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Bolzano
During its long history, this pretty town at the confluence of the Talvera and Isarco rivers has been ruled by the bishops of Trent, the counts of Tirol, and the Hapsburgs, to name but a few of its lords. Bozen (Bolzano in Italian) has only been part of Italy since the end of World War I. As you explore the narrow streets and broad Platzen (piazze) and stroll through the parks that line the town’s two rivers, you get the sense that, with its gabled, Tirolean-style houses and preference for Germanic dialect, the city is still more Teutonic than Italian.
History
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Initially inhabited by the Rhaetians, the area was settled by the Romans in 15 BCE, by general Nero Claudius Drusus, who gave the original town its Roman name, Pons Drusi. The city name later became Bauzanum. Bozen-Bolzano has been a trading point since its foundation and elevation to a city 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 German and Italian 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 Trentino also known as the Welsch-Tirol or Italian Tyrol, and the southern part of German-speaking Tyrol with its main city Bozen were occupied by Italian Army and thereafter annexed. The region was assigned to Italy according to the Treaty of London of 1915, that give to Italy all the territories included in the Italian Region (as definded by Alpine water divide), regardless of the ethnic population.
After the raising of fascism, starting from 1926, ethnic Germans were subjected to a policy of Italianisation. That involved the use of the Italian as unique 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) Indigenous 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).
After 1938, as a consquence 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 of all 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 indigenous the population to opt for emmigration in large numbers. The majority of the inhabitants who spoke German and Ladin 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. |
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Promenades
Bolzano is the ideal starting point for walks and hikes in the environment of the city.
Along the hills above the city winds a crown of pathways bordered by typically Mediterranean vegetation. The "Guntschna- an the Oswaldpromenade" are two pearls: terraces obove the city lined with palm trees, magnolias, cedars, agaves and laurel.
Other walking paths bring you to the different castles of the town.
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Lungo Talvera |
The promenade along the river Talvera and Isarco is like a green oasis in the middle of the town. Here you can spend some relaxing time or you can choose to do or watch some sports: football, volleybal, baseball... |
Virgolo |
The walking path at the feet of the Colle mountain begins near the castel "Haselburg" in the south of Bolzano. It connects the castle with the "Virgl", one of the first parts of the town to be habitated in prehistoric times. Two interesting churches can be found there: the Romanic Church of St. Vigil an the Baroque Kalvarien-Church. |
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Sant'Osvaldo e Guncina |
The Guntschnapromenade (Passeggiata del Guncina) goes up in serpentines starting from Gries. It is dedicated to the Duke Heinrich from Habsburg and was one of the famous parts of the health resort since the middle of the 19th Century. Today it is a nice walking path with a beautiful view on the town with the "Rosengarten" in the background.
The Oswaldpromenade (Passeggiata di Sant'Osvaldo) goes from St. Anton to St. Magdalena bordering the numerous vineyards on the hills of the town. The traditional red vine "St. Magdalena" is produced here. |
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The castles
Runkelstein Castle |
A longer walk of about 2km (just over a mile; or take the free bus from Piazza Walther, which only goes back and forth between the piazza and the castle) leads out of town north to the Castel Roncolo (tel. 800-210-003 or 0471-329- 808), beautifully ensconced high above the town and beneath a massive, foreboding cliff face. The interior of this 13thcentury castle is decorated with faded but fascinating frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries that depict secular scenes from the story of Tristan and Isolde and other tales of romantic love and chivalry. These painted scenes are remarkably moving in their almost primitive craftsmanship that nonetheless reveals a certain worldliness.
Admission is 8€ adults, 5.50€ students and seniors over 60, 13€ for a family card for four; hour-long guided tours in English cost an extra 2.70€ per person (minimum six people).
The castle is open Tuesday to Sunday: October to June 10am to 6pm, July to September 10am to 8pm.
To get here, follow the Via Castel Roncolo north from the Chiesa dei Francescani; you will pass one side of the Castel Mareccio, at which point signposts will lead you along Via Beatro Arrigo and Via San Antonio for a gradual uphill climb to Castel Roncolo. |
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Maretsch Castle |
Of the many castles that surround Bozen, the closest to the center is the Castel Mareccio, just a short walk along the River Talvera (from the Piazza delle Erbe, follow the Via Museo west to the Ponte Talvera and from there the Lungo Talvera Bozen north for less than 0.5km). Though it is now used as a convention center and its five towers rise from a residential neighborhood of recent vintage, this 13th-century fortress is a stunning sight, all the more so because it is surrounded by a generous swath of vineyards that have been saved from urban encroachment, and backed by forested hills.
You can step inside for a glimpse at the stone-walled medieval interior and enjoy a beverage at the bar; the castle is open to the public Wednesday through Monday, 9am to 6pm (hours vary when conferences are in session; tel. 0471-976-615) |
Sigmundskron Castle |
One of the most historic symbols of South Tyrol. It was cited as early as 945 AD as the site of a military episode between noblemen from north and south of the Alps. In the 1950s it was the site of the landmark demonstration for South Tyrol autonomy.
The famous alpinist Reinhold Messner the 11th of June 2006 opened the mountain museum MMM Firmiano.
MMM Firmiano - Firmian
Via Castel Firmiano /Sigmundskronerstr. 53
opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday from 10.00 am – 06.00 pm, last admission at 5.00 pm
phone +39 0471 631 264
fax +39 0471 633 884 |
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Churches
cathedral of Maria Assunta |
Gothic church dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, Details to note: on the front the Romanesque door with its two columned supported arch, the rose-window (XIV century), the fresco of the Virgin Madonna with Child (1475), and the recent bronze door from the sculptor Defner of Innsbruck; on the north side the fresco of the Crucifixion (end of the fourteenth century), the little wine door (end of the fourteenth century); inside the late Gothic pulpit, the Baroque monumental high altar made of polychromatic marble (1710-20); the fourteenth century crucifix; the Baroque chapel of Grace with frescoes by Karl Henrici (1771). |
Dominican church and cloister |
One of the first gothic complexes in the region; of particular interest: Cappella di San Giovanni ( St.-John's Chapel) with frescoes from the Giotto School. |
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Old Parish Church in Gries |
It houses two exceptional artistic treasures: the altar of Michael Pacher (1471-75) and the wooden Romanesque crucifix from the thirteenth century.
Open from 01.04 to 31.10; Monday - friday 10.30 - 12 am / 2.30 - 4.00 pm. |
Francescani church and cloister |
The Chiesa dei Francescani is across Via dei Portici on Via Francescani. Inside there’s a sumptuously carved altar from 1500, one of the Gothic masterpieces of the Trentino–Alto Adige. The 14th-century cloisters are charming—intimate, frescoed on one side, gracefully vaulted, and beautifully planted—and are open Monday to Saturday 10am to noon and 2:30 to 6pm; Sunday for services only. |
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Museums
Museum of Archaeology |
Bozen’s newest and by far most popular sight is the thoroughly modernized Museo Archeologico dell’Alto Adige, better known as “Ötzi’s House” since it was remodeled in 1998 to house the famed 5,300-year-old “ice man.” This mummy made headlines in 1991 when a pair of German hikers discovered him sticking out of a melting glacier high in the Tirol mountains—though whether he was of Alpine origin or merely trying to cross the Alps is still being debated. His equipment and one of his last meals seem to have come from lower-altitude valleys, nearer Verona.
Forensic analysis in 2001 brought the surprise revelation that, apparently, he was shot in the shoulder with an arrow shortly before he died. Just before we went to press with this addition, a new research team made even more stunning conclusions about the Ice Man’s final moments. Further research published in 2003 (and based on blood samples, microscopic fibers, and re-creations of wound placements—real CSI kinda stuff ) revealed that the Ice Man was killed in a battle or skirmish of some sort—shot in the back and then carried off by a companion who must have removed the arrow for him.
Along with the mummy were preserved remnants of clothing (including shoes and a bearskin hat), a flint dagger, a copper ax, and a quiver with flinttipped arrows he was in the process of making.
Via Museo at Via Cassa di Risparmio
tel. 0471-320-100
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm (to 8pm Thurs)
Admission is 8€ adults, 5.50€ students under 28 and seniors over 65, or 16€ for a family card (two adults plus kids under 14). The audio guides, which I highly recommend, are an extra 2€ |
Municipal Museum |
The Municipal Museum contains the richest collections of art and cultural history of their kind. In South Tyrol: Exquisite artefacts from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century, Romanesque Madonnas and crucifixes, winged Gothic altars and a department of popular art with panelled Gothic rooms, festival masks and local costumes.
via Cassa di Risparmio
Tel. +39 0471 974625
Opening hours:
Tuesday - saturday: 10 am - 6 pm Wednesday: 10 am - 8 pm |
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Museum of Nature South Tyrol |
South Tyrol's Museum of Natural History is housed in the building that one time held the administrative offices of Archduke Maximilian. It offers the visitor an overview of the various typical landscapes of South Tyrol.
Its principal attraction is its salt-water aquarium. The museum is also known for its interesting special exhibitions.
via Bottai 1,
Tel. +39 0471 412964 or +39 0471-412960;
Opening hours:
Tuesday - Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm, last admission one hour before closing
closed on Monday |
Mercantile Museum |
This museum traces the economic history of Bolzano and it is housed in the MercantileBuilding, which was formerly the seat of the Mercantile Court, founded in 1635.
The lour leads through various council rooms, the chancellery, and the hall of honour, with its original furnishings, historical documents, paintings and objects of art.
via Portici 39, Tel. 39 0471 945709;
Opening hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10 - 12.30 am |
Museum with Christmas display
of the nativity at Muri Gries |
Located in the Romanesque bell tower of the Abbazia Muri Gries, the museum houses antique... dating back even to 1750 and a collection of figures pf popular art
piazza Gries (Abbazia dei Benedettini)
Tel. +39 0471 921016
Opening hours:
from September to June every first Saturday of the month from 3 to 5 pm
from the first advent Sunday open on every Saturday from 3 to 5 pm |
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History