Selma, Switzerland
village in Graubünden, Switzerland
Selma is a former municipality in Moesa District in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Arvigo, Braggio, Cauco and Selma merged to form the new municipality of Calanca.
The local language is Italian.
With a population at the end of 2008 of only 36, it was one of the smallest communities in Switzerland. The village had however declared its intention to remain an independent entity.
Geography
Before the merger, Selma had a total area of 2.9 km2 (1.1 mi2). Of this area, 5.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 68.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.5% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (22.2%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).
The former municipality is located in the Calanca sub-district of the Moesa district.
Demographics
Selma had a population (as of 2013) of 33.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Selma, Switzerland” as village in Graubünden, Switzerland. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as village in Graubünden, Switzerland. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q66342. VIAF identifies the subject as 239671973. Authority coordinates are 46.316, 9.117. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2015, 2008 and 2013.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. 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 “Selma, Switzerland”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Selma, Switzerland primary sources, Selma, Switzerland archive and Selma 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 “Selma, Switzerland”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Selma, 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.