Pontresina

Pontresina (Romansh: Puntraschigna) is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.

History and name

The city was first mentioned in medieval Latin documents as pontem sarasinam in 1137. In 1237 it was mentioned as de Ponte Sarraceno and in 1303 as ponte sarracino. Some historians translate it as The Bridge of the Saracens and see in it a reference to a tenth-century Arab invasion of the lands that later became Switzerland. It is essential though to have a bridge to use the Bernina pass and it would make sense to build this before the confluence of Ova da Bernina and Ova da Roseg due to the amount of water to cross.

Geography

Pontresina has an area, as of 2006, of 118.2 km² (45.6 sq mi). Of this area, 16.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 8.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (72.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

The municipality is located in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district. It sits in Val Bernina, which is the highest altitude valley that branches off the Upper Engadin Valley. The municipality includes the highest mountain of the canton, Piz Bernina. Other high summits are Piz Zupò and Piz Palü. Pontresina is a noted tourist destination in its own right, but is often overshadowed by its more famous neighbor St. Moritz.

Pontresina (Rhaetian Railway station)

Pontresina is a station on the Bernina Railway line from St. Moritz to Tirano. It is also the terminus of the Pontresina-Scuol-Tarasp railway line. Hourly services operate on each line.

Rhaetian Railway services

References

External links