Bolzano

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

Città di Bolzano Stadt Bozen Cité da Bulsan
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Province	Bolzano-Bozen (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
Dialing code	0471
Postal code	39100



Website: http://www.comune.bolzano.it

Bolzano (Italian Bolzano; German: Bozen, archaic Botzen; Ladin: Bulsan; Latin: Bauzanum; many of the region's Italian languages/dialects use Bolzan or Bulsan) is a city in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province. The South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano (Bozen) 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 Sport
8 External links

[edit] History

Initially inhabited by the Rhaetians, the area was settled by the Romans in 15 BC, by general Nero Claudius Drusus, to whom referred the name of the first settlement in the area (an army camp with a bridge by the river Eisack-Isarco). The nearby founded village was called Bauzanum. Bolzano (Bozen) has been a trading point since its foundation and elevation to a town 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 Italian and two German 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 region of Trentino, also known in German as the Welschtirol (or Italian Tyrol), and the southern part of the primarily German-speaking Tyrol were occupied by the Italian Army and thereafter annexed. The region was assigned to Italy according to the Treaty of London of 1915, that gave to Italy all the territories included in the Italian Region (as definded by the Alpine water divide), regardless of ethnic majorities.

After the rise of fascism, starting from 1926, ethnic Germans were subjected to a policy of Italianisation. This involved the use of Italian as the official language. German schools were closed, Italian-only toponyms were imposed, many person names were translated (i.e. Franz became Franco); in some cases also family names were Italianized (i.e. Gruber became Della Fossa; Perathoner became Pietrantoni). Many ethnic Italians moved to the city from other parts of Italy (primarily from Northern Italy). Ethnic-German 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).

Location of Bolzano-Bozen

Aerial view.

A view of Bolzano (Bozen). The Cathedral is on the right.

After 1938, as a consequence of the approaching of Nazist Germany to Fascist Italy, an agreement was reached to "solve" the problem. Nazi Germany accepted to host in the Reich all of those South Tyroleans who refused the assimilation. 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 German population to opt for emigration in large numbers. The majority of the inhabitants who spoke German 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. Bolzano (Bozen) was incorporated in the larger Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol 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 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 began complaining of discrimination.

As part of the autonomy package, the province of South Tyrol became autonomous and Italian, German, and Ladin became official languages. On the road signs both the Italian and German names are written in order to reflect the multicultural status. Other towns and villages throughout South Tyrol also received double-names.

Via Portici in the historic centre.

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 of 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) and Italian as second language. 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, Bolzano (Bozen) 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 Bolzano (Bozen)

The controversial Victory Monument

[edit] Main sights

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The city's Italian-Austrian character, enhanced by the narrow cobblestone streets, Habsburg-era 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 Square, with a statue of Walther von der Vogelweide, the German minstrel (minnesinger);
the South Tyrol 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 Mareccio Castle, Roncolo Castle and Firmiano Castle;
the First World War Victory Monument, a controversial monument built by Mussolini in 1928.
the Messner Mountain Museum Firmian