Chur

Chur or Coire is the capital city of the canton of Graubünden (also called Grisons). About 34.000 people live in the city, which is probably the oldest in Switzerland. The city is on the Rhine River.

Chur 2008 (1).jpg
Coat of arms of Chur
Coordinates: 46°51′N 9°32′E / 46.850°N 9.533°E / 46.850; 9.533Coordinates: 46°51′N 9°32′E / 46.850°N 9.533°E / 46.850; 9.533
CountrySwitzerland
CantonGraubünden
DistrictPlessur
Government
 • ExecutiveStadtrat
with 3 members
 • MayorStadtpräsident (list)
Urs Marti FDP
(as of February 2014)
 • ParliamentGemeinderat
with 21 members
Area
 • Total28.01 km2 (10.81 sq mi)
Elevation
(Postplatz)
593 m (1,946 ft)
Highest elevation
(Fürhörnli)
1,885 m (6,184 ft)
Lowest elevation
(Bettlerküche)
554 m (1,818 ft)
Population
 (December 2017)
 • Total35,038
 • Density1,250.91/km2 (3,239.8/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)
7000-7007
LocalitiesAltstadt, Sand, Kasernenquartier, Industriegebiet, Loestrasse-Lürlibad, Maladers, Masans, Rheinquartier
Surrounded byChurwalden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Haldenstein, Maladers, Malix, Trimmis
Twin townsBad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), Terracina (Italy)
Websitewww.chur.ch
SFSO statistics
Chur in 1642, by Matthäus Merian.

The name "chur" may come from the Celtic word kora or koria, meaning "tribe", or from the Latin curia

Archaeological evidence that people lived here goes back as far as the Pfyn culture[1] (3900-3500 BC),[2] Various artefacts from the Bronze Age and Iron Age have been found in the city. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur was created in the 4th century. It was probably the first Roman Catholic diocese to be created north of the Alps.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality Maladers became part of Chur.

Chur Media

References

  1. Chur in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  2. 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

Other websites

  Media related to Chur at Wikimedia Commons