Rheinwald

The Rheinwald (literally "Rhine Forest", but derived from Latin Rheni vallis meaning "Rhine Valley"; Romansh: Valrain) is a valley in the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The river Hinterrhein flows through three valleys in Graubünden; the Rheinwald is the highest of the three.

Geography

The Rheinwald is about 26 km long and mainly runs from East to West. It is lined on both sides with peaks of over 3000 m high. The highest peaks are the Rheinwaldhorn (3402 m) to the West and the Pizzo Tambo (3279 m) in the South. The Hinterrhein leaves the valley at the entrance to the Rofla Gorge, which separates the Rheinwald from the Schams valley.

Two mountain passes lead South from the Rheinwald: the San Bernardino Pass into Misox valley and the Splügen Pass into Val San Giacomo in Italy. The San Bernardino Tunnel (Swiss Highway A13) was opened in 1967 and stays open all winter. Mule tracks on Mount Safierberg and Mount Valserberg connect the Rheinwald with its Northern neighbour Safien valley and Vals. Another trail leads through the Val Curciusa valley via Bocchetta di Curciusa Pass and then connects to the San Bernardino.

Rheinwald (Kreis)

The Kreis Rheinwald forms, together with the Kreise of Avers, Domleschg, Schams and Thusis the Bezirk ("district") of Hinterrhein of the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The seat of the sub-district office is in Splügen.

Municipalities

The Kreis ("sub-district") is composed of the following municipalities:

External links

Coordinates: 46°32′46″N 9°18′00″E / 46.5460°N 9.3000°E / 46.5460; 9.3000