Davos

Davos, a municipality ensconced amid the Rhaetian Alps in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, stands at an elevation of 1,560 metres above sea level and occupies an expanse of approximately 284 square kilometres, embracing nearly the entirety of the Landwasser valley and its side valleys. With a permanent population of 10,832 as of December 2020, this Alpine resort town—articulated in German as Gemeinde Davos and known variously in Romansh as Tavau and in historical Italian as Tavate—commands attention not merely for its topographical grandeur but for its enduring legacy as a locus of health, sport and international discourse. Nestled between the Plessur and Albula mountain ranges and traversed by the river Landwasser, Davos comprises two conjoined villages, Davos Dorf and Davos Platz, which together form the nucleus of its demographic, economic and administrative life.

Originating as a 19th-century mountain health resort, Davos gained renown when physicians and patients alike came to prize its thin air and crystalline climate for the treatment of pulmonary maladies. Over subsequent decades the town evolved from a therapeutic retreat into a pivotal venue for winter athletics, culminating in the inauguration of the Spengler Cup ice-hockey tournament each December and, more recently, the annual convocation of global political and corporate leaders under the aegis of the World Economic Forum. Thus, what began as an enclave for convalescence matured into a stage where athletic endeavour and high-stakes dialogue intertwine, forging a reputation that transcends the boundaries of sport and diplomacy.

The spatial configuration of Davos reflects a delicate balance between human endeavour and Alpine expanse: approximately 35.0 per cent of its 284 square kilometres is devoted to agricultural pursuits—comprising 1,296 hectares of fields and grasslands alongside 9,056 hectares of high-altitude grazing—while 22.2 per cent supports forest ecosystems that have, since 1985, expanded by 481 hectares. Built infrastructure occupies a mere 2.3 per cent of the total area, with recreational zones covering an additional 0.22 per cent, a figure that has grown in response to burgeoning visitor engagement. Rivers and lakes account for 285 hectares, among them the former headwaters of the Landwasser now coursing from Lake Davos to the northeast of the main settlement. The remaining 40.5 per cent of territory is rendered unproductive by the rigours of Alpine geology, a silent testament to the sublime forces that have sculpted this terrain over millennia.

Climatically, Davos presents a subalpine profile (Köppen Dfc) in which precipitation falls on an average of 125.3 days per annum, yielding roughly 1,046 millimetres of moisture. August claims the distinction of the wettest month, delivering some 150 millimetres over 13.6 days, whereas July exhibits the greatest frequency of precipitation days at 13.8, albeit with a slightly reduced total of 133 millimetres. Winter brings its own overture: February’s 52 millimetres of liquid equivalent translate into 74 centimetres of snowfall across 11.1 days, a meteorological transformation that cloaks Davos in its renowned mantle of white and underpins the town’s winter-sports vocation.

The demographic composition of Davos, as recorded in the mid-decade statistics, reveals a populace wherein resident foreign nationals constitute 27.0 per cent, with German and Portuguese birthplaces each contributing roughly 7 per cent to this segment. Linguistic allegiances are predominantly German, spoken by 86.3 per cent of inhabitants, while Serbo-Croatian and Italian serve as the second and third most common tongues. The age distribution further underscores a mature community: 17.3 per cent of residents are under twenty, 64.5 per cent lie in the adult bracket of twenty to sixty-four, and seniors above sixty-four represent 18.2 per cent. Household structures mirror these demographics, comprising 5,441 private units in 2014 and averaging 2.03 persons each, with a building stock that blends historical forms—some erected prior to 1919—with contemporary multi-family dwellings.

Economically, Davos is characterized by a tertiary-sector predominance: of the 8,853 individuals employed locally in 2014, 7,654 found positions in the service industries, distributed among 926 enterprises. The secondary sector accounted for 996 workers across 145 businesses, while the primary sector sustained a modest 203 roles. A notable 23.5 per cent of residents received social assistance in that year, an indicator of the socioeconomic stratification that accompanies Davos’s dual identity as a resort hub and regional centre. Tourism, however, remains the lifeblood: hotels recorded 797,348 overnight stays in 2015, with international visitors comprising 46.9 per cent of that tally, a statistic that underlines Davos’s magnetism for clientele drawn from beyond national frontiers.

Cultural patrimony is enshrined in seven Swiss heritage sites of national significance within the municipality. Among these are the Town Archives, a repository of civic memory; the Kirchner Museum, inaugurated in 1992 to honour Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and housing the world’s preeminent collection of his works; the Grosses Jenatschhaus, a charitable edifice known locally as a Pfrundhaus; and the Waldfriedhof, or Forest Cemetery, distinguished by its solemn arboreal setting. Hospitality heritage is likewise preserved through edifices such as the Berghotel Schatzalp, the former Grand Hotel Belvédère and the Zürcher Höhenklinik von R. Gaberel, which evoke the town’s longstanding role as a haven for recuperation and repose.

The orchestrated convergence of power and policy that defines the World Economic Forum each January has become as emblematic of Davos as its sporting fixtures, yet the town’s cultural currents flow year-round. In March 2003, the Winterjam festival assembled musical ensembles including Sum 41 and Guano Apes, while summertime welcomes the Young Artists in Concert series—an august assembly of emerging virtuosi performing within the Kirchner Museum, the Davos Conference Centre and consecrated church interiors. September heralds the International Hiking Rally, spanning four designated routes and conferring medals for accumulated distances, and a network of playgrounds and climbing-adventure parks caters to families and youth alike, ensuring that Davos’s recreational repertoire extends well beyond the ski slopes.

Transport links to and within Davos substantiate its accessibility despite Alpine isolation. By rail, the Rhaetian Railway weaves two principal stations—Davos Dorf to the northeast and Davos Platz to the southwest—into an hourly corridor from Zürich Hauptbahnhof, a journey of nearly three hours punctuated by a mid-leg interchange at Klosters Platz. The Fly & Rail baggage service optimizes this connection by transferring luggage directly from Zürich’s customs station to Klosters and Davos for a nominal fee, obviating the encumbrances of multiple train changes. The Wolfgang Pass, straddling the watershed between the Landwasser and Landquart valleys, supports a year-round road alongside the Rhaetian Railway, linking Davos to Klosters in the Prättigau, while the Flüela Pass opens toward the Engadin. Buses operated by Verkehrsbetrieb der Landschaft Davos Gemeinde traverse the town’s three-to-four-kilometre length, and the Gästekarte, obtainable from lodging establishments or the tourist office, privileges holders with complimentary passage on local buses, trains and mountain lifts.

Air travellers alight at Zürich-Kloten Airport before electing overland conveyance: coaches ply the Zürich–Davos route on Saturdays during ski season, effecting a two-hour transit, while regular daily buses connect Chur to Davos in roughly the same interval. Motorists likewise follow the A51 expressway northward from Zürich, diverting via the Landquart-Davos exit and proceeding along national routes that ascend to Davos. Upon arrival, visitors may complement train and bus options with taxi services, which command fares of approximately Fr. 12–15 by day and twice that nocturnally.

Within Davos itself, multiple inclined railways and aerial trams grant access to its alpine environs. The Parsennbahn funicular from Davos Dorf ascends to Weissfluhjoch at 2,844 metres, while the Schatzalpbahn from Davos Platz surmounts a gradient toward the botanical gardens at Schatzalp, 1,861 metres above sea level. Cable cars and chair lifts operate from Davos Platz to Jakobshorn, Pischa, Rinerhorn and Usser Isch, each station serving as a departure for ski pistes in winter and hiking trails in summer. The lift to Rinerhorn adjoins the RhB station Davos Glaris, and the discrete Dörfji station in the Pischa side valley is accessible by bus.

A perambulation of Davos’s principal attractions unfolds as a testament to its multifaceted identity. The Kirchner Museum, ensconced on Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Platz, offers not only the artist’s seminal oeuvre but also an architectural statement by Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer that has drawn acclaim within professional circles. Nearby, the Winter Sports Museum on the Promenade preserves the lineage of Alpine recreation—from sledges and bobsleds to curling implements—through artifacts bequeathed by the Jürg Kaufmann collection. A short distance away, the Zügenschlucht presents a chasm of geological intrigue, complete with a mining museum at Schmelzboden and the Geology Trail linking Monstein to Wiesen.

At Schatzalp, a bergstation botanical garden curated since 1861 shelters some 800 plant species from diverse latitudes, a setting that inspired Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” in 1924 and reaches its floriferous apogee in early summer. In another valley, Sertigtal invites travellers to traverse its verdant meadows and glacier-polished precipices via horse-drawn carriage or sledge, an interlude that conjoins pastoral serenity with Alpine grandeur. More spirited diversions await at Monstein Brewery, the highest such establishment in Europe, where guided tours and tastings unveil the alchemy of beer craft within a 16th-century village framework, and at the Vaillant Arena, a 7,700-seat edifice renowned for its World Cup hockey gatherings and as the home of Hockey Club Davos.

Air-sport aficionados claim the Jakobshorn’s crags for paragliding year-round, relying upon dependable thermals and launch points to traverse the skies above Davos, while tandem flights accommodate those seeking aerial perspectives without the burden of solo piloting. The annual Snowboarding SB-JAM, staged each December or January, proffers an open qualifying round on the Jakobshorn’s half-pipe and monster pipe, underscoring Davos’s commitment to progressive snow-sports culture. Summer’s Young Artists in Concert provides a contrapuntal harmony of musical finesse, and the International Hiking Rally charts an orographic odyssey across high-mountain passes, rewarding pilgrims with medals that bespeak their kilometres of ascent and descent.

Throughout the seasons, Davos asserts its primacy as a mountain resort of unparalleled magnitude within the Alpine realm. In winter, its ski domain extends from 1,124 to 2,844 metres, serviced by fifty-four lifts and delivering 320 kilometres of pistes alongside 75 kilometres of cross-country tracks. Two artificial ice-skating rinks and Europe’s most expansive natural ice surface furnish venues for skating and curling, while five sledging runs trace sinuous courses down snow-clad slopes. Skiing aficionados gravitate to the interconnected Parsenn and Weissfluhjoch sectors, which unite with the slopes of Klosters, whereas snowboarders claim the Jakobshorn’s terrain parks as their province. For those who eschew skis, horse-drawn sleigh rides penetrate the side valleys, and 84 kilometres of footpaths enable snow-shoe excursions through silent forests and across frozen plateaux.

When the snows recede, Davos reveals an alternate grandeur. Five cable-car systems—ascending Jakobshorn, Parsenn (including Weissfluhjoch and its summit at 2,844 metres), Pischa, Rinerhorn and Schatzalp/Strela—grant access to 450 kilometres of marked hiking trails. Explorers who yearn for solitude may press into the side valleys of Sertig, Dischma or Flüela by foot, bicycle or horse-drawn coach, encountering the unspoilt vistas that define Mediterranean Alpine biomes. The town’s lake, with its designated swim area and sailing and wind-surfing centre, provides aquatic recreation against a backdrop of conifer-clad slopes, and hang-gliding and paragliding operations extend this pursuit skyward. Mountain-bike trails and inline-skating courses further diversify the repertoire, while the Glacier Express, Heidi Express and Bernina Express trains weave Davos into the wider tapestry of Swiss Alpine transit, inviting sojourners to continue their high-altitude odyssey elsewhere.

Beyond its own perimeters, the neighbouring town of Klosters extends the region’s offerings, affording access to the summits of Madrisa and Gotschna in all seasons and integrating seamlessly with Davos’s transport infrastructure. Between these two Alpine settlements, travellers may calibrate their experience to the demands of winter sport or arboreal pilgrimage, confident that the synergy of natural endowment and cultivated amenity yields an environment at once exacting in its climatic rigour and generous in its cultural and recreational opportunities.

In sum, Davos persists as an exemplar of Alpine town planning, cultural stewardship and sporting innovation. From its origins as a therapeutic refuge to its current stature as host of international assemblies and magnet for winter-sports enthusiasts, the municipality has sustained a trajectory that honors its geographical contours while embracing the exigencies of modern tourism and global discourse. Its villages, villages perched upon frost-kissed slopes; its museums, conduits of both art and athletic memory; its festivals, theatres of human aspiration—each element converges to form a singular tableau in which the human impulse for recreation, reflection and negotiation finds an abiding home amid the enduring majesty of the Graubünden Alps.