St. Antönien
Encyclopedia
St. Antönien is a municipality
in the district of Prättigau/Davos
in the Swiss
canton
of Graubünden
.
The municipalities of St. Antönien (242 inhabitants) and St. Antönien Ascharina
(118 inhabitants) merged on 1 January 2007 into St. Antönien
Earlier, the area was worked by romansh speaking inhabitants of the lower valleys as the names of the places indicate. Around 1400 Walser
people that came from the Klosters area were allowed to settle in the higher areas at the end of the valley. So the Walser settled in the valley top first, advancing to lower areas later. The Walser also brought with them the Valliser style of house, which uses more wood than stone
The municipality is located in the Luzein sub-district of the Prättigau/Davos. It consists of the village of St. Antönien which was created in 1979 by the merger of St. Antönien Castels and St. Antönien Rüti. In 2007 St. Antönien Ascharina merged into St. Antönien.
. Today there are hotels and about 20 rental properties with about 500 beds. The Pisten ski slopes opened in 1974 with the construction of the Skilift Junker. In the 1980s there were a record 50,000 lodger-nights per year, while in the 2000s it has dropped to about 30,000. The valley is firstly known for mountain climbing on the limestone
peaks of the Rätikon
mountain range of which nearby Sulzfluh
hosts Via Ferrata
in its southern face that was opened in 2005. Non climbers go skiing, ski touring
or hiking along the whole of the impressive Rätikon
mountains. Even though the first impression from the St. Antönien side would not seem to allow this, it is nevertheless possible to reach some of the summits on mountain paths without climbing.
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 51.9% male and 48.1% female. The age distribution, , in St. Antönien is; 44 children or 19.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 24 teenagers or 10.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 20 people or 8.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 40 people or 17.4% are between 30 and 39, 30 people or 13.0% are between 40 and 49, and 27 people or 11.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 19 people or 8.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 24 people or 10.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 2 people or 0.9% who are between 80 and 89.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the SVP
which received 58.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
(29.8%), the SP
(7.7%) and the local, small right-wing parties (3.1%).
In St. Antönien about 48% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
St. Antönien has an unemployment rate of 0.2%. , there were 89 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 34 businesses involved in this sector. 8 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 57 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 18 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Prättigau/Davos
Prättigau/Davos (district)
Prättigau/Davos District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of .It consists of seven Kreise and fifteen municipalities:...
in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
.
The municipalities of St. Antönien (242 inhabitants) and St. Antönien Ascharina
St. Antönien Ascharina
St. Antönien Ascharina is a former municipality in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Until 1953, the municipality was known as Ascharina.The municipalities of St. Antönien Ascharina and St. Antönien have voted with a large majority to combine the two municipalities, effective January 1, 2007.The...
(118 inhabitants) merged on 1 January 2007 into St. Antönien
History
St. Antönien is first mentioned in 1451 as Sant Anthonyen.Earlier, the area was worked by romansh speaking inhabitants of the lower valleys as the names of the places indicate. Around 1400 Walser
Walser
The Walser are German-speaking people who live in the Alps of Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein and Austria. The Walser people are named after the Wallis , the uppermost Rhône River valley...
people that came from the Klosters area were allowed to settle in the higher areas at the end of the valley. So the Walser settled in the valley top first, advancing to lower areas later. The Walser also brought with them the Valliser style of house, which uses more wood than stone
Geography
St. Antönien has an area, , of 52.2 km² (20.2 sq mi) with settlements reaching as high as roughly 1800 meters at Gafia and Partnun. Of this area, 51.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 11.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.9% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (36.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Luzein sub-district of the Prättigau/Davos. It consists of the village of St. Antönien which was created in 1979 by the merger of St. Antönien Castels and St. Antönien Rüti. In 2007 St. Antönien Ascharina merged into St. Antönien.
Tourism
The village has been a minor tourism destination since 1891 when 30 to 40 guests stayed in homes that were empty due to the summer pasturingTranshumance in the Alps
Transhumance in the Alps, or seasonal migration between valley and high pastures is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2000 m would be forests.While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal...
. Today there are hotels and about 20 rental properties with about 500 beds. The Pisten ski slopes opened in 1974 with the construction of the Skilift Junker. In the 1980s there were a record 50,000 lodger-nights per year, while in the 2000s it has dropped to about 30,000. The valley is firstly known for mountain climbing on the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
peaks of the Rätikon
Rätikon
The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as the Rhine. In the south, the Prättigau is its limit, in the...
mountain range of which nearby Sulzfluh
Sulzfluh
The Sulzfluh is a mountain in the Rätikon mountain range , located on the border between Austria and Switzerland.It is well known by climbers and has a Via ferrata on the southern, Swiss face, the Graubünden....
hosts Via Ferrata
Via ferrata
A via ferrata or klettersteig is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities...
in its southern face that was opened in 2005. Non climbers go skiing, ski touring
Ski touring
Ski touring is a form of backcountry skiing involving traveling over the winter landscape on skis under human power rather than through the assistance of ski lifts or snow vehicles. It can take place in terrain ranging from perfectly flat to extremely steep...
or hiking along the whole of the impressive Rätikon
Rätikon
The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as the Rhine. In the south, the Prättigau is its limit, in the...
mountains. Even though the first impression from the St. Antönien side would not seem to allow this, it is nevertheless possible to reach some of the summits on mountain paths without climbing.
Heritage sites of national significance
The House with Barn is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
Demographics
St. Antönien has a population (as of ) of . , 4.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -0.3%. Most of the population speaks German (97.7%), with Albanian being second most common ( 1.4%) and Romansh being third ( 0.3%)., the gender distribution of the population was 51.9% male and 48.1% female. The age distribution, , in St. Antönien is; 44 children or 19.1% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 24 teenagers or 10.4% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 20 people or 8.7% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 40 people or 17.4% are between 30 and 39, 30 people or 13.0% are between 40 and 49, and 27 people or 11.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 19 people or 8.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 24 people or 10.4% are between 70 and 79, there are 2 people or 0.9% who are between 80 and 89.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 58.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(29.8%), the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(7.7%) and the local, small right-wing parties (3.1%).
In St. Antönien about 48% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
St. Antönien has an unemployment rate of 0.2%. , there were 89 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 34 businesses involved in this sector. 8 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 3 businesses in this sector. 57 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 18 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 224 |
| 1900 | 255 |
| 1950 | 284 |
| 1970 | 229 |
| 2000 | 230 |