Schams

The Schams (Romansh: (Val) Schons) is a section of the Hinterrhein valley in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.

The Schams is the central of the three valleys along the Hinterrhein. It is separated from the Rheinwald valley upstreams by the Rofla Gorge, and downstreams by the Viamala gorge from the Domleschg/Heinzenberg valley. The Posterior Rhine flows through the valley in a predominantly south-to-north direction and falls from a height of 1094 m at the outflow of Rofla Gorge, where the Val Ferrera flows in from the right, to 883 m at the Raniabrücke.

The Schams valley is bordered on both sides by mountain ranges of around 3000 m high. The highest peaks on the Western side are thee Pizzas d'Anarosa (3000 m), the Bruschghorn (3056 m) and the prominent Piz Beverin (2998 m). On the eastern side, the highest peak is Piz Curvér (2972 m) on the border with Oberhalbstein.

The larger settlements are close to the river. The left slope, locally known as the Schamserberg (English: Mount Schams; Romansh: Muntogna da Schons), which rises relatively uniformly to Piz Beverin rising left-side slope, is used for agricultural purposes op to 2200 m. Around the villages, there is a zone with Maiensässes; higher up the slope is a zone with Alpine meadows. On the right side slope, where the forests rech down to the valley floor, there are no settlements other than Maiensässes.

In the valley of the Rhine wind find on the right bank, the larger villages Andeer and Zillis (including the village Reischen) and Pignia, and on the left bank Clugin and Donat, all at elevations of 940–1020 m. On Schamserberg we find on the lower level (1100 to 1200 m), the village in the municipality of Casti-Wergenstein and the villages Pazen and Farden in the municipality of Donat. Higher up the Schamserberg, at around 1500 m altitude, with a better view of the surrounding mountain, we find Lohn, Mathon and Wergenstein.

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