Las Rumantschas at the EUROPEADA

The selection „Las Rumantschas“ is representing the Romansh of Switzerland. The selection „Las Rumantschas“ already participated at the EUROPEADA of 2016 as well as at the Europeada 2022.

The Romansh community in Switzerland

Their language generated as own language isle from the huge territory of the Ladins. After the invasion of the Bajuwars from North and the Italians from South, the territory split into three parts (see I Ladins). This was the origin of the “Rumantsch” or Romansh. The language is one of the recognized ones in Swiss. Around 40000 people are belonging to this language minority. Descending from the Ladin, the language differentiated into five different dialects, the so called surselvisch, sutselvisch, surrisch, vallader and puter. The commonly used written language „Rumantsch Grischun“took its rise in 1892 by Heinrich Schmidt and was declared as third official language besides German and Italian in 2001. Despite these and other support measures the Romansh is displaced increasingly by the German. The canton of Graubünden attempted to avoid this huge increase with by adopting the “language law” in 2006. The “Lia Rumantsch” with its place of residence in Chur and branch offices in Laax, Zernez, Savognin and Zillis is the parent organization of all Romansh language associations and tries to get fundings for both Romansh culture and language. Moreover, “Lia Rumantsch” was the organizer and idea generator of the first EUROPEADA in 2008.