Davos
| Davos | ||||||||||
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| Population | 10,744 (December 2006[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 42 /km² (109 /sq.mi.) | |||||||||
| Area | 254.48 km² (98.3 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 1,560 m (5,118 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 7260 Davos-Dorf 7270 Davos-Platz |
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| SFOS number | 3851 | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch, Wiesen | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Aspen, Colorado (USA), Sanada (Japan), Chamonix (France) | |||||||||
| Website | www.gemeinde-davos.ch | |||||||||
  Davos
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Davos (Romansh: Tavau, Italian: Tavate) is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland.
It is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range.
Davos is famous as the host to the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual meeting of global political and business elites, which is often referred to as simply Davos. It is also known as a winter sports area, including serving as the site of the annual Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament, which is hosted by the HC Davos local hockey team.
Davos is the largest ski resort in Switzerland and the highest city in Europe[1].
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History
The current settlement of the Davos area started back in High Middle Ages with the immigration of Rhaeto-Romans. Then from about 1280 the barons of Vaz allowed (German speaking) Walser colonists to settle down and conceded them extensive self-administration rights Davos became the largest Walser settlement area in eastern Switzerland Natives therefore still speak. In the "natural ice" era of winter sports, Davos, and the Davos Eisstadion was a mecca for speed skating. Many international championships were held here, and many world records were set, beginning with Peder Østlund who set four records in 1898. A dialect that may seem a typical for Graubünden, rather showing similarities with (German) idioms of western parts of Switzerland is spoken, such as in Bernese Oberland and the Upper Valais 1436, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions was founded in Davos from the middle of the 18th century, Davos became a popular destination for the rich and ailing because the microclimate in the high valley was deemed excellent by doctors and recommended for lung disease patients. For example Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered from tuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 at the recommendation of his Edinburgh doctor, Dr. George Balfour. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. Davos is also the setting of Thomas Mann's novel Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain), which takes place at a sanatorium.
Subsequently, Davos did became a famous ski resort, especially with tourists from the United Kingdom and Holland. After a high peak in the 1970s and 1980s, the two-part city finally re-established itself as a leading, and less high-profile, tourist attraction.
The six main ski areas are:
- Parsenn / Gotschna
- Jakobshorn
- Pischahorn
- Rinerhorn
- Schatzalp
- Madrisahorn
Pronunciation
English-speaking broadcast journalists covering the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, along with many speakers at the meeting itself, commonly mispronounce the town's name by emphasizing the first syllable and shortening the o to make the word rhyme with "moss", i.e., DAH-voss ([ˈdaː·vɔs]). The correct pronunciation is dah-VOHS ([daː·'vos]).
Features
In a Top Gear programme, it was named "Best Road in the World" by Jeremy Clarkson
See also
- Lake Davos
- World Economic Forum
- Davos Man
- List of ski areas and resorts in Switzerland
References
External links
- Davos.ch - Official website tourism information
- Pictures Davos
- Municipality of Davos (German) - Official website
- Ski breaks and skiing holidays in Davos
- Martin Bundi: Davos in Romansh, German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
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