Splügen
Spliigen GR
Spliigen ( in local dialect [ ʃply g̊ə ː ], Romansh Spleia / Spligia ) is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the name of the chief town of the district Rheinwald.
Geography
The village Spliigen is located at 1450 m altitude in the Rhine forest on the main river of the valley, rose to the Rhine, and at the junction of routes to the passes Splügen and San Bernardino. Both passports were used in Roman times as a link routes to Italy. The most striking hotel is the Hotel 1722 created Bodenhaus.
From the valley to the Splügenpass flows at Spliigen the Hüscherenbach in the Rhine.
To Spliigen since January 1, 2006 includes the hitherto independent municipality Medels im Rheinwald. Medels between Spliigen and Nufenenpass and was previously both in terms of area, such as with respect to the population is the smallest municipality in the valley. Adjacent communities are Madesimo (Italy ), Mesocco, Nufenenpass, Safien and Sufers.
The place Spliigen has developed into a small ski resort and attracts also because of the intact historic village core tourists; In 1995 Spliigen the Wakker prize, which is awarded by the Swiss Heritage Society for exemplary protection of the townscape. East of the village are the ruins of the former castle Spliigen. On the way to the castle, about 100 meters east of the Reformed Church, was until the beginning of the 19th century, the Church of St. Urban and Vincentius.
North of Spliigen rise the Splügener limestone mountains.
Coat of arms
Blazon: In red over silver ( white) blue lace details, wave beam, a silver embattled tower
The river band, which is found as a motif in almost all Rheinwald communities complemented by the battlements of the tower as a reference to the castle in Spliigen. The colors of the arms are derived from the coat of arms of the barons of Vaz.
Coat of arms of the former municipality Medels im Rheinwald: Blazon: In red over silver ( white) lace details blue wavy bars of silver Letter M In addition to the initial letter of the town, the wave beam as a symbol of the valley.
History
The name emerged as Speluca in a preserved only as a copy of the 16th century directory of the Carolingian emperor from 831 to, in 13th/14th. Century it appears as Speluga / Splu ͥ gen / Splu ͥ ga. It goes back to the Latin spelunca, cave, is still preserved in dialects Italienischbündens as splüg, overhanging rock / cave.
Originally located in Romanesque language area locations in the Rhine forest were inhabited by German-speaking Walser settlers from the south over the San Bernardino Pass in the late 13th century. From the late Middle Ages to the 19th century, the transportation of goods was the main source of income for the local population; most were living directly or indirectly from the mule transport.
1716 and 1751 the village was Spliigen each largely destroyed by fire and rebuilt each on the remaining foundation walls again.
From 1818 to 1823 mule tracks over the Spliigen and the San Bernardino Pass were developed almost simultaneously called Kommerzialbank streets, resulting in a recovery of goods and led people transit. The reason was the rivalry of the Piedmont and the Austrian Lombardy, so that the Lombardy the Splügenpass goal for its own account, while Piedmont had to participate only at the Grisons project - a only short landmark was dedicated to King Vittorio Emanuele bridge south of San Bernardino. The project of a rail link through the Grisons had shifted to the Lukmanierpass and subject to the Gotthard railway. With the opening of the Gotthard tunnel in 1882 many locals was zunichtegemacht the working and earning ability; the transport of goods fell within a short time of 14,000 tonnes to 1000 tonnes. Many of migrated and sought their fortune in the United States or New Zealand.
At the time of World War 2, the intention was Spliigen, Medels and Nufenenpass to be sunk in a huge reservoir. The 700 meter long and 150 meter high dam would have been built in the ruins Spliigen; a smaller dam at Sufers. Fierce resistance from the population prevented the project and on 29 November 1946, the dam project Rheinwald was rejected after years of litigation by the Federal Council.
A new chapter in the history of the village pass Spliigen began in 1967 with the opening of the road tunnel through the San Bernardino. Spliigen benefited from increased traffic and has become a winter and summer resort. From then on it was very quiet on the closed in winter Splügenpass why he awarded for culturally interested in history due to the surviving civil engineering structures of the first road is a visual example.
Population
Languages
The community was settled in 1290 by Walser and therefore belongs to the German-speaking for centuries parts of the canton of Grisons. German is the only language authorities. The development in Spliigen ( with Medel ) of the past decades shows the following table:
Origin and nationality
From the end of 2005 401 inhabitants of the (old ) community were 353 ( = 88 % ) Swiss nationals. Of the ( with Medels im Rheinwald ) 446 inhabitants were 395 ( = 89 %), a Swiss citizen.
Customs
Each year on Ash Wednesday, the Pschuuri is celebrated.
Attractions
In addition to the well-preserved townscape with its old houses there are in and around Spliigen following attractions:
- The Reformed Church Spliigen
- The Municipal House
- The Spliigen Castle
- The former customs building
- The Marmorbücke on the road to Splügenpass
- The restored Splügengalerie below the summit
- The tunnel with conical buoy
Gallery
Stutzbach
Spliigen from west
Ancient part of the right Stutz creek