Vaz/Obervaz Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Vaz/Obervaz Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland, ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, parish census, civil census, family history, area history, and military records.



Geography
The municipality of Vaz/Obervaz is in the Albula Region and the Graubünden canton. The territory of Vaz/Obervaz extends from Parpan in the north to Alvaschein and Lantsch/Lenz in the south, and from the mountain chain of the Parpaner Rothorn in the east to the expansive alpine meadows of Piz Scalotta, Dani and Stätzerhorn. On the southern slope of Mount Crap la Pala, the land rises steeply up the sharply cut sides of the ravine of the Albula. The municipality of Vaz/Obervaz consists of the following villages: Lain, Muldain, Zorten, Lenzerheide, and Valbella, as well as the hamlets of Nivaigl, Fuso, Trantermoira, Sporz, Tgantieni, Sartons, Creusen, and Obersolis.

Vaz/Obervaz (as of 2006) has an area of 42.5 km² (16.4 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 42% - agricultural purposes
 * 39.4% - forested
 * 6.2% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 12.4% - non-productive

History
In 840, Vaz/Obervaz was first mentioned by the name of villa Vazzes. Until 1943 Vaz/Obervaz was known as Obervaz.

The population history of Vaz/Obervaz is: 1735 - 554 inhabitants 1775 - 614 inhabitants 1819 - 750 inhabitants 1850 - 886 inhabitants 1860 - 844 inhabitants 1870 - 830 inhabitants 1880 - 796 inhabitants 1888 - 768 inhabitants 1900 - 868 inhabitants 1910 - 913 inhabitants 1920 - 965 inhabitants 1930 - 1,337 inhabitants 1941 - 1,411 inhabitants 1950 - 1,489 inhabitants 1960 - 1,568 inhabitants 1970 - 2,003 inhabitants 1980 - 2,067 inhabitants 1990 - 2,311 inhabitants 2000 - 2,691 inhabitants 2010 - 2,600 inhabitants 2014 - 2,694 inhabitants 2020 - 2,802 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 63.0% were Roman Catholic
 * 24.3% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 1.60% were Orthodox Church
 * 0.19% were from another Christian church
 * 1.67% were Islamic

The parish church of Saint-Donat in Zorten is attested in 1218; the current building dates from 1874-1875 (restoration in 1970). The bell tower was rebuilt in 1499 in late Gothic style. Until 1517, Parpan also belonged to the parish of Vaz/Obervaz, which stayed with the old faith during the Reformation. The churches of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Muldain and Saint-Lucius in Lain, attested in 1508, were rebuilt in Baroque style, the first in 1673-1677 (restoration in 1990), the second in 1678-1680 (restoration in 1962); both are protected monuments.

Church Records
Original church records are held in the local municipal archive or civil registration office. Microfilm copies are available at the Graubünden State Archives.

Catholic
The parish was first mentioned in 1218. Church records begin in 1642. The following volumes are only available on microfilm at the Graubünden State Archives:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1642-1746
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1746-1837
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1838-1875
 * Status animarum 1859

Census
(See here for information regarding Graubünden census records.)

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Vaz/Obervaz:
 * 1835
 * 1838
 * 1848
 * 1850
 * 1850, form C

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in 1876.

Duplicate civil registration registers are located at the Graubünden State Archives. The following records are available:
 * Both A and B registers are available through 1916-1917 and are open without restriction.
 * Family registers are available from at latest 1860 through 1910; these records are viewable but require permission to access. For more information, contact the State Archive.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Vaz/Obervaz prior to 1875:

Related sources
The town's website (in Romansh and German) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Graubünden

Societies
Rätische Vereinigung für Familienforschung (RVFF)

Società Genealogica della Svizzera italiana (SGSI)