Comologno
Encyclopedia
Comologno is a village and former municipality in the district of Locarno
in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland
.
In 1995 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Crana
and Russo
to form a new and larger municipality Onsernone
.
The municipality also contained the villages Vocaglia, Corbella, Cappellino and Spruga.
During the Ancien Régime
, Comologno belonged to the Squadra of Crana, which together with the other villages of the valley (with the exception of Auressio
) formed the medieval
municipality of Onsernone. With the establishment of the Canton of Ticino in 1803, Comologno became an independent municipality.
Comologno formed an independent parish
in 1715, when it separated from Russo. The parish church
of San Giovanni Battista, was built in 1668-1697.
With the emergence and development of rye
straw processing in the 19th Century, the population of Comologno increased rapidly. However, in the following century, the decline of farming, animal husbandry and straw craft led to a rapid population decline. Most of the working population works in industrial or service enterprises in the valley or commute to work in the agglomeration of Locarno. Many residents emigrated to other countries in search of work. Several families became wealthy in foreign countries, and used that wealth to built stately mansions in Comologno. The largest is from the Remonda family, who in the second half of the 18th Century, became wealthy in France. Another notable mansion is the Palazzo (or Castello) della Barca which was acquired in the 1930s by Vladimir Rosenbaum for his wife Aline Valangin, a writer and artist. It soon became a haven for artists and well-known anti-fascists, including Ignazio Silone
, Ernesto Rossi, Kurt Tucholsky
, Hans Marchwitza
, Ernesto Bonaiuti, Max Terpis, Elias Canetti
, Wladimir Vogel
and Jean-Paul Samson. Since the early 1970s, at the suggestion of the Associazione Amici di Comologno, various artists have decorated houses in the village with frescos.
Locarno (district)
The district of Locarno is a district of Canton Ticino, Switzerland. It has a population of .-Geography:...
in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
In 1995 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Crana
Crana
Crana is a village and former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 1995 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Comologno and Russo to form a new and larger municipality Onsernone....
and Russo
Russo, Switzerland
Russo is a village and former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 1995 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Comologno and Crana to form a new and larger municipality Onsernone....
to form a new and larger municipality Onsernone
Onsernone
Onsernone is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Ticino, near the city of Locarno. The river Isorno runs through this valley.The municipality was created in 1995 by a merger of Comologno, Crana and Russo.-History:...
.
The municipality also contained the villages Vocaglia, Corbella, Cappellino and Spruga.
History
Comologno is first mentioned in 1438 as Comolognium'.During the Ancien Régime
Early Modern Switzerland
The early modern history of the Old Swiss Confederacy , lasting from formal independence in 1648 to the French invasion of 1798 came to be referred as Ancien Régime retrospectively, in post-Napoleonic Switzerland.The early modern period was characterized by an increasingly...
, Comologno belonged to the Squadra of Crana, which together with the other villages of the valley (with the exception of Auressio
Auressio
Auressio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2001 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Berzona and Loco to form a new and larger municipality Isorno.-History:...
) formed the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
municipality of Onsernone. With the establishment of the Canton of Ticino in 1803, Comologno became an independent municipality.
Comologno formed an independent parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in 1715, when it separated from Russo. The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of San Giovanni Battista, was built in 1668-1697.
With the emergence and development of rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
straw processing in the 19th Century, the population of Comologno increased rapidly. However, in the following century, the decline of farming, animal husbandry and straw craft led to a rapid population decline. Most of the working population works in industrial or service enterprises in the valley or commute to work in the agglomeration of Locarno. Many residents emigrated to other countries in search of work. Several families became wealthy in foreign countries, and used that wealth to built stately mansions in Comologno. The largest is from the Remonda family, who in the second half of the 18th Century, became wealthy in France. Another notable mansion is the Palazzo (or Castello) della Barca which was acquired in the 1930s by Vladimir Rosenbaum for his wife Aline Valangin, a writer and artist. It soon became a haven for artists and well-known anti-fascists, including Ignazio Silone
Ignazio Silone
Ignazio Silone was the pseudonym of Secondino Tranquilli, an Italian author and politician.-Early life and career:...
, Ernesto Rossi, Kurt Tucholsky
Kurt Tucholsky
Kurt Tucholsky was a German-Jewish journalist, satirist and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser, Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wrobel. Born in Berlin-Moabit, he moved to Paris in 1924 and then to Sweden in 1930.Tucholsky was one of the most important journalists of...
, Hans Marchwitza
Hans Marchwitza
Hans Marchwitza was a German writer, proletarian poet, and communist.- Life :Marchwitza was the son of miner Thomas Marchwitza and his wife Thekla Maxisch, and was born in Scharley near Beuthen in Upper Silesia. Already at fourteen years old Marchwitza was working underground in the mines...
, Ernesto Bonaiuti, Max Terpis, Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti was a Bulgarian-born modernist novelist, playwright, memoirist, and non-fiction writer. He wrote in German and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1981, "for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power".-Life:...
, Wladimir Vogel
Wladimir Vogel
Wladimir Rudolfowitsch Vogel was a Swiss composer of German and Russian extraction.-Life:...
and Jean-Paul Samson. Since the early 1970s, at the suggestion of the Associazione Amici di Comologno, various artists have decorated houses in the village with frescos.
Historic population
The historical population is given in the following table:| Year | Population Comologno |
|---|---|
| 1719 | 182 |
| 1795 | 253 |
| 1808 | 333 |
| 1850 | 440 |
| 1900 | 624 |
| 1950 | 477 |
| 1960 | 281 |
| 1990 | 142 |