Ghirone was a municipality

Municipalities of Switzerland

Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...

 in the district of Blenio

Blenio (district)

The district of Blenio is a district of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It has a population of . The capital of the district is Acquarossa.-Geography:...

 in the canton

Cantons of Switzerland

The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...

 of Ticino

Ticino

Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...

 in 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....

.

On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Ghirone would merge with Aquila

Aquila, Switzerland

Aquila is a former municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Aquila would merge with Campo Blenio, Ghirone, Olivone and Torre to form a new municipality to be called Blenio...

, Campo Blenio

Campo Blenio

Campo Blenio was a municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Campo Blenio would merge with Aquila, Ghirone, Olivone and Torre to form a new municipality to be called Blenio. This union was carried...

, Olivone

Olivone

Olivone was a municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Olivone would merge with Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone and Torre to form a new municipality to be called Blenio...

 and Torre

Torre, Switzerland

Torre was a municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Torre would merge with Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone and Olivone to form a new municipality to be called Blenio. This union was carried through on 22...

 to form a new municipality to be called Blenio

Blenio

Blenio is a municipality of the district of Blenio, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.Blenio was created on 22 October 2006 when it incorporated the formerly autonomous municipalities of Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone, Olivone and Torre of the upper Blenio valley.A legal challenge to the merger...

. This union was carried through on 22 October 2006.

History

Ghirone is first mentioned in 1200 as Agairono.

In 1334, Disentis Abbey

Disentis Abbey

Disentis Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the Canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland, around which the present town of Disentis grew up.-Foundation to 19th century:...

 acquired rights over all the land in Ghirone. The village was part of the community of Aquila, and in 1803 it merged with the municipality of Ghirone. Then, in 1836, Buttino and Ghirone separated from Aquila and together founded their own community. Buttino was inhabited until the late 19th Century and was an autonomous village as far back as the 13th Century. The two municipalities rejoined Aquila in 1842 and 1846 and finally separated in 1853. The Citizens Community (Patriziato

Bürgergemeinde

The Bürgergemeinde is a statutory corporation in public law in Switzerland...

), which still bears the name of Ghirone-Buttino was founded in 1914.

The Church of SS Martino e Giorgio was first mentioned in 1215 and was rebuilt around 1700. The 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...

 separated from Aquila in 1758 and became independent. As with the other municipalities of the Blenio Valley, much of the population emigrated to other European countries (often as chestnut roaster, servants and waiters). While this was a major source of revenue, it led to a steady population decline. In the late 1950s the Luzzone Dam (1995 and 1999 expanded) was built between the municipalities of Ghirone and Aquila. The dam is used to generate hydroelectric power. The large-scale construction of the dam and the new road tunnel at Toira in 1958, improved the local economy. The new tunnel allowed winter and summer tourism, and the development of a winter sports center (with Campo Blenio) gave the economy a definite boost. Livestock farming, which was for centuries had been the main occupation, however, fell sharply.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following table:

Year	Population Ghirone
1836	162
1860	111
1900	81
1910	100
1950	70
1960	340
1970	64
2000	44

includes Buttino

During construction of the Luzzone Dam