Mulegns

Mulegns
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Graubünden (GR)
Region :	Albula
Political community :	Surses
Postal code :	7455
former BFS no. :	3534
Coordinates :	767 434  /  154850 coordinates: 46 ° 31 '26 "  N , 9 ° 37' 16"  O ; CH1903:  767 434  /  154850
Height :	1481  m above sea level M.
Area :	33.79  km²
Residents:	25 (December 31, 2014)
Population density :	1 inhabitant per km²
Proportion of foreigners : (residents without citizenship )	0.0% (2,011)
Website:	www.surses.ch
Mulegns
map

Mulegns ( German and until 1943 Mühlen ) was a political municipality in the Surses district ( Oberhalbstein ) in the Albula district of the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland until December 31, 2015 . With 28 inhabitants it was (as of the end of 2013) the smallest municipality in the canton of Graubünden. On January 1, 2016, Mulegns merged with the municipalities of Bivio , Cunter , Marmorera , Riom-Parsonz , Salouf , Savognin , Sur and Tinizong-Rona to form the new municipality of Surses .

coat of arms

Blazon : In silver (white) a black mill wheel over a blue wave bar

The mill wheel together with the wave bar as a "talking" coat of arms referring to the name of the community.

geography

Mulegns is on the road to the Julier Pass . The highest point in the former municipality is the Piz Platta , which is 3392 m high .

history

The original settlement focus was in the Val Faller . It was built there from 600-500 BC. Chr. Copper and operated smelting furnaces . The present-day village of Mulegns was founded by the Walsers in the 15th century and was first mentioned in 1521. The Walser migrated from Val Faller, which they had already settled in the 13th century.

In the 19th century the post horses were changed in Mulegns, at that time there were stables for up to 150 horses. The Posthotel Löwen is a contemporary witness of this era . The opening of the Albula Railway destroyed many jobs from 1903 and resulted in only a few farmers living in the village today.

During the Second World War , the Mulegns barrier was built in the narrow area north of the village .

On March 10, 2006, the residents voted nine to six to merge all parishes in the district to form Surses parish. However, because of resistance from other communities and the lack of quorum , this project failed. After the rejection of the large-scale community merger in the valley, the voices in the village became louder that a merger with Sur GR should be sought.

population

Population development
year	1850	1900	1950	1960	1980	1990	2000	2005	2013	2014
Residents	120	146	109	57	50	37	33	27	28	25th

According to the number of inhabitants, Mulegns was the smallest municipality in the Oberhalbstein. In 1850 there were still 120 inhabitants, fifty years later even 145. Then, with the opening of the Albula Railway, emigration followed: 1960 57; 1990 37 inhabitants. At the end of 2004 there were only 25 inhabitants, making Mulegns the fourth smallest municipality in Switzerland at the time. With 28 inhabitants at the end of 2013, Mulegns was now the second smallest municipality in Switzerland after Corippo .

languages

The vast majority of the population speaks the Rhaeto-Romanic Surmeir . In the hundred years between 1880 and 1980, this changed little (1880 93.4% and 1980 92.0% Romansh). Since then, the native language has lost a lot of ground due to emigration. This is also shown in the following table:

Languages ​​in Mulegns
languages	1980 census		1990 census		2000 census
	number	proportion of	number	proportion of	number	proportion of
German	4th	8.00%	10	27.03%	14th	42.42%
Romansh	46	92.00%	27	72.97%	19th	57.58%
Italian	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
Residents	50	100%	37	100%	33	100%

66.7% of the residents still understand Romansh, which is the only official language.

Origin and nationality

All of the 27 residents who were registered in the former municipality at the end of 2005 were Swiss nationals.

economy

With 25 inhabitants there are still eleven jobs in the former municipality. Including at the Posthotel Löwen , where travelers who traveled over the Julier Pass also stayed .

The foundation Fundaziun Origen around the theater man Giovanni Netzer , who founded the Origen Festival Cultural in Riom in 2006 and still directs it today, wants to bring the village back to life through various activities. The plans include widening the narrow street through the village, renovating the Posthotel Löwen , theater performances and setting up a travel museum.

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Surses

Church of St. Francis

• The baroque church of St. Franziskus, built in 1643 by the Capuchins, replaced a late medieval predecessor church that was consecrated to St. Gaudenz.
• In the chapel of the Visitation of Mary and St. Rochus in Val Faller there is an altarpiece from 1760.

Cooperations

The village shares the pastor with Sur, and since 1994 also the postal delivery organization. The community has run the primary school since 1975 with Marmorera and Sur - from 2006 the primary school students were taught in Bivio - since the school year 2014/15 in Savognin . The secondary school has been in Savognin since 1963.

literature

• Erwin Poeschel : The art monuments of the canton of Graubünden III. The valley communities Räzünser Boden, Domleschg, Heinzenberg, Oberhalbstein, Upper and Lower Engadine. (= Art Monuments of Switzerland. Volume 11). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1940. DNB 760079625 .
• Gion Peder Thöni: Mulegns. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . 2016 .

Web links

Commons : Mulegns  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Mulegns on the ETHorama platform
• Mulegns on the homepage of the Savognin tourist region
• Abandoned places. Article about Mulegns, Kulturplatz series , SRF

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Population growth continues . Press release. Federal Statistical Office . April 26, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
2. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger of June 5, 2019