Bolzano (Italian) or Bozen (German) is a city in the Trentino-Upper Adige (It. Trentino-Alto Adige) region of Italy; its 2001 population was 94,989, and the area of the municipality is 52.34 sq. km. It is the capital of the mainly German speaking autonomous province of Bolzano-Alto Adige (Italian) / South Tyrol (German Südtirol) province, officially trilingual. The province covers an area of 7,400 sq. km, with 116 communes and 462,999 inhabitants (2001 census). The province recorded a population gain of 5,1% from 1991 to 2001.

The province is almost completely mountainous, and is extended on the Adige valley north of the town of Salorno; other important rivers are Eisack-Isarco, forming Eisacktal-Val d'Isarco , and Rienz-Rienza , that flows in Pustertal-Val Pusteria . The easternmost part of the province belongs to the Drava basin, tributary of the Danube.

Other important towns are Brixen-Bressanone, Bruneck-Brunico and Meran-Merano.

Bozen is internationally famous for the ice-mummy "Ötzi".

Highway A22-E45 to Trento and Verona and to Innsbruck and Munich. Railway (main connection between Italy and Germany).

History

Bozen or Bolzano has been a trade city since its foundation and elevation to a city over 800 years ago, thanks to its location 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 found in 1635. In the market season every two German and Italian officers (appointed from among traders) worked in this office. The city was a cultural crosspoint at that time.

In 1918 South Tyrol and also Bozen was occupied by Italians and thereafter annexed. In the period of fascism many Italians moved to the city from southern Italy and the majority of habitants of Bozen who spoke German had to vote for a choice between moving or assimilation.

Today 3/4 of the whole 100,000 habitants are Italians whose first language is Italian. There are many bilingual people.

For more (historical & geographical) information see South Tyrol

See also

• Bozen Victory Monument