Davos
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| Davos | ||||||||||
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  Davos
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| Population | 10,744 (December 2006[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 42 /km2 (109 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 254.48 km2 (98.26 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 (USA), Sanada (Japan), Chamonix (France) | |||||||||
| Website | www.gemeinde-davos.ch SFSO statistics |
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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. At 1,560 metres it is the highest city in Europe.
Davos has a dual claim to fame as the host to the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual meeting of global political and business elites (often referred to simply as Davos), and the home of the largest ski resort in Switzerland, serving as the site of the annual Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament, hosted by the HC Davos local hockey team.[1]
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[edit] History
The current settlement of the Davos area started back in High Middle Ages with the immigration of Rhaeto-Romans. From about 1280 the barons of Vaz allowed German-speaking Walser colonists to settle down, and conceded them extensive self-administration rights, causing Davos to become the largest Walser settlement area in eastern Switzerland. Natives still speak a dialect that is atypical for Graubünden, showing similarities with German idioms of western parts of Switzerland, such as in Bernese Oberland and the Upper Valais
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.
In 1436, the League of the Ten Jurisdictions was founded in Davos.
From the middle of the 18th century, Davos became a popular destination for both the rich and the ailing because the microclimate in the high valley was deemed excellent by doctors and recommended for lung disease patients. Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered from tuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 at the recommendation of his Edinburgh physician Dr. George Balfour. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. A sanatorium in Davos is also the setting of the Thomas Mann novel Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain).
Subsequently, Davos became a famous ski resort, especially frequented by tourists from the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. After peaking in the 1970s and 1980s, the city settled down as a leading but less high-profile tourist attraction.
The six main ski areas are:
[edit] Weather
 Weather averages for Davos  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | -0.9 (30) |
0.6 (33) |
3 (37) |
6.1 (43) |
11 (52) |
14.3 (58) |
16.9 (62) |
16.3 (61) |
14 (57) |
10.6 (51) |
3.8 (39) |
-0.4 (31) |
7.9 (46) |
| Daily Mean °C (°F) | -5.3 (22) |
-4.7 (24) |
-2.2 (28) |
1.3 (34) |
5.9 (43) |
9 (48) |
11.3 (52) |
10.8 (51) |
8.3 (47) |
4.7 (40) |
-1 (30) |
-4.4 (24) |
2.8 (37) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -9.6 (15) |
-9.3 (15) |
-6.6 (20) |
-2.9 (27) |
1.2 (34) |
4.1 (39) |
6.1 (43) |
6 (43) |
3.5 (38) |
0.1 (32) |
-5 (23) |
-8.4 (17) |
-1.7 (29) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 68 (2.68) |
59 (2.32) |
60 (2.36) |
55 (2.17) |
91 (3.58) |
120 (4.72) |
132 (5.2) |
135 (5.31) |
90 (3.54) |
58 (2.28) |
66 (2.6) |
65 (2.56) |
999 (39.33) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 9.7 | 8.3 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 12.6 | 14.2 | 13.9 | 13.6 | 9.5 | 7.3 | 8.9 | 9 | 126.7 |
| Source: MeteoSchweiz [2] 8 May 2009 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Pronunciation
English-speaking broadcast journalists covering the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, along with many speakers at the meeting itself, commonly pronounce 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 local pronunciation is dah-VOHS ([da'voːs]).
[edit] See also
- Lake Davos
- Schwarzsee (Davos)
- World Economic Forum
- Davos Man
- List of ski areas and resorts in Switzerland
[edit] References
- ^ SkisnowboardEurope.com
- ^ "Average Values-Table, 1961-1990" (in German, French, Italian). Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss. http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/de/klima/klima_schweiz/tabellen.html. Retrieved on 8 May 2009.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Davos |
- Davos.ch - Official website tourism information
- Pictures Davos
- Municipality of Davos (German) - Official website
- Martin Bundi: Davos in Romansh, German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
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