Fürstenau, Switzerland

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For other places with the same name, see Fürstenau (disambiguation).
Fürstenau is located in Switzerland
Coordinates: 46°43′N 9°26′E﻿ / ﻿46.717°N 9.433°E﻿ / 46.717; 9.433Coordinates: 46°43′N 9°26′E﻿ / ﻿46.717°N 9.433°E﻿ / 46.717; 9.433
Country Switzerland
Canton Graubünden
District Hinterrhein
 • Total 1.32 km2 (0.51 sq mi)
Elevation 650 m (2,130 ft)
Population (Dec 2013[2])
 • Total 364
 • Density 280/km2 (710/sq mi)
Postal code 7414
SFOS number 3633
Surrounded by Almens, Cazis, Pratval, Scharans, Sils im Domleschg, Thusis
Website www.fuerstenau.ch
SFSO statistics

Fürstenau (Romansh: Farschno) is a municipality in the district of Hinterrhein in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the smallest town to hold city rights with a market right received from Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1354.


Fürstenau is first mentioned in 1257 as Fúrstenowo and Furstinowe. Originally there were two medieval tower houses or guard towers and a bishop's house in the area that became Fürstenau.[3] The Bishop's summer residence is of course the reason for the city right.


Fürstenau village and surrounding valley

Fürstenau has an area, as of 2006, of 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi). Of this area, 52.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 32.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 9.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (6.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[4]

The municipality is located in the Domleschg sub-district of the Hinterrhein district. It consists of the village of Fürstenau and Fürstenaubruck, on the right side of the valley.


Fürstenau has a population (as of 31 December 2013) of 364.[2] As of 2008, 8.1% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 12.5%.[4]

As of 2000, the gender distribution of the population was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.[5] The age distribution, as of 2000, in Fürstenau is; 29 people or 9.3% of the population are between 0 to 9 years old. 16 people or 5.1% are 10 to 14, and 13 people or 4.2% are 15 to 19. Of the adult population, 27 people or 8.7% of the population are between 20 to 29 years old. 51 people or 16.4% are 30 to 39, 36 people or 11.6% are 40 to 49, and 44 people or 14.1% are 50 to 59. The senior population distribution is 25 people or 8.0% of the population are between 60 to 69 years old, 28 people or 9.0% are 70 to 79, there are 33 people or 10.6% who are 80 to 89, and there are 9 people or 2.9% who are 90 to 99.[6]

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the SPS which received 32.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SVP (30.4%), the FDP (27.2%) and the CVP (9.5%).[4]


Fürstenau has an unemployment rate of 1.85%. As of 2005, there were 11 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 2 people are employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 133 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 15 businesses in this sector.[4]


year population
1803 107
1850 304
1900 235
1950 253
1980 198
2000 311


Fürstenau has three Swiss Heritage Sites of National Significance.

Heritage sites of national significance[edit]

The Haus Stoffel, Oberes Schloss (Upper Castle) and Unteres Schloss (Lower Castle, also known as the Bishop's Castle) are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.[7] As of 2014, the Oberes Schloss is an inn with a Michelin 3-star restaurant.


The municipality is predominantly German-speaking, with a small Romansh-speaking minority. As of 2000, 92.3% speaks German, with Romansh being second most common ( 3.2%) and Italian being third ( 1.9%).[4]

Languages in Fürstenau
Languages Census 1980 Census 1990 Census 2000
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
German 170 85.86% 243 89.66% 287 92.28%
Romanish 13 6.57% 15 5.54% 10 3.22%
Italian 10 5.05% 4 1.48% 6 1.93%
Population 198 100% 271 100% 311 100%


  1. ^ Arealstatistik Standard - Gemeindedaten nach 4 Hauptbereichen
  3. ^ a b Fürstenau in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  6. ^ Graubunden Population Statistics (German) accessed 21 September 2009

External links[edit]