Obersaxen

Obersaxen
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Graubünden (GR)
Region :	Surselva
Political community :	Obersaxen Mundaun
Postal code :	7134
former BFS no. :	3612
Coordinates :	726 555  /  178981 coordinates: 46 ° 45 '0 "  N , 9 ° 5' 42"  O ; CH1903:  726 555  /  178981
Height :	1281  m above sea level M.
Area :	61.77  km²
Residents:	838 (December 31, 2014)
Population density :	14 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.obersaxenmundaun.swiss
Obersaxen
map

Parish before the merger on January 1, 2016

Obersaxen ( Romansh Sursaissa ^{? / I} ) was, until 31 December 2015, a municipality in the former county Ruis , District Surselva the Swiss canton of Grisons . The municipality merged with the municipality of Mundaun on January 1, 2016 to form the municipality of Obersaxen Mundaun .

geography

Historic aerial photo by Werner Friedli from 1970

The former municipality, a Walser German language island (Obersaxer German) in the otherwise Rhaeto-Romanic language area, is located on the right side of the valley of the young Rhine on the northern flank of Piz Mundaun in the middle Surselva . Breil / Brigels ceded the hamlet of Cathomen (Walser: Tomahüss) on the right side of the valley to Obersaxen in 2003.

The populated terrace , between 1000 m (Axenstein) and 1430 m (Miraniga), extends over a length of approx. 14 km. The scattered development with 28 courtyards is typical of a Walser settlement. The highest mountain in Obersaxen is the Schwarzhorn at 2890  m above sea level. M .; better known, however, is the Piz Val Gronda with an altitude of 2820  m above sea level. M.

The Walser settlement consists of ten fractions: Platenga, Affeier, Egga, Misanenga, Miraniga, Meierhof (seat of administration), Giraniga, St. Joseph, Tschappina and St. Martin .

The ruins of the castles Moregg , Schwarzenstein , Saxenstein and Heidenberg are in the Obersaxen area .

coat of arms

Blazon : split, in front a golden (yellow) key placed in red in a pole , behind in blue two silver (white) bars

The coat of arms of the barons of Rhäzüns , who received the Walser rights in Obersaxen through the settlement , is supplemented by the key, the symbol of the apostle Peter , which was represented in the seal from the 14th century.

population

Population development
year	1850	1900	1910	1950	2000	2014
Residents	831	652	636	705	779	838

language

The highest Alemannic Walser dialect has been documented several times, including in:

• Leo Brun: The dialect of Obersaxen in the canton of Graubünden. Phonology and Inflection. Huber, Frauenfeld 1918 (Contributions to Swiss German Grammar XI).
• Maria Ettlin-Janka: Inschi Sprààch, ds Obersàxar Titsch. Obersaxer collection of words. Edited by Pro Supersaxa - Obersaxen, Stans 1995.

economy

A tourism community has grown out of the former rural community . Various hotels and pensions, approx. 1400 holiday apartments and various holiday camps are available to holiday guests. The skiing and hiking area on Piz Mundaun is easily accessible thanks to efficient transport systems . The agriculture plays in the community but still a big role.

traffic

The village is connected to the Rhaetian Railway's Ilanz station by the 451 post bus . The bus also serves the valley stations Valata (lift to Piz Mundaun) and Meierhof (lift to Stein).

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Obersaxen Mundaun

• Neo-Romanesque parish church in Meierhof (1905) with a Romanesque tower
• Catholic branch church in St. Martin
• Another twelve chapels, including the St. Georg chapel (early 17th century) in Meierhof with a late Gothic winged altarpiece from the Strigel workshop (1489) and St. Sebastian chapel (1668) in Miraniga with wall paintings by Johann Jakob Riegg around 1700

photos

• 

  Cuolm Surah

• 

  Meierhof village

• 

  Obersaxen westwards

Others

The Obersaxen Mundaun ski area comprises 15 lifts and 120 kilometers of slopes. The highest passable mountain is the Piz Sezner at 2310  m above sea level. M.

Other leisure facilities are the Rufali Park in Misanenga and the Pit Pat facility, a mixture of billiards and mini golf.

In 2010 Obersaxen was the overall winner of the World Cup in alpine skiing and, with Christian Spescha, the overall winner of the European Cup.

Personalities

• Johann Peter Mirer (1778–1862), Bishop of St. Gallen
• Johann Martin Henni (1805–1881), first Archbishop of Milwaukee , United States
• Carlo Janka (* 1986), ski racer, Olympic champion

literature

• Adolf Collenberg: Obersaxen. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . 2016 .

Web links

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

• Obersaxen on the ETHorama platform
• Official website of the municipality of Obersaxen

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pro Supersaxa - Obersaxen, annual issue 2013, p. 2330.
2. ^ Catholic Church of St. Peter and Paul
3. ↑ Catholic branch church
4. ↑ Obersaxen Mundaun ski area on ETHorama
5. ↑ Bergbahnen Obersaxen-Mundaun ( Memento of the original from January 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.