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30-418: Avers is first mentioned in 1292 as Anue or Avre . In 1354 it was mentioned as Auers . Avers has an area, as of 2006, of 93.1 km (35.9 sq mi). Of this area, 50% is used for agricultural purposes, while 5.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (44%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). The following villages are part of

60-471: A certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in municipal politics. As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality. Municipalities are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax ), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton (see Taxation in Switzerland ). As among the cantons, there

90-672: A part of Trepalle , Italy, however without mentioning the number of residents. Just above Juf is an old farmhouse, the Platten-hof, birthplace of writer Johann Rudolf Stoffel . This is considered the highest farmhouse in Europe. 46°26′44″N 9°34′45″E  /  46.44556°N 9.57917°E  / 46.44556; 9.57917 Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities ( German : Gemeinden , Einwohnergemeinden or politische Gemeinden ; French : communes ; Italian : comuni ; Romansh : vischnancas ) are

120-609: Is 18 people or 11.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 21 people or 13.1% are 70 to 79, there are 8 people or 5.0% who are 80 to 89, and there is 1 person or 0.6% who is 90 to 99. In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 70.2% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (19%), the CVP (5.8%) and the FDP (4.7%). The entire Swiss population

150-497: Is August during which time Avers receives an average of 150 mm (5.9 in) of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 12.4 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 13.2, but with only 113 mm (4.4 in) of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 42 mm (1.7 in) of precipitation over 12.4 days. Juf Juf ( Romansh pronunciation: [ˈjuf] )

180-449: Is a tax transfer among the municipalities to balance various levels of tax income. Switzerland has a relatively high number of small municipalities, with a population of 1,000 or less, especially in rural areas. Because of the increasing difficulty in providing professional government services and in finding volunteers for political offices in small municipalities, the cantons tend to encourage voluntary mergers of municipalities. This led to

210-544: Is a village in the municipality of Avers in the canton of Grisons , Switzerland . At 2,126 metres (6,975 ft) above sea level, it is historically the highest village with permanent residents in Western Europe, as well as one of its coldest localities. As of 2016, Juf had a population of 31 inhabitants divided between six families in a concentrated settlement. They were 20 in 1991 and 30 in 2001. The first inhabitants were immigrant Walser who arrived in 1292. Juf

240-422: Is generally well educated. In Avers about 66.6% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule ). Avers has an unemployment rate of 1.56%. As of 2005, there were 51 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 11 people are employed in

270-584: Is listed as a Swiss heritage sites of national significance . A custom in the Avers valley (found also in Bosco/Gurin , Ticino ) was to build houses with a Seelabalga ("soul-beam"). This was a sliding wooden door covering a small round hole through the wall, which was opened to allow the soul of a deceased inhabitant to depart. Avers has an average of 120.2 days of rain per year and on average receives 1,091 mm (43.0 in) of precipitation . The wettest month

300-510: Is located just above the right banks of the river Jufer Rhein, before its confluence with the Bergalgabach, both forming the Avers Rhine . The small Jufer Rhein valley is enclosed by several summits over 3,000 metre-high, the highest being Mazzaspitz , Piz Piot and Piz Turba . The valley is almost entirely above 2,000 metres. Juf differs from settlements in lower valleys in being well above

330-706: Is the capital and only municipality in the Avers sub-district, after 2017 it was part of the Viamala Region. It includes the Jufer valley, the Averser branch of the Rhine as well as the side valleys of Madris and Bergalga. Despite being surrounded by Romansh speaking areas and the Italian speaking side valley of Valle di Lei, the people here speak German due to the Walser immigrants that settled

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360-798: The Bürgerrecht (citizenship), regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live. Instead of the place of birth , Swiss legal documents, e.g. passports, contain the Bürgerort (place of citizenship, or place of origin ). The Bürgergemeinde also often holds and administers the common property in the village for the members of the community. Each canton determines the powers and responsibilities of its municipalities. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. The federal constitution protects

390-486: The secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 31 people are employed in the tertiary sector , with 12 businesses in this sector. The historical population is given in the following table: German is spoken by the vast majority of the population and is the only official language of the municipality. As of 2000 93.8% of the population speaks German, with Romansh being second most common ( 1.9%) and Italian being third ( 1.3%). The Reformed Church in Avers

420-464: The tree line , the nearest forest being about 5 kilometres away from the village. As a result, the area experiences a cold and wet climate, classified as an alpine tundra climate ( ET ), with average temperatures far lower than those of La Brévine , traditionally considered the coldest inhabited place in Switzerland. Snowfalls are possible even during summer. Wood was transported for building houses and stables, but historically, dry dung fuel from

450-403: The autonomy of municipalities within the framework set out by cantonal law. Municipalities are generally governed by an executive council headed by a president or mayor . Legislative authority is exercised by a town meeting of all citizens, or by a municipal parliament, depending on the size of the municipality, and on cantonal and municipal law. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for

480-697: The exercise of political rights for everyone except the members of the Bürgergemeinde . In the Regeneration era (1830–1848), the liberal revolutions of the common people helped to restore some rights again in a few cantons. In other cantons, the Bürgergemeinden were able to maintain power as political communities. In the city of Zürich it was not until the Municipal Act of 1866 that the political municipality came back into existence. The relationship between

510-490: The gender distribution of the population was 46.5% male and 53.5% female. The age distribution, as of 2000, in Avers is; 28 people or 17.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. 7 people or 4.4% are 10 to 14, and 5 people or 3.1% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 8 people or 5.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 22 people or 13.8% are 30 to 39, 27 people or 16.9% are 40 to 49, and 15 people or 9.4% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution

540-438: The high valley of Avers go on to the very end of the road at Juf. It is nevertheless a very remote valley, its infrastructure designed primarily to encourage tourism (two platter lifts for skiing in winter at nearby Juppa), and has been spared the technical installations, such as power lines or tourist resorts, which might otherwise ruin its "pristine beauty". Another source gives the title of Europe's highest village to Li Baita,

570-558: The higher and remote valleys in Graubünden after migrating from the west. Their culture can be followed on a multi-day hike through all of the Canton of Graubünden, called the Walserweg . Avers has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 164. As of 2008, 4.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -9.1%. As of 2000,

600-450: The inhabitants’ animals was burned for fuel. Old structures for drying manure can still be seen on the southern ends of some Juf stables. Juf is composed of two distinct sections: the highest (2,126 m), at the village entry, and the lowest (2,117 m), at the end of the paved road and near the river. Despite its remote location, Juf can be reached by public transport eight times a day all year round, as all post buses running to

630-646: The lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality is part of one of the Swiss cantons , which form the Swiss Confederation . In most cantons, municipalities are also part of districts or other sub-cantonal administrative divisions. There are 2,131 municipalities as of January 2024 . Their populations range between several hundred thousand ( Zürich ), and a few dozen people ( Kammersrohr , Bister ), and their territory between 0.32 km² ( Rivaz ) and 439 km² ( Scuol ). The beginnings of

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660-567: The modern municipality system date back to the Helvetic Republic . Under the Old Swiss Confederacy , citizenship was granted by each town and village to only residents. These citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under the law. Additionally, the urban towns and the rural villages had differing rights and laws. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of

690-462: The municipalities under cantonal or federal law. Municipalities are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see Community Identification Number#Switzerland ). One or more postal codes (PLZ/NPA) can by assigned to a municipality or shared with other municipalities. Between 2011 and 2021 nine of the smallest municipalities merged into others as part of the effort to eliminate

720-480: The municipality: Campsut (and Maxsut, 1,668 m (5,472 ft) ), Cröt (1,715 m (5,627 ft)), Cresta (1,960 m (6,430 ft)), Pürt (1,921 m (6,302 ft)), Am Bach (1,959 m (6,427 ft)), Juppa (2,004 m (6,575 ft)), Podestatsch Hus (2,046 m (6,713 ft)) and Juf (2,126 m (6,975 ft)). Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Hinterrhein district and

750-436: The number of municipalities dropping by 384 between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2019. Some municipalities designate themselves as "city" ( ville or Stadt ) or as "village" ( Dorf ). These designations result from tradition or local preference – for example, several small municipalities designated as cities held city rights in medieval times – and normally do not impact the legal or political rights or obligations of

780-525: The old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with the "new citizens", who were generally poor. The compromise solution, which was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created. The first,

810-408: The political municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latter's ownership of community property. Often the administration and profit from the property were totally held by the Bürgergemeinden , leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money and use of the property. It was not until the political municipality acquired rights over property that served

840-447: The political voting and electoral body rights from the Bürgergemeinde . In the cities, the percentage of members in the Bürgergemeinde in the population was reduced as a result of increasing emigration to the cities. This led to the Bürgergemeinde losing its former importance to a large extent. However, the Bürgergemeinde has remained, and it includes all individuals who are citizens of the Bürgergemeinde , usually by having inherited

870-498: The public (such as schools, fire stations, etc.) and taxes, that they obtained full independence. For example, in the city of Bern, it was not until after the property division of 1852 that the political municipality had the right to levy taxes. It was not until the Federal Constitution of 1874 that all Swiss citizens were granted equal political rights on local and Federal levels. This revised constitution finally removed all

900-659: The so-called municipality, was a political community formed by election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with the former local citizens who were gathered together into the Bürgergemeinde /bourgeoisie. During the Mediation era (1803–1814), and especially during the Restoration era (1814–1830), many of the gains toward uniform citizenship were lost. Many political municipalities were abolished and limits were placed on

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