| Bolzano | |||
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| — Comune — | |||
| Città di Bolzano Stadt(gemeinde) Bozen |
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| Panorama of Bolzano | |||
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Bolzano
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| Region | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol | ||
| Province | South Tyrol (BZ) | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Luigi Spagnolli (PD) (Democratic Party) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 52.34 km2 (20.2 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 262 m (860 ft) | ||
| Population (Nov. 2010) | |||
| • Total | 103,970 | ||
| • Density | 1,986.4/km2 (5,144.8/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Italian: bolzanini German: Bozner |
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| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 39100 | ||
| Dialing code | 0471 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Bolzano (German: Bozen; Ladin: Balsan or Bulsan; Latin: Bauzanum) is a city and the capital of South Tyrol, a province in northern Italy.
Bolzano is the seat of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, where lectures and seminars are held in English, German, and Italian.
In 2008 Bolzano was one of the locations, in the region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, where the seventh edition of the world renowned Manifesta, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art was held.
The city is also the home of the Italian Army's Alpini High Command (COMALP) and some of its combat and support units.[1]
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Inhabited by the Raetian Isarci people, a settlement was built by the Romans after the area's conquest by general Nero Claudius Drusus in 15 BC, to whom the name of the settlement Pons Drusi ("Drusus Bridge") referred. The nearby village was called Bauzanum. With the end of the Roman empire a Bavarian immigration began and the first mentioning of a Bavarian count as ruler of Bolzano dates from 679. The area has been settled by German populations since then. Bolzano has been an important trading point since its elevation to a town on 24 June 1190 by bishop Konrad of Trient, 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 Italic and two Germanic officers (appointed from the traders who operated there) worked in this office. The city was a cultural crosspoint at that time, and still is to this day.[2]
Before World War I, Bolzano was part of the Austro–Hungarian county of Tyrol. It was annexed by Italy at the end of World War I and on 1 January 1927 became a provincial capital. At the time of its annexation, Bolzano was primarily a German-speaking city, with a pre-war population of 30,000 people. In the 1920s the city, along with the rest of the province, was subjected to an intensive Italianization programme under orders from Benito Mussolini. The aim was to outnumber the local German-speaking population by tripling the population with Italian-speaking immigrants drawn from the old provinces.[3]
During World War II, Bolzano was the site of the Nazi Bolzano Transit Camp, a concentration camp for Jews and political prisoners.
According to the 2001 census, 73% of the city inhabitants speak Italian, 26.29% German and 0.71% Ladin as their first language.[4]
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 1930s has now been mostly dismantled. On the downside, the local economy is very dependent on the public sector, and especially the provincial government.
Bolzano is the biggest city in South Tyrol, which is an autonomous province in Northern Italy with a special statute. This statute preserves the rights of the autochthonous German-speaking minority in Italy. This unique system has been admired by the Dalai Lama, who visited the city on several occasions to study a possible application in Chinese-occupied Tibet. It has also been presented as role model for the successful and fair resolution of inter-ethnic conflict to other regions of the world.
Bolzano was ranked as having the second highest quality of life of Italian cities in 2007, with neighbouring Trento topping the list.[5]
The city's with its medieval city center, Gothic and Romanesque churches and bilingual signage give it a unique flavour of a city at the 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:
For more historical and geographical information, see South Tyrol.
City districts:
Neighbouring communities are: Eppan, Karneid, Laives, Deutschnofen, Ritten, Jenesien, Terlan, and Vadena.
Other important nearby towns are Brixen, Bruneck and Merano.
Bolzano is connected to the highway A22-E45[6] to Trento and Verona and to Innsbruck (Austria) and Munich (Germany).
The city is also connected to the Italian railway system. Bolzano railway station, opened in 1859, forms part of the Brenner railway (Verona–Innsbruck), which is the main railway route between Italy and Germany. The station is also a junction of two branch lines, to Merano and Mals, respectively.
There is a 50 kilometer network of bike paths and about 30% of journeys in Bolzano are done by bicycle[7].
Different airlines provide flights from Bolzano Airport (IATA: BZO) to Rome, Vienna, Milan and other destinations.
The town is host to an annual road running competition – the BOclassic – which features an elite men's 10K and women's 5K races. The event, first held in 1975, takes place on New Year's Eve and is broadcast live on television by Rai Sport Più.[8][9]
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