Discover the viewpoints of Silvaplana
Welcome to the last and sixth station of Silvaplana Explorer. Listen to the story of our marmot Niculin.
Don't worry - we won't let Niculin down. With your help, he's sure to find his family. But there's also a lot to discover along the way. So take your time. It's your big adventure around Silvaplana.
You haven't heard all parts of the story? Then let's go to the first part at Fratta.
One of the most important north-south connections
The Romans were already traveling over the Julier Pass in the 4th century. This was one of the most important connections for them. However, Silvaplana was not mentioned in documents until 1288, Champfèr in 1139. In the 18th century, the valley suffered from a large wave of emigration. For financial reasons, the locals sought their fortune as shoemakers or confectioners in foreign countries.
The Septimer Pass used to be one of the most important pass crossings. The pass over the Julier was not expanded until 1759. In the 17th/18th century, there was already lively mule traffic over the Julier. Silvaplana at the foot of the pass was also the horse exchange point for the transportation of goods over the Julier and Maloja passes. In the heyday of mule traffic, Silvaplana was home to over 200 horses in three directions (Bivio, St. Moritz, Maloja).
Today's Upper Engadin lake landscape was created by the retreat of the glaciers. Today's lakes were once connected to each other. The delta on which Silvaplana is built appears to have been formed by debris from a presumed landslide from the Julier, formerly Piz Munteratsch, which was washed down into the valley by the Vallunbach stream over many thousands of years. The same red rock was found on various sites as on the Julier Pass.
The delta divides the upper and lower lake. At the narrowest point, a bridge connects Silvaplana with Surlej. The lower lake is again divided into two parts by a small peninsula called "Piz". The third and lowest lake in this chain of lakes is the actual Lake Champfèr.
Source: Arturo Reich, SILVAPLANA - Chronicle of a municipality
The municipality supplied the wood for the building free of charge. Unfortunately, the municipality later did too little to preserve the building. The stable buildings fell into disrepair after a few years. The building was last renovated in 1913.
After a person was injured in 1964 when part of the terrace collapsed, the municipality took this accident as an opportunity to demolish the dilapidated building.
