The District of Münstertal The District of Münstertal does not quite coincide with what is understood geographically as Münstertal. The upper boundary of the district runs west of the highest point of the Ofen pass at the Wegerhaus of Buffalora, whereas the lower boundary parallel to the frontier lies between Müstair and Taufers and not, as might be expected, along the gorge at Calven. The Val Mora is also part of the district, but it does not belong to the Münstertal geographically. It is only on the Umbrail pass that the historical and political boundaries fall together. Politically the district comprises the communes of Fuldera, Lü, Müstair, St. Maria i.M., Tschierv, and Valchava. The name Münster, Romansh Müstair, is derived from Latin monasterium - monastery and there by refers to the Abbey of St.Johann, the history of which was bound up with that of the valley for many centuries. The Münstertal was always of primary strategic importance; the Ofen pass lay on the east-west passage and was the gateway to Rhaetia, and the Umbrail pass (also known as the Wormser Joch) was used in former times above all for the transport of wine from the Valtellina. The first documentary evidence of the valley goes back to the foundation of the monastery at the end of the 8th century, which is said to have been established by Charlemagne. This seems highly probable in view of the important strategic position the abbey held in Charlemagne's wars against the enemy Tassilo, Duke of Bavaria, and the Duke's allies, the Lombards. The abbey, which was a monastery until 1163 and later a nunnery is famous today for its Caroline frescoes. it was originally known as Monasterium Tuberis, as it was part of the settlement of the present-day Tyrolean Taufers. Later the monastery, as well as the village of Münster which had grown round it, separated themselves from Taufers. In 881 the Bishop of Chur acquired the Monasterium Tuberis by means of an exchange, as well as other large domains in the valley. This was the beginning of episcopal sovereignty of the country. The Lords of Tarasp were invested with the bailiwick of the monastery and the valley and later, in 1170, the Lords of Matsch became the masters. When the Hapsburgs acquired the Duchy of Tyrol in 1363 a long and bloody feud began between the Bishop and the Hapsburgs about the rights in the Münstertal, which ended finally in the wars between the Hapsburgs and the Rhaetian Free-State. the desire for dominance and the aggressiveness of Austria led to the foundation of the League of God's House in 1367, which the jurisdiction of Münstertal also joined. Eventually matters came to a head in the Swabian War. The main forces of the League and the troops which were to attack the enemy's flank set out from Müstair to the Battle of Calven below Taufers. The victory secured the further existence of the Rhaetian Free-State. The new faith was accepted by all of the communes except Müstair, which, probably because of its close connections with the monastery, remained Catholic. Philipp Gallicius, one of the great reformers in the Grisons, came from the Münstertal. During the Wars of the Grisons the position of the Val Müstair again brought about many disadvantages. After the "Valtellina Massacre" the Austrian Colonel Baldiron, appeared in 1620 with his undisciplined soldiers, and during the years that followed many foreign troops were imposed on the people of the valley. The people became poorer and poorer, and the Plague claimed many victims. In 1728 Bishop Ulrich Federspielt decided to sell the sovereign rights of the Münstertal to the Emperor, but the cries of protest which were heard all over the Grisons prevented Vienna from carrying out its intention. The result was that the people of the Münstertal were able to buy their freedom in 1762. During the wars between the revolutionary French and the European coalition, Austrian troops arrived in the autumn of 1798, with the intention of occupying the Umbrail and the pass into Val Fraele. After various skirmishes they were driven back by the French, but were able to occupy the territory again in May 1799. The possessions of the people were plundered and destroyed, either by the soldiers or by the Tyroleans. It was only in 1803 that the sufferings of the people came to an end. Famous people from the Münstertal: Simon Lemnius (Schimun Lemm 1511-1550) is regarded as the foremost humanist of the Grisons. A collection of epigrams which he made aroused the anger of Martin Luther, who caused him to be expelled from the University of Wittenberg. After his return to Chur, Lemnius became a teacher at the Nicolai School. For a short time he was at the University of Bologna, where he won laurels as a poet. He died of the Plague at Chur. His most famous work is the "Raeteis", a heroic poem, praising the deeds of the people of the Grisons in the Swabian War. The Capuchin priest Theodosius Florentini (1808-1865) was well known for his work in charity, education, and cocial welfare. In 1844 he founded the Heiligen Kreuz Institute in Menzingen, a training college for nurses; in 1852 he founded the Institute of Barmherzigen Schwestern von Ingenbohl; in 1856 he founded the Kollegium Maria Hilfe at Schwyz. The Kreuz Hospital at Chur was also founded by him. In order to improve conditions for the workers he made large-scale experiments with factories. Theodosius is one of the great Swiss social reformers. District Coat of Arms: Azure, portrait of Charlemagne (profile), gold. Blazonry: The monastery at Münster, with which the history of the valley is closely related, was founded at the time of Charlemagne, who is looked upon traditionally as it founder. The stone statue of him in the abbey is the oldest statue in the Grisons, which is the reason why the profile portrait of this figure was used (profile to distinguish it from the Lucius head of the District of Upper Engadine). Blue is the colour of the coat of arms of the monastery. District colours: blue-yellow.