Schiers, Habsburg, Zehngerichtebund, and the Salginatobel Bridge

1 September 2025

Schiers (canton of Graubünden) is first mentioned in a document from 1122 under the name Assiere, a Germanized version of the Romansh name Aschera. Aschera is still the name for Schiers in the Romansh-speaking part of the canton (Aschera means Maple).

The Romansh language gradually disappeared, partly due to the immigration of German-speaking Walser, who also settled in the higher regions, and because German-speaking influence in Vorderprättigau also extended from the Rhine Valley.

Moreover, the feudal lords and the cathedral chapter of Chur used the German language almost exclusively in their documents and dealings with vassals. By the 16th century, the Romansh language had disappeared in Schiers.

The history of Schiers also coincides with that of the Zehngerichtebund (League of Ten Jurisdictions) and is characterised by conflicts with the House of Habsburg.

Together with the Oberer or Grauer Bund (Grey League) and the Gotteshausbund (League of the House of God), the Zehngerichtebund formed the Freistaat der Drei Bunde (Free State of the Three Leagues) in 1524 as a precursor to the canton of Graubünden in 1803.

Schiers had, for a time, alongside the high court, a chapter court to which the vassals of the richly endowed cathedral chapter of Chur in this area were subject.

The years-long wars with the Habsburgs ended after the courts bought their freedom from Austria in 1649.

Robert Maillart (1872–1940). His company also constructed buildings in Spain, Italy, France, Finland, Egypt and Russia.

The Salginatobel Bridge

The Salginatobel Bridge is a highlight in the history of bridge construction. Since its completion in 1930, the bridge has exerted a magical attraction on professionals and artists as an outstanding engineering achievement and a modern work of art.

In 1991, the American Society of Civil Engineers declared this exceptional bridge a “world monument”. In total, 50 structures today form the small circle of the most fantastic engineering creations, including well-known structures such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the endless Ifugao rice terraces in the northern Philippines, the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, the Alaska Highway, and the Panama Canal.

In 1999, the renowned British trade magazine “Bridge – design & engineering” chose the Salginatobel Bridge as the most beautiful bridge of the 20th century.