Braunwald | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 The former municipal area (2007) | |
| Coordinates:46°56′N9°00′E / 46.933°N 9.000°E /46.933; 9.000 | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Glarus |
| Municipality | Glarus Süd |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.13 km2 (3.91 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,256 m (4,121 ft) |
| Population (December 2020) | |
• Total | 308 |
| • Density | 30.4/km2 (78.7/sq mi) |
Braunwald is a car-free resort village in themunicipality of Glarus Süd andcanton of Glarus inSwitzerland.[1]
Braunwald is first mentioned in 1421 asBrunwald. There is evidence of summer occupation between the 12th and 15th centuries and, by 1725, a few families were living there year-round. A school was first held in 1841, and moved into its own building in 1857. The Niederschlacht Inn, built in 1856, became a famous hotel.[2]The opening of theBraunwald funicular in 1907 was followed by the opening of further hotels, including the Grand Hotel Bellevue (now the Märchenhotel Bellevue), the Alpina Hotel (now the Adrenalin Backpackers Hostel) and the Alpenblick Hotel (which was destroyed by fire in 2009). In the second half of the 20th century, severalchair lifts andgondola lifts opened to provide access to the ski slopes above the village.[2][3]
Until 1939, the village of Braunwald formed part of themunicipality of Rüti, but, in that year Braunwald split off to form its own municipality. On 1 January 2011, both municipalities were reunited as part of the new municipality ofGlarus Süd.[2]
Braunwald is situated in theGlarus Alps on a terrace above theLinth valley, at an elevation of 1,256 meters (4,121 ft). It overlooks the villages ofLinthal andRüti in the valley below. It is overlooked by the mountains ofOrtstock (2,717 m or 8,914 ft),Höch Turm (2,666 m or 8,747 ft),Eggstock (2,455 m or 8,054 ft) andBös Fulen (2,802 m or 9,193 ft).[1]
Braunwald has an area, as defined by the former municipal boundaries in 2006, of 10.1 km2 (3.9 sq mi). Of this area, 43.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 28.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (24.6%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[4]
Braunwald is a car-free resort village, and access to the village is via theBraunwald funicular from thevillage of Linthal in the valley below. The funicular links Braunwald withLinthal Braunwaldbahn station, where over 750 parking spaces are available. The station provides a convenient interchange with the main line railway, and is served by the hourlyS25 service ofZurich S-Bahn from/toZurich during the day or theS6 ofSt. Gallen S-Bahn from/toRapperswil (during evening hours), both viaZiegelbrücke.[3][5][6][7] The latter is ajunction station, with connections toInterRegio and regional trains.
Taxi services for transport within the village are available from Schuler Transporte and Schumi-trans.Gondola lifts andchair lifts link the village to Grotzenbüel, Kleiner Gumen, Seblengrat and Bächital, principally for winter sport activities but in some cases operating in summer as well.[8][9]
Braunwald has a population, as of 31 December 2020 and as defined by the former municipal boundaries, of 308.[10] As of 2007[update], 13.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.[11] Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -25.4%[clarification needed]. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (93.6%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 3.2%) and Dutch being third ( 1.2%).[4]
In the2007 federal election the most popular party was theSPS which received 57.9% of the vote. Most of the rest of the votes went to theSVP with 38.2% of the vote.[4]
The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Braunwald about 70.6% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatoryupper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or aFachhochschule).[4]
Braunwald has an unemployment rate of 1.2%. As of 2005[update], there were 40 people employed in theprimary economic sector and about 15 businesses involved in this sector. 20 people are employed in thesecondary sector and there are 7 businesses in this sector. 215 people are employed in thetertiary sector, with 28 businesses in this sector.[4]
The historical population is given in the following table:[2]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 327 |
| 1950 | 402 |
| 1960 | 491 |
| 2000 | 408 |
Braunwald has an average of 161.3 days of rain per year and on average receives 2,025 mm (79.7 in) ofprecipitation. The wettest month is August during which time Braunwald receives an average of 206 mm (8.1 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 15.4 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is July, with an average of 16, but with only 199 mm (7.8 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is October with an average of 120 mm (4.7 in) of precipitation over 15.4 days.[12]
Braunwald is the municipality with the highest annual snowfall in Switzerland.
Media related toBraunwald at Wikimedia CommonsMunicipalities in theCanton of Glarus, Switzerland | ||
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| Municipalities from January 1, 2011 |  | |
| Former municipalities | ||
