Davos (UK: /ˈdævɒs, dɑːˈvɒs/,[3][4] US: /dɑːˈvoʊs/;[5] German: [daˈfoːs][6] or [daˈvoːs] ⓘ;[7] Romansh: Tavauⓘ; Old Italian: Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland.

The municipality covers nearly the entire valley of the Landwasser, and the centre of population, economic activity and administration is two adjacent villages, Davos Dorf (engl.

Gaining prominence in the 19th century as a mountain health resort, Davos is perhaps best known today for hosting the World Economic Forum, an annual meeting of global political and corporate leaders.

With its long history of winter sports, Davos also has one of Switzerland's largest ski resorts and hosts the international Spengler Cup, an ice hockey tournament, every December.

[9] The current settlement of the Davos area began in the High Middle Ages with the immigration of Rhaeto-Romans.

[10] From about 1280 the barons of Vaz allowed German-speaking Walser colonists to settle and conceded them extensive self-administration rights.

Natives still speak a dialect that is atypical for Graubünden, showing similarities with the German spoken in Raron in Canton Valais.

[14] The Counts of Montfort reached a financial impasse and sold Davos to Duke Sigmund of Tyrol in 1466.

[15] From the middle of the 19th century, Davos, modeled on Görbersdorf (now Sokołowsko), became a popular destination for the sick and ailing because the microclimate in the high valley was deemed excellent by doctors (initiated by Alexander Spengler[16]) and recommended for lung disease patients.

Robert Louis Stevenson, who suffered from tuberculosis, wintered in Davos in 1880 on the recommendation of his Edinburgh physician George Balfour.

A sanatorium in Davos is also the inspiration for the Berghof Sanitorium in Thomas Mann's novel Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain).

[18] At the end of the war, Federal Councillor Ernst Nobs described Davos as "more nazi-infested than any other Swiss place".

[20] Subsequently, Davos became a ski resort, especially frequented by tourists from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

[21][22] The main village of Davos lies at the top of the narrow valley of the Landwasser at an altitude of 1,560 metres (5,120 ft), just below the Wolfgang Pass.

Over the same time period, the amount of recreational space in the municipality increased by 10 ha (25 acres) and is now about 0.22% of the total area.

[24][25] The Wolfgang Pass divides the waters flowing into the Landquart from the valley of the Landwasser, and has a year-round road and Rhaetian Railway connection.

Smaller populated places in the municipality are the village of Davos Clavadel, the hamlets of Laret, Wolfgang, Obem See, Meierhof, Stilli, Bünda, and Spina (in the main Landwasser valley), and Tschuggen, Dörfji, In den Büelen, Hof, Teufi, Gadmen, Am Rin, Dürrboden, Sertig Dörfli, Oberalp, Inneralp (in the side valleys).

Davos lost that distinction after the formation of Glarus Süd in 2010 and today is the fourth-largest municipality in the canton of Graubünden.

The wettest month is August during which time Davos receives an average of 150 mm (5.9 in) of precipitation.

[28] The Small Country Council (Kleiner Landrat) constitutes the executive government of the municipality of Davos and operates as a collegiate authority.

In the mandate period 2025–2028 (Legislatur) the Small Country Council is presided by Landammann Philipp Wilhelm.

Any resident of the municipality of Davos allowed to vote and being registered can be elected as a member of the Small Country Council for a maximal period of twelve years.

Members of the Grand Country Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance.

Any resident of Davos allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Grand Country Council for a maximal period of twelve years.

[32] The last regular election of the Grand Country Council was held on 22 September 2024 for the mandate period (German: Legislatur) from January 2025 to December 2028.

In December of each year, the team and arena host the Spengler Cup, an international tournament first held in 1923.

Besides cross-country skiing, offering some 97 km (60 mi) of pistes, Davos has the largest natural ice skating field in Europe.

These heritage sites include the Town Archives, the Kirchner Museum,[53] the Grosses Jenatschhaus (a type of charity house known as a Pfrundhaus) and the Forest Cemetery (Waldfriedhof).

On 14 March 2003, a festival called Winterjam was held in the city and bands such as Sum 41, Crazy Town, and Guano Apes performed during this event.

Local buses are operated by Verkehrsbetrieb der Landschaft Davos Gemeinde (vbd).