Urtijëi

Urtijëi
—  Comune  —
Chemun de Urtijëi Gemeinde St. Ulrich Comune di Ortisei
Urtijëi Location of Urtijëi in Italy
Coordinates: 46°34′N 11°40′E / 46.567°N 11.667°E / 46.567; 11.667Coordinates: 46°34′N 11°40′E / 46.567°N 11.667°E / 46.567; 11.667
Country	Italy
Region	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Province	South Tyrol (BZ)
Government
- Mayor	Ewald Moroder
Area
- Total	24.3 km2 (9.4 sq mi)
Elevation	1,230 m (4,035 ft)
Population (Nov. 2010)[1]
- Total	4,637
- Density	190.8/km2 (494.2/sq mi)
Demonym	Italian: gardenesi German: Sankt Ulricher
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	39046
Dialing code	0471
Patron saint	San Udalricus
Saint day	July 4
Website	Official website

Urtijëi ( pronunciation (help·info), German: St. Ulrich in Gröden; Italian: Ortisei) is a town of 4,637 inhabitants in South Tyrol, in the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It occupies the Val Gardena within the Dolomites, a mountain chain that is part of the Alps. The name derives from the Latin urticetum ("place of nettles").

Urtijëi borders the following municipalities: Kastelruth, Villnöß, Lajen and Santa Cristina Gherdëina.

History

From 1860 to 1914 Urtijëi experienced a relevant economical growth due to the opening of a major road connecting Val Gardena to the main railroad; as a result the local woodcarving industry flourished. International tourism developed through the discovery of the Dolomites first by English tourists, and subsequently visitors from Austria and Germany. Currently, the town's economy is mostly based on winter skiing tourism, summer hiking tourism, and woodcarving.

Coat-of-arms

The emblem show St. Ulrich, with the bishop's vestments and an or cross in his right hand, mounted on a horse, with or harness, on three vert mountains on or. The emblem is decorated with a azure chief, with three small shields alternating with two or bees; the bees symbolize the laboriousness of the inhabitants. The coat of arms was granted in 1907 and reappointed in 1970.^[2]

Main sights

Church of St. Jacob

• Museum Gherdëina, the local heritage museum
• Parish Church of Urtijëi

Society

Linguistic distribution

According to the 2001 census, 82.32% of the population speaks Ladin, 12.13% German and 5.55% Italian as first language.^[3]

Demographic history

Culture

Notable people associated with Urtijëi

• Carolina Kostner
• Giorgio Moroder
• Isolde Kostner
• Josef Moroder-Lusenberg
• Ernesto Prinoth
• Luis Trenker

References

1. ^ All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute (Istat)
2. ^ Heraldry of the World: Urtijëi
3. ^ Oscar Benvenuto (ed.): "South Tyrol in Figures 2008", Provincial Statistics Institute of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, Bozen/Bolzano 2007, p. 18, table 10

External links

• (Italian) (Ladin) (German) Homepage of the municipality
• Museum Gherdëina - Local heritage museum