Mölten

Mölten
(Italian: Meltina )
coat of arms	map
State :	Italy
Region :	Trentino-South Tyrol
Province :	Bolzano - South Tyrol
District community :	Salten-Schlern
Inhabitants : (VZ 2011 / 31.12.2019)	1,650 / 1,694
Language groups : (according to 2011 census )	96.11% German 3.57% Italian 0.31% Ladin
Coordinates	46 ° 35 ' N , 11 ° 15' E Coordinates: 46 ° 35 ' N , 11 ° 15' E46.583333333333 11.25 1140
Altitude :	1140 m slm
Surface:	36.9 km²
Permanent settlement area:	7.2 km²
Parliamentary groups :	Mölten , Schlaneid , Verschneid , Versein
Neighboring municipalities:	Sarntal , Jenesien , Terlan , Gargazon , Burgstall , Verano
Postal code :	39010
Area code :	0471
ISTAT number:	021050
Tax number:	80007870217
Mayor (2015):	Angelika Wiedmer ( SVP )

Mölten ([ ˈmœltn̩ ]; Italian Meltina ) is an Italian municipality with 1694 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in South Tyrol , located on the Tschögglberg ridge above the Adige Valley between Merano and Bozen . The community consists of the four fractions Mölten, Verschneid , Versein and Schlaneid .

geography

Mölten from the west

Town houses in the center ⊙

location

The municipality of Mölten is centrally located on the Tschögglberg , a mountain range of the Sarntal Alps that accompanies the Adige Valley between Merano and Bozen on the east side . The settlements are located in lower, middle mountainous areas of the area characterized by forest and meadows. The main town of Mölten occupies a sheltered basin open to the southwest at an altitude of 1140 m . There are also the villages of Schlaneid ( 1150 m ), Verschneid ( 1100 m ) and Versein ( 1050 m ) , only a few kilometers away from the main town .

In the north, south and east, Mölten largely borders on the Tschögglberg neighboring communities of Verano and Jenesien . In the northeast, the municipality finds its highest point on the watershed to the Sarntal , across which the border to the Sarntal municipality runs: The Hohe Reisch ( 2003 m ), better known as the Stoanerne Mandln (" Stone Men "), was valid in the Middle Ages as a witch cult place and is known today for its hundreds of stone figures made of stone slabs. In the west, the municipality falls over steep slopes into the Adige Valley at the level of Gargazon and Terlan .

vegetation

The Langfenn location with the St. Jakob church

The municipality of Mölten comprises extensive coniferous forests , with spruce and larch (more precisely: the common spruce and the European larch ) predominating, partly interspersed with pines and firs . Deciduous forests are only found more frequently on the lower elevations of the slope down into the Adige Valley.

geology

The municipality Mölten lies on a base of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, which in the geological ages of the Perm (about 286-248 million years ago) and the lowermost triad were formed (about 248-240 million years ago). These rocks lie on top of the even older rocks from the early ancient times, which are exposed to the north of the municipality, among other things. They essentially consist of the "Brixen quartz phyllite", which is in places interspersed with Brixen granite . The Brixen quartz phyllite is distinctly slate and folded due to strong tectonic stress. It consists mainly of phyllitic rocks. Microfossils with an age of around 500 million years have been found in the quartz phyllite . During the Variscan orogeny (mountain formation about 350 million years ago in the Lower Carboniferous and about 317 million years ago in the Upper Carboniferous) these fine-grained sediments were metamorphically overprinted. Acid granitic crystal melts penetrated the rock formations of Brixen quartz phyllite from the depths in some cases around 300 million years ago.

The rock layers above this basement in the Mölten municipality are:

Waidbruck conglomerate : Sedimentary rocks that lie directly on the basement
Bozener quartz porphyry sequence: A sequence of volcanic rocks with interposed layers of sediment
Gardena Sandstone : Reddish and greenish-gray sandstones and siltstones with plant fossils that overlay the rocks of the Bozener quartz porphyry sequence
Werfener layers : Smaller deposits of limestone, marl and claystone
Moraines from the last ice age

The Waidbruck conglomerate, the Bozen quartz porphyry sequence and the Val Gardena strata emerged during the Permian Age. At that time Mölten was near the equator; it was part of the supercontinent Pangea . Due to the lively volcanic activity at that time, gas-rich magma was transported to the surface of the earth and the porphyry layers of Bozen's quartz porphyry formed. The intermediate sedimentary rocks were formed in small sedimentation basins. They are made up of coarse conglomerates, sandstones and fine-grained calcareous-pebbly rocks. In the silicic acid layers, pollen and spores of plants were found that were near a lake or river 260 million years ago. The Bozen quartz porphyry is a rock layer up to 3,000 m thick that covers an area of around 4,000 km².

The Werfen strata originated in the lowest level of the Triassic , the Scythian (around 245 to 241 million years ago). They overlay the Val Gardena layers in the municipality of Mölten; their thickness varies between 150 and 700 m. The sediments of the Werfen layers are deposits of a shallow shelf sea ; they are rich in fossils. At the border between the water-impermeable Val Gardena strata and the predominantly water-permeable Werfen strata, spring leaks are common.

The moraines formed in the Quaternary during the Ice Ages reach a thickness of 50 meters in places. In some places in the municipality, so-called earth pyramids , some of which are up to 30 meters high, formed due to erosion processes .

Above the Gorl homestead there are some "cold holes" at the foot of the steep quartz porphyry walls of the Tschaufen, these are particularly cool places where the temperature on the surface of the earth is only a few degrees above zero even on hot summer days (see also the better-known Eppan ice holes ) .

history

Origin of name

Mostly it is assumed that the word "Mölten" is derived from the Latin word "maletum" for "apple tree planting". This view is based on the various mentions of the place in predominantly Latin, partly also German-language sources. The first of this kind is the mention of the place "Maletum" by Paulus Diaconus in connection with an army campaign by Franconia in 590 against the Lombards. The Mölten priest and teacher Josef Schwarz , who also works as a local researcher, considers the derivation from the Latin word “maletum” to be absurd. He sees a pre-Roman origin for the place name "Melten". Since there are also other Celtic field and farm names, he derives the place name from the Celtic word "Maol-Dun" for "mountain dwelling"; In his opinion, the Celtic place name was later Latinized.

Settlement history and historical development

Due to numerous finds from prehistory and early history, the settlement of Mölten has been at least since 2000 BC. Proven. The oldest proven traces of settlement come from the Celts . Many court and field names such as Perlifl, Znol and Lafenn are Celtic. Many Celtic bronze objects such as brooches and bracelets have been found.

The first historically secured mention of the Mölten settlement dates back to 590. The Lombard historian Paulus Diaconus mentions in his Historia Langobardorum for this year that the Lombard fortress "Maletum" was destroyed by the Franks and that the inhabitants were captured and carried away. Here is the wording: “The army of the Franks came as far as Verona; most of the castles surrendered without resistance, having believed the sworn promises that harm would not befall them. But the names of the castles that were destroyed in the Tridentine region are: Tesana, Maletum, Sermiana, Appianum, Fagitana, Cimbra, Vitianum, Brentonicum, Volanes, Ennemase, two in Alsuca and one in Verona. And after all these castles had been destroyed by the Franks, all of the inhabitants were taken prisoner by them. "

An even older possible naming of Mölten is not certain to this day: The Bishop Paschasinus of Lilybaea (today Marsala , a village in Sicily ) mentions in a letter to Pope Leo I written between 440 and 461 AD a baptismal miracle that is said to have occurred in AD 417 in a place called "Melitas" (or "Meltina").

In an exchange document in favor of the Bavarian Benedictine monastery Weihenstephan from approx. 1082-1097 Mölten appears as "iuxta Bozana [= near Bozen] in loco qui dicitur Meltini".

In the early and high Middle Ages Mölten was part of a larger business association radiating from Bolzano, which is interpreted in research as a relic of the older Bolzano county . The Mölten community had to contribute to the preservation of the Bolzano Eisack Bridge in 1239 , as its preserved wisdom has been handed down.

In 1901 a material elevator was built from Vilpian to Mölten. In 1922 a cable car was built from Vilpian to Mölten. This was closed in the late 1940s; A passenger ropeway was only built in 1955 to replace it, but its mountain station is still far from the town of Mölten.

Population development

The population of the municipality of Mölten (at least initially consisting of the three fractions Mölten, Verschneid and Schlaneid) have developed as follows:

year	1780	1847	1880	1904	1921	1942	1950	1951	1958	1961	1971	1981	1989
Residents	0879	1,070	1,035	1,000	0968	1,067	1,150	1,149	1,167	1,035	1,100	1,144	1,194

As of December 31, 2015 there were 1661 inhabitants, of whom 858 were men and 803 women, in 619 households, which were distributed among the four groups as follows:

Mölten: 638 inhabitants
Schlaneid: 339 inhabitants
Versein: 311 inhabitants
Blend: 373 inhabitants

politics

mayor

Municipal Council (2015)

2

13

2 13

A total of 15 seats

The Freedom : 2
South Tyrolean People's Party : 13

Mayor since 1952:

Karl Reich: 1952–1958
Markus Egger: 1958–1966
Alois Kofler: 1966–1969
Franz Josef Karnutsch: 1969–1990
Alois Heiss: 1990-2010
Angelika Wiedmer: since 2010

coat of arms

With the coat of arms of the Hafner family in Verschneid, which was awarded to the farmer Balthasar Hafner, Burkart zu Verschneid, in 1545, the Mölten peasant judges from the Hafner family sealed the seal from the 16th to the 18th centuries. From the blazon at the time (description of the coat of arms): "... in a red shield a gray harbor with three individual white flowers on green stems ...". It served as a template for the coat of arms of the municipality of Mölten.

Attractions

Filial church St. Blaise and New Year's Eve in Verschneid

Churches

Parish church Mölten with St. Anna chapel at the cemetery

Other churches

St. Jakob on Langfenn
St. Blaise and New Year's Eve in blend
St. George in Versein
Ortisei in Gschleir
St. Valentin in Schlaneid
St. Valentin ruins: in the forest below Schlaneid, was rebuilt in Schlaneid

Museums

Meltina fossil museum

Economy and Infrastructure

The Raiffeisenkasse Mölten was founded in 1897. In 1899 the association had 38 members. In 1945 the Raiffeisenkasse was liquidated and re-established on August 28, 1955. At the end of 1989 the Raiffeisenkasse had 176 members.

schools

In 1861 a schoolhouse was built next to the parish church in Mölten, which was renovated in the 1970s. 1980 to 1982 the new school center , consisting of the Johannes Greif elementary school and the Siegfried Teßmann middle school , was built. It was inaugurated on May 20, 1982. The schools were named after Bishop Johannes Greif from Aschl bei Mölten (born September 23, 1897 in Aschl bei Mölten; † August 17, 1968 in Tororo , Uganda ), who spent most of his life as a missionary in Uganda, as well as after Siegfried Teßmann (born December 1, 1880 in Missian / Eppan ; † November 10, 1968 in St. Pauls ), priest and artist, long active as curate in Verschneid.

Another primary school is located in Verschneid.

traffic

The fastest road connection from the Adige Valley to Mölten leads up from Terlan. Further roads reach the community from Bozen via Jenesien and from Merano via Avelengo . Due to the difficult topography, the road routes are often significantly longer than the distance by air. Jenesien is 12 km away by road, Avelengo 18 km and Merano 28 km away. A cable car connection, the Mölten cable car , also connects the Adige Valley with Mölten: the valley station is in the Terlan district of Vilpian , the mountain station below Schlaneid.

Personalities

Gustav Gurschner (1873–1970), sculptor and professor: His parents came from Mölten.
Josef Schwarz (1894–1980), priest, teacher and local historian born in Mölten. On July 2, 1972, he was awarded honorary citizenship by the Meltina community on the occasion of his 50th anniversary as a priest .
John Francis Greif (1897–1968), a religious born in Mölten, Bishop of Tororo

Others

An old saying about Mölten reads: "From Unterroan to Missenstoan is Möltner Gmoan." It says that the municipality (after earlier expansion) extends from Unterrain in Eppan to Missenstein am Ifinger . This corresponds to the larger extension of the municipality of Mölten, which was valid until 1900.

Horse stele on the main street

The Haflinger breed in Mölten is also known . In 1904 Mölten was the first South Tyrolean community to set up a Haflinger horse breeding cooperative.

The Arunda Sektkellerei located in Mölten is a family business founded in 1979 ; it is the highest located sparkling wine cellar in Europe . An average of around 70,000 bottles of sparkling wine are produced and are sold in many countries.

literature

Dekanalparre Mölten (Ed.): Chronicle of Mölten. Based on the manuscript by Prof. Josef Schwarz , edited by Richard Furggler and Anton Oberkofler. Dekanalpfarre Mölten, Mölten 1990 ( online ).
Georg von Grabmayr: The Hafner clan from Mölten: a genealogical study (Schlern writings 54). Innsbruck: Wagner 1948.
Christian Aspmair: Small geology and landscape history of Mölten. Edited by the municipality of Mölten. Pierrette, Mölten 1998, ISBN 88-86097-10-7 .

Web links

Commons : Mölten - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Entry in the Tirol Atlas of the Institute for Geography at the University of Innsbruck
Landscape plan of the municipality of Mölten . Office for Landscape Ecology, Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol (PDF file)
Website of the municipality of Mölten

Individual evidence

↑ Christian Aspmair: Small geology and landscape history Möltens . Pierrette, Mölten 1998, ISBN 88-86097-10-7 , p. 5-9 .
↑ Karl Krainer: Mölten in the course of geological history. An introduction to the rock and fossil world of Mölten and the surrounding area . September 2000 (published by the municipality of Mölten, printed by Fotolito Longo, Bozen).
^ Karl Finsterwalder : Language and history in the place names on the Tschögglberg . In: The Sciliar . 1973, p. 379-386 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Chronicle, p. 7.
↑ Chronicle, p. 33.
↑ Paulus Deacon: Historia Langobardorum . Liber 3, chap. 31 ( Hist. Lang. III online ).
^ Franz Huter: Tiroler Urkundenbuch I / 1, Innsbruck 1937, p. 52 n.103.
↑ Hannes Obermair : Church and city development. The parish church of Bozen in the High Middle Ages (11th – 13th centuries) . In: The Sciliar . 69th year, issue 8/9, 1995, p. 449-474, references 453-454 ( researchgate.net ).
↑ Chronicle, p. 183.
↑ Numbers and facts . Online at www.gemeinde.moelten.bz.it, accessed on December 18, 2016.
↑ The mayors of the South Tyrolean municipalities since 1952. (PDF; 15 MB) In: Festschrift 50 Years of the South Tyrolean Association of Municipalities 1954–2004. Association of South Tyrolean municipalities, pp. 139–159 , accessed on November 16, 2015 .
↑ Georg von Grabmayr: The Hafner clan from Mölten: a genealogical study (Schlern writings 54). Innsbruck: Wagner 1948.
↑ Chronicle, inside cover page; also pp. 62-72.
↑ Chronicle, pp. 25–26.
↑ Info ( Memento of May 12, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF).

[1] Christian Aspmair: Small geology and landscape history Möltens . Pierrette, Mölten 1998, ISBN 88-86097-10-7 , p. 5-9 .

[2] Karl Krainer: Mölten in the course of geological history. An introduction to the rock and fossil world of Mölten and the surrounding area . September 2000 (published by the municipality of Mölten, printed by Fotolito Longo, Bozen).

[3] Karl Finsterwalder : Language and history in the place names on the Tschögglberg . In: The Sciliar . 1973, p. 379-386 .

[Chronik7-4] Chronicle, p. 7.

[5] Chronicle, p. 33.

[6] Paulus Deacon: Historia Langobardorum . Liber 3, chap. 31 ( Hist. Lang. III online ).

[7] Franz Huter: Tiroler Urkundenbuch I / 1, Innsbruck 1937, p. 52 n.103.

[8] Hannes Obermair : Church and city development. The parish church of Bozen in the High Middle Ages (11th – 13th centuries) . In: The Sciliar . 69th year, issue 8/9, 1995, p. 449-474, references 453-454 ( researchgate.net ).

[9] Chronicle, p. 183.

[10] Numbers and facts . Online at www.gemeinde.moelten.bz.it, accessed on December 18, 2016.

[11] The mayors of the South Tyrolean municipalities since 1952. (PDF; 15 MB) In: Festschrift 50 Years of the South Tyrolean Association of Municipalities 1954–2004. Association of South Tyrolean municipalities, pp. 139–159 , accessed on November 16, 2015 .

[12] Georg von Grabmayr: The Hafner clan from Mölten: a genealogical study (Schlern writings 54). Innsbruck: Wagner 1948.

[13] Chronicle, inside cover page; also pp. 62-72.

[14] Chronicle, pp. 25–26.

[15] Info ( Memento of May 12, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF).