Bergün: A municipality in the Alps
The historical witness can be seen everywhere in Bergün. However, the municipality is not only interesting from a historical point of view, but it also offers a beautiful scenery. Since 2008 the municipality has been part oft he cultural landscape oft he UNESCO World Heritage RhB.
Bergün lies at the heart of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, in the middle of the Albula Valley. Located at 1,400 metres above sea level and with a population of around 480, the municipality occupies some 146 square kilometres, divided among its four areas of Bergün, Latsch, Preda and Stuls.
It lies at the foot of the mountain Piz Ela, which gives its name to Parc Ela – Switzerland’s biggest nature park. It also marks the start of the Albula Pass, the most beautiful summer Alpine crossing into the Engadin region. Since July 2008, Bergün has formed part of the cultural landscape along the UNESCO World Heritage RhB, which includes the railway line that runs from Thusis to St. Moritz and onwards to Tirano.
It is not just the landscapes that impress however, but also the historic buildings to be found en route, including those of the old village of Bergün, with its picturesque Engadine houses richly decorated with sgraffiti detail, frescoes and typical bay windows, along with the 800-year-old Romanic church and Roman tower; all of them surprising in their uniqueness. Latsch is also structurally very intact and authentic, and regarded as the oldest mountain village in the Albula Valley.
