Engadin

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Lej da Segl and Lej da Silvaplauna, Upper Engadin

Tschierva glacier, Piz Bernina and Piz Roseg as seen from Piz Corvatsch

The Engadin or Engadine (German: Engadin, Romansch: Engiadina) is a long mountain valley located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast of Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria one hundred kilometers downstream. The Engadin is protected by high mountains on all sides and is famous for its sunny climate, beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities.

In Romansch, which is the indigenous language of the region, the "Engadin" literally translates as the garden of the Inn River (Romansch: En). However, historically, politically and geographically, the Engadin refers to the entire region, including the Inn River Valley, it tributaries and the surrounding mountains.

The Engadin is divided into two parts, the upper Engadin from Maloja to Zernez, where the valley is remarkably straight and wide, and until S-chanf, fairly flat. And the lower Engadin from Zernez to the Austrian border, where the river elevation drops quicker and its path more tortuous.

The upper Engadin begins at Maloja Pass with a chain of Engadin lakes, Lej da Segl (Lake Sils), famous for windsurfing, Lej da Silvaplauna (Lake Silvaplana), and Lej da San Murezzan (Lake St. Moritz). On the farside, Maloja Pass drop preciptously down to Chiavenna and Como in Italy. In the mountains behind Maloja is the European triple divide (46°24′40.81″N, 9°39′46.60″E) from where the Inn flows via Danube to the Black Sea, the Maira via Po to the Mediterranean Sea, and the Julia (river) via Rhine to the North Sea.

The world-famous and very expensive resort St. Moritz (1800 m) sits on Lej da San Murezzan. It was the host city for the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics. There are numerous ski resorts in the area.

Northeast of St. Moritz lies the village of Samedan, which is the capital of the upper Engadin. Near Samedan, the river Flaz joins the Inn and the valley opens into a wide meadow framed with mountains. The Flaz is a major tributary which flows down the valley leading to the Bernina Pass (2323 m). The highest mountain in the Engadine, and in the Eastern Alps, is Piz Bernina which is 4052 m and is located nearby.

Below Samedan are a number of villages lying on the banks of the Inn. Perhaps the best preserved is Zuoz (1720 m), which is a beautiful village of typical Engadin houses, with large, thick stone and masonry walls, funnel-shaped windows and wall paintings called graffiti. These house are large and are often shared by two or more families, and they may have what use to be a stable or livestock area underneath. In a typical Engadin village, there are numerous fountains, with are free-flowing all year round, which were formerly used for drinking water, washing, and for watering livestock.

In the upper Engadin there is a train from Samedan that connects via Albula tunnel with the rest of Switzerland. In the summer, Albula Pass is also open for car travel. The Julier Pass, above St. Moritz connects the Engadin with the rest of Graubünden.

Piz Roseg and Vadret da Roseg as seen from Fuorcla Surlej

Immediately below Zuoz is the village of S-chanf, which is the end of the large flat meadow surronding the Inn. Every year there is a famous cross-country ski race called the Engadin Marathon from Maloja, across the frozen lakes and over the open meadows and ending in S-chanf. Thousands of skiers participate.

Below S-chanf the landscape changes suddenly. The Inn, now rather wild, flows through a deep gorge with steep walls and the meadows change to larch woods. At Zernez, the Inn valley open up again for a short distance. In Zernez (1470 m) the Fuorn Pass goes south, passing through the Swiss National Park.

Below Zernez, the lower Engadin begins. The villages are no more in the valley but higher up on sunny terraces formed in the glacial period.

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To the north, another train route connects the Lower Engadin with Klosters via the recently built Vereina tunnel.

The capital of the Lower Engadin is the ski resort and spa Scuol (1200 m).

In the upper Engandin, as a result of the influx of people related to tourism, the number of Romansch and Swiss-German speakers are about equal, and the heavily touristed village of St. Moritz there are few Romansch speakers. But in the lower Engadine, Romansch is still the predominate language, but almost all of the people also speak Swiss-German as a second language. Most place signs in both the upper and lower Engadin show both languages, e.g. St. Moritz - San Murezzan, Sils - Segl, Samedan - Samaden.