Graubünden is not only Switzerland's biggest canton. It is, in many senses, a microcosm of Switzerland itself, with its confusingly similar profile, its multicultural society, varied terrain and comprehensive tourist provision. Indeed, tourism drives the economy of the highest region of the Alps.
Graubünden is an Alpine world in itself. The topography offers almost limitless variation. The climate, flora and fauna are extremely diverse. So is the local culture. Graubünden is also known as the canton of the 150 valleys, and each of those valleys has a quite distinctive character of its own. Three different German dialects are spoken here, plus five versions of Romansh (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Sumiran, Putèr and Vallader). Then there are four valleys which speak several Lombard Italian dialects.
Covering some 7100 square kilometres of mountainous terrain, Graubünden is the largest of the Swiss cantons. Its present name derives from one of the late medieval alliances or Bünde, the Grey League of 1424. Another key date is 1803, when no less a figure than Napoleon decreed that Graubünden should join the Helvetic Republic. Thus the modern Swiss canton traces its origin back to this decree, 200 years ago.
Graubünden is located in the easternmost part of Switzerland, on the border between the western and eastern Alps. This vantage-point might be called the "Window of the Alps". The canton's highest point is Piz Bernina at 4049 metres (the highest peak of the Western Alps), and the lowest near San Vittore on the border with the canton of Ticino, at around 270 metres. As for peaks, Graubünden holds another record: of a total of about 1000 peaks, 460 jut above the 3000-metre mark. The highest village is Juf (at a soaring altitude of 2162 metres above sea level), while the lowest is San Vittore at 278 metres. Graubünden now numbers a resident population of 187 058. That spreads out to 24 people per square kilometre, Switzerland's most sparse population density.
Tourism is the most important contributor to the cantonal economy, in the wake of the centuries-old traffic over the passes. Long before modern tourism rolled into Graubünden, poets, literati and philosophers of world renown found inspiration here. Friedrich Nietzsche, Rainer Maria Rilke, Thomas Mann and Hermann Hesse are but a few of these famous names. With its world-famous health resorts of Arosa, Davos, Flims, Lenzerheide, St. Moritz and many other tourist centres, Graubünden is now Switzerland's leading region for tourism. A landscape of contrasts, mineral springs, favourable climate and ample winter and summer sports facilities have made Graubünden a holiday paradise - supported by a flourishing hotel and catering trade. With the modern creations of star architects like Peter Zumthor (Vals rock spa) or Sir Norman Foster (house in St. Moritz), Graubünden is always a magnet for culture lovers, while an array of young local architectural talent has its own contribution to make.
The construction of the Rhätische Bahn or Rhaetian Railways was a pioneering feat. This private network is far and away the most daring Alpine railway system, incorporating the Albula Tunnel, at the highest altitude of any tunnel in the Alps. Its narrow-gauge track extends to 385 km, running through 118 tunnels and galleries of total length 60 km. There are also 485 bridges which account for 12 km of the network.
Apart from the Rhaetian Railways, a very special feature is the Swiss National Park (SNP) in the Lower Engadine. Switzerland's only national park also happens to be the highest in the Alps. Designated as the national park in 1914, this nature reserve covers 170 square kilometres, where nature is fully protected from all improper uses and incursions. All flora and fauna are left to develop freely here, as nature intended. The park boasts an extremely rich flora, with more than 640 plant species, well adapted to this dry area of the central Alps. Thirty species of mammals and over 100 bird species have been observed here.
Graubünden's variety also manifests itself in eating and drinking. The air-dried meat "Bündnerfleisch", Salsiz and Engadine sausage and the raw sausage specialities are well known. Then there's full-bodied barley soup, maluns (fried potato chunks mixed with white flour) or capuns (herb dumplings). Blessed with a mild climate, Graubünden's estate country, the "Bündner Herrschaft", has developed into a big winegrowing area. Vineyards march up the slopes between the villages of Fläsch, Maienfeld, Jenins and Malans.
Winter holidays in Graubünden are unmistakable and unique. From igloo hotel to five-star palace, from "salsiz" sausage stand to ceremonial banquet, from gentle cross-country ski run to the biggest halfpipe, Graubünden anticipates its winter visitors' every wish. The range of opportunities is broad indeed. No matter how you plan to spend your winter holiday - just a weekend or a week-long break - there is something on offer for all who consider themselves "Bündners at heart".
Graubünden boasts a tradition of winter tourism stretching back 150 years. The canton offers visitors today the thrills of over 2200 kilometres of piste. The proverbial "guaranteed snow" which makes Graubünden special can in no way be written off as water under the bridge: On the one hand, the region's altitude makes snow a certainty - most winter sports areas lie at between 1500 and 3000 metres above sea level. On the other hand, artificial snow ensures unhampered winter sports fun, even in winters when snow is scarce. For those who can't wait: most of the ski resorts open already at the end of November.
While much of the fun here in Graubünden centres on the traditional winter sports of skiing, carving and snowboarding, our Canton offers the full range of alternative holiday and leisure activities. For a start, winter rambling is slowly growing from a trend into a boom, catered for by Graubünden's resorts with an extensive and exemplary network of prepared, marked trails. Then there are cross-country skiing, tobogganing and snow-shoe walking, not forgetting the theme and excursion trains of the Rhätische Bahn (Rhaetian Railway), with their resonant names such as the Glacier, Bernina and Arosa Expresses.
