Loco, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Loco is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland
.
In 2001 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Auressio
and Berzona
to form a new and larger municipality Isorno
.
The municipality also contained the hamlets
of Niva and Rossa.
From the Middle Ages
until the end of the Ancien Régime
Loco was the capital of the old Onsernone valley community.
The parish church
of San Remigio was the mother church of the valley and ancient seat of the Vicariate of Onsernone valley. It is first mentioned in 1228 (in the municipal archives), but is probably older. In the early 16th Century it was rebuilt and acquired its current steeple. It houses the Holy Cross chapel with an ancient, venerated cross relic. The church is also the home of a Last Supper painting by the flemish
painter Godefridus Maes from 1683. In the hamlet of Niva, there is a late baroque
chapel of St. John Nepomuk. The chapel in Sassello is from the late 17th Century and is dedicated to the Madonna of Re.
In the 19th Century, Loco was a center of the straw braiding for hats, bags and other articles. The straw braids that were used for this purpose were produced in the other villages of the Onsernone valley.
In addition to the typical houses with balconies, a number of aristocratic mansions are located in the village. These include the Casa Broggini (built 1708) in Rossa.
The primary school for the area is located in Loco, along with the Onsernonese Museum (opened 1966) and the renovated retirement home of the Onsernone valley. Near Loco, in a restored mill, there is a permanent exhibition on the grain milling in the area. Casa Schira (built in the 19th century, now owned by the community) has a small public library and a hostel.
At the beginning of the 21st Century the majority of the workers commuted to Locarno.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
In 2001 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Auressio
Auressio
Auressio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2001 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Berzona and Loco to form a new and larger municipality Isorno.-History:...
and Berzona
Berzona
Berzona is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2001 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Auressio and Loco to form a new and larger municipality Isorno.-History:...
to form a new and larger municipality Isorno
Isorno
Isorno is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.The municipality was created in 2001 by a merger of Auressio, Berzona and Loco.-History:...
.
History
Loco is first mentioned in 1224 as Loco and was often referred to a Luogo as well.The municipality also contained the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Niva and Rossa.
From the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
until the end of the Ancien Régime
Early Modern Switzerland
The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy , lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Ancien Régime retrospectively, in post-Napoleonic Switzerland.The early modern period was characterized by an increasingly...
Loco was the capital of the old Onsernone valley community.
The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of San Remigio was the mother church of the valley and ancient seat of the Vicariate of Onsernone valley. It is first mentioned in 1228 (in the municipal archives), but is probably older. In the early 16th Century it was rebuilt and acquired its current steeple. It houses the Holy Cross chapel with an ancient, venerated cross relic. The church is also the home of a Last Supper painting by the flemish
Flemish painting
Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries. These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide influence...
painter Godefridus Maes from 1683. In the hamlet of Niva, there is a late baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
chapel of St. John Nepomuk. The chapel in Sassello is from the late 17th Century and is dedicated to the Madonna of Re.
In the 19th Century, Loco was a center of the straw braiding for hats, bags and other articles. The straw braids that were used for this purpose were produced in the other villages of the Onsernone valley.
In addition to the typical houses with balconies, a number of aristocratic mansions are located in the village. These include the Casa Broggini (built 1708) in Rossa.
The primary school for the area is located in Loco, along with the Onsernonese Museum (opened 1966) and the renovated retirement home of the Onsernone valley. Near Loco, in a restored mill, there is a permanent exhibition on the grain milling in the area. Casa Schira (built in the 19th century, now owned by the community) has a small public library and a hostel.
At the beginning of the 21st Century the majority of the workers commuted to Locarno.
Historic population
The historical population is given in the following table:| Year | Population Loco |
|---|---|
| 1795 | 684 |
| 1808 | 689 |
| 1850 | 600 |
| 1900 | 402 |
| 1950 | 258 |
| 2000 | 254 |