Locals in Chur are planning to construct a new monument in the city. However, rather than remembering a person, the new memorial in the capital of Graubünden will be dedicated to Mr Moser, a cat that lived in and around the cantonal court for over a decade.
Our story starts when the cat was first noticed by locals in Chur. Originally named Samba, the ginger tomcat lived with a family close to the cantonal court in the city. However, when the family moved from Chur to Lucerne, they reported that the cat was not a fan of central Switzerland, and so he was moved back to Chur.
In 2013, the cat was adopted by workers at the Graubünden cantonal court. “One day he found his way into our office through the open window,” one member of staff told 20 Minuten. From then, the cat, assumed to be a stray, was given the name Herr Moser - a traditional name used by traveller communities in the canton and a reference to how the cat could be spotted roaming around the city all day.
Mr Moser would mainly spend his time in the cantonal court - the members of staff remembered Herr Moser’s penchant for wrapping himself in local newspapers in the lobby - and out on the street. The cat soon became a celebrity among the residents of Chur, who were able to regularly stroke, feed and pet the kind-natured moggie. Herr Moser was also a fan of the city's nightlife, as he was regularly pictured in the evening lounging on a bench outside Chur’s most popular bars and clubs.
In 2016, there was a brief panic in the city, when the cantonal court announced that Herr Moser had gone missing after Chur's Hit Parade festival. Luckily, after a few days, he returned to much media fanfare, with the court writing at the time that the experience had sadly “stressed him out.”
Herr Moser would continue to warm the hearts of Chur residents until his death in October 2023. In a statement given at the time, the cantonal court said that “he was really an extraordinary cat” that could never be replaced. “We all miss him very much,” the statement concluded. 180.000 people read of Mr Moser’s passing in 20 Minuten alone.
After a public outcry, new plans have been unveiled to commemorate the remarkable feline. Speaking to 20 Minuten, local activist Brigitte Göring announced that she had submitted a proposal to have a statue of Mr Moser erected in Chur. “He made so many people happy, everyone in town was magically drawn to him…His unique personality and passing leaves a gap in people’s hearts.”
She confirmed that the statue and plaque will be crowdfunded at a cost of around 2.500 francs. While it will ultimately be up to the local council to decide whether to erect the statue and where it should be placed, supporters hope the monument will be built near the courthouse that Mr Moser called home for nearly a decade.