Bolzano-Bozen / Italy

Alpine Town of the Year 2009

Bolzano-Bozen

Alpine Town of the Year 2009

Facts & Figures

107407
Inhabitants
3
Official languages
52,3
Area in km²

Bozen-Bolzano is the capital of South Tyrol. Of the 107,951 inhabitants (as of 2017), about 73% are Italian native speakers, about 25% German native speakers and about 1% Ladin native speakers.

Due to its favourable position south of the Brenner Pass, trading developed here at an early stage, with markets added later. Even today, trade, services and tourism form the pillars of the local economy.

Tourism plays an important role. The historic old town of Bozen-Bolzano is particularly popular, but Reinhold Messner’s “Mountain Museum” and the Archaeological Museum, which exhibits “Ötzi”, the 5,400-year-old glacier mummy, are also tourist attractions. The city is also an ideal starting point for hiking and cycling tours to the nearby mountains, including the Dolomites.

The jury said…

Since 2005, the Province of Bolzano has introduced a whole range of measures to improve air quality in the form of its Air Quality Plan, which includes traffic restrictions at peak times. In this context, the planned 'climate pact' is also worth mentioning: the city of Bolzano is to become climate neutral within the next ten years. In its strategic development plan, the city has formulated the guiding principles for a sustainable future. According to this fundamental document, Bolzano sees itself as, among other things, a 'city of the mountains' and as a 'gateway to the Dolomites' and wants to enhance the relationship between city and mountain areas. This is one of the five objectives of the ‘Alpine Town of the Year' project. The other objectives of the project, such as cooperation with other towns in the Alpine region, sustainable use of resources, participation in urban life (including by people from other cultures) are also included in the Strategic Development Plan.