1.
World Economic Forum
–
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss nonprofit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva. The Forum is best known for its meeting at the end of January in Davos. The meeting brings together some 2,500 top business leaders, international leaders, economists. Often this location alone is used to identify meetings, participation, and participants with such phrases as, a Davos panel, beside meetings, the foundation produces a series of research reports and engages its members in sector specific initiatives. The forum was founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a German-born business professor at the University of Geneva and he then founded the WEF as a nonprofit organization based in Geneva and drew European business leaders to Davos for the annual meetings each January. Political leaders soon began to use the meeting as a neutral platform. The Davos Declaration was signed in 1988 by Greece and Turkey, in 1992, South African President F. W. de Klerk met with Nelson Mandela and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi at the annual meeting, their first joint appearance outside South Africa. At the 1994 annual meeting, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat reached an agreement on Gaza. In late 2015, the invitation was extended to include a North Korean delegation for the 2016 forum, in view of positive signs coming out of the country, North Korea has not been attending the WEF since 1998. In 2017, the World Economic Forum in Davos attracted considerable attention when for the first time and he sharply rebuked the current populist movements that would introduce tariffs and hinder global commerce, warning that such protectionism could foster isolation and reduced economic opportunity. Headquartered in Cologny, the forum also has offices in New York, Beijing, on October 10,2016, the Forum announced the opening of its new Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco. The World Economic Forum strives to be impartial and is not tied to any political, partisan, the foundation is committed to improving the State of the World. Until 2012, it had observer status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the foundations highest governance body is the foundation board. During its annual meeting, more than 2,500 participants from slightly fewer than 100 countries gather in Davos, approximately 1,500 are business leaders, drawn from its members,1,000 of the worlds top companies. The foundation is funded by its 1,000 member companies and these enterprises rank among the top companies within their industry and/or country and play a leading role in shaping the future of their industry and/or region. Membership is stratified by the level of engagement with forum activities, with the level of membership fees increasing as participation in meetings, projects, and initiatives rises. As of 2011, an annual membership costs $52,000 for a member, $263,000 for Industry Partner. An admission fee costs $19,000 per person, in 2014, WEF raised annual fees by 20 percent, making the cost for Strategic Partner from SFr500,000 to SFr600,000
2.
Geographic coordinate system
–
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
Cantons of Switzerland
–
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the Waldstätte, with the Napoleonic period of the Helvetic Republic the term canton/cantone/Kanton was fully established. From 1833, there were 25 cantons, which became 26 after the secession of the canton of Jura from Bern in 1979. The term canton, now used as English term for administrative subdivisions of other countries, originates in French usage in the late 15th century, from a word for edge. After 1490, canton was increasingly used in French and Italian documents to refer to the members of the Swiss Confederacy, English use of canton in reference to the Swiss Confederacy dates to the early 17th century. It was increasingly replaced by Stand after 1550, the French term canton was not adopted into German usage prior to 1648, and after that only in occasional use. The prominent usage of Ort and Stand only gradually disappeared in German-speaking Switzerland with the Helvetic Republic, only with the Act of Mediation of 1803 did German Kanton become an official designation, retained in the Swiss Constitution of 1848. The term Stand remains in usage and is reflected in the name of the upper chamber of the Swiss Parliament. Republic Some cantonal constitutions provide for a formal name of the state. Most of Romandys cantons and Ticino call themselves république/Repubblica officially, at least within their constitutions, for example, the canton of Geneva refers to itself formally as the République et canton de Genève. Though they were part of the Holy Roman Empire, they had become de facto independent when the Swiss defeated Emperor Maximillian in 1499 in Dornach. The old system was abandoned with the formation of the Helvetic Republic following the French invasion of Switzerland in 1798, the cantons of the Helvetic Republic had merely the status of an administrative subdivision with no sovereignty. The Helvetic Republic collapsed within five years, and cantonal sovereignty was restored with the Act of Mediation of 1803, the status of Switzerland as a federation of states was restored, at the time including 19 cantons. Three additional western cantons, Valais, Neuchâtel and Geneva, acceded in 1815, the process of Restoration, completed by 1830, returned most of the former feudal rights to the cantonal patriciates, leading to rebellions among the rural population. The Liberal Radical Party embodied these democratic forces calling for a new federal constitution and this tension, paired with religious issues escalated into armed conflict in the 1840s, with the brief Sonderbund War. The victory of the party resulted in the formation of Switzerland as a federal state in 1848. The cantons retained far-reaching sovereignty, but were no longer allowed to maintain standing armies or international relations. Each canton has its own constitution, legislature, government and courts, most of the cantons legislatures are unicameral parliaments, their size varying between 58 and 200 seats
4.
Grisons
–
Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The name Graubünden translates as the Grey Leagues, referring to the origin in three local alliances, the League of Gods House, the Grey League, and the League of the Ten Jurisdictions. Grisons is also home to three of Switzerlands ethnic groups and the subsequent languages of Swiss German, Italian and Romansh are all native to the canton and it is the only officially trilingual canton and the only canton where the Romansh language has official status. Area-wise Grisons is Switzerlands largest canton at 7,105.2 square kilometres,19. 2% larger than the Canton of Bern, only about a third of this is commonly regarded as productive land of which forests cover about a fifth of the total area. The canton is entirely mountainous, comprising the highlands of the Rhine, in its southeastern part lies the only official Swiss National Park. In its northern part the mountains were formed as part of the thrust fault that was declared a geologic UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the name Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, in 2008. Another Biosphere Reserve is the Biosfera Val Müstair adjacent to the Swiss National Park whereas Ela Nature Park is one of the regionally supported parks. Elevations in the Grison Alps include Tödi, at 3,614 metres, many of the mountain ranges feature extensive glaciers, such as at the Adula, the Albula, the Silvretta, the Bernina, the Bregaglia and the Rätikon ranges. The mountain ranges in the area are very deep, some being considered the deepest valleys in Europe. These valleys were settled by the Raetians. Grisons borders on the cantons of St. Gallen to the northwest, Glarus, Uri to the west and it also shares international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The inhabitants of Grisons are called Bündner or Grisonians, most of the lands of the canton were once part of a Roman province called Raetia which was established in 15 BC. The current capital of Grisons, Chur, was known as Curia in Roman times, the area later was part of the lands of the diocese at Chur. In 1367 the League of Gods House was founded to resist the power of the Bishop of Chur. This was followed by the establishment of the Grey League, sometimes called Oberbund, the name Grey League is derived from the homespun grey clothes worn by the people and was used exclusively after 16 March 1424. The name of this later gave its name to the canton of Grisons. A third league was established in 1436 by the people of ten bailiwicks in the former Toggenburg countship, the league was called League of the Ten Jurisdictions
5.
Districts of Switzerland
–
In contrast to centrally organised states, in the federally constituted Switzerland each canton is completely free to decide its own internal organisation. Therefore, there exists a variety of structures and terminology for the subnational entities between canton and municipality, loosely termed districts, most cantons are divided into Bezirke. They are also termed Ämter, Amtsbezirke, district or distretto, the Bezirke generally provide only administration and court organization. However, for historical reasons districts in cantons Graubünden and Schwyz are their own legal entities with jurisdiction over tax, seven of the 26 cantons – Uri, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Basel-City and Geneva – have always existed without the district level of government. An eighth one, Appenzell Innerrhoden, uses no intermediate level either, bern in 2006 decided a reduction of its 26 districts to five administrative regions. Vaud decided a reduction from 19 to 10 districts, valais is planning a similar reduction and in Thurgau, a reduction of eight to four districts is under discussion. From 2005, districts only have a statistical meaning, the districts are functionally equivalent to municipalities elsewhere in Switzerland, and are generally shown as municipalities on maps etc. The Canton is divided into 6 districts, Appenzell Gonten Oberegg Rüte Schlatt-Haslen Schwende Municipalities of Switzerland
6.
Davos
–
Davos is a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,109, Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range. At 1,560 m, it is the highest town in Europe, Davos is host to the World Economic Forum, an annual meeting of global political and business elites and the home of one of Switzerlands biggest ski resorts. At the end of year it serves as the site of the annual Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament. The current settlement of the Davos area began in the High Middle Ages with the immigration of Rhaeto-Romans, the village of Davos is first mentioned in 1213 as Tavaus. Natives still speak a dialect that is atypical for Graubünden, showing similarities with German idioms of western parts of Switzerland, in 1436, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions was founded in Davos. Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered from tuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 upon the recommendation of his Edinburgh physician Dr. George Balfour, arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. A sanatorium in Davos is also the inspiration for the Berghof Sanitorium in Thomas Manns novel Der Zauberberg, between 1936 and 1938, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, then at the end of his life and living in Davos since 1917, depicted Davos and the Junkerboden. His painting has a both Romantic and pantheistic atmosphere and simplified formal structure, during the natural ice era of winter sports, Davos and the Davos Eisstadion were a mecca for speed skating. Many international championships were held here, and many records were set. The only European Bandy Championship was held in the town in 1913, subsequently, Davos became a famous ski resort, especially frequented by tourists from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. After peaking in the 1970s and 1980s, the city settled down as a leading, Davos has an area, of 283.98 km2. Of this area, about 35. 0% is used for agricultural purposes, of the rest of the land,2. 3% is settled and 40. 5% is unproductive land. In the 2004/09 survey a total of 337 ha or about 1. 2% of the area was covered with buildings. Over the same period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by 10 ha and is now about 0. 22% of the total area. Of the agricultural land,1,296 ha is fields and grasslands and 9,056 ha consists of alpine grazing areas, since 1985 the amount of agricultural land has decreased by 736 ha. Over the same period the amount of forested land has increased by 481 ha. Rivers and lakes cover 285 ha in the municipality, until 2017 the municipality was located in the Davos subdistrict of the Prättigau/Davos district, after 2017 it was part of the Prättigau/Davos Region
7.
Parliament
–
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative, elected body of government. Generally a modern parliament has three functions, representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government, historically, parliaments included various kinds of deliberative, consultative, and judicial assemblies. The term is derived from Anglo-Norman parlement, from the verb parler talk, the meaning evolved over time, originally any discussion, conversation, or negotiation, through various kinds of deliberative or judicial groups, often summoned by the monarch. By 1400, it had come to mean in Britain specifically the British supreme legislature, various parliaments are claimed to be the oldest in the world, under varying definitions. The Sicilian Parliament, whose first assembly was convened in 1097, the Icelandic Althing, year 930, but only including the main chiefs. Since ancient times, when societies were tribal, there were councils or a headman whose decisions were assessed by village elders, some scholars suggest that in ancient Mesopotamia there was a primitive democratic government where the kings were assessed by council. The same has been said about ancient India, where some form of deliberative assemblies existed, however, these claims are not accepted by most scholars, who see these forms of government as oligarchies. Ancient Athens was the cradle of democracy, the Athenian assembly was the most important institution, and every citizen could take part in the discussions. However, Athenian democracy was not representative, but rather direct, the Roman Senate controlled money, administration, and the details of foreign policy. Some Muslim scholars argue that the Islamic shura is analogous to the parliament, however, others highlight what they consider fundamental differences between the shura system and the parliamentary system. England has long had a tradition of a body of men who would assist, under the Anglo-Saxon kings, there was an advisory council, the Witenagemot. The name derives from the Old English ƿitena ȝemōt, or witena gemōt, the first recorded act of a witenagemot was the law code issued by King Æthelberht of Kent ca. 600, the earliest document which survives in sustained Old English prose, however, the Witan, along with the folkmoots, is an important ancestor of the modern English parliament. As part of the Norman Conquest of England, the new king, William I, did away with the Witenagemot, membership of the Curia was largely restricted to the tenants in chief, the few nobles who rented great estates directly from the king, along with ecclesiastics. William brought to England the feudal system of his native Normandy and this is the original body from which the Parliament, the higher courts of law, and the Privy Council and Cabinet descend. Of these, the legislature is formally the High Court of Parliament, only the executive government is no longer conducted in a royal court. Most historians date the emergence of a parliament with some degree of power to which the throne had to defer no later than the rule of Edward I, like previous kings, Edward called leading nobles and church leaders to discuss government matters, especially finance. A meeting in 1295 became known as the Model Parliament because it set the pattern for later Parliaments, in 1307, Edward I agreed not to collect certain taxes without the consent of the realm
8.
Landwasser
–
The Landwasser is a 30. 5-kilometre river in Switzerland, canton of Graubünden. Its origin was Lake Davos before this was turned into a reservoir for a power station, nowadays it is prolonged by the creek Flüelabach at its source and changes its name near Davos Dorf. Davos is the largest town and except for the last bit the only settlement on the river. Landwasser empties into the Albula below Filisur
9.
Demonym
–
A demonym is a word that identifies residents or natives of a particular place, which is derived from the name of that particular place. It is a neologism, previously gentilic was recorded in English dictionaries, e. g. the Oxford English Dictionary, thus a Thai may be any resident or citizen of Thailand, of any ethnic group, or more narrowly a member of the Thai people. Conversely, some groups of people may be associated with multiple demonyms, for example, a native of the United Kingdom may be called a British person, a Brit, or a Briton. In some languages, when a parallel demonym does not exist, in English, demonyms are capitalized and are often the same as the adjectival form of the place, e. g. Egyptian, Japanese, or Greek. Significant exceptions exist, for instance the adjectival form of Spain is Spanish, English widely includes country-level demonyms such as Ethiopian or Guatemalan and more local demonyms such as Seoulite, Wisconsinite, Chicagoan, Michigander, Fluminense, and Paulista. Some places lack a commonly used and accepted demonym and this poses a particular challenge to those toponymists who research demonyms. The word gentilic comes from the Latin gentilis and the English suffix -ic, the word demonym was derived from the Greek word meaning populace with the suffix for name. National Geographic attributes the term demonym to Merriam-Webster editor Paul Dickson in a recent work from 1990 and it was subsequently popularized in this sense in 1997 by Dickson in his book Labels for Locals. However, in What Do You Call a Person From, a Dictionary of Resident Names attributed the term to George H. Scheetz, in his Names Names, A Descriptive and Prescriptive Onymicon, which is apparently where the term first appears. Several linguistic elements are used to create demonyms in the English language, the most common is to add a suffix to the end of the location name, slightly modified in some instances. Cairo → Cairene Cyrenaica → Cyrene Damascus → Damascene Greece → Greek Nazareth → Nazarene Slovenia → Slovene Often used for Middle Eastern locations and European locations. Kingston-upon-Hull → Hullensian Leeds → Leodensian Spain → Spaniard Savoy → Savoyard -ese is usually considered proper only as an adjective, thus, a Chinese person is used rather than a Chinese. Monaco → Monégasque Menton → Mentonasque Basque Country → Basque Often used for French locations, mostly they are from Africa and the Pacific, and are not generally known or used outside the country concerned. In much of East Africa, a person of an ethnic group will be denoted by a prefix. For example, a person of the Luba people would be a Muluba, the plural form Baluba, similar patterns with minor variations in the prefixes exist throughout on a tribal level. And Fijians who are indigenous Fijians are known as Kaiviti and these demonyms are usually more informal and colloquial. In the United States such informal demonyms frequently become associated with mascots of the sports teams of the state university system. In other countries the origins are often disputed and these will typically be formed using the standard models above
10.
German language
–
German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, the German-speaking Community of Belgium and it is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg. Major languages which are most similar to German include other members of the West Germanic language branch, such as Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Luxembourgish and it is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English. One of the languages of the world, German is the first language of about 95 million people worldwide. The German speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of publication of new books. German derives most of its vocabulary from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, a portion of German words are derived from Latin and Greek, and fewer are borrowed from French and English. With slightly different standardized variants, German is a pluricentric language, like English, German is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects, with many unique varieties existing in Europe and also other parts of the world. The history of the German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the migration period, when Martin Luther translated the Bible, he based his translation primarily on the standard bureaucratic language used in Saxony, also known as Meißner Deutsch. Copies of Luthers Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region that translated words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Roman Catholics initially rejected Luthers translation, and tried to create their own Catholic standard of the German language – the difference in relation to Protestant German was minimal. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that a widely accepted standard was created, until about 1800, standard German was mainly a written language, in urban northern Germany, the local Low German dialects were spoken. Standard German, which was different, was often learned as a foreign language with uncertain pronunciation. Northern German pronunciation was considered the standard in prescriptive pronunciation guides though, however, German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire, which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe. Until the mid-19th century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of the Empire and its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Some cities, such as Prague and Budapest, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain, others, such as Pozsony, were originally settled during the Habsburg period, and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest and Bratislava as well as cities like Zagreb, the most comprehensive guide to the vocabulary of the German language is found within the Deutsches Wörterbuch. This dictionary was created by the Brothers Grimm and is composed of 16 parts which were issued between 1852 and 1860, in 1872, grammatical and orthographic rules first appeared in the Duden Handbook. In 1901, the 2nd Orthographical Conference ended with a standardization of the German language in its written form
11.
Arosa
–
Arosa is a town and a municipality in the Plessur Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is both a summer and a winter tourist resort, on 1 January 2013, the former municipalities of Calfreisen, Castiel, Langwies, Lüen, Molinis, Peist and St. Peter-Pagig merged into the municipality of Arosa. At the end of 2013 the Arosa ski resort was linked with Lenzerheide by cable-car, since then transport passes work in both resorts. The town is known throughout Switzerland for its famous ice hockey team, Arosa is first mentioned about 1330 as Araus. In 1383 it was mentioned as Orossen and in 1428 it was first mentioned as Arosa, the first known settlements are from the 13th century. After 1300 Arosa German-speaking Walser settlers came from Davos and replaced the original Romansh-speaking inhabitants, during the following centuries, the village had a subsistence alpine pasture economy. Until 1851 it was politically a part of the Davos municipality, Arosa was established as a health resort by a German doctor in 1883, and the first sanatorium was opened in 1888. From 1900 on it developed as a winter resort. In 1938 the first ski lifts were built, and in 1956 the Weisshorn cable car was opened and further rope, in 1851 Arosa separated from the municipality of Davos. Skiing in Switzerland received a big boost from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Conan Doyle, an avid sportsman, was wintering in Davos. For entertainment, he ordered some skiing boards from Norway and hiked up the mountain with two local guides and they then skied down into Arosa, ending their journey with a luncheon at a local inn, the Seehof, the first hotel in Arosa. Conan Doyle wrote of his pioneering Davos/Arosa ski adventure in a British magazine, The Strand, in 1894, erwin Schrödinger was vacationing in Arosa at Christmas 1925 when he made his breakthrough discovery of wave mechanics. In 1933, Thomas Mann stayed in Arosa during the first week of his Swiss exile, the 1939 film Over the Moon has brief Technicolor exterior shots of the train station and ski resort areas. On February 20,1940, Germanys Hassall met with British J. Lonsdale Bryant in Arosa, the municipality of Arosa has an area of 42.6 km2. Of this, 42% is used for agriculture, and 15. 2% is forested,3. 1% is settled and the remainder includes the rivers, glaciers and mountains which attract tourists which constitute the primary industry. Before 2017, the municipality was in the Schanfigg sub-district of the Plessur district, located on the south-east slope of the Weisshorn chain, the town of Arosa is at the top of the Schanfigg valley at the foot of the Aroser Weisshorn. Adjoining are the areas of Innerarosa, Dorf-Obersee, Untersee and Maran-Prätschli at an elevation of 1,690 and 1,950 meters, the two lakes in the centre of Arosa are the Obersee and Untersee. The towns railway station is at the end of a line from Chur
12.
Klosters
–
Klosters is a town in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Together with neighbouring Serneus, the two form the municipality of Klosters-Serneus. Its ski resort lies 150 km from Zurich, the nearest international airport, transfer time is about 1.5 hours. Klosters is 10 km from Davos and it is a popular ski location and the slopes are easily accessible via a large cable car. Klosters-Serneus is first mentioned in 1222 as ecclesiam sancti Iacobi, in 1436 it was mentioned as zuo dem Closter. Klosters-Serneus has an area, as of 2006, of 193.2 km2, of this area,25. 3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18. 9% is forested. Of the rest of the land,1. 3% is settled, before 2017, the municipality was located in and is the only municipality in Klosters sub-district of the Prättigau/Davos district, after 2017 it was part of the Prättigau/Davos Region. It was created in 1865 through the merger of the independent municipalities of Serneus. Until 1973 Klosters-Serneus was known as Klosters and it is the last and uppermost village in the Prättigau valley. It consists of the villages of Klosters and Serneus and is made up of the sections of Platz, Dorf, Selfranga, Äuja, as of 2008,17. 2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -2. 8%, most of the population speaks German, with Portuguese being second most common and Serbo-Croatian being third. As of 2000, the distribution of the population was 48. 9% male and 51. 1% female. The age distribution, as of 2000, in Klosters-Serneus is,423 children or 10. 9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 398 teenagers or 10. 2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population,518 people or 13. 3% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 588 people or 15. 1% are between 30 and 39,552 people or 14. 2% are between 40 and 49, and 540 people or 13. 9% are between 50 and 59. In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 46. 5% of the vote, the next three most popular parties were the FDP, the SP and the CVP. In Klosters-Serneus about 76. 4% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education, Klosters-Serneus has an unemployment rate of 0. 93%. As of 2005, there were 189 people employed in the economic sector
13.
Langwies
–
Langwies is a former municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the former municipalities of Langwies, Calfreisen, Castiel, Lüen, Molinis, Peist, Langwies is first mentioned in 1384 as die lang Wise. Before the merger, Langwies had an area of 54.9 km2. Of this area,48. 8% is used for agricultural purposes, of the rest of the land,1. 2% is settled and the remainder is non-productive. The former municipality is located in the Schanfigg sub-district of the Plessur district and it is located on the shortest route between Chur and Davos which is over the Strela pass. It consists of the village of Langwies and the hamlets of Platz, Litzirüti, Fondei, on the south-western edge of the village of Langwies, and lower down the hillside from the centre, is the Langwies railway station, on the Chur-Arosa railway line. Additionally, in the hamlet of Litzirüti is the Litzirüti railway station, Langwies had a population of 292. As of 2008,6. 8% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -6. 1%. Most of the population speaks German, with Romansh being second most common, as of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 48. 1% male and 51. 9% female. The age distribution, as of 2000, in Langwies is,30 children or 9. 9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 34 teenagers or 11. 2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population,18 people or 5. 9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 48 people or 15. 8% are between 30 and 39,39 people or 12. 9% are between 40 and 49, and 48 people or 15. 8% are between 50 and 59. In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 64. 8% of the vote, the next three most popular parties were the SP, the FDP and the CVP. In Langwies about 76. 7% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education, Langwies has an unemployment rate of 0. 83%. As of 2005, there were 48 people employed in the economic sector. 4 people are employed in the sector and there are 2 businesses in this sector. 76 people are employed in the tertiary sector, the historical population is given in the following table, The Langwieser Viaduct for the Rhätischen Bahn is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Official website Area website Langwies in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
14.
S-chanf
–
S-chanf is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Localities in S-chanf municipality include Susauna, Chapella and Cinuos-chel, S-chanf is first mentioned around 1137-39 as Scaneves. In 1356 it was mentioned as Scanevo, the Romansh name S-chanf is pronounced. The German Scanfs was official until 1943, Chapella is the site of a chapel mentioned in 1209. Susauna is mentioned as Sauzana in 1285, S-chanf has an area, as of 2006, of 138 km2. Of this area,23. 7% is used for agricultural purposes, of the rest of the land,0. 6% is settled and the remainder is non-productive. Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district along the Inn river, after 2017 it was part of the Maloja Region. It consists of the village of S-chanf with the sections of Cinuos-chel. The village elevation is 1,662 meters, Susauna is a hamlet on the territory of S-chanf municipality, situated on the road to Scaletta Pass, a historic international trading route. In 1850, S-chanf had a population of 439, all of them Romansh speaking, population declined to 402 by 1900, and rose again to 460 by 1950. S-chanf has a population of 697, as of 2008,11. 4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7. 5% per annum, as of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 50. 7% male and 49. 3% female. The age distribution, as of 2000, in S-chanf is,66 children or 10. 6% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old,46 teenagers or 7. 4% are 10 to 14, and 46 teenagers or 7. 4% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population,74 people or 11. 9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 119 people or 19. 2% are 30 to 39,82 people or 13. 2% are 40 to 49, in the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 44. 9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP, the SP and the CVP, in S-chanf about 67% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education. S-chanf has an unemployment rate of 1. 49%, as of 2005, there were 45 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 21 businesses involved in this sector. 51 people are employed in the sector and there are 6 businesses in this sector
15.
Romansh language
–
Romansh has also been recognized as a national language of Switzerland since 1938 and as an official language along with German, French and Italian since 1996. It is sometimes grouped with Ladin and Friulian as a Rhaeto-Romance language, Romansh has also been heavily influenced by German in vocabulary and morphosyntax. The language gradually retreated to its current area over the centuries, being replaced by Alemannic, the earliest writing identified as Romansh dates from the 10th or 11th century, although major works do not appear until the 16th century when several regional written varieties began to develop. The 19th century saw a shrinkage of the language area but also a literary revival. In the 2000 Swiss census,35,095 people indicated Romansh as the language of best command, in 2010, Switzerland switched to a yearly system which uses a combination of municipal citizen records and a limited number of surveys. Based on this system, the number of people aged 15. The language area and number of speakers of Romansh have been continually shrinking, Romansh is divided into five different regional dialects, each with its own standardized written language. In addition, a variety called Rumantsch Grischun was introduced in 1982. Romansh is a Romance language descending from Vulgar Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. Within the Romance languages, Romansh stands out because of its peripheral location, another distinguishing feature is the centuries-long language contact with German, which is most noticeable in the vocabulary and to a lesser extent the syntax of Romansh. Romansh belongs to the Gallo-Romance branch of the Romance languages, which includes such as French, Occitan. The main feature placing Romansh within the Gallo-Romance languages is the fronting of Latin /u/ to or, as seen in Latin muru wall, which is mür or mir in Romansh. This sound change is partially absent in some varieties of Romansh, however, especially in Sursilvan, retention of word-final -s as in buns chavals good horses as opposed to Italian buoni cavalli. Retention of L following /p b k ɡ f/, Latin clavem key > clav as opposed to Italian chiave, another defining feature of the Romansh language is the use of unstressed vowels. Whether or not Romansh, Friulan and Ladin should compose a separate Rhaeto-Romance subgroup within Gallo-Romance is an unresolved issue, some linguists posit that these languages are descended from a common language, which was then fractured geographically through the spread of German and Italian. This position goes back to the Italian linguist Graziadio Ascoli, who first made the claim in 1873, linguists who take this position often point out that the similarities between the languages are comparatively few. This position was first introduced by the Italian dialectologist Carlo Battisti and this linguistic dispute became politically relevant for the Italian irredentist movement. Italian nationalists interpreted Battistis hypothesis as implying that Romansh, Friulan and Ladin were not separate languages and they used this as an argument to claim the territories where these languages were spoken for Italy
16.
Municipalities of Switzerland
–
Municipalities are the lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality is part of one of the Swiss cantons, which form the Swiss Confederation, in most cantons municipalities are also part of districts or other sub-cantonal administrative divisions. There are 2,294 municipalities as of January 2016 and their populations range between several hundred thousand, and a few dozen people, and their territory between 0.32 km² and 439 km². The beginnings of the municipality system date back to the Helvetic Republic. Under the Old Swiss Confederacy, citizenship was granted by each town and these citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under the law. Additionally, the towns and the rural villages had differing rights. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of the old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with the new citizens, the compromise solution, which was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created, the first, the so-called municipality, was a political community formed by election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with the local citizens who were gathered together into the Bürgergemeinde. During the Mediation era, and especially during the Restoration era, many political municipalities were abolished and limits were placed on the exercise of political rights for everyone except the members of the Bürgergemeinde. In the Regeneration era, the revolutions of the common people helped to restore some rights again in a few cantons. In other cantons, the Bürgergemeinden were able to power as political communities. In the city of Zurich it wasnt until the Municipal Act of 1866 that the municipality came back into existence. The relationship between the municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latters ownership of community property. Often the administration and profit from the property were held by the Bürgergemeinden, leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money. It wasnt until the municipality acquired rights over property that served the public and taxes. For example, in the city of Bern, it wasnt until after the property division of 1852 that the municipality had the right to levy taxes
17.
Switzerland
–
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
18.
Plessur Alps
–
The Plessur Alps are a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. They are considered to be part of the Western Rhaetian Alps and they are named after the river Plessur, which originates from the center of the ranges. The Plessur Alps are drained by the rivers Rhine, Plessur, Landwasser, the ski resort Arosa lies in the middle of the range. Peaks of the Plessur Alps are the Aroser Rothorn and Stätzer Horn, a mountain pass in the Plessur Alps is the Strela Pass, from Davos to Langwies, elevation 2,377 m. Swiss Alps Amselflue Casanna Swisstopo maps
19.
Albula Alps
–
The Albula Alps are a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. They are considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps and they are named after the river Albula. The Albula Alps are drained by the rivers Albula, Gelgia, Landwasser, the main peaks of the Albula Alps are, The Albula Alps are crossed by one railway tunnel, under the Albula Pass. The main mountain passes of the Albula Alps are, Swiss Alps List of mountains in Switzerland Swisstopo maps
20.
Alps
–
The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc, Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at 4,810 m is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region area contains about a hundred peaks higher than 4000 metres, the altitude and size of the range affects the climate in Europe, in the mountains precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of distinct zones. Wildlife such as live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,400 m. Evidence of human habitation in the Alps goes back to the Palaeolithic era, a mummified man, determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the Austrian–Italian border in 1991. By the 6th century BC, the Celtic La Tène culture was well established, Hannibal famously crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. In 1800 Napoleon crossed one of the passes with an army of 40,000. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of naturalists, writers, in World War II, Adolf Hitler kept a base of operation in the Bavarian Alps throughout the war. The Alpine region has a cultural identity. The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted in the Swiss, French, at present, the region is home to 14 million people and has 120 million annual visitors. The English word Alps derives from the Latin Alpes, maurus Servius Honoratus, an ancient commentator of Virgil, says in his commentary that all high mountains are called Alpes by Celts. The term may be common to Italo-Celtic, because the Celtic languages have terms for high mountains derived from alp and this may be consistent with the theory that in Greek Alpes is a name of non-Indo-European origin. According to the Old English Dictionary, the Latin Alpes might possibly derive from a pre-Indo-European word *alb hill, Albania, a name not native to the region known as the country of Albania, has been used as a name for a number of mountainous areas across Europe. In Roman times, Albania was a name for the eastern Caucasus, in modern languages the term alp, alm, albe or alpe refers to a grazing pastures in the alpine regions below the glaciers, not the peaks. An alp refers to a mountain pasture where cows are taken to be grazed during the summer months and where hay barns can be found. The Alps are a crescent shaped geographic feature of central Europe that ranges in a 800 km arc from east to west and is 200 km in width, the mean height of the mountain peaks is 2.5 km. The range stretches from the Mediterranean Sea north above the Po basin, extending through France from Grenoble, the range continues onward toward Vienna, Austria, and east to the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. To the south it dips into northern Italy and to the north extends to the border of Bavaria in Germany
21.
Landquart, Switzerland
–
Landquart is a municipality in the Landquart Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed when the municipalities of Igis and Mastrils merged on 1 January 2012 into the new municipality of Landquart, the municipality Landquart draws its name from a locality in the former municipality of Igis. Igis is first mentioned about 840 as Ovinae/Aviuns, in 1149 it was mentioned as Auuine, in 1225 as Huiuns and in 1253 as Yges. Mastrils is first mentioned in 1318 as Ponstrils, in 1345 it was mentioned as Bastrils. The new municipality has an area of 18.86 km2. Mastrils has a population of 8,822, the historical population is given in the following chart, Marschlins Castle and the surrounding grounds are listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. The castle is the castle of the noble family of Salis-Marschlins. In addition to the Marschlins Castle, Landquart is also home to the ruins of Falkenstein Castle, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Fidelis was built in 1908 in Landquart village. The current Reformed church in Igis village was built to its current appearance in 1486, at that time, the nave was extended to the south and the choir was expanded. The main portal was built in 1486, as this date is carved into the stone. The paintings on the north-east wall date from before the 1486 renovation and it is believed that this wall is part of St. Damians Church in Ovine that was mentioned in 841, though this identification is debated. Part of the identification rests on the fact that the bell of the church contains an inscription indicates that it was dedicated to Cosmas. Regardless, the current church is mentioned about 1300 in the records of Pfäfers Abbey. The Church in Landquart village was built in the 20th Century as the village section grew, the land was acquired in 1914, though construction began only in 1925. Construction finished on 11 January 1926, arriving at Landquart railway station you may also want to continue by foot in a multiday hike towards Klosters on the Prättigauer Höhenweg instead of using the Rhaetian Railway
22.
Filisur
–
Filisur is an Alpine village and municipality in the Albula Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The village sits on a hillside with a view to the west where the two rivers Albula/Alvra from the Albula Pass and Landwasser from Davos meet, Filisur is first mentioned in 1262 as villa Fallisour. Filisur has an area, as of 2006, of 44.6 km2, of this area,18. 1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 46. 6% is forested. Of the rest of the land,1. 6% is settled, before 2017, the municipality was located in the Bergün subdistrict of the Albula district, since 2017 it is part of the Albula Region. It consists of the village of Filisur and the hamlet of Jenisberg at an elevation of 1,504 m, Filisur has a population of 445. As of 2008,14. 1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 0. 8%. Most of the population speaks German, with Italian being second most common, as of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 49. 5% male and 50. 5% female. The age distribution, as of 2000, in Filisur is,58 people or 12. 4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old,36 people or 7. 7% are 10 to 14, and 23 people or 4. 9% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population,60 people or 12. 9% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 57 people or 12. 2% are 30 to 39,67 people or 14. 4% are 40 to 49, in the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 36. 5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP, the SPS and the CVP, in Filisur about 69. 4% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education. Filisur has an unemployment rate of 2. 02%, as of 2005, there were 72 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 10 businesses involved in this sector. 34 people are employed in the sector and there are 8 businesses in this sector. 86 people are employed in the sector, with 16 businesses in this sector. The wettest month is August during which time Filisur receives an average of 122 mm of precipitation, during this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.3 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 43 mm of precipitation over 12.3 days, the castle ruins of Greifenstein and the Schmittentobel-Landwasser Viaduct of the Rhaetian Railway are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. It is also the end station for the line to Davos, postBus Switzerland also operate services through the village. Official website Filisur in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
23.
Ski resort
–
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes, ski trails, the ski industry has identified advancing generations of ski resorts, First generation Developed around a well-established summer resort or village. Second generation Created from a non-tourist village or pasture, third generation or integrated Designed from scratch on virgin territory to be a purpose-built ski resort, all the amenities and services nearby. Fourth generation or village resorts Created from virgin territory or around an existing village, the term ski station is also used, particularly in Europe, for a skiing facility which is not located in or near a town or village. A ski resort which is open for summer activities is often referred to as a mountain resort. Ski areas have marked paths for skiing known as runs, trails or pistes, Ski areas typically have one or more chairlifts for moving skiers rapidly to the top of hills, and to interconnect the various trails. Rope tows can also be used on short slopes, larger ski areas may use gondolas or aerial trams for transportation across longer distances within the ski area. Ski areas usually have at least a basic first aid facility, the ski patrol is usually responsible for rule enforcement, marking hazards, closing individual runs, and removing dangerous participants from the area. Some ski resorts offer lodging options on the slopes themselves, with ski-in, après-ski is a term for entertainment, nightlife or social events that occur specifically at ski resorts. These add to the enjoyment of resort-goers and provide something to do besides skiing and snowboarding, the culture originated in the Alps, where it is most popular and where skiers often stop at bars on their last run of the day while still wearing all their ski gear. People that browse ski resort & hotel websites will commonly seek mention of the quality of après-ski in the area and it is therefore seen as an important factor for skiers to consider before booking a holiday. The concept is similar to the hole in golf. The process of development have progressed since the birth of the skiing industry. Amenities and infrastructure such as buildings, ski-lifts, gondolas, access roads, parking lots. In recent years, the use of snow cannons have increased due to the fall in the volume of snow, in order to obtain good quality snow, dust or bacteria is mixed with the water in the process of snow making to form better snowflakes. Not only that the manufacture of artificial snow is costly and uses large amounts of water, snow cannons redistributes a large amount of water unnaturally over the land and freezes the ground vegetation late into spring, preventing growth and leaving pistes bare. With enough amount of water, and the likelihood of landslides and avalanches would be drastically higher. The required space for hotels, flats and secondary residences has increased the amount of space occupied by roads, while a large amount of people requires special water, sewage and electricity systems, a great deal of construction work is needed
24.
Spengler Cup
–
The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world, the event is hosted by the Swiss team HC Davos and played each year in Davos, Switzerland, between Christmas and New Years Day. Currently, all games are held at Vaillant Arena and it was originally devised by Dr. Carl Spengler as a means to promote teams from German-speaking Europe, who might have suffered ostracism in the aftermath of World War I. Eventually, the tournament grew well beyond expectations, many of Europes most prestigious clubs and national programs have appeared, including Soviet, Swedish, Finnish, Czechoslovak and German powerhouses. The 2013 tournament marked the return of a North American league team, the AHLs Rochester Americans, in the 2016 tournament, Team Canada successfully defended their Spengler Cup championship from 2015, defeating HC Lugano 5–2 in the final. The Cup was first awarded in 1923 to the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club, the tournament was then dominated by Czechoslovak and Soviet teams between 1965 and 1983. In 1984 Team Canada began participating and has won the Cup fourteen times. Team Canada is predominantly made up of Canadians playing in Europe, notable free agents or coaches without an NHL contract have also used the Spengler Cup to keep their name around. During the 2012 NHL lockout, huge stars like Joe Thornton and Rick Nash were already playing for HC Davos, from its inception until 1978, the tournament was played on an outdoor rink. The outdoor rink still exists outside the arena, and is one of the largest outdoor rinks in the world. Starting in 1978, all tournament games have been played indoors, in 1956, the championship trophy was given its classic and best-known look, which stood until a new gold design was unveiled in 2010. A frequent point of contention among hockey observers discussing the Spengler Cups relevance is the use of temporary reinforcements. Since the tournament is open to clubs and national teams, a rule exists that allows club teams to hire up to four additional players for the duration of the competition. Prior to the 2010 edition, six reinforcement players were allowed per team, in practice, not all participants choose to take advantage of the rule to the same extent, and it works mostly to the host teams benefit. Other teams dont have such incentives to reinforce their squad and will often be less selective. Notes 1 Oxford University and LTC Prague play 0–0 after overtime,2 Cup not held due to World War II. 2 Includes the runner-up 1967 Kingston Aces of the Ontario Hockey Association,3 Includes hockey clubs based in todays Russia and Ukraine, and Soviet national teams. 4 Includes hockey clubs from the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, Allied-occupied Germany, West Germany,5 includes hockey clubs from the Kingdom of Italy and todays Italian Republic
25.
Ice hockey
–
Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponents net to score points. Ice hockey teams usually consist of six each, one goaltender. A fast-paced, physical sport, ice hockey is most popular in areas of North America, Ice hockey is the official national winter sport of Canada, where the game enjoys immense popularity. In North America, the National Hockey League is the highest level for mens hockey, the Kontinental Hockey League is the highest league in Russia and much of Eastern Europe. The International Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body for international ice hockey. The IIHF manages international tournaments and maintains the IIHF World Ranking, worldwide, there are ice hockey federations in 74 countries. Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in the 18th and 19th century United Kingdom and these games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules were developed, such as shinny and ice polo. The contemporary sport of ice hockey was developed in Canada, most notably in Montreal, some characteristics of that game, such as the length of the ice rink and the use of a puck, have been retained to this day. Amateur ice hockey began in the 1880s, and professional ice hockey originated around 1900. The Stanley Cup, emblematic of ice hockey club supremacy, was first awarded in 1893 to recognize the Canadian amateur champion, in international competitions, the national teams of six countries predominate, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Of the 69 medals awarded all-time in mens competition at the Olympics, in the annual Ice Hockey World Championships,177 of 201 medals have been awarded to the six nations. In Russia and the Ukraine, where hockey can also refer to bandy, the name hockey has no clear origin. The English historian and biographer John Strype did not use the word hockey when he translated the proclamation in 1720, the 1573 Statute of Galway banned a sport called hokie—the hurling of a little ball with sticks or staves. A form of this word was thus being used in the 16th century, though much removed from its current usage. According to the Austin Hockey Association, the word derives from the Scots Gaelic puc or the Irish poc. The blow given by a hurler to the ball with his caman or hurley is always called a puck. Stick-and-ball games date back to pre-Christian times, in Europe, these games included the Irish game of hurling, the closely related Scottish game of shinty and versions of field hockey. IJscolf, a game resembling colf on a surface, was popular in the Low Countries between the Middle Ages and the Dutch Golden Age. It was played with a curved bat, a wooden or leather ball
26.
HC Davos
–
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos play in the Swiss National League A, the team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team players and players who once played for National Hockey League teams. HC Davos also has hosted the annual Spengler Cup tournament, an invitational competition and it is generally referred to by its abbreviation HCD by the fans. The team had the worst attendance of the National League A for the 2016-17 season, HC Davos was founded in 1921 and was quite successful, dominating the Eastern Swiss championship for over three decades from 1926 to 1960. However, the team was relegated into 1, liga in 1990, one of the lowest points in its history. After a new beginning, the moved into Nationalliga B. Davos has been among the best teams in the league since, with recent league championships in 2002,2005,2007,2009,2011, in 1923, Davos presented the first Spengler Cup, one of the oldest tournaments in sports still being played. As the local team, Davos plays in tournament as well. Figures are updated after each completed NLA/NLB/1, note, Pos = Position, GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, P/G = Points per game HC Davos official site Spengler Cup official site
27.
High Middle Ages
–
The High Middle Ages or High Medieval Period was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, by 1250 the robust population increase greatly benefited the European economy, reaching levels that would not be seen again in some areas until the 19th century. This trend was checked in the Late Middle Ages by a series of calamities, notably the Black Death but also including numerous wars, from about the year 780 onwards, Europe saw the last of the barbarian invasions and became more socially and politically organized. The Carolingian Renaissance led to scientific and philosophical revival of Europe, the first universities were established in Bologna, Paris, Oxford and Modena. The Vikings had settled in the British Isles, France and elsewhere, the Magyars had ceased their expansion in the 10th century, and by the year 1000, a Christian Kingdom of Hungary was recognized in Central Europe, forming alliances with regional powers. With the brief exception of the Mongol invasions in the 13th century, in the 11th century, populations north of the Alps began to settle new lands, some of which had reverted to wilderness after the end of the Roman Empire. In what is known as the clearances, vast forests. At the same time settlements moved beyond the boundaries of the Frankish Empire to new frontiers in Europe, beyond the Elbe River. The High Middle Ages produced many different forms of intellectual, spiritual, the rediscovery of the works of Aristotle led Thomas Aquinas and other thinkers of the period to develop Scholasticism, a combination of Catholicism and ancient philosophy. For much of the time period Constantinople remained Europes most populous city, in architecture, many of the most notable Gothic cathedrals were built or completed during this era. The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages, beginning at the start of the 14th century, in England, the Norman Conquest of 1066 resulted in a kingdom ruled by a Francophone nobility. The Normans invaded Ireland by force in 1169 and soon established throughout most of the country. Likewise, Scotland and Wales were subdued to vassalage at about the same time, the Exchequer was founded in the 12th century under King Henry I, and the first parliaments were convened. In 1215, after the loss of Normandy, King John signed the Magna Carta into law, from the mid-tenth to the mid-11th centuries, the Scandinavian kingdoms were unified and Christianized, resulting in an end of Viking raids, and greater involvement in European politics. King Cnut of Denmark ruled over both England and Norway, after Cnuts death in 1035, England and Norway were lost, and with the defeat of Valdemar II in 1227, Danish predominance in the region came to an end. Meanwhile, Norway extended its Atlantic possessions, ranging from Greenland to the Isle of Man, while Sweden, under Birger Jarl, however, the Norwegian influence started to decline already in the same period, marked by the Treaty of Perth of 1266. Also, civil wars raged in Norway between 1130 and 1240, by the time of the High Middle Ages, the Carolingian Empire had been divided and replaced by separate successor kingdoms called France and Germany, although not with their modern boundaries. Germany was under the banner of the Holy Roman Empire, which reached its mark of unity
28.
Vaz/Obervaz
–
Vaz/Obervaz is a municipality in the Albula Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. No town of the name Vaz/Obervaz actually exists, commonly, Lain, Muldain and Zorten make up the Obervaz region. Until 1943 Vaz/Obervaz was known as Obervaz, on the southern slope of Mount Crap la Pala, the land rises steeply up the sharply cut sides of the ravine of the Albula. The main towns have an elevation of 1,200 meters. The municipality has an area, as of 2006, of 42.5 km2, of this area, 42% is used for agricultural purposes, while 39. 4% is forested. Of the rest of the land,6. 2% is settled, Vaz/Obervaz has a population of 2,718. As of 2008,15. 2% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -2. 8%. The Jenische who called Obervaz home were mostly on trips to peddle goods, nevertheless, the death records show, between 1892 and 1905,115 farmers,2 table-ware salesmen, and peddlers and one bell caster. Even today many Jenische live in Vaz/Obervaz, for example, the Moser and Kollegger families, other Jenische whose families have called Vaz/Obervaz home live spread throughout Switzerland, particularly in the cities of St. Gallen, Zürich, and Basel. Still alive, although mostly in central Switzerland, are some Vazer Jenische, although the established Jenische of Obervaz are well integrated, the Vazer are, on the whole, understandably unhappy are still being labeled Gypsies. As of 2000, the distribution of the population was 50. 5% male and 49. 5% female. The age distribution, as of 2000, in Vaz/Obervaz is,278 people or 10. 3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old,148 people or 5. 5% are 10 to 14, and 147 people or 5. 5% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population,387 people or 14. 4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 472 people or 17. 5% are 30 to 39,399 people or 14. 8% are 40 to 49, in the municipality of Vaz/Obervaz, Romansh and German are spoken. The Jenische language is heard in the village in individual expressions which have flown into the regional language and those Jenische who live in town maintain their language only in their family circle, and in contact with those Jenische who live the travelers life. Most of the population speaks German, with Romansh being second most common, the population of the municipality is predominantly Catholic. The Protestant church community has about 700 members, in the municipality of Obervaz there are eight Catholic churches, in addition to the Protestant church in Lenzerheide. After the Maria Goretti Church opened on July 24,1977 in Valbella, obersolis has a small pilgrimage church
29.
Walser
–
The Walser are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic. They inhabit the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as on the fringes of Italy, from the upper Wallis, they began to spread south, west and east between the 12th and 13th centuries, in the so-called Walser migrations. The causes of further population movements, the last wave of settlement in the higher valleys of the Alps, are not entirely clear. Some think that the large Walser migrations took place because of conflicts with the feudal lords. Other theories contend it was because of overpopulation and yet others that they were reinforced by the local authorities in order to settle previously unpopulated regions. In the years 1180 to 1318 at least 28 of 36 mayors of Conegliano were of German origin, the inhabitants of Vicenza until the fifteenth century called themselves cymbriaci viri and called Cymbria the city of Vicenza. In Switzerland, the German-speaking part of the canton of Valais is the region of the Walser. There are 26 Walser communities that were settled by the Walser migration and these are, Simplon, in Canton of Valais, Bosco/Gurin, in Canton of Ticino, and the following communities in Graubünden, Obersaxen, Valsertal, Safiental, Rheinwald, Schanfigg, Albula, Landquart. Wartau, and Walser speaking people may live in the Republic, in Italy, there are nine communities that were settled by the Walser migration. These are, Gressoney-La-Trinité, Gressoney-Saint-Jean and Issime, Formazza, Macugnaga, Alagna Valsesia, Rima San Giuseppe, in Liechtenstein, there is one Walser community, Triesenberg, including Saminatal and Malbun. Until the 1930s, the dialects of Walser German and Romandy based on the French language was spoken among a few hundred residents. In Austria, there are 14 Walser communities, Grosses Walsertal, Kleinwalsertal, Brandnertal, Montafon, Reintal, Tannberg, all in Vorarlberg, some Walsers later settled portions of eastern Hungary, most were found in the Tokay wine region. Walsers, along with French Swiss speakers and French vintners with wine-producing skills arrived in the 19th century by invitation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Their descendants in the early 20th century were known as Français du Banat or the Banat French, as well the Romandie de lUngerne or the Romandies of Hungary
30.
Dialect
–
That happens, for example, across large parts of India or the Maghreb. Historically, it happened in various parts of Europe such as between Portugal, southern Belgium and southern Italy, and between Flanders and Austria. Leonard Bloomfield used the dialect area. It is analogous to a species in evolutionary biology. Dialect continua typically occur in long-settled agrarian populations, as innovations spread from their various points of origin as waves, in this situation, hierarchical classifications of varieties are impractical. Instead, dialectologists map variation of language features across a dialect continuum. The influential Atlas linguistique de la France pioneered the use of a trained fieldworker and these atlases typically consist of display maps, each showing local forms of a particular item at the survey locations. Secondary studies may include maps, showing the areal distribution of various variants. A common tool in these maps is an isogloss, a line separating areas where different variants of a particular feature predominate, in a dialect continuum, isoglosses for different features are typically spread out, reflecting the gradual transition between varieties. A bundle of coinciding isoglosses indicate a stronger dialect boundary, as might occur at geographical obstacles or long-standing political boundaries, in other cases, intersecting isoglosses and more complex patterns are found. Standard varieties may be developed and codified from one or more locations in a continuum, in such cases the local variety is said to be dependent on, or heteronomous with respect to, the standard variety. The Scandinavian languages, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, are cited as examples. Conversely, a defined in this way may include local varieties that are mutually unintelligible. The choice of standard is determined by a political boundary. As a results, speakers on either side of the boundary may use almost identical varieties, but treat them as dependent on different standards, the choice may be a matter of national, regional or religious identity, and may be controversial. In the Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, a standard was developed from local varieties within a continuum with Serbia to the north, the standard was deliberately based on varieties from the west of the republic that were most different from standard Bulgarian. Now known as Macedonian, it is the standard of the independent Republic of Macedonia. Europe provides several examples of dialect continua, the largest of which involve the Germanic, Romance and Slavic branches of the Indo-European language family
31.
Valais
–
The canton of Valais is widely known for the Matterhorn and resort towns such as Crans-Montana, Saas Fee and Zermatt. It is composed of 13 districts and its capital is Sion, the Romans called the upper Rhône valley Vallis Poenina. According to a tradition which can be traced back to the middle of the 8th century, from 888 onwards the lands were part of the kingdom of Jurane Burgundy. Valais formed part of the kingdom of Transjurane Burgundy, which fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032 and it became part of the duchy of Burgundia Minor, which was held from the emperors by the house of Zähringen. About the middle of the 13th century, the large communities began to develop independence, the name Zenden or tithings probably came from a very ancient division of the bishops manors for administrative and judicial purposes. In the same century the part of the valley was colonized by Germans from Hasli in the Canton of Bern. The locals became German speaking, though many Romance local names still remain, in 1354 the liberties of several of the seven Zenden were confirmed by the Emperor Charles IV. By the late 14th century, the counts of Savoy acquired the bishopric of Sion, the Zenden resisted his attempts to gather both spiritual and secular power in the valley. In 1375-76, Zenden forces crushed the army of the house of La Tour-Chatillon, and in 1388 utterly defeated the forces of the bishop, the German-speaking Zenden spread further into the valley. Starting in 1384 the Morge stream was recognized as the boundary between Savoyard, French-speaking Lower Valais and German-speaking episcopal Upper Valais, during the Raron affair rebellion in 1414 to 1420, some cantons of the Swiss Confederation took sides in the Valais. Lucerne, Uri and Unterwalden supported the Upper Valais rebels, while Bern supported the noble Raron family, the uprising was successful in driving out the Rarons, and almost brought the Confederation to civil war. Following the violence of the Raron affair, the canton was the location of the Valais witch trials between 1428 and 1447 in which at least 367 men and women were put to death and this event marks one of the earliest witch scares in late medieval Europe. The phenomenon later spread to parts of the contintent. With the election of Walther von Supersax of Conches as bishop in 1457, at the outbreak of the Burgundian War in 1475 the bishop of Sion and the Zenden made a treaty with Bern. In November of the year they seized all Lower or Savoyard Valais up to Martigny. In March 1476, after the victory of Grandson, they advanced and captured St Maurice, Évian, Thonon and they had to give up the last three districts in 1477, but won them again in 1536. In the treaty of Thonon in 1569, Monthey, Val-dllliez and these conquered districts in the Lower Valais were always ruled as subject lands by the bishop and Zenden of the Upper Valais. On March 12,1529, Valais became a member of the Swiss Confederation
32.
League of the Ten Jurisdictions
–
The League of the Ten Jurisdictions was the last of the Three Leagues founded during the Middle Ages in what is now Canton Graubünden of Switzerland. The League was created in the County of Toggenburg after the counts of Toggenburg died out, the League initially existed to resist the power of the House of Habsburg, and quickly allied with the Grey League and the League of Gods House. In 1524 the three joined together to become the Free State of the Three Leagues, which existed until the Napoleonic dissolution of the Free State. The League of the Ten Jurisdictions was the last of the three leagues to be founded, on April 30,1436 the last Count of Toggenburg, Friedrich VII, died without any male heirs and without a will. The Toggenburg lands included the valley of Prättigau, the upper Albula valley, Churwalden, Schanfigg, for the Toggenburg properties, the future was very uncertain. The communities would either be split among other nobles, or the entire County of Toggenburg would be inherited by the House of Habsburg, the leaders of the communities chose a third path, they reached an agreement with Friedrichs widow, Elisabeth von Matsch. In Davos on June 8,1436 the former Toggenburg lands formed a pact with the support of Elisabeth, leaders of the communities of Klosters, Davos, Castels, Schiers, St. It is significant that there were no nobles involved in creating the pact, the first leader of the League was Ulrich Beeli from Davos, and all future Bundstage occurred in Davos. The League quickly tied itself to the other surrounding leagues, within one year eight of the members of the League had already allied with the League of Gods House. The entire League allied with the League of Gods House by 1450, in 1471 the League allied with the Grey League, forming the Three Leagues. Soon after the death of the Toggenburgs, the League was not able to prevent the Court and Judgement rights from being split up and given to local nobles. Although the members of the League had control over the administration and local politics, they did not have control over High Justice. Most of the League was given to the Graf von Montfort, the Landvogt lived at Burg Castels near Luzein. The League of the Ten Jurisdictions was very active in the Three Leagues after 1471, after 1486 troops from the League participated in military action with the rest of the Three Leagues. In 1524, the League of the Ten Jurisdiction signed the Bundesbrief, however some of the rights within the Ten Jurisdictions were still held by other noble families. For example, the Baron von Brandis held Maienfeld, which was a member of the League, in 1509 the Baron von Brandis separated the community of Maienfeld from his holdings, and transferred it to the emergent Three Leagues. Maienfeld became a Vogtei of the Leagues and this meant that Maienfeld was both a voting member of the League of the Ten Jurisdictions and under the control of the Three Leagues at the same time. Maienfeld indirectly administered itself as a territory of the Three Leagues
33.
Bobsleigh
–
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four teammates make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. The timed runs are combined to calculate the final score, all three types were adapted from boys delivery sleds and toboggans. Competition naturally followed, and to protect the class and rich visitors in the streets and byways of St Moritz. It has hosted the sport during two Olympics and is still in use today, International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, also known as FIBT from the French Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing. National competitions are governed by bodies such as the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. Although sledding on snow or ice had been popular in northern countries. It developed from two crestas attached together with a board and with a steering mechanism attached to the front cresta, the name of the sport appeared when competitors adopted the technique of bobbing back and forth inside the sled to increase its speed. This had both short- and long-term outcomes, in the term the guests began to scheme about and invent steering means for the sleds, which became the luge, bobsleighs. Long term, after a couple of years of happy pedestrian peril. Still in operation as of 2014, this has served as a host track during two Winter Olympics, as one of the few natural weather tracks in the world, it does not use artificial refrigeration. The first informal races took place on snow-covered roads, formal competitions started in 1884 at St. Moritz. Its not known how much the original track evolved in the years as the three sports matured and stabilized. The first club formed in 1897, and the first purpose-built track solely for bobsleds opened in 1902 outside of St Moritz, over the years, bobsleigh tracks evolved from straight runs to twisting and turning tracks. The original wooden sleds gave way to streamlined fiberglass and metal ones, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation was founded in 1923. Mens four-man bobsleigh appeared in the first ever Winter Olympic Games in 1924, though not included in the 1960 Winter Olympics, bobsleigh has featured in every Winter Olympics since. Womens bobsleigh competition began in the US in 1983 with two races in Lake Placid, New York, one held in February and the second held during the World Cup races in March 1983. Womens two-woman bobsleigh made its Olympic debut at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Bobsleigh is also contested at American, European, and World Cup championships. Germany and Switzerland have proven the most successful bobsleighing nations measured by overall success in European, World, World Cup, since the 1990s Germans have dominated in international competition, having won more medals than any other nation
Tavau (help·info), archaic Italian: Tavate) is an Alpine town, and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,060 (2016).[2] Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range. At 1,560 m (5,120 ft), it is described[by whom?] as "the highest town in the Alps"..jpg)
