The municipality covers nearly the entire valley of the Landwasser, and the centre of population, economic activity and administration is two adjacent villages,Davos Dorf (engl.: Davos Village) andDavos Platz (Davos Place), which are 1,560 m (5,120 ft) above sea level.
Gaining prominence in the 19th century as a mountainhealth resort, Davos is perhaps best known today for hosting theWorld Economic Forum, an annual meeting of global political and corporate leaders. With its long history of winter sports, Davos also has one of Switzerland's largestski resorts and hosts the internationalSpengler Cup, anice hockey tournament, every December.
The current settlement of the Davos area began in theHigh Middle Ages with the immigration ofRhaeto-Romans. The village of Davos is first mentioned in 1213 asTavaus.[10] From about 1280 the barons ofVaz allowed German-speakingWalser colonists to settle and conceded them extensive self-administration rights.[11] In 1289 an agreement between the people of Davos and the baron of Vaz included that the Davoser citizens would not have to pay personal taxes, only the Government of Davos had to pay a yearly amount of goods to the baron of Vaz.[12] Davos became the largest Walser settlement area in eastern Switzerland. Natives still speak adialect that is atypical for Graubünden, showing similarities with the German spoken inRaron in CantonValais.[11] In 1338, with the death of the last Baron of Vaz, Davos came into possession of Frederick V, theCount of Toggenburg, who was the brother of the wife of the deceased baron.[13] Davos retained its right to elect its Landamman independently.[13]
In 1436, theLeague of the Ten Jurisdictions was founded in Davos.[13] In 1438, Davos received additional rights in an agreement in which the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and the rights received in the older treaty from 1289 were both acknowledged.[14] With this agreement, Davos was exempted from trade taxes in the territory of the Ten Jurisdictions and only obliged to provide men for military services within the territory of eight of the Ten Jurisdictions.[14] In 1443 Davos came under the control of theCounts of Montfort, under which Davos also retained its rights.[14] In 1450 an alliance between the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and theLeague of God's House was signed.[14] The Counts of Montfort reached a financial impasse and sold Davos to Duke Sigmund ofTyrol in 1466.[14] This lead Davos to search for support of the two otherRaethian leagues and a treaty with theGrey League was reached in 1471.[15] As a result, Davos refused to follow the orders of the Austrian Empire.[15] Eventually a compromise was found, under which Davos would come under the control of theHouse of Matsch, but Austria kept a right to repurchase Davos.[15]
From the middle of the 19th century, Davos, modeled on Görbersdorf (nowSokołowsko), became a popular destination for the sick and ailing because themicroclimate in the high valley was deemed excellent by doctors (initiated byAlexander Spengler[16]) and recommended forlung disease patients.Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered fromtuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 on the recommendation of his Edinburgh physician George Balfour.Arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. A sanatorium in Davos is also the inspiration for the Berghof Sanitorium inThomas Mann's novelDer Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain). Between 1936 and 1938,Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, then at the end of his life and living in Davos since 1917, depicted Davos and the Junkerboden. His painting has a bothRomantic andpantheistic atmosphere and simplified formal structure.
The several sanatoria in Davos attracted a great number of German patients, of which many remained in Davos.[17] As a result, during World War II, in which Switzerland remained neutral, Davos was a centre of Nazi activity in Switzerland.[18][17] Nowhere else in the country were there moreNSDAP members as a share of the population.[18] In the many German-led sanatoria and schools, Nazi salutes and flags werede rigueur.[18][17] Swiss Nazi leaderWilhelm Gustloff's 1936 assassination in Davos led to tensions with Nazi Germany.[18] At the end of the war, Federal CouncillorErnst Nobs described Davos as "more nazi-infested than any other Swiss place".[18] In 2022, Davos mayor Philip Willhelm commissioned a study from historian Stefan Keller documenting the history of Nazi influence in Davos.[18][19]
During thenatural ice era ofwinter sports, Davos and theDavos Eisstadion were a mecca forspeed skating. Many international championships were held here, and many world records were set, beginning withPeder Østlund who set four records in 1898. The only EuropeanBandy Championship was held in the town in 1913.[20] Subsequently, Davos became a ski resort, especially frequented by tourists from the United Kingdom and theNetherlands.[citation needed] After peaking in the 1970s and 1980s, the city settled down as a leading but less high-profile tourist attraction. The AmericanVan Leer family immigrated from here with their former Valär surname. Today Valärs still live and are members of government.[21][22]
View of Davos from aparaglider, looking southwestDavos from the air, looking north, with Schatzalp and Parsenn ski areas
The main village of Davos lies at the top of the narrow valley of theLandwasser at an altitude of 1,560 metres (5,120 ft), just below theWolfgang Pass.Lake Davos is northeast of the village, formerly the source of the Landwasser.
The municipality of Davos (German:Gemeinde Davos) has an area (as of the 2004/09 survey) of 284 km2 (109.65 sq mi),[23] including most of the Landwasser valley and its side valleys.
Of that area, about 35.0% is used for agricultural purposes, and 22.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 40.5% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of 337 ha (830 acres) or about 1.2% of the total area was covered with buildings, an increase of 61 ha (150 acres) over the 1985 amount. Over the same time period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by 10 ha (25 acres) and is now about 0.22% of the total area. Of the agricultural land, 1,296 ha (3,200 acres) is fields and grasslands and 9,056 ha (22,380 acres) consists of alpine grazing areas. Since 1985 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by 736 ha (1,820 acres). Over the same time period the amount of forested land has increased by 481 ha (1,190 acres). Rivers and lakes cover 285 ha (700 acres) in the municipality.[24][25]
The Wolfgang Pass divides the waters flowing into theLandquart from the valley of the Landwasser, and has a year-round road andRhaetian Railway connection. Crossing the pass leads to the village ofKlosters and thePrättigau. Three long side valleys reach out to the south from the main valley of the Landwasser, one of which leads to theFlüela Pass and theEngadin beyond.
The whole municipality of Davos is divided into sixFraktionsgemeinden: Davos Dorf, Davos Platz, Davos Frauenkirch, Davos Glaris, Davos Monstein andDavos Wiesen.[26] The names of theFraktionsgemeinden correspond to their largest village within.
Smaller populated places in the municipality are the village of Davos Clavadel, thehamlets of Laret, Wolfgang, Obem See, Meierhof, Stilli, Bünda, and Spina (in the main Landwasser valley), and Tschuggen, Dörfji, In den Büelen, Hof, Teufi, Gadmen, Am Rin, Dürrboden, Sertig Dörfli, Oberalp, Inneralp (in the side valleys).
Until 2017, the municipality was located in the Davos subdistrict of the Prättigau/Davos district. Since 2017, it is part of the Prättigau/Davos Region.[27] In terms of area, it was the largest municipality in Switzerland in 2009 after a municipalmerger withWiesen. Davos lost that distinction after the formation ofGlarus Süd in 2010 and today is the fourth-largest municipality in the canton of Graubünden.
Davos has asubalpine climate (KöppenDfc) with an average of 125.3 days of precipitation per year and on average receives 1,046 mm (41.2 in) ofprecipitation.
The wettest month is August during which time Davos receives an average of 150 mm (5.9 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 13.6 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is July, with an average of 13.8, but with only 133 mm (5.2 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 52 mm (2.0 in) of precipitation over 7.9 days, of which 74 cm (29 in) in 11.1 days are snowfall.[28]
Climate data for Davos, elevation 1,594 m (5,230 ft), (1991–2020)
The Small Country Council (Kleiner Landrat) constitutes theexecutive government of the municipality of Davos and operates as acollegiate authority. It is composed of five councilors (German:Landrat/-rätin), each presiding over a department (Departement) comprising several bureaus. The president of the executive department acts as president of the municipality (Landammann orGemeindepräsident). In the mandate period 2025–2028 (Legislatur) the Small Country Council is presided byLandammann Philipp Wilhelm. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Grand Country Council are carried by the Small Country Council. The regular election of the municipal councils by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of the municipality of Davos allowed to vote and being registered can be elected as a member of the Small Country Council for a maximal period of twelve years. The delegates are selected by means of a system ofMajorz. The President is elected as such as well by a public election while the heads of the other departments are assigned by the collegiate. They usually meet once a week.[30]
TheGrosse Landrat of Davos for the mandate period of 2025–2028
SP (23.5%)
glp (5.9%)
Center (11.8%)
FDP (29.4%)
SVP (29.4%)
The Grand Country Council (Grosser Landrat) holdslegislative power. It is made up of 17 members, with elections held every four years. The Grand Country Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the Small Country Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system ofMajorz.
The sessions of the Grand Country Council are public. They usually meet ten times a year. Members of the Grand Country Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Davos allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Grand Country Council for a maximal period of twelve years.[32]
In the2023 federal election the most popular party was theSVP with 29.1%, (+9.1) of the votes. The next four parties were theSP (17.4%, -3.9),Central Party (16.4%, +10.6),FDP (15.6%, +5.5), and theglp (12.0%, +5.2). In the federal election, a total of 2'874 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 42.9%.[33][34]
In the2019 federal election the most popular party was theSP with 21.3% (+7.6) of the votes. The next four parties were theSVP (20.0%, -10.0),FDP (10.1%, -10.3),CVP (6.8%, +1.6), and theglp (6.8%, -5.3). In the federal election, a total of 2'885 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 41.8%.[35]
In the2015 federal election the most popular party was theSVP with 30.0% of the votes. The next five parties were theFDP (20.4%), theBDP (15.8%), theSP (14.7%), theglp (12.1%), andCVP (5.2%). In the federal election, a total of 3,231 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 46.7%.[36]
Davos has a population (as of December 2020[update]) of 10,832.[8] As of 2014[update], 27.0% of the population are resident foreign nationals. In 2015 7.3% of the population was born in Germany and 6.9% of the population was born in Portugal.[39] Over the last four years (2010–2014) the population has changed at a rate of -0.27%. Thebirth rate in the municipality, in 2014, was 9.1, while thedeath rate was 8.2 per thousand residents.[25]
Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaksGerman (86.3%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common (2.8%) and Italian being third (2.7%).[40]
As of 2014[update], children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 17.3% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 64.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.2%.[25] In 2015 there were 5,099 single residents, 4,666 people who were married or in a civil partnership, 550 widows or widowers and 794 divorced residents.[41]
In 2014 there were 5,441 private households in Davos with an average household size of 2.03 persons. Of the 2,133 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 30.7% were single family homes and 39.1% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 25.9% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 8.3% were built between 1991 and 2000.[42] In 2013 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 23.46. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2015[update], was 0.71%.[25]
In Davos about 74% of the population (ages 25–64) have completed either nonmandatoryupper secondary education or additional higher education (either a university or aFachhochschule).[40]
Davos is a tourist community and a regional center.[45]
As of 2014[update], there were a total of 8,853 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 203 people worked in 80 businesses in theprimary economic sector. Thesecondary sector employed 996 workers in 145 separate businesses. Finally, thetertiary sector provided 7,654 jobs in 926 businesses. In 2014 a total of 5,211 employees worked in 908 small companies (less than 50 employees). There were 17 mid sized businesses with 2,074 employees and 1 large business which employed 369 people.[46] In 2014 a total of 23.5% of the population received social assistance.[25]
In 2015 local hotels had a total of 797,348 overnight stays, of which 46.9% were international visitors.[47]
From the 2000 census[update], 5,321 residents (46.6% of the population) belonged to theSwiss Reformed Church while 3,950 residents (34.6%) areRoman Catholic. Of the rest of the population, there were 10 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who belong to theChristian Catholic faith, 439 individuals (3.85% of the population) who belonged to the Orthodox Church, 274 (2.40%) who belonged to another Christian church, 79 (0.69%) who wereMuslim, 56 (0.49%) who belonged to another faith (not listed), and eight residents (0.07%) wereJewish. In addition, 832 residents (7.29%) belonged to no faith, wereagnostic oratheist, and 448 individuals (3.92%) did not answer the question.[48]
Schatzalp is privately owned by the Schatzalp Hotel and a specialty as a "decelerated" skiing area
All areas offer summer transport as well on to the main peaks from mid May until end of October. The remote side valleys heading towards theEngadine area are worth long hikes towards the passes of Sertig orScaletta Pass to reach, for example,Piz Kesch, anUltra prominent peak. To the north there are no valleys but rather a direct one-day ascent to continue across a pass into the "Schanfigg" valley towards the rival resort ofArosa or even to continue toLenzerheide in a two-day hike.[52]
These heritage sites include the Town Archives, theKirchner Museum,[53] theGrosses Jenatschhaus (a type of charity house known as aPfrundhaus) and the Forest Cemetery (Waldfriedhof). Several hotels and spas are also included on the list. The three hotels or former hotels are:Berghotel Schatzalp, the former Grand Hotel Belvédère, and the Zürcher Höhenklinik von R. Gaberel.[54]
Davos hosts annual meetings of theWorld Economic Forum. The city was featured in an episode ofViva La Bam, when cities aroundEurope were visited. On 14 March 2003, a festival calledWinterjam was held in the city and bands such asSum 41,Crazy Town, andGuano Apes performed during this event.[55]
The valley stationDavos Dorf (Parsennbahn) of the funicularParsennbahn toWeissfluhjoch (Parsenn) is in Davos Dorf, the stationDavos Platz Schatzalpbahn ofSchatzalp-Bahn in Davos Platz. Also in Davos Platz are the bottom stations of the cable car to theJakobshorn, the stationDavos Platz DKB (right next to the corresponding railway station), but also the one of the chair lift toUsser Isch, namely theDavos Platz (Talstation Carjöl).
The bottom station of the lift to Rinerhorn is right next to RhB stationDavos Glaris. The one (Dörfji) of thePischa area in the side valley of theFlüela, reachable by bus.
Davos has several research institutes: the AO Foundation focusing on trauma and disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), the World Radiation Center (PMOD/WRC) and the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) of theSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL).
^"Fraktionsgemeinden" (official website) (in German). Davos, Switzerland: Gemeinde Davos. Archived fromthe original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved30 December 2015.
^"Grosser Landrat" (official site) (in German). Davos, Switzerland: Gemeinde Davos. Retrieved1 March 2023.
^"Nationalratswahlen 2023: Davos" (in German, French, Italian, and Romansh). Chur, Switzerland: Kanton Graubünden. 22 October 2023. Retrieved17 January 2025.
^"Nationalratswahlen 2019: Davos" (in German, French, Italian, and Romansh). Chur, Switzerland: Kanton Graubünden. 20 October 2019. Retrieved1 March 2023.
^"Die Raumgliederungen der Schweiz 2016" (in German, French, Italian, and English). Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Statistical Office. 17 February 2016. Retrieved14 December 2016.
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