User:Emptywords/Bolzano x

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Bozen)

see page explaining double names here.

For other uses of Bolzano, including the mathematician Bernard Bolzano, see Bolzano (disambiguation).

Città di Bolzano Stadt Bozen
Image:Bolzano-Stemma.png Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Trentino-South Tyrol
Province	South Tyrol (BZ)
Mayor	Luigi Spagnoli

Elevation	262 m
Area	52,34 km²
Population
- Total (as of March 31, 2006)	99.229
- Density	1,882/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	46°30′N, 11°21′E
Gentilic	Italian: Bolzanini, German: Bozner, Ladin:
Dialing code	0471
Postal code	39100



Website: www.comune.bolzano.it

Bolzano (German: Bozen, Ladin: Bulsan) is a city in the Trentino-South Tyrol region of Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of South Tyrol (German Südtirol, Italian Alto Adige).

The South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bozen-Bolzano is where the ice-mummy "Ötzi" is kept.

The city is also the home of the Italian Army's Alpini High Command- COMALP and some of its combat and support units.

1 History
2 Society and economy
3 Main sights
4 City districts and neighboring communities
5 Twin cities
6 Transportation
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History

Initially inhabited by the Rhaetians, the area was settled by the Romans in 15 BCE, by general Nero Claudius Drusus, who gave the original town its Roman name, Pons Drusi. The city name later became Bauzanum. Bozen-Bolzano has been a trading point since its foundation and elevation to a city over 800 years ago, due to its location in between the two major cities of Venice and Augsburg. Four times a year a market was held and traders came from the south and the north. The mercantile magistrate was therefore founded in 1635. Every market season two German and Italian officers (appointed from the traders who operated there) worked in this office. The city was a cultural crosspoint at that time.

In 1918, at the end of World War I the Trentino also known as the Welsch-Tirol or Italian Tyrol, and the southern part of German-speaking Tyrol with its main city Bozen were occupied by Italians and thereafter annexed according to the Treaty of London of 1915, that give to Italy all the territories south of the Alpine water divide, even in presence of non Italian population.

After the raisng of fascism many ethnic Italians moved to the city from other parts of Italy (primarily from northern Italy). After 1926, ethnic South Tyroleans were subjected to a policy of Italianisation that involved imposing Italian-only place names (including even the smallest hamlets), Italian given names (i.e. Franz became Franco) as well as in some cases Italianisation of family names (i.e. Gruber became Della Fossa; Perathoner became Pietrantoni). Indigenous South Tyroleans turned inward and thanks to the local clergy preserved their cultural identity by organizing secret German schools (so-called Katakombenschule or catacomb schools).

Aerial view.

A view of Bolzano. The Cathedral is on the right.

The resistance to the imposition of the Italian culture in public life was so strong, that the fascist regime agreed with Nazi Germany to "transfer" to the Reich of all those South Tyroleans who wanted to remain German. Local Fascists expected the elites to go and the bulk of the population to stay. However, they miscalculated and allowed Nazi agents to infiltrate the South Tyrol who pushed the indigenous the population to opt for emmigration in large numbers. The majority of the inhabitants who spoke German and Ladin had to choose between moving to Germany or assimilation (the so-called Opzione or "Option"). Almost 80 per cent chose to go to Germany. Nazis officials meanwhile planned to resettle ethnic south Tyroleans in German-occupied territories such as Luxembourg or Crimea. However, when Fascism collapsed in 1943, emigration came to a standstill. This period was very traumatic for the German-speaking population, and rivalries and tensions emerged between those who had chosen emigration to Germany (the Optanten) and those who had stayed (the Dableiber). Altogether only a third of the 75,000 who actually made the trek northward came back after 1945.

[edit] Society and economy

After World War II Italy, then led by Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi (a Trentino native and a former member of the Reichsrat Parliament in Vienna before 1914) and Austrian Chancellor Gruber signed an agreement that would have guaranteed the province a substantial degree of autonomy. However, Bozen-Bolzano was incorportad in the larger Trentino-South Tyrol region that had an overall Italian-speaking majority. However, the implementation of the UN-brokered treaty between Italy and Austria fell short of local expectations. Ethnic tensions resurfaced, culminating in a wave of bombings and acts of sabotage during the 1960s by South Tyrolean activists. Apparently some cooperated with neo-Nazi groups in Austria and Germany. Only after a new autonomy package was negotiated in 1969-1972 and the province of Bozen-Bolzano was given a greater autonomy from the Italian central government, did ethnic clashes subside. The autonomy package took 20 years before it was fully implemented. This, and the determined defense of their culture and language, has allowed the German speaking population to avoid assimilation. Instead, Italian-speaking Alto Atesini or Upper Atesins began complaining of discrimination.

As part of the autonomy package, the province of South Tyrol became autonomous and German, Italian and Ladin became official languages. The city changed its official name to Bozen-Bolzano in order to reflect the multicultural status. Other towns and villages throughout South Tyrol also received double-names.

Lauben, Bozen-Bolzano's main street.

According to the 2001 census, 73% of the city inhabitants were Italian speakers. Of the remainder, 23% speak German and 1% Ladin as their first language. Outside of the city Bozen-Bolzano the majority of inhabitants speak German as first language (according to 2001 census, there are approx. 330,000 German-speaking South Tyroleans among 475,000 inhabitants of South Tyrol). There are many bilingual people. A small minority of people speak Ladin.

South Tyrolean society is still to some extent segmented across ethnic lines. Because of its special autonomy and the unique industrious and collaborative culture, Bozen-Bolzano is one of the richest cities in Italy. It enjoyes a very high standard of living, ranking consistently among the top cities nationwide. See the article on South Tyrol for more information.

The city thrives on a mix of old and new—high-quality intensive agriculture (including wine, fruit and dairy products), tourism, traditional handicraft (wood, ceramics) and advanced services. Heavy industry (machinery, automotive, steel) installed during the 1930's has now been mostly dismanteled. On the downside, the local economy is very dependent on the public sector, and especially the autonomous province government.

Cathedral of Bozen-Bolzano

The controversial Victory Monument

[edit] Main sights

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

The city's Austrian character, enhanced by the narrow cobblestone streets, Austrian-style churches and pervasive bilingual signage give it the unique flavour of a city at crossroads between Italian and Austrian cultures. This, and its natural and cultural attractions make it a renowned tourist destination.

Among the major monuments and sights are:

Walther von der Vogelweide Platz, with a statue of the minstrel with the same name (Minnesänger in German);
the Archeological Museum, which hosts the Ötzi mummy;
the Gothic Cathedral, started in 1184, probably on the foundations of a Roman villa and rebuilt in the 14th Century by architects Martin and Peter Schiche (completed 1382);
various castles, including Schloss Maretsch, Schloss Runkelstein and Sigmundskron;
the First World War Victory Monument, a controversial monument built by Mussolini in 1928.
the Messner Mountain Museum Firmian