Tenna, Switzerland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tenna
Former municipality of Switzerland
Coat of arms
Tenna Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Tenna Location in Canton of Graubünden Show map of Canton of Graubünden
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Graubünden
District	Surselva
Area
• Total	11.28 km2 (4.36 sq mi)
Elevation	1,654 m (5,427 ft)
Population  (Dec 2011)
• Total	110
• Density	9.8/km2 (25.3/sq mi)
Postal code	7106
Surrounded by	Riein, Safien, Valendas, Versam

Tenna was once a small town, or municipality, in Switzerland. It was located in the Graubünden area. On January 1, 2013, Tenna joined with three other towns: Valendas, Versam, and Safien. Together, they formed a new, larger town called Safiental.

History of Tenna

Tenna was first written about in the year 1398. Back then, it was known as Thena.

Tenna's Coat of Arms

The design on Tenna's coat of arms shows a figure. It is Saint Valentin, wearing silver clothes and a gold cape. He is raising his right hand to give a blessing. In his left hand, he holds a gold staff. This figure comes from the old town seal.

Geography and Nature

Tenna covers an area of about 11.3 square kilometers (4.4 square miles). A large part of this land, about 45%, is used for farming. Forests cover another 34% of the area. Only a small part, about 1%, has buildings or roads. The rest of the land is made up of rivers, glaciers, or mountains.

Tenna is a collection of small villages. They are located on a flat area high up on the west side of the Safien Valley. People in Tenna mostly speak Swiss German. The main village of Tenna includes areas like Ausserberg, Mitte, and Innerberg. There are also tiny villages, called hamlets, named Acla and Egschi along the valley road.

Farms and homes in Tenna

Tick Safety in Tenna

Tenna is mostly a safe place when it comes to ticks. This means there's a low risk of tick bites. However, if you go to lower areas, like near the Rabiusa river, the risk can go up. These lower areas are warmer and more humid. Some nearby towns, like Versam, are known to have a higher risk of ticks.

Important Buildings

The Swiss Reformed church in Tenna is very special. It is listed as a heritage site of national significance. This means it's an important historical and cultural building in Switzerland.

Tenna's Swiss Reformed church and graveyard.

World's First Solar Ski Lift

Tenna's solar ski lift

In February 2012, something amazing happened in Tenna. The world's first solar-powered ski lift was finished! This ski lift is 450 meters long. It can carry 800 skiers up the mountain every hour.

The lift uses about 80 solar panels. These panels are expected to make around 90,000 kWh of energy each year. But the ski lift only needs about 22,000 kWh to run. This means the lift makes much more energy than it uses! The extra power is then sold to the local power grid.

People and Population

Tenna's village center as seen from the dairy farm

A farmer in Tenna hugging his cow

A farmer in Tenna chopping wood

In 2011, Tenna had a population of 110 people. This was a good recovery from the year 2000, when only 79 people lived there.

In 2008, a small part of the population, about 3.9%, were people from other countries.

In 2000, here's what the population looked like:

• Most people (98.7%) spoke Swiss German.
• A very small number (1.3%, or just one person) spoke Serbo-Croatian.
• The population was almost evenly split between males (47.4%) and females (52.6%).
• The age groups were:

Education in Tenna

Many adults in Tenna (about 74.4% of those aged 25–64) have completed higher education. This includes either upper secondary education or a university degree. The closest universities are in Chur, like the Chur University of Applied Sciences.

Economy and Jobs

Tenna's Volg Mini store, post office, and PostAuto stop

In 2005, Tenna had no unemployment. This means everyone who wanted a job had one! Here's how jobs and businesses were organized:

Farming is the biggest part of Tenna's economy. Hay harvesting is especially important, and the government even helps farmers with money for it. There is only one cattle farm left in the village. It produces milk and meat.

Tourism is the second biggest part of Tenna's economy. In winter, people visit Tenna for skiing. In summer, they come for hiking and agritourism (visiting farms). They can also go rafting and kayaking nearby.

Even though Tenna is small, it has a hotel and places to stay. There's also a small Volg Mini store. This store helps locals and visitors get the things they need.

Unloading hay into a silo in Tenna

Tenna's last dairy farm

Swiss trail marker in Tenna

Getting Around Tenna

Tenna can only be reached by one road. This road branches off near Acla / Ober Egshi.

Tenna has a PostAuto bus stop right at the Volg Mini store. The bus connects Tenna to Versam and the Versam-Safien railway station. It travels through the Aclatobel Tunnel, which was built in 1994.

Tenna sign from Mitti road

Tenna's Ausserberg road

Acla Road (Tenna to Versam)

Images for kids

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  Aerial view (1949)

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  Tenna's Innerbärg road

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  Farm in Tenna

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  Cow warning in Tenna

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  Cows grazing in Tenna

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  Alpine marmot in Tenna

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  Tenna's Usserbarg road

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  Barn in Tenna with firewood

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  A resident of Tenna preparing firewood

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  Swiss National Day in Tenna

See also

In Spanish: Tenna (Grisones) para niños