CHUR

History
CHUR is the capital of the Canton Grisons (better known by its German and Italian names, respectively Graubünden and Grigioni). It was settled around 2500 BC in the Neolithic Era, on the banks of the Plessur River near its confluence with the Rhine. Remains have been found in the Welschdörfli area dating back to the Bronze Age. the Iron Age, as well as the Roman era., when the city was the main agglomeration within the Rhaetia Prima province. Rhaetia is still the name by which the general area is known though not co-extensive with today's borders of the Canton but significantly larger.  Christianity came to the area in the form of a bishopric around the 4th century AD and is still the main religious feature of the area, although, since the Reformation, divided between Roman Catholicism and Reformist Protestantism.

In the 6th century, Chur and its surrounding area became part of the Frankish empire but during the 8th century, it came under the dominion of Charlemagne, as a part of the Holy Roman Empire.  In the 13th and 14th centuries, immigrants from the neighbouring Canton Wallis (Valais) brought the German language to Canton Grisons. Beginning on or about 1370, alliances among the various fiefdoms such as the Gotteshaus, the Gray League ("Graubund") and the Zehngerichtebund created what was then called the "Free State of the 3 Leagues" which subsisted till the late 18th century.  Adjustments in its territory occurred in the 16th century, with, for instance, the Veltlin area switching sides between the Grisons and Canton TicinoPressure from the Austro-Hungarian Empire caused the Free State to enter into alliance with other federation of cantons, until the birth of the Helvetian Republic in 1798 and finally part of the Swiss Confederation in 1803.

Town Features
The city gate, named "Obertor" and its neighbouring maze of narrow streets, constitute one of the most touristic aspect of Chur. We advise visiting, adjacent to the east, the episcopal court and towers (Marsöl and Tor), the Cathedral of St. Mary (built in 1272), architecturally a basilica without the usual transept but with interesting chapels (St. Laurentius) and a mausoleum dating back to 500 AD. Nearby the reformist Church of St. Martin and St. Regila, the former monastery Church of St. Luzius will interest persons familiar with Romanesque and Renaissance styles. Other noteworthy architectural examples such as the Rhetian Museum, the Haus Schwartz auf dem Sand, the City Hall (Rathaus), the Altes Gebau on Poststrasse and near the former bears' pit, the Hasenzimmer. 

Besides the Rhetian Museum, visitors will appreciate the Kunsthaus displaying artwork from the 18th, 19th and 20 centuries and the Natural History Museum at Masanserstrasse 31 but what really makes the city an ideal place for visiting is its small town atmosphere despite its cantonal significance. Take a walk from the newly renovated bus and train station on the narrow streets leading to the Post Office.  This area is largely reserved for pedestrians and is populated with small and large shops, restaurants and large department stores. It is the more modern centre of town, in contrast to the Old Town nearby, whose streets are quieter but still full of small interesting shops.  There are excellent restaurants in Chur (e.g. Stern, Zollhaus) and there is some lively night life also.