Scuol, Tarasp and Vulpera
24 August 2022
Scuol first appears under the name ‘Schulle in a document from around 1095, in connection with the construction of a Benedictine monastery and a church. The monasteries of Marienberg (Austria) and Müstair and Habsburg owned what is now the Lower Engadine (Unterengadin), including Scuol, for a long time. It was not until 1652 that the villages in this region bought themselves free from Habsburg.
Unterengadin and Scuol (Schuls in German) also suffered from the invasions of Austro-Habsburg and French troops. In 1499, in connection with the Swabian War (Swabische Krieg), Emperor Maximilian soldiers plundered all the Unterengadin municipalities.
During the Bünder Wirren (1618-1639) in the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), Austrian troops tried in vain to conquer Scuol. French occupiers also held sway during the French era (1798-1813).
The San Geer (St. George) church was built at the beginning of the 16th century and was consecrated in 1516. The Reformation was introduced in Scuol in 1530. As a result, the interest in the written word grew.
In 1679, the first “Bibla da Scuol” in Romanic (Vallader) appeared in the printing house of Jachen Dorta. The “Gazetta ordinaria da Scuol”, the first newspaper in Graubünden, appeared from 1700 to 1726.
The Printer in Scuol
The first ‘Bibla da Scuol’, Unterengadiner Museum.
Many inhabitants of the Engadine and the new canton of Graubünden (founded in 1803) emigrated. Many entered foreign military service as mercenaries or worked abroad as pastry makers or merchants.
The mineral springs, the landscape and the climate formed the basis for developing Scuol into a health resort. In 1850 the first analyses of water were carried out. From 1860-1915 most of the hotels in Scuol and Vulpera were built.
(Source and further information: www.scuol.net)
Vulpera, Hotel Schweizerhof. Photo: TES.
The Tinkhalle and the Inn (En in Romansh). Photo: TES.
Tarasp and the castle. Photo: TES
The motorway through the Engadine and to Scuol (1860) and over the Flüela pass (1867) promoted tourism, and Scuol-Tarasp-Vulpera became a name of international fame. The Grand Hotel Walhaus in Vulpera, which burned down in 1989, was among the most luxurious and best-known.
However, the two world wars and the development of new medical treatments took their toll, and the Grand Hotels either closed or burned down (whether or not for insurance premiums, like the Waldhaus in Vulpera). In 1950/51, the first winter season was introduced. In 1956, the first lift was built.
Today, Scuol is a modern tourist centre with many possibilities for sports, entertainment, and recreation all year round and Roman language courses in summer.
Not only has tourism developed in Scuol, but also the economy. The organisation Mia Engiadina is one of the many examples.
Hotel Bellevue and the Inn (En). Photo: TES
The Inn and the bridge to Vulpera and Tarasp. Photo: TES
The Inn (En). Photo: TES