Val Müstair () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val Müstair and Müstair.

Demographics

Val Müstair had a population (as of ) of .

Geography

The Val Müstair ( German: ''Münstertal'', ) is a mountain valley in the

Swiss Alps The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...

. It connects the Fuorn Pass, () with the Italian province of

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

and the Vinschgau (). The Benedictine Convent of Saint John at Müstair (''monastery''), a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, was probably founded by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

, sharing history with its neighbor, the Marienberg Abbey. The most important villages in the Val Müstair are: Tschierv (), Valchava (), Sta. Maria (), Müstair () (all Swiss) and Taufers im Münstertal in South Tyrol. There are no other inhabited connected valleys, but the road over the Umbrail Pass (and the Stelvio Pass) is connected with Sta. Maria. The largest part of the valley is part of the

canton of Graubünden. A small part lies in the Italian province of

. The

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

is located at approximately 1245 meter between Müstair (1247 meter) and Taufers im Münstertal (1240 meter). The river in the valley is the

Rom Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

(''Il Rom'' or ''Rombach'').

Naming convention

Contrary to the common notion, where the beginning of a valley is referred as the "upper valley" and the end as the "lower valley", in Val Müstair these are referred to as "inner" and "outer" respectively. This is often reflected in location names. For instance, the valley is traditionally divided into three thirds: * Terzal d'Aint (inner third) with Tschierv, Fuldera and Lü * Terzal d'Immez (middle third) with Valchava and Sta. Maria * Terzal d'Oura (outer third) with Müstair Incidentally, this division corresponds to the first three plateaus occurring on the Swiss part of the valley.

Language

The majority of the population in the new municipality speaks Romansh, with a large German speaking minority. The following table lists the historical language distribution of the formerly independent municipalities and also for the combined municipality:

Heritage sites of national significance

The Benedictine Convent of Saint John is both listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance and a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Weather

Müstair village has an average of 86.7 days of rain per year and on average receives of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

. The wettest month is August during which time Müstair receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 9.3 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 10, but with only of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 9.3 days., the Müstair village weather station elevation is 1248 meters above sea level. The higher elevation village of Sta. Maria Val Müstair has an average of 94.6 days of rain per year and on average receives of precipitation. The wettest month is August during which time Sta. Maria Val Müstair receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 10.6 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 10.6 days.

Tourism

There is a small amount of car parking in the village. It is the starting point for a number of hiking trails. Above Tschierv, at the mountain Minschuns, is a little ski resort. In 2009, during the International Year of Astronomy, a new public observatory Alpine Astrovillage Lü-Stailas was inaugurated. The center is equipped with robotic telescopes for direct observations, as well as for

astrophotography Astrophotography, also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky. The first photograph of an astronomical object (the Moon) was taken in 1839, but it was no ...

. The equipment is also used to provide introductory courses for amateur astronomers. The Astrovillage is located on a terrace at an elevation of .

Sports

Val Müstair has hosted several stages of the Tour de Ski, a

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

stage event.

Notable residents

Donna Leon, American crime novelist.

Notes and references

External links

Cumün da Val Müstair
Official website
Turissem Val Müstair
Tourism office
Convent of St. JohnOnline mapAlpine Astro Village
* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Val Mustair Municipalities of Graubünden Mustair Mustair Mustair Cultural property of national significance in Graubünden World Heritage Sites in Switzerland Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland