Vella
Encyclopedia
Vella is a municipality
in the district of Surselva
in the canton
of Graubünden
in Switzerland
.
settlement and coins from the 3rd and 4th Centuries have been found, Vella is first mentioned about 840 as ad sanctum Vincentium [...] in valle Leguntia. In 1290-98 it was mentioned as ad Ville, aput Villam. The village church was the center of a parish
that covered the entire valley. However, about 1300 Vals
separated from the parish due to the desire of Walser German
speaking Walser
immigrants to have their own religious leadership. Over the following centuries, most of the other villages in the valley also separated from the Vella parish (the most recent being Peiden in 1910). Due to the village's function as a religious center and the power of a local patrician family, de Mont, Vella grew to be the most powerful village in the valley. Since 1887, it has been home to the sub-district secondary school.
is Azure a Pelican in Piety Argent. The pelican
, which according to legend feeds its young with its own blood, is a symbol for the death of Jesus. By extension, it can also represent the entire church. In this case, it stands for the parish church
for the Lugnez valley, which is in Degen
.
The municipality is located in the Lugnez sub-district of the Surselva district. It is located at 1244 m (4,081.4 ft) ft altitude on a plateau in the centre of the Val Lumnezia
, a high alpine valley
.
The municipality consists of the village Villa and the church St. Vincent in Pleif built on a ridge overlooking the Glenner/Glogn gorge, a tributary to the Vorderrhein
. The highest elevation is Mount Stein at 2172 metres (7,126 ft) altitude.
Until 1987 Vella was known as Villa (GR). The municipalities of Cumbel
, Degen
, Lumbrein
, Morissen
, Suraua, Vignogn
, Vella, and Vrin
are considering a merger for some time in the future into a new municipality that will be known as Val Lumnezia
.
, the gender distribution of the population was 50.8% male and 49.2% female. The age distribution, , in Vella is; 63 children or 14.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 54 teenagers or 12.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 44 people or 10.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 61 people or 13.8% are between 30 and 39, 82 people or 18.6% are between 40 and 49, and 44 people or 10.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 37 people or 8.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 34 people or 7.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 21 people or 4.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there is 1 person who is between 90 and 99.
In the 2007 federal election
the most popular party was the CVP
which received 54.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
(23.8%), the FDP
(14.2%) and the SP
(7.8%).
In Vella about 70.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Vella has an unemployment rate of 0.86%. , there were 17 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 7 businesses involved in this sector. 66 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 101 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 27 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
. The wettest month is August during which time Vella receives an average of 115 mm (4.5 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.5 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 11.7, but with only 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 55 mm (2.2 in) of precipitation over 11.5 days.
.
The church is first mentioned about 843, when it was given Imperial support. It later came under the partonage of the Welf
s and in the mid 10th century came under the authority of the cathedral of Constance
. By the 14th Century it was owned by the Freiherr
of Belmont
, but in 1371 was inherited by the family of Sax-Misox. Then, in 1483 it came under the authority of the Bishop of Chur
. The Gothic
/Romanesque
church was rebuilt in 1661-62.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the district of Surselva
Surselva (district)
Surselva District is an administrative district in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has an area of and has a population of ....
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or 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...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
While there is some evidence of a late Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
settlement and coins from the 3rd and 4th Centuries have been found, Vella is first mentioned about 840 as ad sanctum Vincentium [...] in valle Leguntia. In 1290-98 it was mentioned as ad Ville, aput Villam. The village church was the center of a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
that covered the entire valley. However, about 1300 Vals
Vals
Vals is the Spanish word for waltz.Vals may also refer to:* Vals , a Peruvian style of music* VALS, "Values And Lifestyles," a psychographic segmentation tool...
separated from the parish due to the desire of Walser German
Walser German
The Walser language , also known as Walliser German , is a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in Walser settlements in parts of Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Austria and in the German-speaking part of the Canton of Wallis , in the uppermost Rhône valley.The terms Walser and...
speaking Walser
Walser
The Walser are German-speaking people who live in the Alps of Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein and Austria. The Walser people are named after the Wallis , the uppermost Rhône River valley...
immigrants to have their own religious leadership. Over the following centuries, most of the other villages in the valley also separated from the Vella parish (the most recent being Peiden in 1910). Due to the village's function as a religious center and the power of a local patrician family, de Mont, Vella grew to be the most powerful village in the valley. Since 1887, it has been home to the sub-district secondary school.
Coat of arms
The description of the municipal coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Azure a Pelican in Piety Argent. The pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
, which according to legend feeds its young with its own blood, is a symbol for the death of Jesus. By extension, it can also represent the entire church. In this case, it stands for the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
for the Lugnez valley, which is in Degen
Degen, Switzerland
Degen is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Until 1983, it was officially known as Igels.-History:...
.
Geography
Vella has an area, , of 7.4 km² (2.9 sq mi). Of this area, 69.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (7.3%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).The municipality is located in the Lugnez sub-district of the Surselva district. It is located at 1244 m (4,081.4 ft) ft altitude on a plateau in the centre of the Val Lumnezia
Val Lumnezia
The Val Lumnezia is a Swiss high Alpine valley made up of the main Lumnezia valley, and a side valley, the Valser valley to the south-east. Located at , it forms also Municipality, which is composed of the communities Vella, Vignogn, Degen, Suraua, Vrin, Cumbel, Morissen, Vals and Lumbrein. Its...
, a high alpine valley
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
The municipality consists of the village Villa and the church St. Vincent in Pleif built on a ridge overlooking the Glenner/Glogn gorge, a tributary to the Vorderrhein
Vorderrhein
The Vorderrhein is one of the two sources of the Rhine. Its catchment area of is located predominantly in the Canton of Graubünden . The Vorderrhein is about long, thus more than 5% longer than the Hinterrhein...
. The highest elevation is Mount Stein at 2172 metres (7,126 ft) altitude.
Until 1987 Vella was known as Villa (GR). The municipalities of Cumbel
Cumbel
Cumbel is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:Cumbel is first mentioned about 825 as Cumble...
, Degen
Degen, Switzerland
Degen is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Until 1983, it was officially known as Igels.-History:...
, Lumbrein
Lumbrein
Lumbrein is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-History:The Crestaulta hill near the hamlet of Surin was occupied since at least the early Bronze Age . However, Lumbrein is first mentioned about 850 as in villa Lamarine though this comes from a 16th...
, Morissen
Morissen
Morissen |Surselva]] in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-Coat of arms:The municipal coat of arms is Gules three Escallops Or. The scallops on the coat of arms represent St. James the Elder who is the patron saint of the village church.-Geography:...
, Suraua, Vignogn
Vignogn
Vignogn is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.-History:Vignogn is first mentioned in 1325 as Vinanne. In 1469 it was mentioned as Viends.-Geography:...
, Vella, and Vrin
Vrin
Vrin is a municipality in the Val Lumnezia. It belongs to the circle of Lugnez/Lumnezia in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland....
are considering a merger for some time in the future into a new municipality that will be known as Val Lumnezia
Val Lumnezia
The Val Lumnezia is a Swiss high Alpine valley made up of the main Lumnezia valley, and a side valley, the Valser valley to the south-east. Located at , it forms also Municipality, which is composed of the communities Vella, Vignogn, Degen, Suraua, Vrin, Cumbel, Morissen, Vals and Lumbrein. Its...
.
Demographics
Vella has a population (as of ) of . , 2.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -3.4%. Most of the population speaks Romansh (83.9%), with German being second most common (13.6%) and Serbo-Croatian being third ( 1.1%)., the gender distribution of the population was 50.8% male and 49.2% female. The age distribution, , in Vella is; 63 children or 14.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 54 teenagers or 12.2% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 44 people or 10.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 61 people or 13.8% are between 30 and 39, 82 people or 18.6% are between 40 and 49, and 44 people or 10.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 37 people or 8.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 34 people or 7.7% are between 70 and 79, there are 21 people or 4.8% who are between 80 and 89,and there is 1 person who is between 90 and 99.
In the 2007 federal election
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
which received 54.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(23.8%), the FDP
Free Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....
(14.2%) and the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(7.8%).
In Vella about 70.7% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Vella has an unemployment rate of 0.86%. , there were 17 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 7 businesses involved in this sector. 66 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 10 businesses in this sector. 101 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 27 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1808 | 199 |
| 1835 | 301 |
| 1850 | 229 |
| 1900 | 272 |
| 1950 | 418 |
| 1990 | 398 |
| 2000 | 441 |
Weather
Vella has an average of 116 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 1004 mm (39.5 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is August during which time Vella receives an average of 115 mm (4.5 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.5 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 11.7, but with only 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 55 mm (2.2 in) of precipitation over 11.5 days.
Heritage sites of national significance
The Church of S. Vincenz/St. Vincent is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significanceSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
The church is first mentioned about 843, when it was given Imperial support. It later came under the partonage of the Welf
Elder House of Welf
The Elder House of Welf was a dynasty of European rulers in the 9th through 11th centuries to 1055. It consisted of two groups, a Burgundian group and a Swabian group. It is disputed whether the two groups formed one dynasty or whether they shared the same name by coincidence only.-Burgundian...
s and in the mid 10th century came under the authority of the cathedral of Constance
Constance
Constance is a female given name that derives from Latin and means "constant." Variations of the name include Connie, Constancia, Constanze, Constanza, Stanzy, and Konstanze.Constance may refer to:-People:*Constance Bennett , American actress...
. By the 14th Century it was owned by the Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
of Belmont
Belmont
-Sport:* Belmont Stakes, a horse race* Belmont Bombers, a junior ice hockey team in Belmont, Ontario* Belmont Shore RFC, a rugby union team in Long Beach, California-Automobiles:* Belmont , an American electric car sold in 1916...
, but in 1371 was inherited by the family of Sax-Misox. Then, in 1483 it came under the authority of the Bishop of Chur
Bishop of Chur
The Bishop of Chur is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chur, Grisons, Switzerland .-History:...
. The Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
/Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church was rebuilt in 1661-62.
External links
- http://www.vallumnezia.ch