Präz (Romansh: Preaz) was a municipality in the district of Hinterrhein in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of Portein, Präz, Sarn and Tartar merged into the municipality of Cazis.[1]

Präz
Präz from the air
Präz from the air
Coat of arms of Präz
Location of Präz
Map
Präz is located in Switzerland
Präz
Präz
Präz is located in Canton of Graubünden
Präz
Präz
Coordinates: 46°44′N 9°24′E / 46.733°N 9.400°E / 46.733; 9.400
CountrySwitzerland
CantonGraubünden
DistrictHinterrhein
Area
 • Total
11.35 km2 (4.38 sq mi)
Elevation
1,200 m (3,900 ft)
Population
 (December 2007)
 • Total
161
 • Density14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (Central European Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time)
Postal code(s)
7424
SFOS number3665
ISO 3166 codeCH-GR
Surrounded byCazis, Rhäzüns, Safien, Sarn, Tartar, Versam
Twin townsNeerach (Switzerland)
Websitewww.praez.ch

History

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Präz is first mentioned in 1290-98 as Pare(t)z.[2]

Geography

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Präz village from downslope

Präz has an area, as of 2006, of 11.3 km2 (4.4 sq mi). Of this area, 45.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 47.9% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.8% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[3]

The municipality is located in the Thusis sub-district, of the Hinterrhein district and is located on the Heinzenberg mountains. It consists of the haufendorf (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) village of Präz and the hamlets of Dalin and Raschlinas as well as scattered farm houses. The municipalities of Portein, Präz, Sarn, and Tartar merged on 1 January 2010 into Cazis.

Demographics

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Castle Heinzenberg ruins

Präz has a population (as of 2007) of 161, of which 5.0% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -20.3%.[3]

As of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.[4] The age distribution, as of 2000, in Präz is; 29 people or 16.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old. 13 people or 7.3% are 10 to 14, and 9 people or 5.1% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 17 people or 9.6% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 33 people or 18.5% are 30 to 39, 21 people or 11.8% are 40 to 49, and 22 people or 12.4% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 15 people or 8.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 12 people or 6.7% are 70 to 79, there are 5 people or 2.8% who are 80 to 89, and there are 2 people or 1.1% who are 90 to 99.[5]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SVP which received 48% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (24.6%), the FDP (17.3%) and the CVP (9.7%).[3]

The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Präz about 70.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).[3]

Präz has an unemployment rate of 0.82%. As of 2005, there were 45 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 18 businesses involved in this sector. 1 person is employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 7 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 5 businesses in this sector.[3]

The historical population is given in the following table:[2]

year population
1803 286
1850 303
1900 201
1950 231
1980 148
2000 178

Languages

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Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (95.5%), with Romansh being second most common ( 2.8%) and Italian being third ( 0.6%).[3] The Romansh population speaks the Sutsilvan dialect.

Languages in Präz
Languages Census 1980 Census 1990 Census 2000
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
German 105 69.08% 132 91.03% 170 95.51%
Romanish 46 30.26% 10 6.90% 5 2.81%
Population 152 100% 145 100% 178 100%

References

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  1. ^ Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz, Mutationsmeldungen 2009 / Répertoire officiel des communes de Suisse, Mutations 2009 / Elenco ufficiale dei Comuni della Svizzera, Mutazione 2009 (PDF) (Report). Federal Statistical Office. 2009. nden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b Präz in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Swiss Federal Statistical Office Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 October 2009
  4. ^ Graubunden in Numbers Archived 2009-09-24 at the Wayback Machine (in German) accessed 21 September 2009
  5. ^ Graubunden Population Statistics Archived 2009-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in German) accessed 21 September 2009
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