Grisons

TheGrisons(/ɡriːˈzɒ̃/;French:[ɡʁizɔ̃]) orGraubünden(German:[ɡraʊˈbʏndn̩]),more formally theCanton of the Grisonsor theCanton of Graubünden,is one of the twenty-sixcantonsofSwitzerland. It has eleven districts, and its capital isChur. TheGermanname of the canton,Graubünden, translates as the "Grey Leagues", referring to the canton's origin in three local alliances, theThree Leagues. The other native names also refer to theGrey League:GrischùninSutsilvan,Grischunin the other forms ofRomansh, andGrigioniinItalian.Rhaetiais the Latin name for the area. TheAlpine ibexis the canton's heraldic symbol.
The largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland, it is also one of the three large southernAlpinecantons, along withValaisandTicino. It is the most diverse canton in terms of natural and cultural geography, as it encompasses both sides of the Alps and several natural and cultural regions. The diversity of the canton is often compared to that of Switzerland as a whole and warrants it the name of "Little Switzerland".The Grisons is bordered by four cantons as well asAustria,ItalyandLiechtenstein.
The state is the only trilingual canton of Switzerland.It is also the only one whereRomansh, Switzerland's fourth national language, has official status. Romansh language and culture is an important part of local identity.In 2020 the canton had a population of 200,096.It is the least densely populated canton of Switzerland. The only sizable city in the canton is Chur, as the majority of the population lives in mountainous areas, including some of the most remote valleys of the country. One of the birthplaces of winter sports, the canton is a major tourist destination year-round, including a large number of Alpine resort towns, notablyDavosandSt. Moritz. The canton is also renowned for its extensive narrow-gauge railway network, operated by theRhaetian Railway, and linking the capital with most valleys of the Grisons.
Formerly occupied by theRhaeti, most of the lands of the canton became part of the Roman province calledRaetia, which was established in 15 BC, withCuria, a settlement dating back to thePfyn culture, as capital city. The area later became part of the lands of thediocese of Chur. The late middle ages saw the foundation of theLeague of God's House, theGrey Leagueand theLeague of the Ten Jurisdictions. In 1471 an alliance gave birth to theThree Leagues, and before the end of the 15th century, the latter became an ally of theOld Swiss Confederacy. In 1803 the Three Leagues finally became one of the cantons of the Confederation.
The Grisons is Switzerland's largest and at the same time easternmost canton. Its geography, essentially marked by theAlps, is complex and encompasses a wide range of climates and ecosystems. It is one of the three large southern Alpine cantons, along withTicinoandValais, which include regions on the south side of the Alps. But in contrast to those (and all other cantons), it fully extends on both sides of the great Alpine barrier, from the northern plains atMaienfeldto the southern plains atRoveredo. However, a large portion of the canton is neither clearly north nor south of the Alps, it is theEngadin(the "garden of the Inn"), a large inner Alpine valley oriented towards eastern Europe. Therefore there are parts of this canton in four of thefive drainage basins of the country. The north of the canton is drained by theRhine(ending in the North Sea), the south by thePoandAdigethrough several affluents (Mediterranean Sea), and the Engadin by theDanubethrough theInn(Black Sea).
The Grisons lies fully within the Alps, with elevations above sea-level ranging from 260 to 4,049 metres (853 to 13,284 ft). It isboth one of the highest and lowest cantons, and the second-highest when considering mean elevation. As a consequence, its topography is extremely rugged and many of the highest settlements in the country (and Europe) are found there, notably in the Upper Engadin. The mountains are numerous; well over 1,000 summits are in the canton.The highest isPiz Bernina, closely followed by numerous peaks in thehomonymous range. Other prominent mountains arePiz Russein,Piz Kesch,Calanda,Aroser RothornandRheinwaldhorn, seelist of mountains of Graubündenfor a more exhaustive list. The canton includes numerous subranges of the Alps other than the Bernina. These are theAlbula, theBregaglia, theGlarus, theGotthard, theLepontine, theLivigno, thePlessur, theOberhalbstein, theOrtler, theRätikon, theSamnaun, theSesvennaand theSilvrettaranges.
The regions on the north side of the Alps are all drained by the Rhine and form an intricate network of valleys. The Rhine is both one of the longest rivers within the canton and the only one flowing directly into a sea. Thesources of the Rhineare found in the west of the canton and form theAnterior Rhineand thePosterior Rhine. These two rivers converge atReichenauto form the Rhine in the strict sense of the term. Just after the convergence, the valley opens and its floor constitutes the flattest plains of the canton, fromDomat/EmstoFläschat the St. Gallen border. In the area aroundChur, at the foot of theCalanda, the Rhine progressively changes its direction, from eastward to northward. The Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine include numerous tributaries as well before their own convergence. The former constitutes a long and straight valley, the Surselva, shut off from the lower plains by theRhine Gorge. Its biggest tributaries are the riversGlogn,Valser Rhine,Rabiusa, forming respectively theVal Lumnezia, theVals Valleyand theSafiental. The other one, the Posterior Rhine, notably collects the waters of theAvers Rhineand theAlbula, which in turn collects the waters of theGelgiaand theLandwasser. Similarly to the Anterior Rhine, the upper portion of the Posterior Rhine is also shut off from the plains by theViamalaGorge. After the convergence with the Albula, the Posterior Rhine forms a wide valley, theDomleschg, until it meets its anterior counterpart. After that, the Rhine collects the water of two important rivers: thePlessurat Chur, forming the valley of theSchanfigg, and theLandquartat thehomonymous town, forming thePrätigau.
The Engadin is entirely drained by the Inn and is the only valley in Switzerland in the Danube basin. The Inn is one of the longest rivers in the canton and forms an almost straight valley, from theMaloja PasstoMartina, with a change of direction nearZernez. Despite its length and numerous tributaries, only a few long rivers converge with the Inn. These are theFlaz(forming the Val Bernina), theSpöl(forming the Val da Spöl) and the Clemgia (forming theVal S-charl). In the lower part of the Engadin is also the side valley ofSamnaun. The main passes connecting the Engadin with the northern Grisons are (from west to east): theJulier Pass, theAlbula Passand theFlüela Pass.
The valleys on the south side of the Alps are not contiguous to each other and form four distinct regions. TheMesolcina, drained by theMoesa, theVal Bregaglia, drained by theMera, theVal Poschiavo, drained by thePoschiavino, and theVal Müstair, drained by theRom. The first three are in the Po basin and the last one is in the Adige basin. While the first two (Mesolcina and Bregaglia) are contiguous to the region north of the Alps, through theSan Bernardino Pass, and theSeptimer Passrespectively, the three last ones (Bregaglia, Poschiavo and Müstair) are contiguous to the Engadin, through theMaloja Pass, theBernina Pass, and theOfen Pass.
Although no large bodies of water are found in the canton, numerous mountain lakes (above 800 m elevation) dot the landscape, some of them being used as reservoirs for hydroelectricity production. The largest natural lakes areLake Sils,Lake Silvaplana,Lago di PoschiavoandLake St. Moritz(all in Upper Engadin except that of Poschiavo). Artificial lakes are more numerous, the largest (over 100 ha) beingLago di Livigno,Lago di Lei,Lai da Sontga Maria,Zervreilasee,Lago Bianco,Lai da MarmoreraandLägh da l'Albigna. The total number of lakes has been estimated to 600.Seelist of mountain lakes of Switzerlandfor a more exhaustive list.
Unlike other large cantons, the Grisons includes very few cities. The largest (and capital city) isChur. It is followed byDavos,Landquart,Domat/EmsandSt. Moritz, which are, however, far less populated. The canton is particularly renowned for its numerous Alpine resort towns, notably two of the aforementioned ones (Davos and St. Moritz), but alsoKlosters,Arosa,Lenzerheide,Disentis,Flims,PontresinaandScuol.
The diversity of the climate of the Grisons is high and comparable tothat of Switzerland. In the southernmost and lowest regions, vineyards and olives are grown,while on the highest summits, snow is found year-round. The inner valleys, particularly the Engadin, are significantly drier than the north and south side of the Alps, being sheltered by the high mountains of the range. On the south side of the Alps,Gronois one of the top warmest places in the country with an average of 12.4 °C (54.3 °F). The nationwide record temperature of 41.5 °C (106.7 °F) was registered there. The southern valleys are also significantly wetter than the rest of the canton (1,476 mm of rain in Grono, 849 mm in Chur, and 705 mm in Scuol). The coldest places are naturally at high elevations, such as onPiz Corvatsch. The localities of the Upper Engadin are amongst the coldest inhabited regions in the country, notablySamedanwith an average temperature of 2.0 °C (35.6 °F). The cantonwide record-low temperature of −37.9 °C (−36.2 °F) was registered there.The low-elevation region of Chur, including the Bündner Herrschaft, experiences naturally less harsh temperatures with an average of 10.0 °C (50.0 °F).
The area of the Grisons is 7,105.2 square kilometres (2,743.3 sq mi), 19.2% larger than thecanton of Bern, the second largest canton.Only about a third of this is commonly regarded as productive land of whichforestscover about a fifth of the total area.The canton is almost entirely mountainous and it is the most sparsely populated region of the country. In its southeastern part lies the only officialSwiss National Park. In its northern part, the mountains were formed as part of the thrust fault that was in 2008 declared a geologicUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, under the nameSwiss Tectonic Arena Sardona. AnotherBiosphere Reserveis theBiosfera Val Müstairadjacent to the Swiss National Park, whileEla Nature Parkis one of the regionally supported parks.
The Grisons is sometimes included in the larger region ofEastern Switzerland, together with six other cantons. The Grisons shares border with numerous regions of Europe, reflecting its cultural diversity, and is the only canton adjacent to three different countries. On the national level it shares borders with four other cantons:Uri,Glarus,St. Gallento the northwest (essentially across the Glarus Alps) andTicinoto the west (essentially across theGotthard Massifand the Lepontine Alps but also at the level of the plain at Roveredo). On the international level, the canton shares borders with three countries:Liechtensteinto the north, the Austrian regions ofVorarlbergandTyrolto the northeast and the Italian regions ofTrentino-South TyrolandLombardyto the east and south.
The deep Alpine valleys of the present-day Grisons were originally settled by theRaetians(Rhaeti). In Chur, archaeological evidence of settlement goes back as far as thePfyn culture(3900–3500 BC),making the capital city of the Grisons one of the oldest settlements in Switzerland.
Most of the lands of the canton were once part of a Roman province calledRaetia, which was established in 15 BC. The current capital of the Grisons,Chur, was known as Curia in Roman times. The area later was part of the lands of thediocese of Chur.
In 1367 theLeague of God's House(Cadi,Gottes Haus,Ca' di Dio) was founded to resist the rising power of theBishop of Chur. This was followed by the establishment of theGrey League(Grauer Bund), sometimes calledOberbund, in 1395 in the Upper Rhine valley. The nameGrey Leagueis derived from the homespun grey clothes worn by the people and was used exclusively after 16 March 1424.The name of this league later gave its name to the canton of the Grisons. A third league was established in 1436 by the people of tenbailiwicksin the formerToggenburg countship, as the dynasty of Toggenburg had become extinct. The league was calledLeague of the Ten Jurisdictions(Zehngerichtebund).
The first step towards the canton of the Grisons was when the league of the Ten Jurisdictions allied with the League of God's House in 1450. In 1471 the two leagues allied with the Grey League. In 1497 and 1498 the Leaguesallied with theOld Swiss Confederacyafter theHabsburgsacquired the possessions of the extinct Toggenburg dynasty in 1496,siding with the Confederacy in theSwabian Warthree years later. The Habsburgs were defeated atCalven GorgeandDornach, helping the Swiss Confederation and the allied leagues of the canton of the Grisons to be recognised. However theThree Leaguesremained a loose association until theBundesbriefof 23 September 1524.
The last traces of the Bishop of Chur's jurisdiction were abolished in 1526. TheMusso warof 1520 drove the Three Leagues closer to the Swiss Confederacy.
Between 1618 and 1639 it became a battleground between competing factions during theBündner Wirren. TheProtestantparty was supported byFranceandVenice, while theCatholicparty was supported by theHabsburgsin Spain and Austria. Each side sought to gain control of the Grisons to gain control over the importantalpinepasses. In 1618, the young radicalJörg Jenatschbecame a member of the court of 'clerical overseers' and a leader of the anti-Habsburg faction. He supervised the torture to death of the arch-priestNicolò RuscaofSondrio. In response, Giacomo Robustelli of the pro-Catholic Planta family, raised an army of rebels in theValtellina. On the evening of 18/19 July 1620, a force of Valtellina rebels supported by Austrian and Italian troops marched intoTiranoand began killing Protestants. When they finished in Tirano, they marched toTeglio,Sondrioand further down the valley killing every Protestant that they found. Between 500and 600people were killed on that night and in the following four days. The attack drove nearly all the Protestants out of the valley, prevented further Protestant incursions and took the Valtellina out of the Three Leagues.
In response, in February 1621, Jenatsch led a force of anti-Habsburg troops to attackRietberg Castle, the home of a leader of the pro-Catholic faction, Pompeius Planta.They surprised Planta and according to legend he was killed by Jörg Jenatsch with an axe.The murder of Planta encouraged the Protestant faction and they assembled a poorly led and disorganized army to retake the Valtellina and other subject lands. However, the army fell apart before they could attack a single Catholic town.This Protestant invasion provided the Spanish and Austrians with an excuse to invade the Leagues. By the end of October, Spain and Austria had occupied all of the Grisons. The resulting peace treaty of January 1622, forced Grisons to cede theMüstair, theLower EngadineandPrättigauvalleys.The treaty also forbade the Protestant religion in these valleys. In response, in 1622, the Prättigau valley rebelled against the Austrians and drove them out of the valley. The Austrians invaded the valley twice more, attempting to reimpose the Catholic faith, in 1623–1624 and 1629–1631.
In 1623 the Leagues entered into an alliance with France, Savoy and Venice. Jürg Jenatsch and Ulysses von Salis used French money to hire an 8,000-man mercenary army and drive out the Austrians. The peace treaty of Monzon (5 March 1626) between France and Spain, confirmed the political and religious independence of the Valtellina. In 1627 the French withdrew from the Valtellina valley, which was then occupied by Papal troops. Starting in 1631 the League, under the French Duke Henri de Rohan, started to expel the Spaniards. However, Richelieu still did not want to hand the valley over to its residents. When it became clear that the French intended to remain permanently in the Leagues, but would not force the Valtellina to convert to Protestantism, Jürg Jenatsch (now a mercenary leader) converted in 1635 to the Catholic faith. In 1637, he rebelled and allied with Austria and Spain. His rebellion along with the rebellion of 31 other League officers forced the French to withdraw without a fight.On 24 January 1639, Jürg Jenatsch was killed duringCarnivalby an unknown attacker who was dressed as a bear. The attacker may have been a son of Pompeius Plantaor an assassin hired by the local aristocracy.According to legend he was killed by the same axe that he used on Pompeius Planta.On 3 September 1639 the Leagues agreed with Spain to bring the Valtellina back under League sovereignty, but with the promise to respect the free exercise of the Catholic faith. Treaties with Austria in 1649 and 1652, brought the Müstair and Lower Engadine valleys back under the authority of the Three Leagues.
In 1798, the lands of the canton of the Grisons became part of theHelvetic Republicas thecanton of RaetiaexceptValtellina, which was separated in 1797 for joining theCisalpine Republic. It was later part of theEmpire of Austriain 1814 before joining theKingdom of Italyin 1859. With theAct of Mediationthe "perpetual ally" ofSwitzerlandbecame a canton in 1803. The constitution of the canton dates from 1892. In the following century, there have been about 30 changes made to the constitution.
The arms of the three original leagues were combined into the moderncantonal coat of armsin 1933.
The Grand Council (German:Grosser Rat;Italian:Gran Consiglio,Romansh:Cussegl Grond), the legislature of the canton, sits in Chur, the cantonal capital. Its 120 members, elected in 39 districts using amajority system, are in office for four years. The last district elections were in 2014.The cantonal government, exercising executive authority, is made up of five members, elected by the people for a term of four years andlimitedto three terms using amajority system.
The constitution of the Grisons, last revised on 14 September 2003, states in itspreamblethat the canton's purpose is to "safeguard freedom, peace, and human dignity, ensure democracy and theRechtsstaat, promote prosperity andsocial justiceand preserving a sane environment for the future generations, with the intention of promotingtrilingualismand cultural variety and conserving them as part of our historical heritage".
The constitution allows for theenfranchisement of foreign residentsat a municipal level, at discretion of the local governments. In 2009, the municipality ofBregagliabecame the first in the canton to make use of this provision, granting voting rights to foreigners.
as of January 2017
There are 100municipalities in the canton(as of January 2025).
The inhabitants of the Grisons are calledBündneror (rarely) Grisonians.
The population of the canton (as of 31 December 2020) is 200,096.As of 2007, the population included 28,008 foreigners, or about 14.84% of the total population.The main religions areCatholicismandProtestantism. Both are well represented in the canton, with Roman Catholics forming a slight plurality (47% Catholic to 41% Protestant).
The Grisons is the only canton of Switzerland with three official languages:German(74.7%),Romansh(13.9%), andItalian(13.9%) with the remaining 13% speaking another language natively.
More speakers of theRomansh languagelive in the Grisons than in any other canton, although it has become a minority language there. Since the lateMiddle Agesthe Romansh language has greatly reduced (by more than half the original territory, that includedLiechtensteinand sections of westernAustria) the area where it is spoken by the majority of the population.
Romansh consists of five dialect groups, each with its own written language:Sursilvan,Vallader,Puter,SurmiranandSutsilvan. There also exists a common written language calledRumantsch Grischun.
Romansh has been recognized as one of four "national languages" by theSwiss Federal Constitutionsince 1938. It was declared an "official language" of the Confederation in 1996, meaning that Romansh speakers may use Romansh for correspondence with the federal government and expect to receive a response in Rumantsch Grischun.
Romansh has official language status at the canton level. Municipalities in turn are free to specify their own official languages.
Agriculture is still essential to keep remote valleys inhabited andcultivated, differing it from sheerwilderness. Agriculture is therefore supported by subsidies by the authorities both national and regional. Eight per cent of the population work in agriculture and forestry, where 50 per cent of the production is certified as organic. Agriculture includes forests andmountain pasturagein summer, particularly of cows, sheep and goats.Since wolf and bear have returned, the use ofMaremma Sheepdogsis not unusual.Although mountain pastures are predominant, there is also wine production in the Rhine Valley, particularly inFläsch,Maienfeld,JeninsandMalans. This area is referred to as the Bündner Herschaft. In the southern valleys ofMesolcinaandVal Poschiavothere is corn (maize) andchestnut farming, allowed by the milder climate. In the Mesolcina,olive trees are also grown.
24 per cent of the workforce are employed in industry whereas 68 per cent work in the service industry. The most industrialized region is naturally that of Chur.Ems-Chemieis based inDomat/Emsand is a major employer in the area.
The tourism industry is a major player and reaches a remarkable 14 per cent of the GDP. Tourism is concentrated around the towns ofDavos,Klosters,Lenzerheide,Arosa,Flims,St. MoritzandPontresina, which have large ski areas. There are, however, a great number of other tourist resorts in the canton, divided by the official tourist board for winter sports for example into categories "Top - Large - Small and beautiful".St. Moritz is one of the oldestwinter sportresorts, being popular in winter since 1864.The following year, Davos also saw its first tourists in winter.St. Moritz hosted the1928 Winter Olympicsand the1948 Winter Olympics. Summer tourism is also an important source of revenue. Trekking, mountaineering, and mountain biking are some of the main activities. Business tourism is also a source of revenue, notably inDavos, where theWorld Economic Forummeetings are traditionally organised.
As the canton extends on both sides of the great Alpine barrier, many important mountain passes are found there, particularly on the north-south axis. Transport has always been an important issue in the area; cart tracks from the Roman era were found onJulier PassandSeptimer Passwas rebuilt for cart use in 1387 and, although it later became unimportant, it is still in its 1800 form (for hikers only).Cornichepaths were necessary for long stretches, and gorges such as theViamalagave construction problems for any kind of transport. The first real roads of 3.7 m (4 yd) width were built across the Alps from around 1816, one of which is still in a very good historical conditionas this connection acrossSplügen Passlost its importance after the opening of rail tunnels crossing the alps. The last valley to be connected to the road system in the Grisons wasAvers, whose remote hamlet ofJufwas only reached in 1897. After theSwiss Postexpanded theirPostal Bustransport services, the region's inhabitants became more used to motorized traffic.In 1925, there were already 250 vehicles in service.Eventually, the inhabitants of the Grisons gave up their resistance against individual motor traffic in 1926,In 1967 openedSan Bernardino road tunnel, built to host tourism traffic, is used also by heavy goods vehicles nowadays although not really suitable for them because of its ascent gradients. Most other passes have lost their importance for goods transport nowadays.
UnlikeValaisandTicino, the Grisons does not benefit from major railway axes across the Alps such as theLötschbergandGotthard. As a consequence, the only standard gauge railway in the canton is that of the Rhine Valley, ending atChur station. Conversely, the latter has become a major railway station and a transport hub of the canton since the construction of theRhaetian Railway, which links most regions of the canton from the Rhine Valley.
Huge efforts ensure public transport to (nearly) every settlement by an integrated timetable of different transport companies. Even Juf, inhabited by some 30 people only but holding aEuropean record, is reached five times a day by public transport. The two main transport companies arePostBus, the national post bus company, and the Rhaetian Railway, essentially owned by the cantonal government. The latter uses the largest narrow-gauge railway network in Switzerland and serves most regions of the canton, with branches towards Central Switzerland and Italy. This network is notably travelled by two of the longest distance trains of Switzerland: theGlacier Expressand theBernina Express. TheSwiss Federal Railwaysextend only a few kilometres into the canton, from Maienfeld, and serve essentiallyLandquartand Chur, where passengers transfer to the Rhaetian Railway and a large number of PostBus routes. TheAlbula Linebecame a UNESCO world heritage as did theBernina Railway, the highest and only railway to cross the Alps without the use of a tunnel at the pass. In winter some of the road passes are closedwhereas several high mountain passes such as theJulier,BerninaandLukmanierare kept open all winter (subject to restrictions). Being the highest elevated state in Switzerland, the Grisons hosts huge alpine areas that are not accessible by any means of transport but have to be walked to.A large number of cable transport facilities provide easy access to some of the mountains of the Grisons, the highest being onPiz Corvatsch.
TheEngadinvalley has its own airport,Samedan Airport. It is the highest airport in Switzerland.
The Grisons is culturally the most diverse region of Switzerland. Its common denominator, however, is a strong mountain culture marked by life in isolated rural communities, notably depicted inJohanna Spyri'sHeidi. Traditional customs includeAlpine transhumancein spring and autumn, and theChalandamarzat the end of winter.
The canton has a large concentration of medieval castles (and ruins). The most notable, in the Engadin, is that ofTarasp, guarding the Inn valley. Many ruins and castles are found in theDomleschgarea. Close by lies the church ofZillis, where 1130/40 a famous romanesque illustrated ceiling was added which is now treated as national heritage. ThreeWorld Heritage Sitesare located in the canton: theBenedictine Convent of Saint John, theSwiss Tectonic Arena Sardonaand theRhaetian Railwayin theAlbulaandBerninaLandscapes.
The gastronomy of the Grisons is mostly known for a dried-beef delicacy calledBündnerfleisch, often simply referred to as Grisons Meat. Other meat specialities include dried sausages (especiallySalsiz, made of various meats), speck and ham. Cheeses produced in the Grisons are also numerous. Among notable dishes are theCapuns, predominantly made in the western part of the Grisons.Capuns consist of hearty dumplings with pieces of meat wrapped inchardleaves, then gratinated in oven with cheese and cream. TheMalunsare another well-known dish of the Grisons. They are made of boiled potatoes mixed with flour, then fried in butter. Maluns are typically served with a compote of apples and various other local products such as cheeses and meat specialities.ThePizzoccheriare another dish, essentially eaten in the valley ofPoschiavo. They consist of buckwheat noodles, cooked with potatoes, vegetables and cheese.The emblematic dessert of the Grisons is theBündner Nusstorte. It is essentially a shortcrust pastry filled with a mix of caramelized walnuts and honey. Another similar pastry, but containing chestnuts instead, the Torta di Castagne, is made in the southern valleys, especially in the Val Bregaglia.
Wines are essentially produced in the Bündner Herrschaft. In the vineyards between Fläsch and Malans, 42 types of vines are found,Pinot Noirbeing the most popular.Wines are also naturally produced in the southern valleys but in smaller quantities. The valley of theMesolcinais contiguous with theTicino wine regionand that of Poschiavo is contiguous with theValtellina wine region. Numerous breweries can be found in the canton as well. The largest, located at Chur, isCalanda Bräu.
Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantschais the Romansh-speaking division of theSwiss Broadcasting Corporationand focuses on the Grisons.Die Südostschweiz(in German) andLa Quotidiana(Romansh) are some of the most important written media of the region.
The Grisons successfully reintroducedibexin the early 20th century after it had all but died out from the Alps, except for an area in the Aosta Valley in Italy, Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso.Similarly, it reintroduced thebearded vultureand lynx in the 21st century, which had been extinguished, though thelynxremains rare.