Bolzano

Sister cities

• Maratea
• Dachau
• Erlangen
• La Paz
• Sopron

History

The modern-day Bolzano was in ancient times a marshy region inhabited by the Raetian Isarci people, traditionally believed to be descendants of Etruscan refugees fleeing Italy from the invading Gauls. The Romans built a settlement after the area had been conquered in 15 BC by general Nero Claudius Drusus. The military settlement, Pons Drusi (Drusus Bridge), was named after this Roman general. During this time, the area became part of the region Venetia et Histria (Regio X) of ancient Italy. In 1948, excavations of the current Cathedral led to the discovery of an ancient Christian basilica from the fourth century. Also discovered was a Roman cemetery, including the tomb of "Secundus Regontius" with Latin inscriptions dating to the third century, making him the oldest known inhabitant of Bolzano. During the gradual decline of the Lombard influence in the seventh century, Bavarian immigration took place, and the first mention of a Bavarian ruler in Bolzano dates from 679. At that time, the Bavarians named the nearby villages around Bolzano Bauzanum or Bauzana. In 769 Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria issued in Bolzano the foundation charter of the Innichen Abbey. German populations have been present in the region of Tyrol from that period onwards. At around the year 1000, the settlement is called "in Pauzana valle, quae lingua Teutisca Pozana nuncupatur". In 1027 the area of Bolzano and the rest of the Diocese was conferred upon the bishops of Trent by the emperor Conrad II from the Salian dynasty. In the late-12th century, the bishop founded a market town, along the Lauben thoroughfare. The town therefore became an important trading post on the Transalpine Augsburg-Venice route over the Brenner Pass, elevation above sea level, within the Holy Roman Empire. In 1277,…

Geography

The area of the city of Bolzano is , of which is used as a settlement area. The city is located in the basin where the Sarntal, Eisacktal, and the Adige Valley with their rivers, Talfer, Eisack, and Adige, meet. In the Middle Ages, the two main Alpine crossings, the Via Claudia Augusta over and the Brenner route over Brenner Pass, met in Bolzano. Thus, the city was very important for trading. The highest point is above sea level and the lowest point is above sea level. The centre is located at an altitude of above sea level. The nearest big cities are (Trento) and (Innsbruck) away. City districts (most district names were originally in German and Italianized at a later stage): * Centro-Piani-Rencio/Zentrum-Bozner Boden-Rentsch * Don Bosco/Don Bosco-Neugries * Europa-Novacella/Europa-Neustift * Gries-San Quirino/Gries-Quirein * Oltrisarco-Aslago/Oberau-Haslach In 1911 Dodiciville/Zwölfmalgreien and in late 1925 the Gries municipality were incorporated in the Bolzano municipality. Neighbouring communities are: Eppan, Karneid, Laives, Deutschnofen, Ritten, Jenesien, Terlan and Vadena. Being located at multiple climate borders, Bolzano features a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot summers and very cold winters by Italian standards. According to the Trewartha classification, this climate could not really be considered a subtropical climate because fewer than 8 months are at least , and thus would be considered a semi-continental climate with hot summers. Some of its suburbs are designated an oceanic climate (Cfb) based on cooler summer temperatures, while mountains in the area may feature a continental climate (Dfb). The climate of Bolzano is influenced by its low altitude in a valley south of the main Alps. This causes very sheltered conditions from cool…