Zernez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zernez
Zernez village
Coat of arms
Zernez Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Zernez Location in Canton of Graubünden Show map of Canton of Graubünden
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Graubünden
District	Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair
Area
• Total	344.04 km2 (132.83 sq mi)
Elevation	1,474 m (4,836 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	1,506
• Density	4.3774/km2 (11.337/sq mi)
Postal code	7530
Localities	Brail, Il Fuorn, Ova Spin, Runatsch
Surrounded by	Ardez, Lavin, Livigno (IT-SO), S-chanf, Susch, Tarasp, Tschierv, Valdidentro (IT-SO)

Zernez is a village and a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It's an important place for roads in the area. Roads from Zernez lead to the Upper Engadine, Italy, the Lower Engadine, and Austria. You can also reach the Val Mustair by going over the Fuorn Pass or the Flüela Pass. Zernez is also the main place for visitors to the Swiss National Park.

On January 1, 2015, the nearby villages of Lavin and Susch became part of the Zernez municipality.

History of Zernez

Zernez was first mentioned in old writings in 1131. Back then, it was called Gumpo de Ernece. Later, in 1161-64, it was known as Zarnetz. These old records were found in a copy of a document from 1365.

Where is Zernez?

Zernez from above in 1925

The road over the Ofen Pass

After the villages of Lavin and Susch joined Zernez in 2015, the municipality became much larger. It now covers an area of about 203.91 square kilometers (78.73 square miles).

A small part of this land, about 7.8%, is used for farming. Forests cover a large part, about 35.6%. Only a tiny bit, 0.7%, has buildings or roads. Most of the land, 55.9%, is unproductive, meaning it's not used for farming or buildings.

Zernez is located along the road that goes over the Ofen Pass into the Engadine valley. The village of Brail is also part of Zernez.

Waterways and Climate

The Lai da Ova Spin is a lake that helps control water levels on the Spöl river. This lake is located high up in the Lower Engadine valley. The Spöl river flows into the Inn (also called En in Romansh) right in Zernez.

Zernez usually has about 102.7 days of rain each year. On average, it gets about 752 millimeters (29.6 inches) of rain. August is the wettest month, with about 103 millimeters (4.1 inches) of rain over 11.4 days. February is the driest month, getting about 37 millimeters (1.5 inches) of rain over 11.4 days.

People of Zernez

Population Changes

Zernez has a population of about 1,570 people (as of December 2015). About 18.6% of the people living in Zernez are foreign nationals. The population has been growing slowly.

Children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up about 20.6% of the population. Adults (20–64 years old) are 59.4%, and seniors (over 64 years old) are 19.9%.

In 2013, there were 508 homes in Zernez. Many of the buildings, about 43.6%, were built before 1919.

The chart below shows how the population of Zernez, Lavin, and Susch has changed over time:

• Note*: The population increased a lot in 1910 because of railway construction.

Languages Spoken

Most people in Zernez speak Romansh (about 61.1%). German is the second most common language (31.3%), and Italian is third (4.4%). The Romansh speakers mostly use the Vallader dialect.

In 1880, 84% of the people spoke Romansh as their main language. By 2000, about 80% of the people still understood Romansh.

Education and Jobs

Many adults in Zernez (between 25-64 years old) have finished high school or gone on to higher education, like university.

In 2012, about 653 people had jobs in Zernez.

• 63 people worked in farming.
• 208 people worked in manufacturing or construction.
• 382 people worked in services, like shops, hotels, or offices.

What to See in Zernez

Zernez has several important historical sites.

Important Heritage Sites

Some of the most important places in Zernez are:

• The old, abandoned village of Gonda.
• The Reformed Church in Zernez.
• The Schloss Wildenberg (Wildenberg Castle).
• The Palazzo Bezzola.
• The Richtstätte/Galgen Fuorcha, an old execution site.

The Reformed Church was first built in 1367. When the Protestant Reformation came to Zernez in 1553, the church was changed. In 1609, a new baroque building was put up, but the old Romanesque bell tower stayed.

The castle was built in the 12th century. It was later rebuilt in the baroque style. Since 1956, it has been the town hall.

Other Interesting Places

Besides the main heritage sites, Zernez has other cool places to visit:

• The Gothic Catholic chapel of St. Sebastian.
• The Morenturm, a medieval tower house.
• The Swiss National Park and its visitor center.
• The old tower of La Serra.
• A medieval Reformed church in Brail.

The chapel of St. Sebastian stopped being a Catholic chapel after the Reformation. It was brought back into use as a chapel in 1952. The Morenturm is a medieval tower house in the village.

The Swiss National Park is the only national park in Switzerland. It covers a huge area of about 174.2 square kilometers (67.3 square miles). It's the largest protected area in the country. It was one of the first national parks in Europe, started on August 1, 1914. The Nationalparkhaus in Zernez is a museum about the park.

The tower of La Serra was built a long time ago, possibly in the 13th or 14th century. It was fixed up between 1996 and 1998.

Images for kids

• 

  Abandoned village of Gonda

• 

  Reformed Church in Zernez

• 

  Schloss Planta-Wildenberg (Planta-Wildenberg Castle), a medieval tower house with a Baroque addition

• 

  La Serra tower outside Zernez

• 

  Morenturm, a medieval tower house

Getting Around Zernez

Zernez has four train stations: Zernez, Susch, Sagliains, and Lavin. All these stations are on the Bever–Scuol-Tarasp line. You can catch trains from here to places like Disentis/Mustér, St. Moritz, Landquart, Scuol-Tarasp, and Pontresina.

See also

In Spanish: Zernez para niños