130)(375,144) color:CA points:(375,144)(426,147) color:CA points:(426,147)(477,165) color:CA points:(477,165)(528,245) color:CA points:(528,245)(579,249) color:CA points:(579,249)(630,237) color:CA points:(630,237)(681,244) color:CA points:(171,154)(222,169) color:SW points:(222,169)(273,171) color:SW points:(273,171)(324,187) color:SW points:(324,187)(375,210) color:SW points:(375,210)(426,227) color:SW points:(426,227)(477,269) color:SW points:(477,269)(528,353) color:SW points:(528,353)(579,363) color:SW points:(579,363)(630,361) color:SW points:(630,361)(681,387) color:SW : Language adds up to over 100% due to counting all languages, not just first language.


Religion

From the , 14,713 or 44.6% are
Roman Catholic 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 ...
, while 12,199 or 37.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there are 15 individuals (or about 0.05% of the population) who belong to the
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is an Old Catholic denomination in Switzerland. This denomination is part of the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholic). Recent developments In 1871 the Zürich Catholic community planned to build a chu ...
, there are 589 individuals (or about 1.79% of the population) who belong to the
Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
, and there are 532 individuals (or about 1.61% of the population) who belong to another Christian church. There are 13 individuals (or about 0.04% of the population) who are
Jewish 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 ...
, and 917 (or about 2.78% of the population) who are Muslim. There are 424 individuals (or about 1.29% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), 1,998 (or about 6.06% of the population) belong to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 1,589 individuals (or about 4.82% of the population) did not answer the question.


Education

In Chur about 70.3% of the population (between age 25 and 64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a '' Fachhochschule''). The town is home to the Cantonal School of Graubünden.


Economy

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


Crime

In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the
Swiss Criminal Code , french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer , citation = , territorial_extent = Switzerland , enacted_by = Federal Assembly of Switzerland , date_enacted = 20 Decemb ...
(running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Chur was 68.6 per thousand residents, only slightly higher than the national average of 64.6 per thousand. During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 15.7 per thousand residents, which is about one and half times the national rate. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 2.4 per thousand residents, or about half the national rate.


Transportation

Chur is by rail from Zürich, and is the meeting-point of the routes from Italy over many alpine passes ( Lukmanier Pass, Splugen Pass, and
San Bernardino Pass San Bernardino Pass ( it, Passo del San Bernardino, german: Bernhardinpass, ) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the Hinterrhein (river), Hinterrhein and the Mesolcina (Misox) valleys between Thusis (canton of Graubünden) and B ...
), as well as from the Engadine (
Albula Pass The Albula Pass ( Romansh: ''Pass d'Alvra'' or , german: Albulapass) (el. 2312 m) is a Swiss mountain pass in the canton of Graubünden. It lies at the heart of the Albula Alps, on the watershed between the Albula, tributary of the Rhine and th ...
,
Julier Pass The Julier Pass ( Romansh: ''Pass dal Güglia'', German: ''Julierpass'', Italian ''Passo del Giulia'') (el. 2284 m) is a mountain pass in Switzerland, in the Albula Alps. It connects the Engadin valley with central Graubünden, the nearest inhab ...
), so that it is the centre of an active trade (particularly in wine from the
Valtelline 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. To ...
), though it also has a few local factories. The city's
main railway station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
is where the Swiss Federal Railways system link with that of 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 Rh ...
(RhB). While the SBB lines serve most of Switzerland, most of Graubünden's internal rail traffic is served by RhB lines. One of the RhB lines (to Arosa) uses
on-street running A street running train is a train which runs on a Track (rail transport), track built on public streets. The rails are embedded in the roadway, and the train shares the street with other users, such as pedestrians, cars and cyclists, thus often ...
through streets in the centre of Chur and Sand in order to reach the station—see Chur Stadtbahn. There are three other railway stations in Chur: * Chur Stadt (on the Chur-Arosa line) * Chur West * Chur Wiesental * There is also a postbus station situated above the railway station. Chur is linked by a motorway—the A13.


Culture and tourism


Main sights

Chur is home to many buildings or other sites that are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. There are two archeological sites in Chur, the old city which is a
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
city and Welschdörfli a prehistoric settlement and
Roman 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 ...
Vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...
. There are four archives or libraries; the bishop's palace (library and archive), the Cantonal Library, the Cantonal Archive of Graubünden and the city archive of Chur. There are also four museums on the list; the ''
Bündner Kunstmuseum Bündner Kunstmuseum (English: ''Graubünden Art Museum'') is a Swiss art museum founded in 1919, and located in Chur, Switzerland. About The Villa Planta building was formerly a house owned by Jacques Ambrosius von Planta (1826–1901), built ...
'' (Art Museum), ''Bündner Naturmuseum'' (Natural History Museum), the ''Dommuseum'' and the ''Rätisches Museum'' in the Haus Buol. Three churches are included in the list; The
cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
of the
Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Tow ...
, the Catholic Church of St. Luzi and the Reformed church of St. Martin. There are 15 other buildings that are also heritage sites; these include the ''Alte Kaserne'' at Zeughaus 3 (the Old Armory), the Confederation Paper Mill, the Main Post Office, the new Town Hall, headquarters of the
Rhätische Bahn 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 ...
and several old patrician houses. With the 2021 merger of Haldenstein into Chur, the ''Ruins of Haldenstein fortress'' and '' Haldenstein Castle'' became part of Chur.


Gallery

File:Chur-Poststrasse.jpg, Poststrasse, Old Town File:Kunstmuseum Chur.jpg, Bündner Kunstmuseum (Grisonian Art Museum) File:Chur-St. Martin.jpg, Church of St. Martin File:Chur Kantonsgericht.jpg, Kantonsgerichtsgebäude (home of cantonal court) File:Chur, St. Maria Himmelfahrt, Vorderseite.jpg, St. Maria Himmelfahrt (cathedral of the Assumption) File:Chur in Graubünden (Zwitserland) 41.jpg, Street in Altstadt The first church on the cathedral site was built in the first half of the 5th century. The Romanesque crypt was probably built under Bishop Tello (758-73). It contains remarkable paintings by Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein. The current building was built between 1154 and 1270. In 1272 it was dedicated to Saint Mary of the Assumption. The round arch window along the center axis is the largest medieval window in Graubünden. The late-
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
high altar was completed in 1492 by Jakob Russ. The Church of St. Luzi was probably built in the 8th century, though the first record of it appears in 821 when the relics of St. Luzius were removed from the church. It may have been the site of a Carolingian scribes' school during the early middle ages. In 1149 it became the church of the Premonstratensian monastery. The town is home to the
Giger Bar A Giger Bar is a bar themed and modelled by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger. There are two Giger Bars: the first, the H.R. Giger Bar in Chur, Switzerland, which opened in 1992, and the second is The Museum HR Giger Bar, located in Château St. Ger ...
designed by the Swiss artist
H. R. Giger Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". Giger later abandoned airbrush for pastels, mark ...
, the Old Town, the art gallery, and the natural history museum.


Sport

Chur's ice hockey team,
EHC Chur EHC Chur Capricorns (formerly EHC Chur Sport AG) is a Swiss ice hockey team based in Chur, Switzerland who played until 2008 in National League B. They currently compete in the third tiered MySports League. Honors * National League B Champion ...
, plays in the Swiss 1. Liga, the third tier of the Swiss ice hockey league system. They play their home games in the 6,500-seat
Hallenstadion The Hallenstadion (german: , ''Zürich Indoor Stadium'') is a multi-purpose facility located in the quarter of Oerlikon in northern Zürich. It is home to the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL) and has a capacity of 11,200 spectators. Design ...
. The American football team
Calanda Broncos The Calanda Broncos are an American football team from Landquart, Switzerland. The club, formed in 1991 as the Landquart Broncos, changed its name in late 2008 after the Calanda mountain to show the club's desire to represent a larger region of ...
(formally the Landquart Broncos) moved to Chur in 2009, playing their home games at Ringstrasse Stadium. The Broncos currently play in the Nationalliga A and are the most successful Swiss American football team with the record for most Swiss Bowl wins (eight wins) as well as winning the
EFAF Cup The EFAF Cup was an international competition for European American Football clubs. It was the second highest level of club competition in the European Federation of American Football (EFAF), behind the European Football League (EFL),. EFAF Cup ...
in 2010 and the
Eurobowl The Eurobowl was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each countries top league that was cal ...
in 2012. As of 2017 they finished first in the league, hosting Swiss Bowl XXXII in Ringstrasse Stadium where they defeated the Basel Gladiators 42–6 on 8 July. The local football team are
FC Chur 97 Fussballclub Chur 97 is a football team from Chur, Switzerland who play in 2. Liga Interregional (division 5). It was founded in 1997 as a merger of FC Chur, FC Neustadt and SC Grischuna. Predecessor club FC Chur played in the second highes ...
who play in the sixth division of Swiss football. They play home games at Ringstrasse.


List of notable people


Early times

*
George Blaurock Jörg vom Haus Jacob (Georg Cajacob, or George of the House of Jacob), commonly known as George Blaurock (c. 1491 – September 6, 1529), was an Anabaptist leader and evangelist. Along with Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, he was a co-founder ...
(–1529), Grisonian Catholic pater and leading personality of the Radical Reformation, one of the founders of Anabaptism * Johannes Fabricius Montanus (1527–1577), German theologian and poet *
Jörg Jenatsch Jörg Jenatsch, also called Jürg or Georg Jenatsch (1596 – 24 January 1639), was a Swiss political leader during the Thirty Years' War, one of the most striking figures in the troubled history of the Grisons in the 17th century. Protesta ...
(1596–1639), Grisonian politician during
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, assassinated in Chur. * Soloman Sprecher von Bernegg (1697–1758), Habsburg field marshal in the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...


18th century

* Jerome, 2nd Count de Salis (1709–1794), a Fellow of the Royal Society and sometime British
Resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...
in the Grisons. *
Jeremiah Theus Jeremiah Theus (sometimes Jeremiah Theüs) (April 5, 1716 – May 17, 1774) was a Switzerland, Swiss-born United States, American painter, primarily of portraits. He was active mainly around Charleston, South Carolina, in which city he remained a ...
(1716–1746), Swiss-American painter, primarily of portraits. * Angelica Kauffman RA (1741–1801), Austrian Neoclassical painter, successful career in London and Rome. *
Richard La Nicca Richard La Nicca (16 August 1794 in Safien-Neukirch – 27 August 1883 in Chur) was a Swiss engineer known as the pioneering planner and implementer of the Jura water correction project in the Swiss Jura. Originating from Sarn and Chur, La N ...
(1794–1883 in Chur), a Swiss engineer, planned and implemented the Jura water correction project in the Swiss Jura


19th century

* Alexander Moritzi (1806–1850), a Swiss naturalist and early proponent of evolution * Gottfried Ludwig Theobald (1810–1869 in Chur), a German-Swiss geologist and cartographer, taught in Chur 1854–1869. * Johann Baptista von Tscharner (1815–1879), born and died in Chur, lawyer and politician *
Philip Schaff Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States. Biography Schaff was born ...
(1819–1893) Protestant theologian and church historian, lived and taught in the United States *
Johann Coaz Johann Wilhelm Fortunat Coaz (31 May 1822 – 18 August 1918) was a Swiss forester, topographer and mountaineer from Graubünden. In 1850 he made the first ascent of Piz Bernina, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps. He also gave Piz Berni ...
(1822– 1918), a forester, topographer and mountaineer from Graubünden *
Simeon Bavier Simeon Bavier (16 September 1825 – 27 January 1896) was a Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council (1878-1883). He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 10 December 1878 and resigned on 5 January 1883. He was affiliated with ...
(1825–1896), a politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council 1878-1883 * Eduard Killias (1829–1891), a Swiss physician, naturalist and
balneologist Balneotherapy ( la, balneum "bath") is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic ef ...
* Carl Hilty (1833–1909), a philosopher, writer and worked as a lawyer in Chur for 20 years *
Adolfo Kind Adolf respectively Adolfo Kind (1848 in Chur – August 1907) was a Swiss chemical engineer and one of the fathers of Italian skiing. Life Kind was born in 1848 to a German-speaking Walser family, which had been living in Chur for more than f ...
(1848–1907), a chemical engineer and one of the fathers of skiing in Italy * Clara Ragaz (1874–1957) feminist, pacifist and supporter of the
temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
*
Jakob Buchli Jakob Buchli (4 March 1876 – 1 April 1945) was a Swiss design engineer in the field of locomotive construction. Life Jakob Buchli was born in Chur, Switzerland, on 4 March 1876. After his training to be an engineer he worked from 1902 t ...
(1876–1945), engineer in the field of locomotive design *
Alfred Heuß Alfred Valentin Heuß also Heuss (27 January 1877 – 9 July 1934) was a German musicologist, music critic and editor of music magazines. Life Born in Chur, after studying music in Stuttgart, Munich and Leipzig, Heuß received his doctorate in ...
(1877–1934), German musicologist *
Josias Braun-Blanquet Josias Braun-Blanquet (3 August 1884 – 20 September 1980) was an influential phytosociologist and botanist. Braun-Blanquet was born in Chur, Switzerland and died in Montpellier, France. Biography Work In Josias Braun-Blanquet's dissertation, s ...
(1884–1980), a phytosociologist and botanist * Rosa Gutknecht (1885–1959), a German-born Swiss theologian and cleric, in 1918 she was one of the first two women to graduate in theology and be ordained as pastors *
Harry Clarke 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 Chur), an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator *
Kurt Huber Kurt Huber (24 October 1893 – 13 July 1943) was a university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi group White Rose. For his involvement he was imprisoned and guillotined. Early life Huber was born in Chur, Switzerland, to G ...
(1893–1943), a university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi group
White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...
* Maurice Conradi (1896–1947 in Chur), a Russian White movement officer who fought in WWI and the
Civil War in Russia {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...


20th century

* Robert Platow (1900–1982 in Chur), German journalist, founder and publisher of the ''Platow Brief'' * Heinrich Willi (1900–1971), pediatrician who co-discovered
Prader–Willi syndrome Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder caused by a loss of function of specific genes on chromosome 15. In newborns, symptoms include weak muscles, poor feeding, and slow development. Beginning in childhood, those affected become ...
* Andreas Walser (1908–1930), a Swiss painter in Paris *
Gustav Guanella Gustav Guanella (21 June 1909 – 12 January 1982) was a Swiss inventor who held numerous patents. Life Guanella was born in Chur, then educated in Lucerne, Switzerland. He finished high school in 1929, studied electrical engineering at the ...
(1909–1982), a Swiss inventor, developed high-frequency electronics * Meinrad Schütter (1910–2006), a Swiss composer * Rudolf Olgiati (1910–1995), local architect, of the
New Objectivity The New Objectivity (in german: Neue Sachlichkeit) was a movement in German art that arose during the 1920s as a reaction against expressionism. The term was coined by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the ''Kunsthalle'' in Mannheim, wh ...
movement *
H. R. Giger Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". Giger later abandoned airbrush for pastels, mark ...
(1940–2014), visual artist, painter and Oscar winner *
Peter Zumthor Peter Zumthor (; born 26 April 1943) is a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. E ...
(born 1943), an uncompromising and minimalist Swiss architect, works in Chur * Alex P. Schmid (born 1943), a Swiss-born Dutch scholar in terrorism studies and former Officer-in-Charge of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations *
Mario Illien Mario Illien (born 2 August 1949) is a Swiss engineer specialising in motorsport engine design and comes from Chur in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. Despite living in a country in which motor racing was banned in 1955 (when Illien was si ...
(born 1946), engineer, specialising in motorsport engine design *
Robert Indermaur Robert Indermaur (born 9 June 1947) is a Swiss painter and sculptor. Originally trained as a schoolteacher, Indermaur became a freelance artist in 1969, producing contemporary paintings and sculptures. He rose to prominence in the 1970s, and crea ...
(born 1947), a Swiss painter and sculptor * Hans Danuser (born 1953), a Swiss artist and photographer * Corin Curschellas (born 1956), a Swiss singer-songwriter, vocalist, free improvisation, actress and voice actress * Valerio Olgiati (born 1958), renowned architect of Grisonian buildings * Raphael Zuber (born 1973), architect * Adrian J. Meier (born 1976), politician of local council and explorer * Rebecca Indermaur (born ), a Swiss film and television actress. Retrieved 21 November 2018.


Sport

* Rico Bianchi (born 1930), a Swiss rower, competed in the
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
and
1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
* Yvonne Rüegg (born 1938), a Swiss former alpine skier, gold medallist in giant slalom at the 1960 Winter Olympics * Renato Tosio (born 1964), former ice hockey goaltender of EHC Chur * Mario Frick (born 1974), a Swiss-born Liechtensteiner retired professional footballer who is currently a manager for
FC Vaduz FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Paki ...
; 664 team games and 125 for his national team * Giorgio Rocca (born 1975), an Italian former alpine skier * Thierry Paterlini (born 1975), a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman * Binia Feltscher (born 1978), Swiss curler, silver medallist at the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...
*
Nino Schurter Nino Schurter (born 13 May 1986) is a Swiss cross-country cyclist who races for the SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team. Schurter won the world championship in men's cross-country in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 and the ...
(born 1986), mountain biker and Olympic gold medalist, lives in Chur *
Nino Niederreiter Nino Niederreiter (born 8 September 1992) is a Swiss professional ice hockey winger for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, making him the h ...
(born 1992), second highest NHL-drafted Swiss-born hockey player File:Georg Jenatsch.jpg, Georg Jenatsch, 1636 File:Angelika Kauffmann - Self Portrait - 1784.jpg, Angelika Kauffmann, self portrait, 1784 File:Schaff P.jpg, Philip Schaff File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146II-744, Kurt Huber.jpg, Kurt Huber File:HR Giger 2012.jpg, HR Giger, 2012 File:AUT vs. LIE 2015-10-12 (194).jpg, Mario Frick, 2015 File:Nino Schurter at the Worlds 2011.jpg, Nino Schurter, 2011


Notes and references


Notes


References


Literature

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


External links


City of Chur – official website

Chur tourism office


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