Südtirol | South tyrol | Alto Adige - alpitecture

souTh Tyrol
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souTh Tyrol in FAcTs AnD Figures
» The autonomous province of Bolzano-South Tyrol, northernmost province of Italy,
7,400 km 2 , 10 % of this permanently cultivatable, about ¼ lies between 1,000 and
1,500 m and 2 /3 above this.
» Of the approx. 500,000 people, around 70 % are German speaking, 25 % Italian
speaking, and 5 % speak Ladin. Foreigners make up about 6 %.
» Some 98 % of the population is Catholic.
» One third of the employees work in the service providing sector, ¼ in production,
and about 12 % in agriculture. South Tyrol has an unemployment rate of 2 %, the
lowest in the EU.
» The provincial government governs eight districts and 116 communities. The capital is
Bolzano with about 100,000 residents, followed by the municipalities Merano (35,000),
Brixen (20,000), Laives (16,000), Brunico (14,000), Sterzing (6,000), Klausen (5,000),
and the smallest town is Glurns with 900 residents. Most people live in rural areas.
» The highest mountain is Ortler, 3,905 m high, and Langkofel in the Dolomites is
3,179 m high.
» The province is divided into 7 districts: Vinschgau, Etschtal, Eisacktal-Wipptal,
Pustertal, Salten-Schlern, Burggrafenamt, and Südtiroler Unterland.
» The major rivers are the Etsch (140 km), Eisack (96 km), Rienz (81 km), Ahrn
(50 km), Talfer (46 km), and Passer (43 km).
» In the Alps, Kalterer See is the warmest lake and the Seiser Alm is the largest Alpine
meadow.
» Some 4.5 million guests spend about 27 million overnight stays each year in the
211,000 beds of the hotel industry.*
A Few worDs AbouT souTh Tyrol
These statistics do not say much about the fascination of South Tyrol. Not about
the stimulating sensation that Goethe felt in 1782 on the Brenner when he reached
Bolzano with the post coach and noted the southern impression in his diary. Sixty
armies of the German emperor passed across the Brenner on their way to Rome for
the coronation by the Pope. This route was secured by numerous castles. Imposing
guest houses arose for the travelling merchants and their goods were traded under
the picturesque arcades in the cities. Craftsmen and artists on their way between
North and South left behind samples of their art in the monasteries, churches,
castles, and manors.
South tyrol
For millions of tourists, the South begins at the Brenner. On the south side of the Alps, the weather is more
reliable, lovely, mild, and dry. The northernmost vineyards of Italy are located in the valley around Brixen.
This is where the cultivated landscape of South Tyrol starts, whose dry stone walls, terraced vineyards,
orchards, fields, meadows, and flood plains are the result of hundreds of years of farmers’ labors. There is
hardly another region that has such a variety of landscapes. When swimming season has begun at Kalterer
See, you can still go skiing in Schnalstal. Those who do not want to climb the pale cliffs of the Dolomites
can hike through the isolated woods of Regglberg or the broad Alpine meadows. Those who want to avoid
the summer heat in Vinschgau can walk along the cooling waterways in Waale. Those who find too much
bustle in the cities can enjoy beautiful days until late fall under the golden foliage in a Buschenschänke, or
country tavern. For culture lovers, there are the many architectural treasures ranging from the Carolingian
period to Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and art nouveau. A building tradition marked by stately manors,
grand estates, and richly decorated churches in addition to sturdy guest houses. Austrian and Italian influences
overlap here just as in the food.
The peaceful coexistence of the cultures and languages was disrupted after Italy annexed South Tyrol in
1918. Tens of thousands of Italian workers were brought into South Tyrol to industrialize Bolzano, the German
language was prohibited, and the German place names were Italianized, often in a random manner.
After the end of World War II, today’s valid, quite extensive autonomy statute for South Tyrol was passed in
1972 after difficult negotiations. The enormous economic boom has since then contributed to smoothing
out the ethnic differences and normalizing the way the different ethnic groups interact. Still – kindergartens
and schools are separated linguistically, public positions are given according to ethnical affiliation using
a competition system, and the Italians have been disappointed over the loss of their former privileges.
It will probably take a while before everyone considers themselves as South Tyrolean in a region that utilizes
their unique cultural and language variety to the full extent.*
souTh Tyrol
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