Bellinzona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bellinzona | ||||||||||
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| Population | 17,363 (December 2005) | |||||||||
| - Density | 875 /km² (338 /sq.mi.) | |||||||||
| Area | 19.84 km² (7.7 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 238 m (781 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 6500 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 5002 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Brenno Martignoni | |||||||||
| Localities | Artore, Carasso , Daro, Ravecchia | |||||||||
| Surrounded by (view map) |
Arbedo-Castione, Giubiasco, Gorduno, Monte Carasso, Pianezzo, Sant'Antonio | |||||||||
| Website | www.bellinzona.ch | |||||||||
![Bellinzona [zoom] (Switzerland)](/web/20080409163624/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Karte_Schweiz.png)
![Bellinzona [zoom]](/web/20080409163624/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Red_pog2.svg){kind=small}
Bellinzona ([bɛllin'dzoːna] in French Bellinzone [bɛlɛ̃'zon], in archaic German Bellenz ['belents] and Bilitio [bi'litsjo] in Latin) is the capital city of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sasso Corbaro) that are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is the 45th biggest city of Switzerland.
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[edit] Geography
The city lies east of the Ticino River. It stretches along the river valley, surrounded by the Saint Gotthard massif.
[edit] History
The Roman name of the city was Bilitio. The city is mentioned in medieval sources in 1218 as Bilizione. It was the capital of the canton of Bellinzona from 1798 to 1803, and of the new canton of Ticino from 1803 to 1814. From that date until 1878, Bellinzona, Lugano, and Locarno, took turns being capital every six years.
The city includes the village of Artore and, since the incorporation in 1907, the former municipalities of Carasso , Daro, and Ravecchia
[edit] Population
In 2000, the city had 16,463 inhabitants. In that census, 30.6 percent were non-Swiss, mostly from Italy. The metropolitan area of Bellinzona has a population of 48,300, divided into 16 municipalities.
[edit] Transportation
It is an important stop for major trains heading either north toward Arth-Goldau and Zürich, or south toward Lugano, Chiasso and Italy or bound for the southwest to Locarno.
The A2 and A13 motorways, as well as some main roads, link here, thus making it an important transportational node.
[edit] Culture
The city is known for its carnival Rabadan, which has taken place for over 150 years.
The local football team is AC Bellinzona.
[edit] Trivia
On July 21, 1985, Swiss swimming sprinter Dano Halsall set a world record in the 50 m freestyle in Bellinzona's local pool, clocking in at 22.52 seconds.
[edit] References
- Bellinzona (municipality) in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
[edit] External links
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Arbedo-Castione | Bellinzona | Cadenazzo | Camorino | Giubiasco | Gnosca | Gorduno | Gudo | Isone | Lumino | Medeglia | Moleno | Monte Carasso | Pianezzo | Preonzo | Sant'Antonino | Sant'Antonio | Sementina Ticino | Districts of Canton Ticino | Municipalities of the canton of Ticino |
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Old City of Berne · Convent of St. Gall · Convent of St. Johann · Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn · Lavaux Vineyard Terraces · Monte San Giorgio · Castles, Wall and Ramparts of Bellinzone |
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| Capitals of Swiss cantons |
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| Aarau (Aargau) - Altdorf (Uri) - Appenzell (Appenzell Innerrhoden) - Basel (Basel-City) - Bellinzona (Ticino) - Berne (Berne) - Chur (Graubünden) - Delémont (Jura) - Frauenfeld (Thurgau) - Fribourg (Fribourg) - Geneva (Geneva) - Glarus (Glarus) - Herisau/Trogen (Appenzell Ausserrhoden) - Lausanne (Vaud) - Liestal (Basel-Land) - Lucerne (Lucerne) - Neuchâtel (Neuchâtel) - St. Gallen (St. Gallen) - Sarnen (Obwalden) - Schaffhausen (Schaffhausen) - Schwyz (Schwyz) - Sion (Valais) - Solothurn (Solothurn) - Stans (Nidwalden) - Zug (Zug) - Zurich (Zurich) |
