Grisons

(Local Name: Graubünden / Grischun / Grigioni) The canton usually known in English by its French name of Grisons (German Graubünden, Romansch Grischun, Italian Grigioni), is a typical mountain region, with its valleys lying at heights of between 900 and 2,000 m/2,953 and 6,562ft and its highest peak, Bernina, rising to 4,049 m/ 13,285ft. Two-thirds of its boundaries lie along the frontiers of Italy and Austria. Within the canton are the sources of the Rhine (which receives the water of three-fifths of the rivers in the canton) and the Inn (Romansch En); the rivers in the south-facing valleys on the Italian side drain into the Po.

The climate of the Grisons reflects a variety of influences. In the catchment area of the Rhine a continental climate of northern type predominates, while the transverse valleys with a southern exposure show Mediterranean characteristics. Magnolias, chestnuts and vines flourish only a short distance away from the perpetual snow and ice. Grisons, the largest canton in Switzerland, owes its name to the Upper or Gray League (Ligue Grise, Grauer Bund) formed by the peasants of the region in 1395, like the League of the House of God and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions, to defend their interests against the Habsburgs.

In 15 B.C. the Romans subjugated the Rhaetians and began to colonize the region, building roads over the Alpine passes which have not greatly altered their course since then. In 536 the Grisons fell under Frankish rule and, as Chur-Rhaetia, became part of the Duchy of Swabia. Later the people of the Grisons formed the three leagues mentioned above, which at the end of the 15th C. made common cause with Swiss Confederation. The Reformation was adopted by the region. During the Thirty Years War it was plunged into bitter internal strife by the conflict between the supporters of France, led by the Salis family, and of the Habsburgs, led by the Planta family. In the 17th C. Jürg Jenatsch freed the Grisons from foreign influence, but the region was not brought together in a single canton until the 19th C. Of the present population of the Grisons 54% speak German, 31% Romansch and 15% Italian.

From very early times the Alpine passes played a vital role in the life of the Grisons. The road over the Septimer pass (Pass da Sett), built in the 14th C., is believed to have been one of the first Alpine roads usable by vehicles. During the 19th C., 10 pass roads were built, of which the Julier (Passo dello Guglia), Flüela, Splügen (Passo dello Spluga) and Maloja passes, among others, are still of major importance. The opening of the San Bernardino tunnel in 1967 made available a north-south route open all year round.