Province of Bolzano-Bozen Totally Explained

Everything about South Tirol totally explained

:This article is about the present-day Italian province. For other uses of Tyrol, see Tyrol (disambiguation). The Province of Bolzano-Bozen (; ; Ladin: Provinzia autonoma de Bulsan), also referred to in English as Alto Adige (from the Italian name) or South Tyrol (from the German name Südtirol) is an autonomous province of Italy. In the Ladin language, both Adesc Aut and Sudtirol are used, respectively.
The province of Bolzano-Bozen is one of the two provinces which make up Italy's region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, which itself is an autonomous region. The province is divided into 116 comuni (municipalities). Its capital is the city of Bolzano (German: Bozen, Ladin: Balsan). The province has an area of 7,400 km² and a total population of 487,673 (2006). The region is renowned for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which compose a significant section of the Alps.

Toponyms

The name "Province of Bolzano-Bozen" used throughout this article is the naming convention adopted by other English-language sources such as Encyclopedia Britannica.
   The name listed in the 1972 Statute of Autonomy (constitutional law of the State) and in the subsequent state laws is Provincia di Bolzano or Provincia autonoma di Bolzano, accompanied by the official translation into German (Provinz Bozen or Autonome Provinz Bozen).
   The provincial authorities often use the dual designation Provincia autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige (translated into German as Autonome Provinz Bozen – Südtirol). The Ladin name isn't listed in the Statute of Autonomy or other laws of the State, but is often translated by the provincial government as Provinzia autonòma de Balsan – Südtirol, with the German name appended. Typically in Ladin however, simply the term Provinzia autonoma de Bulsan is used (Bulsan is interchangeable with Balsan). Ladin occasionally uses the two names independently, respectively Adesc Aut and Sudtirol (without an umlaut). The provincial website also offers the French translation of Province Autonome du Bozen – Tyrol du Sud, although typically the denominations Province autonome de Bolzano and Haut-Adige are used in this language (the French Haut-Adige was the first use of the term Alto Adige to describe a political entity). The provincial website also uses Province of Bozen – South Tyrol as an English translation, although within the English main page Province of Bolzano/Bozen is used.
   In English, both Alto Adige and South Tyrol are regularly used. The provincial administration uses both terms on its website, while the official tourist website consistently prefers the latter. Both terms may be considered as culturally and politically charged, possibly because the term Alto Adige stresses the geographical location of the area within the Mediterranean drainage basin, while the term South Tyrol emphasizes the historical and cultural links with Austria's federal state of Tyrol. There are some German speakers who insist the term Sudtirolo should replace the term Alto Adige entirely (even though proper Italian would be Tirolo del Sud). It is important to note that prior to 1919 "South" or "Southern" Tyrol would have simply referred to the southern portion of the county of Tyrol (south of the Alpine water divide down to the northern tip of Lake Garda), and today what encompasses most of the region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

Government

The local government system is based upon the provisions of the Italian constitution and the Autonomy Statute of the Region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The extensive self-government provided by the current institutional framework has been advanced as a model for settling interethnic disputes.
   The residual legislative power of the province is vested in a provincial assembly called Consiglio della Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano in Italian, Südtiroler Landtag in German and Cunsëi dla Provinzia Autonoma de Bulsan in Ladin . Official documents in English use the translation "Parliament of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen". The legislative powers of the provincial assembly cover all those subject matters that are not expressly reserved to the exclusive legislative power of the Italian State or to concurrent legislation per .
   The executive powers are attributed to a provincial government called Giunta Provinciale in Italian and Landesregierung in German.
   The province is divided into eight districts (), one of them being the capital city of Bolzano. Each district is headed by a president and two bodies called the district committee and the district council. The districts are responsible for intermunicipal disputes, roads, schools and social services such as retirement homes.
   The districts are:

Language

Both Italian and German have the status of co-official languages in the province of Bolzano-Bozen. Ladin is the additional official language in some municipalities. The linguistic breakdown according to the census of 2001:

Language	Number	Percentage
German	290,774	69.38
Italian	110,206	26.30
Ladin	18,124	4.32
Total	419,104	100

Geography

The Province of Bolzano-Bozen is located at the northernmost point in Italy. The province is bordered by Austria to the east and north and by Switzerland to the west. The Italian provinces of Belluno, Trento, and Sondrio border to the southeast, south, and southwest, respectively. The landscape itself is mostly cultivated with different types of shrubs and forests.

Climate

The climate is very similar to the Austrian Tyrol’s climate, but it’s far colder than the Trentino’s climate. It may be divided in five distinct groups:
The Adige’s valley area, with cold winters (24-h averages in January of about 0oC) and hot summers (24-h averages in July of about 23oC), usually classified as Humid subtropical climate - Cfa. It’s the driest and sunniest climate of the province. Main cities in this area: Bolzano, Egna.
   The midlands between 300 and 900 meters, with cold winters (24-h averages in January between minus 3oC and plus 1oC) and mild summers (24-h averages in July between 15oC and 21oC); This is a typical Oceanic climate, classified as Cfb. It’s usually wetter than the subtropical climate, and very snowy during the winters. During the spring and the fall, there's a large foggy season, but fog may occur even during the summer’s mornings. Main towns in this area: Merano, Bruneck, Sterzing, Brixen. Near the lakes in higher lands (between 1000 and 1400 meters) the humidity may make the climate in these regions milder during the winters, but also cooler during the summers, then, may occur a Subpolar oceanic climate, Cfc.
   The alpine valleys between 900 and 1400 meters, with a typically Humid continental climate – Dfb, covering the largest part of the province. The winters are usually very cold (24-h averages in January between minus 8oC and minus 3oC), and the summers, mild with averages between 14 and 19oC. It’s a very snowy climate, snow may occur since early October until April or even May. Main municipalities in this area: Ortisei, Badia, Sexten, Toblach, Stilfs, Vöran, Mühlwald.
   The alpine valleys between 1400 and 1700 meters, with a Subarctic climate – Dfc, with harsh winters (24-h averages in January between minus 9oC and minus 5oC) and cool, short, rainy and foggy summers (24-h averages in July of about 12oC). These areas usually have five months bellow the freezing point, and snow sometimes occur even during the summer, in September. This climate is the wettest of the province, with large rainfalls during the summer, heavy snowfalls during spring and fall. The winter is usually a little drier, marked by freezing and dry weeks, although not sufficiently dry to be classified as a Dwc climate. Main municipalities in this area: Corvara, Sëlva, Santa Crestina Gherdëina.
   The highlands above 1700 meters, with an alpine Tundra climate, ET, which becomes an Eternal-Frost climate, EF above 3000 meters. The winters are cold, but sometimes not as cold as the higher valleys winters. In January, most of the areas at 2000 meters have an average temperature of about minus 5oC, while in the valleys at about 1600 meters, the mean temperature may be as low as minus 8 or minus 9oC. The higher lands, above 3000 meters are usually extremely cold, with averages of about minus 14oC during the coldest month, January.

Mountains

Mountains dot many parts of the landscape. Many of these mountains belong to the Alps, which extend through many Central European nations. In this mountain chain, there's a smaller group called the Ortler Alps. In this group, which is considered the centre of the Italian Alps, there's a mountain called the Ortler, which rises 3 905 m above sea level, and is the highest peak in the Ortler Alps. Another group of mountains located partly in the province are the Dolomites. The Dolomites are a section of the main alpine chain, of which equal parts are located in the Bolzano-Bozen and in neighbouring Italian provinces. The mountain Sciliar (2 563 m) is part of the Dolomite chain.
Other mountains located in the province are:

Catinaccio

Latemar

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Zainggerberg

History

The Province of Bolzano-Bozen was created in 1919 after the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy those areas of the Austro-Hungarian county of Tyrol south of the Alpine divide. An autonomous status was granted after World War II, resulting in a considerable level of self-government.

Economy

Out of the 487,673 residents of the province, 223,300 are employed (2005). Most of them are working in the fields of agriculture, small businesses, industry, commerce, tourism, and the service industry, or are self-employed. The unemployment level in 2005 was roughly 2.8%, which is lower than the national Italian average of 7% (2006), or the Austrian average of 4.9% (2006). Small businesses are primarily involved cabinet making, construction, painting and decorating, plumbing, meat preparation, and baking. The province also acts as a bridge between the northern European and Italian markets, and accounts for 8 percent of the money Italy earns from hotels and other lodging.

Friendship Agreements

Zhangjiakou, China (2007) Further Information

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