Seewis in the Prättigau

Seewis in the Prättigau
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Graubünden (GR)
Region :	Prättigau / Davos
BFS no. :	3972
Postal code :	7212 Seewis Dorf 7212 Seewis-Schmitten 7212 Seewis-Pardisla
Coordinates :	767 247  /  206701 coordinates: 46 ° 59 '25 "  N , 9 ° 38' 15"  O ; CH1903:  seven hundred sixty-seven thousand two hundred and forty-seven  /  206701
Height :	937  m above sea level M.
Height range :	561–2965 m above sea level M.
Area :	49.63  km²
Residents:	1342 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	27 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.seewis.ch
Seewis in the Prättigau
Location of the municipality

Seewis im Prättigau ( Rhaeto-Romanic Sievgia ^{? / I} ) is a political municipality in the Prättigau / Davos region of the Swiss canton of Graubünden .

coat of arms

Blazon : A green fir tree with roots in gold (yellow)

The coat of arms is a heraldic simplification of the historical seal of the Seewis-Valzeina court, which has been in use since the 17th century, by omitting the unicorn there.

geography

Historical aerial photo from 300 m by Walter Mittelholzer from 1923

The community at the entrance of the Prättigau consists of the three fractions Seewis Dorf , Schmitten and Pardisla . The main settlement Seewis Dorf is located at around 950  m on a terrace on the southern slope of the 2376 m high Vilans . Schmitten, whose development has grown together with that of the neighboring village of Grüsch , is located at around 620 m on the Taschinasbach , which flows into the Landquart near Pardisla (600 m) . On the road between Pardisla and Seewis Dorf is Saldos (680 m), the smallest of the Seewis settlements.

In the west, the Prättigau is separated from the Rhine Valley by the Chlus . There is the 573 m above sea level. M. deepest point of the territory. The eastern boundary of the municipality is largely formed by the Taschinasbach gorge, which rises on the southern slope of the Schesaplana (2964 m above sea level, highest point of the municipality), a mountain in the Rätikon chain. A little west of the Schesaplana, already on Austrian soil, lies the 2859 m high Panüeler Kopf . The southern slope of the vilan is characterized by a hay meadow zone with numerous alpine meadows . The daffodil meadows there are under nature protection. Due to its sheltered location, Seewis Dorf has an extremely mild climate. The numerous springs are of great importance for the water supply of the surrounding communities.

The area of ​​the municipality is 4964 hectares, of which 1686 hectares are covered with forest and bushes, while 101 hectares are built over. The agriculturally used area is 2050 ha, three quarters of which consists of alpine pastures. The remaining area of ​​1127 ha is unproductive rock and scree area.

Neighboring communities are Maienfeld in the northwest, Jenins in the west, Malans , Grüsch in the east and Schiers in the northeast. In the north, Seewis borders on Austria for around 12 km, namely on the communities of Brand , Nenzing and Vandans in the state of Vorarlberg .

history

Coin finds from the 1st and 3rd centuries suggest a temporary settlement by the Romans . The first written mention of the village took place in 1224 under the name de Sevve . There were once two castles in the municipality of Seewis, which fell into ruins in the 15th and 16th centuries. The cave castle Fracstein stood in the Chlus at the entrance of the Prättigau, the castle Solavers , which was built from a church fort, was located near the border with Grüsch .

In the Middle Ages and early modern times, the castles and the Seewis factions belonged to the domain of the respective lords over the Prättigau. Around 1300 these were the knights of Aspermont ; this was followed by the Toggenburgers in 1344 . The legacy of Frederick VII, the last Count of Toggenburger, came to the bailiffs of Matsch in 1436, who were then replaced by the Habsburgs in 1496 .

The Schiers- Seewis court joined the Ten Courts Association in 1436 . The Reformation was introduced in 1587. In 1621 the Austrian ruler had the Prättigau military occupied in order to force the recatholization of the valley. On April 24, 1622, the head of the Capuchin Mission in Prättigau, Father Fidelis von Sigmaringen , gave a controversial sermon in Seewis. In the course of the Prättigau uprising, which began on the same day, the missionary and the Austrian soldiers accompanying him were chased out of the church and killed while trying to escape.

Seewis Castle, former seat of the von Salis-Seewis family, today the parish and school building

The Habsburgs gave up their rule over Seewis in 1649; the rulership rights passed to the judicial community. The von Salis-Seewis family dominated economically and socially . In 1679 the Schiers-Seewis court was divided. When the French conquered Switzerland in March 1798, Seewis came to the canton of Raetia , which joined the Helvetic Republic the following year . With the Act of Mediation of Napoleon Bonaparte Seewis was in 1803 a part of the canton of Grisons. In 1851 today's Seewis district was formed. In 1863 a fire ravaged the village, which was then rebuilt in a checkerboard pattern.

In 1858 the connecting road from Seewis down to Pardisla was opened. There was a stop on the Landquart – Davos Platz railway line in 1889 , which gave the community a connection to the railway network. With the expansion of traffic routes, the importance of agriculture declined, while tourism experienced an upswing. A commercial and industrial area was created in the valley floor.

Before and during the Second World War , the Chlus barrier was set up from 1937 to prevent a possible bypassing of the Sargans fortress via the passes near St. Antönien.

population

Population development
year	1850	1888	1900	1930	1950	1970	1980	1990	2000	2004	2006	2009
Residents	791	1116	901	934	955	923	959	1113	1323	1379	1406	1421

On December 31, 2006, 1,406 people lived in Seewis. At the 2000 census, 72.3% were Reformed, 14% Roman Catholic and 6% Muslim. 93% said German was their main language, 2% Albanian and 1% Serbo-Croatian; the proportion of foreigners was 10%.

Seewis was the last Prättigau municipality to switch from Romance to German at the end of the 16th century (the Romance place name is Sievgia ). The German local dialect is a Walser-Rhine Valley transition dialect; See below for details .

economy

The economic life in Seewis is mainly shaped by tourism . The Kurhaus, which opened in 1865, is now a rehabilitation center for heart and circulatory diseases. There are also eight hotels. Seewis is not known as a winter sports resort, but rather as a climatic health resort due to the favorable climate . In agriculture, livestock and dairy farming predominate. Commercial and industrial companies have settled next to the train station in the valley floor; the most important is Georg Fischer AG , which manufactures plastic fittings.

traffic

Seewis can be reached by car via the main road 28 from Landquart to Davos , which has bypassed Seewis-Pardisla, Seewis-Schmitten and Grüsch on the south side of the valley since 1985. From Pardisla a cul-de-sac leads up to Saldos and Seewis village. The Landquart motorway junction on the A13 is around seven kilometers away.

The community is the station Seewis-Valzeina the Rhaetian Railway opened, which is square near fraction Pardisla on the railway line Landquart-Davos. The regional trains stopping here usually run from Schiers via Landquart and Chur to Rhäzüns . Two post bus lines lead from Grüsch train station via Seewis-Schmitten and Seewis-Pardisla to Seewis Dorf and Valzeina .

You can reach and leave Seewis on foot on the “Prättigauer Höhenweg” long-distance hiking trail, which runs along the entire Rätikon chain.

Art and culture

schools

The Seewis village school was first mentioned in 1673. Today the community has two primary schools for students from 1st to 6th grade. One school is located in Seewis Dorf, the other in the Pardisla fraction. The Realschule and the secondary school are located in the upper school building of the school association of the communities of Grüsch , Seewis, Fanas and Valzeina . The closest grammar schools are the Evangelical Middle School in Schiers , the Cantonal School in Chur and the Alpine Middle School in Davos .

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Seewis in the Prättigau

reformed Church

• The landmark of Seewis Dorf is the reformed church below the village. As early as 1300 there was a village church at this point, but at that time it was still a branch of St. The church received its current shape with a high pointed helmet, slender tower, net vaults in the choir and baroque stucco in the nave as part of the expansion and renovation in the years 1754 to 1759. The building work was largely carried out by Johann Gaudenz von Salis-Seewis (the grandfather of the eponymous Poet) financed; his coat of arms adorns the pulpit. The most famous pastors were Nicolin Sererhard (1716–1754) and Jeremias Lorza (1798–1800). Below the church is the Fidelisbrünneli ; it is dedicated to Fidelis von Sigmaringen , who was canonized in 1746 and who was slain in Seewis in 1622.
• Schmitten and Pardisla received their own little church in 1696 . It stands on the mountain slope directly above the old Schmittner row of houses. Its turret with dome contains two small bells.
• The Catholic Church in Pardisla was consecrated in 1899. Until after the Second World War, it was the only Catholic church in the front Prättigau.
• The castle of the von Salis-Seewis family, built in 1630 (and expanded in high baroque form in 1690), which was destroyed in the village fire in 1863, is now the location of the municipal administration, the building also serves as a school building. Before that, a monument was erected in 1902 to commemorate the warlike events of 1622.
• A granite stone with a metal relief in honor of the poet Johann Gaudenz von Salis-Seewis has stood on the Parstoglia hill since 1962 .
• Substation of the Bündner Kraftwerke, architect: Conradin Clavuot .

Personalities

• Bartholomäus Anhorn the Younger (1616–1700), Evangelical Reformed pastor and historian, 1634 in Seewis.
• Michael Kuoni (1839–1891), head of the Federal Telegraph Office and dialect author, lived and worked in Seewis.
• Paul Held (1891–1953), architect and graphic artist, was born in Seewis-Pardisla.

Local dialect

The local dialect of Buchen is one of the ausgeprägtesten transition dialects of the German Switzerland, by elements of the Highest Alemannic German - walserischen of the upper and middle Prättigau and elements of the High Alemannic German of -ostschweizerischen Chur Rhine valley combines. The following presentation is based on a selection of the data from the linguistic atlas of German-speaking Switzerland , collected in 1948 from long-established seafarers , which are fundamental for the structure of Swiss German.

Phonology - the sounds of the Seewis local dialect are highlighted in beige

Prättigau main part	Transitional sounds	Chur Rhine Valley	phenomenon
schniie [iː], buue [uː], nüü [yː]		snow [ei̯], boue [ou̯], nöi [œi̯]	ahd. ī, ū, ǖ in the final and hiat
Aabig [ɑː]	Oobig [oː]	Òòbig [ɔː]	ahd. ā
heavy [eː]	black [æː]	schwèèr [ɛː]	Umlaut from ahd. Ā
Dig [ɑ]		Graabe [aː]	ahd. short deep tongue vowel in open syllable
Baggage [æ]		Spèck [ɛ]	ahd. ë
riite [iː]		rite [i]	ahd. long high tongue vowel before dental
Gschììr [ɪː]		Gschier [ɪə]	ahd. i before rr
Rügg [ʏ]		Rugge [ʊ]	ahd. u before gg, kk
Hem [æu̯]		Soom [oː]	ahd. ou before nasal
taüff [æʏ̯]		tüff [yː]	aobd. iu in front of labial and velar
trücke [kx]	trucke [kx]	wore [kː]	ahd. kk
saxon [xs]		sèggs [ks]	ahd. hs
triihe [h]	drink [ŋkx]	tringge [ŋk]	ahd. nk
Iisch [ʃ]		Iis [s]	ahd. s in a palatal environment I
Lüüsch, Müüsch, Hüüscher, ünsch, schii [ʃ]		Lüüs, Müüs, Hüüser, üüs, sii [s]	ahd. s in a palatal environment II
freege [eː]	frooge [oː]	fròòge [ɔː]	Special case
traage [ɑː]	sluggish [æː]	trèège [ɛː]	Special case
Schweschter [e]		Schwöschter [ø]	Special case
lenng [leŋg], lengg [leŋk]	long [lɑŋg]	long [laŋː]	Special case

Morphology and morphonology - the shapes of the Seewis local dialect are highlighted in beige

Prättigau main part	Transitional sounds	Chur Rhine Valley	phenomenon
1. + 3. -end, 2. -ed		1st, 2nd, 3rd-end	Plural ending of the verb
close, draw [iə]		conclude, draw	Infinitive of the second strong verb class
gäscht, gäit	gooscht, goot	gòscht, gòòt	(you) go, (he) goes
gaand		gracious	(we go
chomend	chönd	chond	(we come
bad		limping	(we) hit
gseend		gsiend	(we) see
het, hätti	huh, hetti	hèt, hett	(he) has, (he) would have
do (n) - gataa (n)		do - do	do - done
di Burdi, di Gable, di villages		d 'Buri [p-], d' Gable [k-], d 'Villages [t-]	Article «the» in front of the locking lenis
en (m.), en (f.), es (n.)		e (m.), e (f.), e (n.)	indefinite article
Hundji		Doggie	Diminutive
Hans		dr Hans	± Articles in front of personal names

Phonolexik - the words of the Seewis local dialect are highlighted in beige

Prättigau main part	Transitional sounds	Chur Rhine Valley	phenomenon
something		eppis	ahd.eddeshwaz
chlai		chlii	ahd. small

The Seewiser dialect is thus part of a linguistic relay landscape that ranges from the purely Alemannic dialect of the higher-lying places in the Prättigau to the local dialect of Schiers (largely Alemannic, but the verb with Eastern Swiss unit plural), the local dialect of Seewis (partly Alemannic, partly High Alemannic, details see above), the local dialect from Trimmis (largely High Alemannic, with a few High Alemannic features) to the purely Eastern Swiss High Alemannic of the Chur Rhine Valley. In particular, the combination of preserved monophthong in final and hiat ( schniie, buue, nüü, which defines the highest Alemannic ) on the one hand and the almost complete absence of the palatalization of / s / as in Hüüscher, schi etc. and the verbal forms gäischt, gäit, stäischt, stäit ( i.e. the two central phenomena that define Walser German) makes it difficult to assign the Seewis dialect to a superordinate dialect group. The reason for this is assumed to be the late Germanization of the place, which only took place at a time when, on the one hand, the originally Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking villages of the Prättigau were already using the Walser dialect from Klosters and other Walser settlements, and on the other hand, the former Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking villages of the Rhine Valley were already speaking from the north had adopted the Eastern Swiss dialect.

literature

• Otto Clavuot: Seewis in the Prättigau. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Erwin Poeschel : The art monuments of the canton of Graubünden II. The valley communities Herrschaft, Prättigau, Davos, Schanfigg, Churwalden, Albula valley. (= Art Monuments of Switzerland. Volume 9). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 1937. DNB 811066703 .

Web links

Commons : Seewis im Prättigau  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Seewis community

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Hiking Switzerland along the Rätikon, Graubünden ( Memento of the original from September 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ substation the Graubunden Power Plants on www.graubuendenkultur.ch .
4. ↑ ^{a b} See also Rudolf Hotzenköcherle : Bünderische Verbalformengeographie. A contribution to the knowledge of the structure of the Graubünden German language landscape. In: Dialect structures in transition. Collected essays on the dialectology of German-speaking Switzerland and the Walser regions of Northern Italy. Edited by Robert Schläpfer and Rudolf Trüb , Aarau 1986, pp. 73–150.