Grabs

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Grabs
Coat of arms of Grabs
State : SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland
Canton : Canton of St. GallenCanton of St. Gallen Canton of St. Gallen (SG)
Constituency : Werdenbergw
Political community : President-in-Office: Niggi Lippuneri2 w1
Postal code : 9470 Werdenberg
9472 Grabs
former BFS no. : 3273
UN / LOCODE : CH WDB (Werdenberg)
Coordinates : 751 909  /  227 768 coordinates: 47 ° 11 '0 "  N , 9 ° 26' 35"  O ; CH1903:  seven hundred and fifty-one thousand nine hundred and nine  /  two hundred and twenty-seven thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight
Height : 476  m above sea level M.
Height range : 439–2383 m above sea level M.
Area : 54.65  km²
Population density : 129 inhabitants per km²
Website: www.grabs.ch
Grabs1.jpg

Location of the municipality
Seealpsee (Appenzeller Alpen) Sämtisersee Fälensee Schwendisee Voralpsee Chapfensee Walensee Liechtenstein Österreich Kanton Appenzell Innerrhoden Kanton Graubünden Wahlkreis Rheintal Wahlkreis Sarganserland Wahlkreis Toggenburg Buchs SG Gams SG Grabs Sennwald Sevelen SG WartauMap of grabs
About this picture
w

Grabs is a municipality in the Werdenberg constituency in the canton of St. Gallen , Switzerland . It is part of the cultural landscape of the St. Gallen Rhine Valley .

geography

Historical aerial photo from 400 m by Walter Mittelholzer from 1922

Grabs is located in the Rhine Valley between Buchs in the south and Gams in the north. It touches the Toggenburg community Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann in the west, the community Sevelen in the south and the community Walenstadt in the southwest . The community of Grabs includes the extensive scattered settlements on Grabserberg and Studnerberg as well as the town of Werdenberg .

The community includes extensive Alps and large forest areas; the local community of Grabs is the largest forest owner in the canton of St. Gallen. Nestled between the mountains lies in the municipal area at 1123  m above sea level. M. Height of the Voralpsee .

Grabs is part of the Werdenberg constituency and is 54.64 km² larger than the canton of Basel-Stadt . The community has a large share in the foothills of the Alps . The mountains belong to the Alvier group (highest mountain: Gamsberg 2385  m above sea level ) as well as to the Churfirsten (highest mountain: Hinterrugg 2306  m above sea level ). The altitude ranges from 443  m above sea level. M. at the ox sand up to the 2384  m above sea level. M. high Gamsberg.

mountains
Surname height Mountain range comment
Gamsberg 2384.8  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Sickle lamb 2269  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Margelchopf 2163  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Chli Fulfirst 2368  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Glannachopf 2233  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Isisizer Rosswis 2334  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Sichli 2321  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Schiffberg 2195  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Rotstein 2225  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Schlösslichopf 1806  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Maximum 2024.7  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Förenchopf 1813  m above sea level M. Alvier group
Tristencholben 2160  m above sea level M. Churfirsten
Gamserrugg 2076  m above sea level M. Churfirsten by a ski lift of St. Wildhaus underwater Old Johann opened

history

Churrätien in the early Middle Ages

The history of Grabs goes back to Roman times. At that time there were two Roman towers, so-called castles, on the territory of the municipality of Grabs, which were built to secure the Roman road from Sargans to Gams on the left bank of the Rhine . One stood on the lower part of the Grabserberg, the other below the Margelchopf above the upper gate. Both places are now called Gästelen .

With the conquest of the Rhine Valley, the local indigenous population was Romanized , and the Rhaeto-Romanic people emerged. Even today, many place and field names indicate settlement by the Romanesque population. The place name Grabs is also of Romanesque origin; the early evidence as Quadrabitis, Quaradaves, Quadravedes (9th century), then later de Grabdis (1235) reveal a caput rapidae , which means “the beginning (or end) of the rapids”, perhaps also “the beginning (or end) of the steep ascent »Means.

From the early Middle Ages until the early modern period, Churrätien was a name for the part of the late Roman province of Raetia prima , to which the area of ​​the municipality of Grabs also belonged. During the time of the Great Migration , the Alemanni pushedup the Rhinefrom the north, only the Hirschensprung - the narrow passage between the Alpstein and the Rhine - temporarily stopped the onslaught, but it was not an insurmountable obstacle either. Alemanni lived among the Rhaetian population as early as the 8th century. The process of population redeployment accelerated when the Counts of Werdenberg ruled the area.

With the decline of sex in 1484 Werdenberg 1517 came short reigns of different men as bailiwick of Glarus . Their rule lasted until the French invaded in 1798. For five years, until 1803, Grabs was part of the Werdenberg district in the newly founded canton of Linth . The canton Linth consisted of the former federal place Glarus and its subject area Werdenberg, former subject areas of the place Schwyz (Höfe, March, Einsiedeln) and the place Zurich (Sax), the former common lords of Uznach, Gaster, Sargans and the city of Rapperswil as well as the Obertoggenburg, which had previously belonged to the Prince Abbey of St. Gallen.

The canton of Linth was dissolved again by Napoleon's mediation act of 1803, with which Switzerland received a new constitution. Its area was divided into the new cantons of Schwyz (Höfe, March, Einsiedeln), Glarus and St. Gallen (Rapperswil, Uznach, Gaster, Sargans, Werdenberg with Grabs, Sax, Obertoggenburg).

Studnerberg, from Grabserberg
Castle and town of Werdenberg, in the background the Kreuzberge

Werdenberg

Werdenberg is a town with historical town rights. The town of Werdenberg belongs to the municipality of Grabs and is located 0.5 km west of Buchs (SG) on the small Werdenbergersee .

There were two age-old corporations in the county of Werdenberg that were dissolved in 2010 because they had lost their original purpose for over 150 years:

The burgers and strikers

The original Werdenberger burgers have no connection with the Werdenberg local communities. When the counts built Werdenberg Castle and Palace in the 13th century, they probably also brought their followers with them. They built their houses on and within the city walls, hence the name “burger”. They had duties prescribed by the rulership, such as guarding the town and castle, and in return they were exempt from most of the duties that other subjects had to pay. For centuries, burgers could only call themselves those who lived within the city wall (“household”). Since the sovereigns were rarely located in Werdenberg at that time, the citizens organized themselves in a corporation, they enjoyed great freedom for the conditions at the time, they could appoint the mayor and other important offices from their ranks and even built their own town hall in the Städtli around 1478 at Obern Tor (today owned by the Canton of St. Gallen and served as a school building for around 200 years). They also owned the only butcher in the county, several forests and meadows, and the right to mill.

In the course of time, the burgers increased and could not all live within the city wall. Those who settled outside were now called “Usburger” and those inside “Inburger”. «Usburger» no longer had the same rights as the «Inburger», but still enjoyed many privileges compared to the ordinary subjects (serfs). "Usburger" settled in the whole county (the Kilch or comrades in Grabs, Buchs and Sevelen) and all had the same rights. The former “Inburger” and “Usburger” later all reunited as the “Burgerkorporation der Grafschaft Werdenber”. It was not until 1818 that the citizens and their property were divided between the three municipalities of Grabs, Buchs and Sevelen, and they all existed independently well into the 20th century. The original burger genders are unknown. The oldest written mention of a house owner, probably in the Städtli, dates back to 1294: "ze Werdenberg in Ulrichs Hus des Litscher" an arbitration award takes place in the presence of Count Hugo von Werdenberg. That Ulrich Litscher - the gender still exists - was a burger, but it is not certain. In 1303 a "Litscher von Werdenberg" appears who had a farm and vineyards from the St. Gallen monastery as a fief in Lüchingen . A "Johannes Litscher" was published in 1349 as a burger from the town of Feldkirch, and a "Joseph Litscher" sold a noble residence in Vaduz in 1425 following emigration. Dozens of genders appear and disappear over the centuries. Marriage and shopping brought new names and many died out due to a lack of descendants. The burger genders known for example in Grabs until around 1990 have by no means been the same since the beginning.

According to the oldest written evidence, the "Stürer" organized themselves as a corporation, probably in the 15th century. The «Stürsgnossen» were made up of the so-called «Landlüten», locals from all three county communities, who were not exempt from any duties to the authorities. It is assumed that the term “sturgeon” has nothing to do with today's taxes, but rather describes the term “steer together”. The “Stürer” - like the “Burgers” - ran a joint fund from which they - like the “Burgers” - lent their fellow mates mainly on real estate against interest and paid out the interest to everyone, including the poor fellows. This was done by both corporations well into the 19th century, when the lending was completely taken over by the banks over time. In addition to the interest income, the coffers were also fed from so-called "deductions" and "purchases", which were money that someone who settled in the county - or withdrew. The two corporations often argued and litigated over this and other income. The same applies to the sexes of the striker as to the sexes of the burger. They have changed constantly over the centuries.

Neither “Burgers” nor “Stürer” could become the so-called “Hindersäß” (immigrant sexes), unless this also happened when someone had the money to “buy” something, which was very expensive. The "free Walser" enjoyed a special status. As they originally lived far away from settlements, meadows and common areas in high, mostly inhospitable areas, they were exempt from all taxes. When they gradually pushed into lower levels and also wanted to participate in the general institutions and commons, this also led to many disputes and litigation over the years.

coat of arms

Blazon :

Natural man in silver, crowned and girded with green leaves. In the right hand a natural wooden club, in the left holding a torn fir tree

The official emblem of the municipality of Grabs was adopted on June 26, 1938. J. Schläpfer wrote in 1834 about a related glass painting on a window of Werdenberg Castle: «No. 30. Small round pane of glass. A yellow escutcheon with a wild man holding a fir tree. Inscription: A ° Domini 1559. NB. Is from the church in Grabs, probably the coat of arms of this community. "

The coat of arms can be interpreted in different ways. The fir tree probably stands for the large amount of forest in the municipality. The wild man may have come from people's earlier belief that wild shapes populated the dense forests.

The municipality of Grabs, which was founded in 1803 from the places Grabs, the city of Werdenberg, Grabserberg and Studen, did not have its own coat of arms. Only Werdenberg had its own coat of arms, a black peacock in silver . It was only after the turn of the century that Grabs acquired a coat of arms.

Attractions

Healthcare

The cantonal hospital for the south-east of the canton of St. Gallen is in Grabs, as well as the Werdenberg regional nursing home and the “Stütlihus” home for the elderly.

population

Population development
year 1816 1850 1900 1950 2000 2005 2010 2012 2015 2017
Residents 2,354 3,272 4,411 4,516 6,297 6,381 6,842 7,074 6,929 7,032
Population groups (as of April 30, 2017)
Total population 7,032
including citizens of Grabser 2,700
Established 2,960
Weekly resident 101
Foreigners 1,271

economy

The largest company in Grabs after the Kant. Spital is the internationally active label and labeling machine manufacturer Pago .

Personalities

Born in Grabs:

literature

  • Wolfgang Göldi: Grabs. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  • Oskar Peter: Grabs. A town in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley. In: E. Winkler (Ed.): The Swiss Village. Contributions to the knowledge of his being . Zurich / Berlin 1941, pp. 175–198.
  • Peter Hasler, This Isler: Grabser Heimatkunde. 50 questions - 50 answers. Geography, history, customs. Bradford AG, 1990, OCLC 81036036 .
  • Hans Stricker: The land register of the community Grabs 1691. Book 1991, ISBN 3-905-222-59-5 .
  • Giorgio von Arb, Hans Stricker: People on Grabserberg. Photo tape. Buchs-Druck und Verlag, Buchs SG 1988, ISBN 3-905222-40-X .
  • Giorgio von Arb, Robert Kruker, Hans Stricker: People on Grabserberg, twenty years later. (= NZZ Libro ). Photo tape. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-03823-303-9 .
  • Hans Stricker: The Romanic place and field names of Grabs. Juris, Zurich 1974, ISBN 3-260-03704-7 (At the same time dissertation at the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Zurich ; 2nd edition Chur 1981 as St. Gallen name book (= Romanistic series , volume 1).)
  • Hans Eggenberger, Ruedi Schäpper: Grabser Brögge. Expressions in vernacular. R. Schäpper, Evilard 2003, ISBN 3-905501-69-4 .
  • Mathäus Lippuner: Grabser Alps. All alpine buildings. Drawings by Hans Eggenberger, description by Mathäus Lippuner. Letterpress, Buchs SG 2004.
  • J. Schläpfer: Description of old glass paintings that are present on the windows of the castle in Werdenberg. Trogen 1834, OCLC 730294063 , Nro 30.

Web links

Commons : Grabs  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Lexicon of Swiss municipality names . Edited by the Center de Dialectologie at the University of Neuchâtel under the direction of Andres Kristol. Frauenfeld / Lausanne 2005, p. 401 f.
  2. Grabser Blatt, Issue No. 1 from January 2013 / 35th year grabs.ch (PDF; 8.3 MB)
  3. Grabser Blatt, Issue No. 5 from May 2017 / 39th year grabs.ch (PDF; 7.4 MB)