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Vals (locally pronounced ) is a village and 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 Surselva Region
Surselva Region is one of the eleven administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It was created on 1 January 2017 as part of a reorganization of the canton.canton of Graubünden in
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 23 September 2009
Based on the 2009 survey, the former municipalities that make up Vals had an area of . Of this area, or 32.1% was used for agricultural purposes, while or 12.2% was forested. Of the rest of the land, or 0.6% was settled (buildings or roads), or 2.2% was either rivers or lakes and or 52.9% was unproductive land.Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics
2009 data accessed 15 January 2015 Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.3%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 1.7% is pastures and 30.4% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 1.0% is in lakes and 1.1% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 23.0% is unproductive vegetation, 26.9% is too rocky for vegetation and 3.0% of the land is covered by glaciers. Before the merger Vals had an area, , of . Of this area, 34.1% was used for agricultural purposes, while 7.9% was forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.5% was settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (57.4%) was non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Lugnez sub-district of the Surselva district, after 2017 it was part of the Surselva Region. It consists of the village of Vals at an elevation of and the
accessed 24-Nov-2009 , the gender distribution of the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.Graubunden in Numbers
accessed 21 September 2009 The age distribution, , in Vals is; 94 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 93 teenagers or 10.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 88 people or 9.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 114 people or 12.9% are between 30 and 39, 127 people or 14.4% are between 40 and 49, and 115 people or 13.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 104 people or 11.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 105 people or 11.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 40 people or 4.5% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 5 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.Graubunden Population Statistics
accessed 21 September 2009 In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the CVP which received 63.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (19.8%), the SP (11.6%) and the FDP (3.9%). In Vals 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 ''
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Located in the Vals Valley, it is known for its thermal baths ( Therme Vals). It is the source of the ''Valser'' mineral water and Valserstein, a granite with many minerals in it giving it a sparkle.
Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance
21.11.2008 version, accessed 24-Nov-2009
Therme Vals
{{Authority control Municipalities of Graubünden Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Spa towns in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. On 1 January 2015 the former municipality of St. Martin merged into the municipality of Vals.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweizpublished by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 23 September 2009
History
Vals
Archeological finds from theBronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
around the thermal baths and Tomül pass as well as Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
items on the slopes of the ''Valserberg'' indicate that this area was used before written history. In the 11th and 12th centuries the Valser valley was extensively used by the local Romansh. Vals is first mentioned in mid 12th century as ''in Valle''. About 1290 they were 4 to 7 farm houses with flocks of sheep.
In the 13th century, the Walser were driven from the canton of Wallis in south-west Switzerland into the Valser valley. The expansion of the Walliser German speaking Walser stopped in 1457 when they were forbidden from marrying or buying land from the Romansh speaking locals. They were able to settle at the end of the valley because that was the only place that wasn't claimed. The Walser also brought with them the Valliser style of house, which uses more wood than stone and has triangular roofs.
St. Martin
The village was settled around the 14th century by Walser immigrants. Initially it was a held infief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
for the Bishop of Chur by the von Tersnaus and von Mont families. In 1457 the German-speaking population was forbidden from purchasing land or marrying in the neighboring village of Tersnaus. The village church (consecrated 1345) was initially under the parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
of St. Vinzenz in Pleif (in Vella municipality), but in 1528 came under the authority of Tersnaus. After 1776, St. Martin's village church had a German-speaking Prebend
A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...
though in 1868 it fell back under the authority of Tersnaus.
By 1671 the farm houses of St. Martin's were a neighborhood in Tersnaus, and in 1878 the municipality separated from Tersnaus to become politically independent. The municipality remained firmly rural, and in 1972-73 became the last municipality in Switzerland to be connected to the electric grid.
Coat of arms
The municipalcoat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
is described as ''Per fess Or a bend couped embattled bretesse Sable and of the second a Key in bend wards inwards of the first.'' The key represents Saint Peter
Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
who was on the old municipal seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, also called "true seal"
** Fur seal
** Eared seal
* Seal ( ...
while the cross shape represents the rights of the barons of Belmont.
Geography
Based on the 2009 survey, the former municipalities that make up Vals had an area of . Of this area, or 32.1% was used for agricultural purposes, while or 12.2% was forested. Of the rest of the land, or 0.6% was settled (buildings or roads), or 2.2% was either rivers or lakes and or 52.9% was unproductive land.Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics2009 data accessed 15 January 2015 Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.3%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 1.7% is pastures and 30.4% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 1.0% is in lakes and 1.1% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 23.0% is unproductive vegetation, 26.9% is too rocky for vegetation and 3.0% of the land is covered by glaciers. Before the merger Vals had an area, , of . Of this area, 34.1% was used for agricultural purposes, while 7.9% was forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.5% was settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (57.4%) was non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Lugnez sub-district of the Surselva district, after 2017 it was part of the Surselva Region. It consists of the village of Vals at an elevation of and the
hamlets
A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...
of Leis at an elevation of ). The highest point of the municipality is reached on Rheinwaldhorn on 3,402 m (11,161 ft).
Zervreilasee is a reservoir in the valley, formed by a dam on the Vals Rhine.
Demographics
Vals has a population (as of ) of . , 10.8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1.4%. Most of the population () speaks German (94.4%), with Romansh being second most common ( 2.3%) and Italian being third ( 0.8%).Swiss Federal Statistical Officeaccessed 24-Nov-2009 , the gender distribution of the population was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.Graubunden in Numbers
accessed 21 September 2009 The age distribution, , in Vals is; 94 children or 10.6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 93 teenagers or 10.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 88 people or 9.9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 114 people or 12.9% are between 30 and 39, 127 people or 14.4% are between 40 and 49, and 115 people or 13.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 104 people or 11.8% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 105 people or 11.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 40 people or 4.5% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 5 people or 0.6% who are between 90 and 99.Graubunden Population Statistics
accessed 21 September 2009 In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the CVP which received 63.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (19.8%), the SP (11.6%) and the FDP (3.9%). In Vals 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
A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...
'').
Vals has an unemployment rate of 1.08%. , there were 75 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 30 businesses involved in this sector. 166 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 15 businesses in this sector. 338 people are employed in the tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
, with 41 businesses in this sector.
Historic population
The historical population is given in the following chart:Tourism
Located in the Vals Valley, it is known for its thermal baths ( Therme Vals). It is the source of the ''Valser'' mineral water and Valserstein, a granite with many minerals in it giving it a sparkle.
Weather
Vals has an average of 121.1 days of rain per year and on average receives ofprecipitation
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 Vals receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.6 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 12.8, but with only of precipitation. The driest month of the year is January with an average of of precipitation over 12.6 days., the weather station elevation is 1253 meters above sea level.
Heritage sites of national significance
The ''double house at Nr. 81'' is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.21.11.2008 version, accessed 24-Nov-2009
References
External links
*http://www.vals.chTherme Vals
{{Authority control Municipalities of Graubünden Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Spa towns in Switzerland