More Sponsored Links For:
ChurColumbia Encyclopedia entry: Chur
Churkoor, Fr. Coire, Romansh Cuera, city (1990 pop. 30,236), capital of Grisons canton, E Switzerland, on the Plessur River. Chur is an important transportation junction near the Rhine Valley. Chur's main industry is tourism, but it is also an important trading center for wines and synthetic ammonia. Chur was capital of the Roman province of Rhaetia. In the 5th cent. it became an episcopal see; the bishops were later made princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The temporal power of the prince-bishops was limited (c.1465) by the townspeople and later, when the Reformation was accepted (1524–26), ended altogether. The modern inhabitants are a mix of Roman Catholic and Protestant. Outstanding buildings are a restored 8th-century church, the Renaissance episcopal palace, the cathedral (begun 12th cent.), and the Rhaetian Museum (of folklore). Most of the inhabitants speak German, but there are Romansh- and Italian-speaking minorities. The Swiss painter Angelica Kauffmann was born in Chur.
The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
Wikipedia search results for: Chur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chur ; ;, and ) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden and lies in the northern part of the canton.
The city of Chur is the seat of the bishops of Chur and capital of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, in which Chur is the most populous municipality. Archaeological evidence of settlement at the site goes back as far as the Pfyn culture, making Chur one of the oldest settlements in Switzerland. The city is located at a highly strategic location, where the roads from several major Alpine transit routes come together and pass together down the Rhine river towards various destinations in Switzerland and Germany.
The modern name Chur derives from...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Chur
Results 1 - 2 of 2
- Grisons
Grisons, Ger. Graubünden, Ital. Grigioni, Romansch Grischun, canton (1990 pop. 169,005), 2,746 sq mi (7,112 sq km), E Switzerland, bordering on Italy and Austria. Chur is the capital. The larg...
- Rhine
Rhine, Du. Rijn, Fr. Rhin, Ger. Rhein, Lat. Rhenus, principal river of Europe, c.820 mi (1,320 km) long. It rises in the Swiss Alps and flows generally north, passing through or bordering on S...
