Davos

 

(dävôs') , town (1990 pop. 10,957), Grisons canton, E Switzerland, on the Landwasser River. It is a famous winter sports center and a health resort. Since 1971 (except for 2002–3), Davos has hosted the annual conference of what is now the World Economic Forum; the conference draws national leaders and business executives from around the world to the resort.

Coordinates: 46°48′N, 9°50′E

Davos
Canton	Grisons
District	Prättigau/Davos
Coordinates	46°48′N, 9°50′E
Population	10,998   (December 2003)
Area	km² ( sq mi)
Elevation	m ( ft)
Postal code	7260 Davos-Dorf 7270 Davos-Platz
SFOS number	3851
Surrounded by	Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch, Wiesen
Twin towns	Aspen (USA), Sanada (Japan), Chamonix (France)
Website	www.gemeinde-davos.ch
Davos

Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland.

It is located on the Landwasser River.

Davos is famous as the host to the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual meeting of global political and business elites, which is often referred to as simply Davos. It is also known as a winter sports area, including serving as the site of the annual Spengler Cup ice hockey tournament, which is hosted by the HC Davos local hockey team.

History

Davos was a popular destination for the rich and ailing because the microclimate in the high valley was deemed excellent by doctors and recommended for lung disease patients. For example, Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered from tuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 at the recommendation of his Edinburgh doctor, Dr. George Balfour. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote an article about skiing in Davos in 1899. Davos is also the setting of Thomas Mann's novel Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain), which takes place at a sanatorium.

In the "natural ice" era of winter sports, Davos, and the Vaillant Arena (previously known as Davos Eisstadion) was a mecca for speed skating. Many international championships were held here, and many world records were set, beginning with Peder Østlund who set four records in 1898.

Subsequently, Davos became famous as a ski resort, especially with citizens from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. After a peak in the 1970s and 1980s, the two-part city has re-established itself as a leading, yet less high-profile, tourist attraction.

The five main ski areas are:

• Parsenn / Gotschna
• Jakobshorn
• Pischa
• Rinerhorn
• Schatzalp
• Madrisa

Pronunciation

English-speaking broadcast journalists covering the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, along with many speakers at the meeting itself, commonly mispronounce the town's name by emphasizing the first syllable and shortening the o to make the word rhyme with "moss", i.e., DAH-voss ([ˈdaː·vɔs]). The correct pronunciation is dah-VOHS ([daː·'vos]).

See also

• Lake Davos
• World Economic Forum

External links

• Davos.ch - Official website tourism information
• Municipality of Davos (German) - Official website
• Davos in German, French or Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

Municipalities in the district of Prättigau/Davos, Switzerland
Conters im Prättigau | Davos | Fanas | Furna | Fideris | Grüsch | Jenaz | Klosters-Serneus | Küblis | Luzein | Saas im Prättigau Schiers | Seewis im Prättigau| St. Antönien | Valzeina  Canton of Graubünden | Districts of Canton Graubünden | Municipalities of the canton of Graubünden

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