Chur[note 1][note 2] is the capital and largesttown of theSwisscanton of theGrisons and lies in theGrisonian Rhine Valley, where theRhine turns towards the north, in the northern part of the canton. The city, on the right bank of the Rhine, is reputedly the oldest town in Switzerland.[2]
The official language of Chur isGerman,[note 3] but the main spoken language is the local variant ofAlemannic, known asGrisonian German.Romansh andItalian are significantly spoken in the city as a result of the trilingual identity of the canton.
On 1 January 2020 the former municipality ofMaladers merged into Chur and on 1 January 2021Haldenstein also merged.[3] On 1 January 2025 the former municipality ofTschiertschen-Praden merged into Chur.
Archaeological evidence of settlement at the site, in theEastern Alps, goes back as far as thePfyn culture[4] (3900–3500 BC),[5] making Chur one of the oldest settlements in Switzerland. Remains and objects from theBronze andIron Ages have also been found in the eastern sector of the centre of the current city. These include Bronze-AgeUrnfield andLaugen-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 ofRaetia in15 BC. Under emperorDiocletian (late 3rd century AD), the existing settlement ofCuria Raetorum (later Chur) was made the capital of the newly established province ofRaetia prima.[6]
In the 4th century Chur became the seat of thefirst Christian bishopric north of the Alps. Despite a legend assigning its foundation to an alleged British king,St. Lucius, the first known bishop is oneAsinio [de][7] in AD 451. The bishop soon acquired great temporal powers, especially after 831 when his dominions were made dependent on theEmpire alone.[8]
After the invasion of theOstrogoths it may have been renamedTheodoricopolis;[9][10] in the 6th century it was conquered by theFranks.[11] The city suffered several invasions, by theMagyars in 925–926, when the cathedral was destroyed, and by theSaracens (940 and 954),[12] 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 already been used under the Romans but acquired greater importance under theOttonian dynasty of theHoly Roman Empire.Emperor Otto I 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 andChiavenna.
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 ofSt. Luzi [de] andSt. Nicolai [de] andSt Martin's Church [de] and twice destroyed much of the town. TheGotteshausbund (League of the House of God) was formed in 1367 in Chur to resist the rising power of theBishopric of Chur and the House of Habsburg. Chur was the chief town of the League and one of the places the League's assemblies met regularly. Aburgomaster (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 bishop's power waning as he came increasingly under the influence of the nearbyHabsburgCounty of Tyrol, the citizens sent a delegation to EmperorFrederick 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 that 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. Since guild membership had become the only route to political power, local patricians and nobles quickly became guild members, often joining thewinemakers guild.[13]
The Chur-led League of the House of God allied with theGrey League and theLeague of the Ten Jurisdictions in 1471 to form theThree Leagues. In 1489 Chur obtained the right to have a tribunal of its own but never had the title ofFree Imperial City. 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 theSwabian War 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'sVogt Heinrich Ammann in the LowerEngadin, inPrättigau and nearBalzers. Troops from Chur also took part in the 1512 invasion of theValtellina and the SecondMusso War in 1530–31.
In 1523Johannes (Dorfmann) Comander [de] was appointedparish priest of St Martin's Church and began preaching the new faith of the ProtestantReformation. 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.[14] TheIlanz Articles [de] 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.[15] By 1527 all of Chur except the bishop's estates had adopted the Reformation. On 23 January 1529 AbbotTheodul Schlegel [de] was publicly beheaded. BishopThomas Planta [de], a friend ofCharles Borromeo, tried, but without success, to suppress Protestantism. He died, probably poisoned, on 5 May 1565.[16]
During the 16th century the German language started to prevail overRomansh. In 1479 about 300 houses andstalls 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.[12]
After theNapoleonic Wars the Three Leagues became theCanton of Graubünden in 1803. The guild constitution of the city of Chur lasted until 1839 and in 1874 theBurgergemeinde was replaced by anEinwohnergemeinde.[8] When Graubünden became a canton in 1803, Chur was chosen as its capital.
Chur'sDaleu Cemetery [de] is in the centre of town, and in the middle of the cemetery is a 13-tonne (13,000 kg) stonemonument that dwarfs the nearbygravestones. The hugemonolithic block ofgranite was erected in 1938 and for decades was largely ignored by passers-by until in 2023 acontroversy arose after a Swisshistorian discovered that it was originally built aspropaganda for theNazi regime.[17]
Chur from its highest point, calledFürhörnli, looking upstreamView of Chur fromVersam
Chur has an area (as of the 2004/09 survey) of 54.33 km2 (20.98 sq mi).[18] About 17.6% is used for agricultural purposes and 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 86 ha (210 acres) and the agricultural land has decreased by 87 ha (210 acres).[19]
Chur is situated at a height of 594 m (1,949 ft)above sea level, on the right bank of the torrentPlessur just as it issues from the valleySchanfigg and about a mile above its junction with the Rhine, almost entirely surrounded by theAlps, overshadowed by theMittenberg [ceb] (northeast) and Pizokel (southwest), hills that guard the entrance to the deep-cut valley Schanfigg.[8]
The altitude in the city area varies from 600 meters (2,000 ft)above sea level to 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) above sea level and the Churer HausbergBrambrüesch [de] (accessible from theOld Town) is 2,174 meters (7,133 ft)above sea level.
The water of Chur's spring is exported and sold asPassugger mineral water.
Chur has anoceanic climate in spite of its inland position. Summers are warm and sometimes hot, normally averaging around 25 °C (77 °F) during the day, whilst winter means are around freezing, with daytime temperatures being about 5 °C (41 °F). Between 1981 and 2010 Chur had an average of 104.6 days of rain per year and on average received 849 mm (33.4 in) ofprecipitation. The wettest month was August, with an average of 112 mm (4.4 in) of precipitation over an average of 11.2 days. The driest month of the year was February with an average of 47 mm (1.9 in) of precipitation over 6.6 days.[20]
Climate data for Chur, elevation 556 m (1,824 ft), (1991–2020)
The City Council (Stadtrat) constitutes theexecutive government of the City of Chur and operates as acollegiate 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 byStadtpräsidentUrs Marti [de]. 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 ofproportional representation. The mayor is elected as such by public election by means of a system ofmajoritarian representation, while the heads of the other departments are assigned by the collegiate.[22]
TheGemeinderat of Chur for the mandate period of 2021–2024
SP (28.6%)
FL&G (9.50%)
glp (9.50%)
Centre (14.3%)
FDP (19.0%)
SVP (19.0%)
The Municipal Council (Gemeinderat) holdslegislative power. 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 ofProporz.
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 theTown Hall [de].[23]
In the2015 federal election the most popular party was theSVP/UDC with 26.43% of the vote followed almost equally by theSP/PS (25.96%), then theCVP/PDC (13.74%), theFDP/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 thevoter turnout was 45.4%.[24]
Chur has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 36,336.[26] In 2008 17.8% of the population were foreign nationals[27] and by 2014 that number was 19.2%. Over the last 4 years (2010–2014) the population has changed at a rate of 2.34%. Thebirth rate in the municipality in 2014 was 9.2 and thedeath rate was 10.0 per thousand residents.[19] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speak German (81.0%), with Italian being second most common (6.4%) and Romansh being third (5.3%).[28][29]
As of 2000[update] the gender distribution of the population was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.[30] The age distribution as of 2000[update] in Chur is; 3,087 children or 9.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. 1,602 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 or 16.7% are 30 to 39, 4,616 or 14.0% are 40 to 49 and 4,254 or 12.9% are 50 to 59. 3,090 people or 9.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 2,314 or 7.0% are 70 to 79, there are 1,307 or 4.0% who are 80 to 89, 233 or 0.7% who are 90 to 99 and 5 who are 100 or more.[27]
In 2015 there were 15,557 single residents, 13,722 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 1,948 widows and widowers, 3,423 divorced residents and 2 people who did not answer the question.[31]
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. About 20.5% of the buildings dated from before 1919 and 8.8% were built between 1991 and 2000.[32] In 2013 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 7.71. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2015[update], was 0.6%.[19]
From the 2000 census[update], 14,713 or 44.6% areRoman Catholic, while 12,199 or 37.0% belonged to theSwiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there are 15 individuals (or about 0.05% of the population) who belong to theChristian Catholic Church of Switzerland, there are 589 individuals (or about 1.79% of the population) who belong to theEastern Orthodox Church, 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 areJewish, and 917 (or about 2.78% of the population) who areMuslim. 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, areagnostic oratheist, and 1,589 individuals (or about 4.82% of the population) did not answer the question.[27]
Headquarters of Grisons Cantonal Bank in Postplatz, Chur
As of 2014[update], there were a total of 32,448 people employed in the municipality. Of these, 108 people worked in 26 businesses in theprimary 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. Thesecondary sector 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, thetertiary sector 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).[34]
In 2014 a total of 7.7% of the population received social assistance.[19]
In 2015 local hotels had a total of 152,629 overnight stays, of which 47.8% were international visitors.[35]
There were two cinemas in the municipality in 2015, with a total of 4 screens and 736 seats.[36]
In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in theSwiss Criminal Code (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 a 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.[37]
Chur is home to many buildings or other sites that are listed as Swissheritage sites of national significance. There are two archeological sites in Chur, the old city, which is amedieval city, andWelschdörfli [de], a prehistoric settlement andRomanVicus. 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; theBündner Kunstmuseum (Art Museum),Bündner Naturmuseum [de] (Natural History Museum), theDommuseum and theRätisches Museum [de] in the Haus Buol. Three churches are included in the list; Thecathedral of theAssumption, theCatholic Church of St. Luzi [de] and theReformed Church of St. Martin [de]. There are 15 other buildings that are also heritage sites; these include theAlte Kaserne at Zeughaus 3 (the Old Armory), the Confederation Paper Mill, theMain Post Office [de], the newTown Hall [de], headquarters of theRhätische Bahn and several old patrician houses. With the 2021 merger of Haldenstein into Chur, theRuins of Haldenstein fortress andHaldenstein Castle became part of Chur.[38]
St. Maria Himmelfahrt (cathedral of the Assumption)
Street in Altstadt
The first church on the cathedral site was built in the first half of the 5th century.[4] TheRomanesquecrypt was probably built underBishop Tello (758–773). It contains remarkable paintings byAlbrecht Dürer andHans Holbein.[16] The current building was built between 1154 and 1270. In 1272 it was dedicated to Saint Mary of the Assumption. Theround arch window along the center axis is the largest medieval window in Graubünden. The late-Gothic high altar was completed in 1492 byJakob Russ [de].[39]
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 aCarolingian scribes' school during the early Middle Ages. In 1149 it became the church of thePremonstratensian monastery.[40][41]
The town is home to theGiger Bar designed by the Swiss artistH. R. Giger, the Old Town, the art gallery, and the natural history museum.
Chur is a hockeytown and its team,EHC Chur, currently plays in theSwiss League, the second tier of the Swiss ice hockey league system. They play their home games in the 6,500-seatHallenstadion.
The American football teamCalanda Broncos (formally the Landquart Broncos) moved to Chur in 2009, playing their home games at Ringstrasse Stadium. The Broncos currently play in theNationalliga A and are the most successful Swiss American football team with the record for mostSwiss Bowl wins (eight wins) as well as winning theEFAF Cup in 2010 and theEurobowl in 2012. As of 2017 they finished first in the league, hostingSwiss Bowl XXXII in Ringstrasse Stadium where they defeated theBasel Gladiators [de] 42–6 on 8 July.
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 (1889–1931 in Chur), an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator
Kurt Huber (1893–1943), a university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi groupWhite Rose
H. R. Giger (1940–2014), visual artist, painter and Oscar winner[48]
Peter Zumthor (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 (born 1946), engineer, specialising in motorsport engine design
Renato Tosio (born 1964), former ice hockey goaltender of EHC Chur
Mario Frick (born 1974), a Swiss-born Liechtensteiner retired professional footballer was the manager forFC Vaduz between 2018 and 2021; 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
^In this context ‘German’ is used as an umbrella term for any variety of German. A person is allowed to communicate with the authorities using any kind of German, in written or oral form. However the authorities always useSwiss Standard German (the Swiss variety ofStandard German) in documents and any written form. In spoken interactionHochdeutsch (Swiss Standard German or what the particular speaker considers as High German) or any other dialectal variant can be used.
^Schibler, J. 2006. The economy and environment of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC in the northern Alpine foreland based on studies of animal bones. Environmental Archaeology 11(1): 49-65.
^Alois Lechthaler,Handbuch der Geschichte Tirols, Tyrolia-Verlag, 1936, p. 35.
^Sean D. W. Lafferty,Law and Society in the Age of Theoderic the Great : A Study of the Edictum Theoderici, Cambridge University Press, 2013, note 36.ISBN1107067561
^ab One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Chur".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ab"Climate Normals Chur (Reference period 1991−2020)"(PDF) (in German, French, and Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology – MeteoSwiss.Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved20 January 2022., the weather station elevation is 556 metres (1,824 feet)above sea level.
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).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Chur".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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