Schmitten, Graubünden

Schmitten
Schmitten village
Coat of arms
Schmitten
Location of Schmitten
Coordinates: 46°41′N 9°40′E / 46.683°N 9.667°E / 46.683; 9.667Coordinates: 46°41′N 9°40′E / 46.683°N 9.667°E / 46.683; 9.667
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Graubünden
District	Albula
Area[1]
• Total	11.35 km2 (4.38 sq mi)
Elevation	1,301 m (4,268 ft)
Population (Dec 2015[2])
• Total	242
• Density	21/km2 (55/sq mi)
Postal code	7493
SFOS number	3514
Surrounded by	Alvaneu, Arosa, Filisur, Wiesen
Website	http://www.schmitten-gr.ch SFSO statistics

Schmitten (Romansh: Ferrera) is a municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.

History

Schmitten is first mentioned in 1447 as Schmiten.^[3]

Geography

Schmitten has an area, as of 2006, of 11.3 km² (4.4 sq mi). Of this area, 25.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 57.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (16.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).^[4]

The municipality is located in the Belfort sub-district of the Albula District. It consists of the linear village of Schmitten which is located at an elevation of 1,280 m (4,200 ft) on the right side of the Albula valley.

Demographics

Schmitten Church

Schmitten has a population (as of 31 December 2015) of 242.^[2] As of 2008, 10.5% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1.6%.^[4]

As of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.^[5] The age distribution, as of 2000, in Schmitten is; 66 people or 10.6% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 46 people or 7.4% are 10 to 14, and 46 people or 7.4% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 74 people or 11.9% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 119 people or 19.2% are 30 to 39, 82 people or 13.2% are 40 to 49, and 73 people or 11.8% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 43 people or 6.9% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 47 people or 7.6% are 70 to 79, there are 21 people or 3.4% who are 80 to 89, and there are 3 people or 0.5% who are 90 to 99.^[6]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 41.1% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (33.8%), the FDP (16.6%) and the SPS (7.6%).^[4]

In Schmitten about 75.9% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).^[4]

Schmitten has an unemployment rate of 0.63%. As of 2005, there were 4 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 2 businesses involved in this sector. 42 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 25 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 4 businesses in this sector.^[4]

The historical population is given in the following table:^[3][5]

Heritage sites of national significance

Landwasser Viaduct

The Schmittentobel and Landwasser Viaducts of the Rhaetian Railway are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.^[7]

Languages

In the 14th and 15th centuries, the area was settled from Davos. Therefore, the municipality is traditionally German-speaking. Despite the neighboring Romansh-speaking villages, the percentage of Romansch speakers in Schmitten has always been well under 10%. (as of 2000), most of the population speaks German (94.2%), with Portuguese being second most common ( 2.1%) and Romansh being third ( 1.2%).^[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Schmitten, Graubünden.

Municipalities in the district of Albula, Switzerland
Albula/Alvra Bergün/Bravuogn Filisur Lantsch/Lenz Mutten Schmitten Surses Vaz/Obervaz Graubünden Districts of Canton Graubünden Municipalities of the canton of Graubünden