Airolo

Airolo

State :	Switzerland Switzerland
Canton :	Canton of Ticino Ticino (TI)
District :	Leventina districtw
Circle :	Airolo district
BFS no. :	5061i1 f3 f4
Postal code :	6780
UN / LOCODE :	CH AIR
Coordinates :	689 766 / 153 815 coordinates: 46 ° 31 '47 " N , 8 ° 36' 31" O ; CH1903: 689,766 / one hundred and fifty-three thousand eight hundred fifteen46.52961 8.60868 1175
Height :	1175 m above sea level M.
Height range :	1028–2998 m above sea level M.
Area :	94.35 km²
Residents:	1501 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	16 inhabitants per km²
Website:	www.airolo.ch
Airolo with the barracks Motto Bartola (bottom left of picture)
Location of the municipality
w

Airolo ( listen to ^?^/^I , in Alpine Lombard dialect : Airö (u), Aire (u) [ ajˈrøː, ajˈrøw, ajˈreː, ajˈrew ], German Eriels or Jerels (both outdated), Rhaeto-Romanic Iriel ^?^/^I ) is a village and a municipality in the county Airolo , district Leventina , in the Swiss canton of Ticino . It is the capital of the district of the same name.

geography

Airolo is located at the upper end of the Leventina Valley , 55 km north of Bellinzona , at the southern foot of the Gotthard Pass on the border with German-speaking Switzerland ( Canton Uri ) and Rhaeto-Romanic Switzerland ( Canton Graubünden ). The Val Bedretto extends west of Airolo , from which you can reach the neighboring canton of Valais via the Nufenenpass (pass road) and the Griespass (hiking trail) or via the Passo San Giacomo (hiking trail) into the Italian Val Formazza . In addition to the main town, the municipality also includes the hamlets of Brugnasco, Fontana, Madrano, Nante and Valle; Albinasca and Bedrina are uninhabited today.

Neighboring communities are Bedretto , Quinto and Lavizzara in the canton of Ticino, Realp , Hospental and Andermatt in the canton of Uri, and Tujetsch in the canton of Graubünden.

history

Already in the 2nd / 3rd In the 2nd century AD, people stayed in Airolo, as evidenced by Roman graves in Madrano. The history of Airolo has always been shaped by the traffic over the Gotthard . As a result, the hospitality industry and framing gained great economic importance.

The oldest documented evidence for the place as Oriolo, Ur (i) olo, Irorio comes from 1210, in the 14th century it appears as Oriollo, Oirolo, Yroll (i) o, Airol (l) o, Ayrolio . The place name probably goes back to the popular Latin * oriolu , narrow margin, edge.

The Catholic parish church of Santi Nazario e Celso was built in the 12th century and was first mentioned in 1224 together with the parish. The current building was rebuilt in 1879 after it was destroyed by a fire in 1877 that burned a large part of the village. The church tower, which is crowned by double-row twin arcades, dates from the Romanesque period.

In 1882 the Gotthard railway tunnel with the Airolo south portal was inaugurated. At that time, the village was the second largest municipality in Ticino with 3700 inhabitants. The monument to the victims of the Gotthard tunnel construction is located near the train station, a bronze bas-relief created by Vincenzo Vela (1820–1891). For military protection of the Gotthard road and the Gotthard tunnel as parts were the weapons square Airolo The Gotthard forts Motto Bartola (1890), Forte Airolo (1890) and Fort Hospice (1894) built (now Caserma Bedrina).

On December 28, 1898, a landslide destroyed part of the village and left three dead. To protect the village, the large protective wall was built above the houses. A huge avalanche killed ten people on February 12, 1951. Numerous avalanche barriers were built in the course of the 20th century; a work that has been continued in recent times.

Airolo received electric street lighting as early as 1890. Airolo was the first municipality in the canton of Ticino to build a sewage treatment plant (1969).

During the Second World War , the new artillery works San Carlo (1938), Foppa Grande (1940) and fortress Sasso da Pigna (1941) were built in the municipality as part of the Swiss Réduit .

In 1980 the Gotthard road tunnel with the Airolo south portal was opened. After that, there was a definitive decline in residents and jobs. In 2007 the once famous Hotel Motta in Piazza Motta was closed.

population

Population development
year	1574	1682	1785	1850	1880	1883	1900	1950	1970	1980	1990	2000	2010	2018
Residents	597	1000	1237	1624	3678	3700	1628	2140	1848	1995	1734	1593	1558	1501

economy

Main street at the train station

Agriculture has long played an important role, but today it creates few jobs. With the construction of 1995–1997 and the operation of a show dairy (Caseificio dimostrativo del Gottardo), the local agricultural products could be better marketed. In 2015 the show dairy had over 77,000 visitors, most of whom came from Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. The Agroval SA dairy has established itself in the former station building.

In the industrial sector, construction ranks first. Airolo's only important factory is a metalworking company that employs around 100 people.

In Airolo there are service companies for rail and road traffic as well as a large arsenal where the Swiss Army medical troops are trained. Many jobs were lost in Airolo as a result of austerity measures in the military and the railway companies, which led to a declining population. Hydroelectric power plants also play an important role . In 1922, which was from the electricity company of the community power plant Calcaccia ( six hundred and ninety-one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven / 152712 ) built in the first only a Pelton turbine was installed with an output of 440 kW. The high pressure - Laufwasserkraftwerk processes the water of a 400 m higher pond. The Lucendro power plant , built in the 1940s , has been owned by Azienda Elettrica Ticinese (AET) since 2015 . 46.51942 8.63466

Despite the stresses caused by transit traffic , Airolo is a much-visited resort. Airolo was the first ski resort in Ticino and is very important today. The Pesciüm ski area on the northern slope in the south of the village includes five ski lifts, a chairlift and two cable cars and opens up 30 challenging kilometers of slopes at 1175 to 2255 meters above sea level. In summer Airolo is a popular starting point for hikes ( Strada Alta , Sentiero degli Alpi).

Pneumatically operated tunnel locomotive at Airolo during the construction of the Gotthard summit tunnel

Airolo, historical aerial photo from 1931, taken by Walter Mittelholzer

Airolo in 1967 during the construction of the compensation basin of the Lucendro power plant

traffic

Airolo is located at the south portal of the Gotthard tunnel and the Gotthard road tunnel of the A2 motorway and was an important train station on the old Gotthard railway line until the Gotthard base tunnel opened in 2016 .

Attractions

The village image is classified in the inventory of protected sites in Switzerland (ISOS) as a site of national importance in Switzerland.

Parish church of Santi Nazario e Celso, first mentioned in 1224
Monument to the victims of the Gotthard tunnel construction (1886) by Pietro Andreoletti
Tomb Giuseppe and Agostina Motta (1971) with sarcophagus and relief by the sculptor Remo Rossi
Monument to the victims of the Gotthard tunnel construction (1882/1883) by Vincenzo Vela
On the Gotthard Pass: Adrien Guex monument (1928) by the sculptor Fausto Agnelli
Prehistoric settlement on the Gotthard Pass (Alpe Rodont)
Prehistoric settlement and Roman necropolis in the Madrano district (Motto Caslascio)
In the district of Stalvedro: castle ruins and oratory Santa Maria Vergine (1699), restored in 1990
In the Albinengo district: Lucendro power station (1945), architects: Carlo Tami , Rino Tami
Alte Tremola Street (1828/1831), engineer Francesco Domenico Meschini

Military buildings

In the district of Foppa: Forte Airolo (1887/1890), old fortress , today Museo Forte Airolo (1989)
Foppa Grande fortress
In the district of Motto Bartola: Artillery fortress Motto Bartola (1888/1914) with military gym (1995/1998), architects: Mario Campi , Franco Pessina
Fieud Fortress (1902/1911)
Forte Ospizio , old fortress (1892/1917), renovated as a museum, architects: Franco Moro , Paolo Moro
Sasso San Gottardo: on August 25, 2012, the exhibition on the fortress and themed world of Sasso San Gottardo opened in the fortress Sasso da Pigna on the Gotthard Pass
In the district of Bedrina: barracks and arsenal (1989/1995), architects: Fabio Muttoni , Silvano Caccia with wall paintings by the painter Livio Bernasconi
Fortresses of San Gottardo

Culture

Pro St. Gotthard Foundation
The St. Gotthard Museum conveys the importance and influence of the pass road.
Associazione Airolo in transizione

Personalities

Giuseppe Motta , Federal Councilor from 1912 to 1940, comes from Airolo

Others

Albert Einstein spent summer holidays in Airolo in 1895.

photos

Airolo 1835
Airolo after 1890, before the landslide of 1898
Madrano
Parish Church of Santi Nazario e Celso (1967)
Birthplace of Federal Councilor Giuseppe Motta
South portal of the old Gotthard tunnel around 1889
The memorial for the workers who died while building the Gotthard tunnel at Airolo station
Gotthard road tunnel portal
Gotthard Museum

literature

General

Comune di Airolo: Airolo. Arti Grafiche Arturo Salvioni & Co. SA, Bellinzona 1992.

history

Fabio Ballinari: Storia di un disastro. The grande incendio di Airolo on September 17, 1877. Edizione del Comune di Airolo, Airolo 2010.
Mario Fransioli: Airolo. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . June 25, 2009 , accessed February 5, 2020 .
Mario Fransioli: Il vicinato di Airolo. Gli ordini del 1788. Patriziato di Airolo, Airolo 1994.
Celestino Trezzini : Airolo. In: Historical-Biographical Lexicon of Switzerland . Volume 1: Affo - Alther. Attinger, Neuenburg 1921, p. 185 ( digitized version ). - Ders .: Brugnasco. ibid. Volume 2: Basel - Egnach. ibid. 1924, p. 273 ( digitized version ; both accessed on May 8, 2017).

language

Fabio Beffa: Vocabolario fraseologico del dialetto di Airolo. Humilibus Consentientes, Bellinzona 1998.

Art history

Valeria Farinati: Centrali idroelettriche d'autore. In: "Arte & Storia", Il Ticino dell'acqua. Dalla formazione geologica del Cantone alle attività economiche. Edizioni Ticino Management, Volume 12, Number 54, April – July 2012, Lugano 2012.
Virgilio Gilardoni : Airolo. In: Il Romanico. Arte e monumenti della Lombardia prealpina. La Vesconta, Istituto grafico Casagrande, Bellinzona 1967, pp. 30. 38, 40-43, 91, 176-178, 299, 342, 358, 476, 481, 484, 498, 509, Madrano pp 176, 251, 481 , San Gottardo pp. 543-544.
Simona Martinoli u. a .: Airolo. In: Guida d'arte della Svizzera italiana. Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History . Edizioni Casagrande, Bellinzona 2007, pp. 113, 137, 142-148, 356.
Johann Rudolf Rahn : Airolo. In: I monumenti artistici del medio evo nel Cantone Ticino. Tipo-Litografia di Carlo Salvioni, Bellinzona 1894, p. 1 f. (Brugnasco p. 73, Madrano p. 194, San Gottardo p. 266, Stalvedro p. 278).

Web links

Further content in the sister projects of Wikipedia:
	Commons	- multimedia content
	Wiktionary	- Dictionary entries
	Wikinews	- News
	Wikivoyage	- Travel Guide

Official website of the Municipality of Airolo
Airolo municipality data
Office for Statistics of the Canton of Ticino: Airolo
Airolo: inventory of cultural assets of the Canton of Ticino
Airolo on the ETHorama platform
Federal inventory ISOS: Airolo (PDF; 2.6 MB)
Federal inventory ISOS: Fontana (PDF; 1.1 MB)
Federal Inventory ISOS: Ospizio del San Gottardo
Ospizio del San Gottardo (PDF; 785 kB)
Airolo on elexikon.ch

Individual evidence

↑ Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b Lexicon of Swiss municipality names . Edited by the Center de Dialectologie at the University of Neuchâtel under the direction of Andres Kristol. Huber, Frauenfeld / Stuttgart / Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-7193-1308-5 and Éditions Payot, Lausanne 2005, ISBN 2-601-03336-3 , p. 80.
↑ Fontana on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node
↑ Madrano on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node
↑ Valle on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node
↑ Mario Fransioli: Airolo. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . June 25, 2009 .
↑ Anna Miller: Greetings from Airolo. Does the village at the Gotthard south portal still have a future? Das Magazin, Tamedia, Zurich March 19, 2016, pp. 8–17.
↑ J. Hardmeyer: The landslide of Airolo from 27.-29. December 1898. In: Switzerland. Swiss illustrated magazine 2, 1898, pp. 514-520.
↑ Anna Miller: Greetings from Airolo. Does the village at the Gotthard south portal still have a future? Das Magazin, Tamedia, Zurich March 19, 2016, pp. 8–17.
↑ Mario Fransioli: Airolo. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . June 25, 2009 , accessed February 5, 2020 .
↑ Caseificio website at caseificiodelgottardo.ch/kaeserei
↑ Anna Miller: Greetings from Airolo. Does the village at the Gotthard south portal still have a future? Das Magazin , Tamedia, Zurich March 19, 2016, pages 8–17
↑ Federal Office for Water Management (Ed.): Statistics of hydropower plants in Switzerland . 1st January 1973.
↑ Impianto idroelettrico Lucendro. AET, accessed December 18, 2018 (Italian).
↑ Airolo cable cars at airolo.ch/de/seilbahnen/winter
↑ Airolo cable cars on seilbahnbilder.ch/galerie
↑ Braun, Adolphe: Photographic views of the Gotthard Railway. Dornach in Alsace, ca.1875.
↑ List of sites of national importance , directory on the website of the Federal Office of Culture (BAK), accessed on January 10, 2018.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Simona Martinoli and others: Guida d'arte della Svizzera italiana. Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History. Edizioni Casagrande, Bellinzona 2007, ISBN 978-88-7713-482-0 , pp. 143-147.
↑ Prehistoric settlement on the Gotthard Pass (Alpe Rodont)
↑ Prehistoric settlement and Roman necropolis near Madrano (Motto Caslascio)
↑ Gola di Stavedro on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node
↑ Fieud Fortress ( memento from August 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) on festung-oberland.ch (accessed on May 2, 2016.)
^ Sasso San Gottardo museum and exhibition with opening times
↑ Fortifications of San Gottardo on forti.ch, accessed July 26, 2015.
↑ Pro Sankt Gotthard Foundation on portal.dnb.de (accessed on May 2, 2016.)
↑ St. Gotthard Museum at passosangottardo.ch/de/museen/
↑ Associazione Airolo in transizione
^ Günter Scharf: Einstein, Albert. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . December 22, 2015 .

[1] Permanent and non-permanent resident population by year, canton, district, municipality, population type and gender (permanent resident population). In: bfs. admin.ch . Federal Statistical Office (FSO), August 31, 2019, accessed on December 22, 2019 .

[lsg-2] Lexicon of Swiss municipality names . Edited by the Center de Dialectologie at the University of Neuchâtel under the direction of Andres Kristol. Huber, Frauenfeld / Stuttgart / Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-7193-1308-5 and Éditions Payot, Lausanne 2005, ISBN 2-601-03336-3 , p. 80.

[3] Fontana on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node

[4] Madrano on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node

[5] Valle on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node

[6] Mario Fransioli: Airolo. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . June 25, 2009 .

[7] Anna Miller: Greetings from Airolo. Does the village at the Gotthard south portal still have a future? Das Magazin, Tamedia, Zurich March 19, 2016, pp. 8–17.

[8] J. Hardmeyer: The landslide of Airolo from 27.-29. December 1898. In: Switzerland. Swiss illustrated magazine 2, 1898, pp. 514-520.

[9] Anna Miller: Greetings from Airolo. Does the village at the Gotthard south portal still have a future? Das Magazin, Tamedia, Zurich March 19, 2016, pp. 8–17.

[10] Mario Fransioli: Airolo. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . June 25, 2009 , accessed February 5, 2020 .

[11] Caseificio website at caseificiodelgottardo.ch/kaeserei

[12] Anna Miller: Greetings from Airolo. Does the village at the Gotthard south portal still have a future? Das Magazin , Tamedia, Zurich March 19, 2016, pages 8–17

[13] Federal Office for Water Management (Ed.): Statistics of hydropower plants in Switzerland . 1st January 1973.

[14] Impianto idroelettrico Lucendro. AET, accessed December 18, 2018 (Italian).

[15] Airolo cable cars at airolo.ch/de/seilbahnen/winter

[16] Airolo cable cars on seilbahnbilder.ch/galerie

[17] Braun, Adolphe: Photographic views of the Gotthard Railway. Dornach in Alsace, ca.1875.

[18] List of sites of national importance , directory on the website of the Federal Office of Culture (BAK), accessed on January 10, 2018.

[Martinoli-19] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Simona Martinoli and others: Guida d'arte della Svizzera italiana. Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History. Edizioni Casagrande, Bellinzona 2007, ISBN 978-88-7713-482-0 , pp. 143-147.

[20] Prehistoric settlement on the Gotthard Pass (Alpe Rodont)

[21] Prehistoric settlement and Roman necropolis near Madrano (Motto Caslascio)

[22] Gola di Stavedro on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node

[23] Fieud Fortress ( memento from August 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) on festung-oberland.ch (accessed on May 2, 2016.)

[24] Sasso San Gottardo museum and exhibition with opening times

[25] Fortifications of San Gottardo on forti.ch, accessed July 26, 2015.

[26] Pro Sankt Gotthard Foundation on portal.dnb.de (accessed on May 2, 2016.)

[27] St. Gotthard Museum at passosangottardo.ch/de/museen/

[28] Associazione Airolo in transizione

[29] Günter Scharf: Einstein, Albert. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . December 22, 2015 .