Coire (Ital. Coira; local Romansch, Quera; ancient Curia Rhetorum; Ger. Chur), a town of Switzerland, capital of the Grisons, in the valley of the Upper Rhine, lies in a fertile plain 1940 feet above the sea, and surrounded by high mountains. It is 80 miles S.E. of Zurich by rail, and stands on the Plessur, a mile and a half from its junction with the Rhine. It is of importance as standing on the great road to Italy by the Splügen
Pass, and thus possessing a considerable transit trade. The bishop's palace, and the quarter around it, inhabited by 2400 Catholics, occupy the summit of an eminence, and are separated from the rest by walls and battlements, closed by double gates. Here stands the old cathedral of St Lucius—a Romanesque edifice dating from the 8th century. It contains singular old carving, paintings by Cranach, Holbein, and Dürer, and also, it is said, the bones of St Lucius, a legendary British king. The town-hall, the Rhetian museum, and two Protestant churches are in the lower town. Romansch is still spoken in the vicinity. Coire is a great tourist centre; and wine, fruit, and corn are produced by the country round. Population, 9500.