Pontresina Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Pontresina / Puntraschigna 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 Pontresina (Romansh: Puntraschigna) is in the Maloja Region and the Graubünden canton. It is located in Val Bernina, which is the highest altitude valley that branches off the Upper Engadin Valley and includes the highest mountain of the canton, Piz Bernina. Other high summits are Piz Zupò and Piz Palü. It includes the old village sections of Laret, San Spiert as well as Giarsun and the new sections on the mountain slopes (including Muragls). Pontresina (as of 2006) has an area of 118.2 km² (45.6 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 16.7% - agricultural purposes
 * 8.8% - forested
 * 1.6% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 72.9% - non-productive

History
In 1137, Pontresina was first mentioned by the name of pontem sarasinam. In 1237, Pontresina was mentioned as de Ponte Sarraceno, and in 1303 as ponte sarracino. Pontresina (Romansh: Puntraschigna) is in the Oberengadin sub-district of the Maloja district and the Graubünden canton. After 2017, Pontresina became part of the Maloja Region.

The population history of Pontresina is: 1850 - 270 inhabitants 1900 - 488 inhabitants 1950 - 774 inhabitants 1960 - 1,067 inhabitants 1970 - 1,646 inhabitants 1980 - 1,726 inhabitants 1990 - 1,604 inhabitants 2000 - 2,191 inhabitants 2020 - 2,178 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 48.2% were Roman Catholic
 * 32.5% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 1.83% were Orthodox Church
 * 2.56% were another Christian Church
 * 1.23% were Islamic

Spiritually, Pontresina in the middle ages belonged to Samedan. In 1527, it became an independent parish and the adoption of the Reformation took place in 1549. The old parish church and today's burial church of St. Maria is a post-Roman building; its predecessor, which can still be seen in the tower and in the west and north walls, probably dates from the 12th century. The current Protestant church of Saint-Nicolas, built in 1640, was renovated and enlarged after the fire of 1718 which destroyed forty-four houses in Laret (bell tower from 1887). The Catholic Church was built in 1923. Several religious buildings have disappeared: the chapel of Saint Peter built-in Muragl, the chapel and the hospice (built in 1519) on the Bernina Pass, the chapel of the Holy Spirit in San Spiert (mentioned in 1485, rediscovered in 1941 in the cellar of a house), as well as the neogothic English church (built in 1876, demolished in 1968).

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.

Digital images of church records are available on FamilySearch. These records have a restriction for use only at a family history center near you.

Reformed
Pontresina became an independent parish in 1527; in 1549, the parish had converted to the Reformed faith. Church records begin in 1736. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1736-1837
 * Baptisms 1736-1800 (typescript)
 * Baptisms 1800-1875; marriages, burials 1736-1875; confirmations 1838-1875 (typescript)

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Pontresina:
 * 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 Pontresina 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)