The Pardunaunza, the church festival on the third Sunday of August, has lost some of its importance. Today, only a village shooting festival commemorates it.
No wonder it is of national importance: numerous proud patrician houses such as the Chesa Planta confidently display their typical bay windows and sgraffito decorations. Mysterious alleyways with numerous galleries invite you to explore the eventful past.
Mighty stone walls, small, funnel-shaped windows and characteristic sgraffiti all around characterize a real Engadine house. In Zuoz, too, they dominate the townscape. Under the wide gable roof, the Engadine farmer once united all his possessions: house, cattle and hay barn, cellar, granary and a covered forecourt. The house entrance leads through an artistically decorated main gate into the Sulèr, the anteroom, to the house. This served as a storage and work room and in summer even as a dining room. If you go up a few steps, you enter the Stüva - a room usually paneled with Swiss stone pine, the showpiece of every Engadine house. Another striking feature is the sgraffiti - the artistic ornaments on the facades that are scratched out of the still wet plaster. They come into their own thanks to the light-dark contrast of two different plaster colors. The scratching technique originally comes from Italy («sgraffiare» is Italian for «to scratch»), but came to the Upper Engadine with migrant workers in the 16th century, where it is still practiced today.
Today, Zuoz is known as a holiday destination for families, among other things. Since 2016, the village has been awarded the “Family Destination” seal of approval. The range of leisure activities ensures great experiences and plenty of exercise in the great outdoors. Theme trails, animated children's programs, golf courses for kids, cinema in the Hotel Castell, first turns in the children's ski area - the village offers a lot of potential for unforgettable experiences and is always worth a family vacation.
‘All the world's a stage’ is written on the canopy over the entrance to the Zuoz Globe, the Zuoz theatre at the Lyceum Alpinum. This famous quote from Shakespeare represents the philosophy behind the school's drama activities. Where there used to be an indoor swimming pool, a theatre was built in 2010/11, the Zuoz Globe – a Gasser, Derungs project. They write:
‘Surrounded by Engadin larch wood as a space frame, 100 spectators are part of the respective production. When the curtain falls, the audience is still on stage.’
And indeed, because the stage is right in the middle of it, in the basin of the former indoor swimming pool, and the spectators sit in front of it in a raised semicircle. With this atmospheric theatre space, the Zuoz Globe continues the theatre tradition of the Engadin village of Zuoz and the Lyceum Alpinum. The school has two theatre groups, which regularly win the hearts of the audience. Under the direction of Ivo Bärtsch, the Shakespeare Theatre Group devotes itself to the works of Shakespeare, while the English Theatre Company takes on the great classics of English literature.
The Zuoz Globe is an architectural masterpiece, and the performances are top-notch.
In the Engadine, March 1st is all about Chalandamarz. It is sacred to most locals. Schoolchildren look forward to it months in advance, and adults enjoy the memories of what it was like in their time. Our ancestors celebrated the pagan custom to drive away evil spirits. Today it is winter, which people want to stop by singing and ringing cowbells. The custom is maintained and celebrated in many places in the Romansh-speaking cantons, but no two festivals are the same. In Zuoz, for example, Chalandamarz begins two days before March 1st to cover the sprawling village and Madulain, which belongs to the same school district. The boys, dressed as shepherds and flocks, go from house to house with whips and bells, singing songs and cracking whips to drive away the winter. Cracking the whip takes practice - so you can see schoolchildren practicing in Zuoz all February. The main rehearsal takes place two Sundays before March 1st, when all the fountains in the village are circled. The best time to experience the parade remains March 1st on the village square in Zuoz, where the parade ends.
A pagan fertility cult that still takes place today on June 24th, around the ancient summer solstice. During the ritual, boys chase girls with homemade water pistols.
Keep an eye out for the red Eviva Famiglia label!
It identifies family-friendly offers and businesses to help families plan their holidays and leisure time. A wide range of summer and winter activities, safe play areas and child-friendly infrastructure – that is our commitment to families.
Alp Arpiglia
Cozy alpine hut with homemade specialties and alpine shop
Bar Buera
Bar directly on the edge of the slopes in the Zuoz ski area
Buvette Restaurant Sur En
Cozy bistro on the edge of the forest directly at the Zuoz golf course
Café Badilatti
Aromatic coffee enjoyment from Maison Badilatti
Café Restaurant Zalino
Cozy café restaurant for every occasion in the heart of Zuoz
Coffee Museum Caferama
Everything about coffee: history, cultivation, harvest, processing, & enjoyment
Kulturarchiv Oberengadin (cultural Archive)
The Upper Engadine Cultural Archive is a public institution that collects documents relating to the culture of the Engadine and makes them available to the public.
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