Ritten
Encyclopedia
Ritten is a comune
(municipality) in South Tyrol
in the Italian
region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.
mountain range and is located between, and on average 800 m above, the rivers Eisack
and Talfer
. Ritten lies directly northeast of Bolzano, settled on the "meeting point" of the above rivers.
Ritten borders the following municipalities: Barbian
, Bolzano, Kastelruth
, Karneid
, Völs
, Jenesien
, Sarntal
and Villanders.
As of 30 November 2010, Ritten had a population of 7,597.
There are 17 frazione
s (subdivisions, usually consisting of one or a few villages and hamlets). These include the central village Klobenstein (Collalbo), in which the townhall is located, as well as Atzwang (Campodazzo), Gissmann (Madonnina), Lengmoos (Longomoso), Lengstein (Longostagno), Mittelberg (Monte di Mezzo), Oberbozen (Soprabolzano), Oberinn (Auna di Sopra), Rotwand (Pietrarossa), Siffian (Siffiano), Signat (Signato), Sill (Castel Novale), Unterinn (Auna di Sotto), Wangen (Vanga), and Wolfsgruben (Costalovara).
Of these only Atzwang and Sill are not located on the plateau, but on the rivers Eisack and Talfer, respectively.
The Tyrolean patriotic hero Peter Mayr (1767-1810), involved in the rebellion against Napoleon's forces that occupied Tyrol, was born in the village of Siffian in Ritten.
From the 17th century Ritten has been a popular summer destination for citizens of Bolzano, since the air is considerably cooler on the plateau. Ritten is connected with Bolzano with a provincial road and with a cableway from Oberbozen, the longest cableway of the world in one track, about 4 km long and 12 minutes to travel. This cableway replaced in 1960 the previous rack railway
, built in 1907. The railway is still in function on the mountain side between Maria Himmelfahrt and Klobenstein.
two chevrons embowed argent
; it is the arms of the Lords of Zwingenstein who ruled the village from their Castle until 1531. The emblem was adopted in 1967.
Klobenstein has a high altitude (1198 m) outdoor artificial ice track, the Arena Ritten or Ritten Kunsteisbahn, at which the 2007
and 2011 European Allround Speed Skating Championships
and many World Cup
events have been held.
as first language.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.
Territory
The 111 km² community is named after the high plateau (1100-1400 m), the Ritten or the Renon, on which most of the villages are located. The plateau forms the southeast tip of the Sarntal AlpsSarntal Alps
The Sarntal Alps are a mountain range in South Tyrol, Italy....
mountain range and is located between, and on average 800 m above, the rivers Eisack
Eisack
The Eisack is a river in Northern Italy, the second largest river in South Tyrol. Its source is near the Brenner Pass, at an altitude of about 1990 m above sea level. The river draws water from an area of about 4,200 km². After about 96 km, it joins the Adige river south of Bolzano. At first the...
and Talfer
Talfer
The Talfer is a river in South Tyrol, Italy.- References :*...
. Ritten lies directly northeast of Bolzano, settled on the "meeting point" of the above rivers.
Ritten borders the following municipalities: Barbian
Barbian
Barbian is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northeast of Trento and about 15 km northeast of Bolzano...
, Bolzano, Kastelruth
Kastelruth
Kastelruth is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 20 km northeast of the city of Bolzano ....
, Karneid
Karneid
Karneid is a comune in the province of South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 50 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 4 km east of the city of Bolzano .-Geography:...
, Völs
Völs
Völs can refer to several places:*Völs, Austria, a town in the district of Innsbruck-Land in Tyrol, Austria*Völs am Schlern, a town located in South Tyrol, Italy...
, Jenesien
Jenesien
Jenesien is a comune in the province of South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 50 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 4 km northwest of the city of Bolzano .-Geography:...
, Sarntal
Sarntal
Sarntal is a valley and a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 70 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 15 km north of the city of Bolzano....
and Villanders.
As of 30 November 2010, Ritten had a population of 7,597.
There are 17 frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
s (subdivisions, usually consisting of one or a few villages and hamlets). These include the central village Klobenstein (Collalbo), in which the townhall is located, as well as Atzwang (Campodazzo), Gissmann (Madonnina), Lengmoos (Longomoso), Lengstein (Longostagno), Mittelberg (Monte di Mezzo), Oberbozen (Soprabolzano), Oberinn (Auna di Sopra), Rotwand (Pietrarossa), Siffian (Siffiano), Signat (Signato), Sill (Castel Novale), Unterinn (Auna di Sotto), Wangen (Vanga), and Wolfsgruben (Costalovara).
Of these only Atzwang and Sill are not located on the plateau, but on the rivers Eisack and Talfer, respectively.
History
The mountain ridge is first mentioned in AD 870 as "Mons Ritanus". Already around 1200 a mountain inn was established on the plateau. In 1237 Runkelstein Castle was built on a rocky spur in Ritten territory by the lords of Wangen.The Tyrolean patriotic hero Peter Mayr (1767-1810), involved in the rebellion against Napoleon's forces that occupied Tyrol, was born in the village of Siffian in Ritten.
From the 17th century Ritten has been a popular summer destination for citizens of Bolzano, since the air is considerably cooler on the plateau. Ritten is connected with Bolzano with a provincial road and with a cableway from Oberbozen, the longest cableway of the world in one track, about 4 km long and 12 minutes to travel. This cableway replaced in 1960 the previous rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
, built in 1907. The railway is still in function on the mountain side between Maria Himmelfahrt and Klobenstein.
Coat-of-arms
The emblem consists of gulesGules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
two chevrons embowed argent
Argent
In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
; it is the arms of the Lords of Zwingenstein who ruled the village from their Castle until 1531. The emblem was adopted in 1967.
Main sights
Near Oberbozen and Lengstein are several groups of fairy chimneys (earth pyramids).Klobenstein has a high altitude (1198 m) outdoor artificial ice track, the Arena Ritten or Ritten Kunsteisbahn, at which the 2007
2007 European Speed Skating Championships
The 2007 European Speed Skating Championships were held on the outdoor artificial ice track Arena Ritten in Collalbo, Italy. The Championships were three-day allround events, with the skaters completing four distances before the final championship standings are determined based on the samalog...
and 2011 European Allround Speed Skating Championships
2011 European Allround Speed Skating Championships
The 2011 European Allround Speed Skating Championships were held in Collalbo, Italy from 7 to 9 January 2011.-500 metre:The 2011 European Allround Speed Skating Championships were held in Collalbo, Italy from 7 to 9 January 2011.-500 metre:...
and many World Cup
Speed Skating World Cup
The Speed Skating World Cup is a series of international speed skating competitions, organised yearly by the International Skating Union since the winter of 1985–86. Every year during the winter, a number of competitions on a number of different distances are held...
events have been held.
Linguistic distribution
According to the 2001 census, 95.96% of the population speak German, 3.77% Italian and 0.26% LadinLadin
Ladin is a language consisting of a group of dialects spoken in the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy in the border regions of the provinces Trentino, South Tyrol and Belluno...
as first language.