Hinterrhein, Switzerland
village in Graubünden, Switzerland
Hinterrhein (Romansh: Valragn) is a village and a former municipality in the Viamala Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The village is located near the start of the river Hinterrhein/Rein Posteriur, one of the two initial tributaries of the Rhine. On 1 January 2019 the former municipalities of Hinterrhein, Nufenen and Splügen merged to form the new municipality of Rheinwald.
History
Hinterrhein is first mentioned in 1219 as de Reno.
Geography
Hinterrhein has an area, as of 2006, of 48.4 km2 (18.7 sq mi). Of this area, 22.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 7.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (68.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
Before 2017, the municipality was located in the Rheinwald sub-district, of the Hinterrhine district, after 2017 it was part of the Viamala Region. It is a haufendorf (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) located on the northern portal of the San Bernardino tunnel.
Demographics
Hinterrhein has a population (as of 31 December 2020) of 61.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Hinterrhein, Switzerland” is village in Graubünden, Switzerland. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Hinterrhein, Switzerland and village, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “village in Graubünden, Switzerland” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q64886. VIAF identifies the subject as 236589814. Authority coordinates are 46.533, 9.200. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2019, 1219, 2006 and 2017.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hinterrhein, Switzerland”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hinterrhein, Switzerland primary sources, Hinterrhein, Switzerland archive and Hinterrhein research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hinterrhein, Switzerland”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hinterrhein, Switzerland” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.