Innichen
Encyclopedia
Innichen is a market town
and comune
(municipality) in South Tyrol
in the Italian
region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.
It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava
river, about 120 km northeast of Trento
and about 80 km northeast of Bolzano (Bozen), on Italy's border with Austria
.
As November 2010, it had a population of 3,175.
Innichen borders the municipalities of Toblach
, Innervillgraten
(Austria), Sexten
, and Sillian
(Austria).
, founded here in the late 8th century and which belonged to the Archbishopric of Freising
. The abbey itself was disestablished in 1785, while the surrounding estates were acquired by the County of Tyrol
after the Mediatisation
of 1803 (Reichsdeputationshauptschluss). According to the Treaty of Saint-Germain terms, Innichen became part of Kingdom of Italy in 1919. Innichen is still the site of a Franciscan
monastery founded in 1691.
tower with the Ghibelline merlon
on two levels, with the
portal
and the portcullis
; above the door a coat of arms showing the head of a Moor, crowned with a or
diadem on azure
. The tower has settled on vert
countryside and gules
. This kind of representation points out that the site was once under the rule of the Bishops of Freising
owners of a large area in the region from 769 to 1803. The coat of arms was granted by King Albert I of Germany
in 1303.
as first language.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.
It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava
Drava
Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...
river, about 120 km northeast of Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
and about 80 km northeast of Bolzano (Bozen), on Italy's border with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
As November 2010, it had a population of 3,175.
Innichen borders the municipalities of Toblach
Toblach
Toblach is a comune/Gemeinde in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located in the Puster Valley about 110 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 70 km northeast of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria.As of November 30, 2010, it had a...
, Innervillgraten
Innervillgraten
Innervillgraten is a municipality in the district of Lienz in Tyrol in Austria....
(Austria), Sexten
Sexten
Sexten is a comune in South Tyrol, in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of north-east Italy. The town is famous as a summer and winter sport resort and the mountains.-Geography:...
, and Sillian
Sillian
Sillian is a village, in Tyrol, Austria. Richard Strauss stayed at the Schwarzer Adler hotel, and is purported to have played the hotel piano, and even to have composed there. The ancient square is interesting as it features a pillary, which was mostly used to punish adulterous women...
(Austria).
History
It is home to the Innichen AbbeyInnichen Abbey
The Abbey of Innichen is a religious complex in Innichen in South Tyrol in northern Italy. Founded in the 8th century and rebuilt in the 12th–13th centuries, it is considered the most important Romanesque building in Tyrol and the Eastern Alps and, in is home to a 13th century sculpture and a...
, founded here in the late 8th century and which belonged to the Archbishopric of Freising
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising
The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. It is led by the prelature of the Archbishop of Munich, who administers the see from the mother church in Munich, the Frauenkirche, also known as Munich Cathedral...
. The abbey itself was disestablished in 1785, while the surrounding estates were acquired by the County of Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
after the Mediatisation
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
of 1803 (Reichsdeputationshauptschluss). According to the Treaty of Saint-Germain terms, Innichen became part of Kingdom of Italy in 1919. Innichen is still the site of a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery founded in 1691.
Coat-of-arms
The emblem shows an argentArgent
In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
tower with the Ghibelline merlon
Merlon
In architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...
on two levels, with the
portal
Portal (architecture)
Portal is a general term describing an opening in the walls of a building, gate or fortification, and especially a grand entrance to an important structure. Doors, metal gates or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of...
and the portcullis
Portcullis
A portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...
; above the door a coat of arms showing the head of a Moor, crowned with a or
Or
Or may be:* a grammatical conjunction* a logical operation indicating logical disjunction depicted as |, ∨, or simply orOR, O.R. or or may also refer to:* Or , a 2002 album by Golden Boy with Miss Kittin...
diadem on azure
Azure
In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
. The tower has settled on vert
Vert
The colour green is commonly found in modern flags and coat of arms, and to a lesser extent also in the classical heraldry of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period....
countryside and gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
. This kind of representation points out that the site was once under the rule of the Bishops of Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
owners of a large area in the region from 769 to 1803. The coat of arms was granted by King Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
in 1303.
Linguistic Distribution
According to the 2001 census, 84.84% of the population spoke German, 14.78% Italian and 0.38% LadinLadin
Ladin is a language consisting of a group of dialects spoken in the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy in the border regions of the provinces Trentino, South Tyrol and Belluno...
as first language.