Rheinwald, Switzerland

Rheinwald is a municipality in the Viamala Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2019 the former municipalities of Hinterrhein, Nufenen and Splügen merged to form the new municipality of Rheinwald.[1]

Rheinwald
Flag of Rheinwald
Coat of arms of Rheinwald
Location of Rheinwald
Map
Rheinwald is located in Switzerland
Rheinwald
Rheinwald
Rheinwald is located in Canton of Graubünden
Rheinwald
Rheinwald
Coordinates: 46°32′N 9°12′E / 46.533°N 9.200°E / 46.533; 9.200
CountrySwitzerland
CantonGraubünden
DistrictViamala
Area
 • Total136.82 km2 (52.83 sq mi)
Population
 (December 2020)
 • Total574
 • Density4.2/km2 (11/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)
7435,37,38
SFOS number3714
ISO 3166 codeCH-GR
Surrounded byBlenio (TI), Malvaglia (TI), Mesocco, Vals
Websitehttps://rheinwald.ch/
SFSO statistics

History

Hinterrhein

Hinterrhein is first mentioned in 1219 as de Reno.[2]

Nufenen

Nufenen was first mentioned in 1343 as Ovena. In 1633 it was mentioned as Nufena. In Romansh it was known as Nueinas and it used to be known as Novena in Italian.[3]

Splügen

Splügen is first mentioned about 840 as cella in Speluca.[4]

Geography

After the merger, Rheinwald has an area, as of 2009, of 136.82 km2 (52.83 sq mi).[5]

Demographics

The new municipality has a population (as of December 2020) of 574.[6]

Historic Population

The historical population is given in the following chart:[7]

Heritage sites of national significance

Hotel Weiss Kreuz

The Alte Landbrücke (Old Bridge) and the Säumerherberge (mule drivers hostel) Weiss Kreuz are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.[8]

Wakker Prize

In 1995, the Swiss Heritage Society bestowed the Wakker Prize on the village of Splügen. The prize description notes that Splügen had reached a notable compromise between preservation and tourism. The old town was strictly protected to maintain the original appearance, while rational zone planning allowed development to occur outside the old village.[9]

Climate

Between 1961 and 1990 Hinterrhein had an average of 121.4 days of rain per year and on average received 1,469 mm (57.8 in) of precipitation. The wettest month was May during which time Hinterrhein received an average of 194 mm (7.6 in) of precipitation. During this month there was precipitation for an average of 14.2 days. The driest month of the year was February with an average of 45 mm (1.8 in) of precipitation over 14.2 days.[10]

Climate data for Hinterrhein (1981-2010)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)−1.5
(29.3)
−0.6
(30.9)
2.6
(36.7)
5.6
(42.1)
11.2
(52.2)
15.3
(59.5)
18.1
(64.6)
17.5
(63.5)
13.6
(56.5)
9.6
(49.3)
3.0
(37.4)
−0.8
(30.6)
7.8
(46.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)−6.3
(20.7)
−5.8
(21.6)
−2.1
(28.2)
1.6
(34.9)
6.5
(43.7)
10.0
(50.0)
12.5
(54.5)
12.0
(53.6)
8.5
(47.3)
4.6
(40.3)
−1.2
(29.8)
−5.0
(23.0)
2.9
(37.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)−11.6
(11.1)
−11.9
(10.6)
−7.4
(18.7)
−2.7
(27.1)
1.8
(35.2)
4.3
(39.7)
6.4
(43.5)
6.5
(43.7)
3.5
(38.3)
0.1
(32.2)
−5.3
(22.5)
−9.6
(14.7)
−2.2
(28.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)50
(2.0)
37
(1.5)
65
(2.6)
137
(5.4)
197
(7.8)
175
(6.9)
171
(6.7)
184
(7.2)
186
(7.3)
179
(7.0)
150
(5.9)
67
(2.6)
1,598
(62.9)
Average snowfall cm (inches)80.1
(31.5)
63
(25)
71.4
(28.1)
66.5
(26.2)
13.2
(5.2)
8.6
(3.4)
0.2
(0.1)
1.1
(0.4)
3.7
(1.5)
17.8
(7.0)
42.7
(16.8)
68.8
(27.1)
437.1
(172.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)6.75.67.210.113.012.411.812.29.49.78.87.2114.1
Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm)8.98.48.17.12.10.80.10.20.51.85.8952.8
Average relative humidity (%)73727273737373767776767574
Mean monthly sunshine hours599411711214916619317412810358391,391
Source: MeteoSwiss [11]

References