The Guilds of Chur – or Who Called the Shots in Town

For centuries, the town of Chur was protected by a surrounding wall and a moat. But by the early 19th century, the wall had begun to crumble, and in 1828, the moat was filled in. A new road was built in its place, lined with aspen trees on both sides.

The venerable guilds of Chur lodged a complaint “against the creation of the useless avenues.” Yet before long, it was not the trees or the newly built Grabenstrasse ("Moat Road") that disappeared, but the guilds themselves. In 1840, the guild system was dissolved and economic freedom introduced.

For approximately four centuries, the guilds were the most powerful political force in Chur. The extent of the influence wielded by the town’s five artisan associations is illustrated, for example, by a 1751 form preserved in the Raetian Museum. At the top, it displays the city’s coat of arms, encircled by the coats of arms of the five guilds. In the guild system, there was little room for foreign workers or other political actors. Nevertheless, Steffen Schmiedt of Felsberg became a Hintersäss—a non-citizen subject—by means of this very form. In practical terms, this meant that the former Felsberg resident was granted something akin to a residence permit in Chur.