Graubünden

Graubünden
/grddow'byuun"deuhn/, n.
German name of Grisons.

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▪ canton and historical league, Switzerland
(German), French  Grisons , Italian  Grigioni , Romansh  Grishun 
 largest and most easterly canton of Switzerland; it has an area of 2,743 square miles (7,105 square km), of which two-thirds is classed as productive (forests covering one-fifth of the total). The entire canton is mountainous, containing peaks and glaciers of the Tödi (11,857 feet [3,614 metres]), Bernina (13,284 feet), Adula, Albula, Silvretta, and Rhätikon ranges in the Central Alps. These ranges are penetrated by a system of level valleys, of which the inner ones are the highest in central Europe. The principal valleys, running southwest to northeast, are those of the Upper Rhine.

      The valleys were originally settled by the Raeti (Rhaeti), a people probably Celtic in origin. Most of the modern canton formed the southern part of Raetia, a province set up by the Romans in 15 BC. Designated a county by the emperor Charlemagne c. AD 806, the region was largely ruled from the episcopal see of Chur (Coire), the bishop of which had become a prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1170.

      The Gotteshausbund (“League of the House of God”), founded in 1367 to stem the bishop's rising power, was followed in 1395 by the Oberbund, or Grauerbund (“Gray League”) of the Upper Rhine Valley. The use of the word gray (German grau, French gris, Romansh grisch) in this context derived from the homespun gray cloth worn by the men and gave rise to the name of the Grisons, or Graubünden (“Gray Leagues”), for the whole canton. A third Raetian league, called the Zehngerichtenbund (“League of the Ten Jurisdictions,” or “Courts”), was founded in 1436 by the inhabitants of 10 bailiwicks of the former countship of Toggenburg, whose dynasty had become extinct. In 1450 the Zehngerichtenbund allied with the Gotteshausbund and in 1471 with the Oberbund.

      The passing of the Toggenburg possessions to the elder Habsburgs in 1496 led the Oberbund and Gotteshausbund to ally with the Swiss Confederation. The Swiss victories at Calven Gorge and Dornach in the ensuing war compelled the Habsburgs to recognize the practical independence of the Swiss and their allies. In 1526 the last traces of the temporal jurisdiction of the bishops of Chur were abolished. After a brief inclusion in the Helvetic Republic, the Graubünden, or Grisons, entered the Swiss Confederation in 1803. The cantonal constitution dates from 1892.

      Forests and mountain pastures are used in the summer to graze goats and sheep. Wine is produced below Chur (q.v.), the capital, and corn (maize) and chestnuts are grown in the Mesolcina and Poschiavo valleys. Tourism is important in the canton's valleys, spas, and resorts, notably at Davos, St. Moritz, Pontresina, and Arosa. There are some light industries around Chur. . About one-half of the population, mainly around Chur, speaks German; about one-sixth, in the southern valleys, speaks Italian; and about one-third, in the Bündner Oberland and the Vorder-rhein and Engadin valleys, speaks Romansh and Ladin, survivals of an ancient Romance language. The population has a small Roman Catholic majority. Pop. (2007 est.) 187,920.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Graubünden — (Bünden, franz. les Grisons, rätoroman. ils Grischuns, ital. i Grigioni), Kanton der Schweiz, ihren Südosten umfassend, grenzt östlich an Tirol, südlich an die Lombardei, westlich an Tessin und Uri, nördlich an Glarus, St. Gallen, Liechtenstein… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Graubünden — Graubünden, Kanton der südöstl. Schweiz, 7185 qkm, (1900) 104.520 teils deutsche, teils roman. und ital. E. (49.142 Katholiken), Alpenland, bestehend aus fünf Haupttälern (Tal des Hinterrheins, des Vorderrheins, der Albula, Engadin, Prättigau),… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Graubünden — (Pays des Grisons), der größte schweiz. Canton mit 154 QM. aber mit nur 95000 E., von denen ein starker Drittheil kathol. ist, wird von den vielfach verzweigten rhät. Alpen erfüllt, bildet ein Netz von Gebirgsthälern, die größtentheils in das… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Graubünden — [grou΄bün′dən] easternmost canton of Switzerland: 2,743 sq mi (7,104 sq km); pop. 184,000 …   English World dictionary

  • Graubünden — Kanton Graubünden Basisdaten Hauptort: Chur Fläche: 7 105 km² (Rang 1) Einwohner: 188 762 (2007) (R …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Graubünden — The title of this article contains the character ü. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Graubuenden. Kanton Graubünden Chantun Grischun Cantone dei Grigioni   Canton of Switzerland   …   Wikipedia

  • Graubünden — Grau|bụ̈n|den; s: Schweizer Kanton. * * * Graubụ̈nden,   Bụ̈nden, italienisch Grigioni [ dʒoːni], bündnerromanisch Grischụn, französisch Grisons [ zɔ̃], mit 7 105 km2 der größte Kanton der Schweiz, (1999) 186 000 Einwohner; Hauptstadt ist Chur.… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Graubünden — Canton des Grisons Canton des Grisons Kanton Graubünden Chantun Grischun Cantone dei Grigioni …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Graubünden — Sp Graubiùndenas Ap Grisons prancūziškai Ap Graubünden vokiškai Ap Grigioni itališkai Ap Grischun retoromaniškai L Šveicarijos kantonas …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • Graubünden-Route — Die Graubünden Route ist die nationale Fahrradroute 6 in der Schweiz. Es ist die einzige der neun Routen, die mehrgliedrig ist. Die Route ist wie die anderen nationalen Fahrradrouten in der Schweiz mit roten Hinweisschildern gekennzeichnet.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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