Prettau
Prettau
Predoi | |
|---|---|
| Gemeinde Prettau (German) Comune di Predoi (Italian) | |
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 Coat of arms | |
Location of Prettau  | |
  Prettau Location of Prettau in Italy  Prettau Prettau (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) | |
| Coordinates: 47°2′N 12°6′E / 47.033°N 12.100°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol |
| Province | South Tyrol |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Robert Alexander Steger |
| Area | |
• Total | 86 km2 (33 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,478 m (4,849 ft) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 518 |
| • Density | 6.0/km2 (16/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | German: Prettauer Italian: di Predoi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 39030 |
| Dialing code | 0474 |
| Website | www |
Prettau (German: [prɛˈtaɪ]; Italian: Predoi [preˈdɔi]) is a comune (municipality) of South Tyrol, an Italian province in the country's north. It is the northernmost comune of Italy and is located within the Alsps at the border with Austria. It is situated at 1,478 metres (4,849 ft) above sea level. As of 2024[update], the population was 518.
Copper mining was historically the major industry in Prettau, until the abandonment of its copper mine in 1893.
History
[edit]Prettau became a comune in 1958.[2]
Its coat of arms was granted in 1967 and is a blue and silver shield divided by four stylised adjacent mountain peaks and charged with two crossed pickaxes in the lower half. The shield depicts Prettau surrounded by tall glacial mountains, and the pickaxes are a reference to Prettau's historical copper mining industry.[2]
Geography
[edit]Prettau is located 1,478 metres (4,849 ft) above sea level. Its territory covers an area of 86 square kilometres (33 sq mi).[2][3] About 70% of its area is protected land within the boundaries of Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park.[3] Prettau is the northernmost comune of Italy.[4]
Demographics
[edit]The 2023 population census recorded 509 residents in Prettau.[5][6] However, the municipal government website gives a population of 518 at the end of 2024.[2]
At the time of the 2024 linguistic census, 98.59% of Prettau's residents spoke German and 1.41% spoke Italian as their first language.[7]
Economy
[edit]Copper mining was the main economic activity in Prettau until 1893.[3] According to a local legend, a farmer discovered Prettau's copper deposits by chance while trying to tame a bull. The bull's horns struck the ground and brought out golden sand. Locals initially mistook it for gold before realising it was copper.[8] The old copper mine has since been converted into a local history museum.[3]
Prettau's economy is now served primarily by tourism. The comune is known for its local bobbin lace–making.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Predoi". Comune di Predoi (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Predoi in Valle Aurina – Alto Adige: Scopri le miniere" [Predoi in Aurina Valley, South Tyrol – From copper mining to pure air]. valle-tures-aurina.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Predoi, il paese più a nord d'Italia in Valle Aurina" [Predoi, the northernmost village in Italy in the Aurina Valley]. suedtirol-it.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Die Dauerzählung der Bevölkerung in Südtirol – 2023" [The permanent census of the population in South Tyrol – 2023]. Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol (in German). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Popolazione Predoi (2001–2023) Grafici su dati" [Population Predoi (2001–2023) Data graphs]. Tuttitalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
- ^ "Ergebnisse Sprachgruppenzählung 2024 / Risultati Censimento linguistico 2024" [Results of the 2024 linguistic census]. ASTAT Info. No. 56. Provincial Institute for the Statistics of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol. December 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ Ferraresi, Giovanna (1 March 2024). "Il paese più a nord d'Italia è Predoi: come arrivarci e cosa vedere" [The northernmost town in Italy is Predoi: how to get there and what to see]. Immobiliare.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Prettau at Wikimedia Commons- Official website of the municipality (in German and Italian)
- Stefan Steinhauser, Eduard Tasser (2008). Prettau – Bilder, Fakten, Geschichten. Prettau (Download, 25 MB)
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