Brixen (Bressanone in Italian, Persenon, or Porsenù in Ladin) is
an Italian town of 22 582 inhabitants, the third largest by
population in the autonomous province of Bolzano in Trentino-Alto
Adige. It is the historical, artistic, cultural, economic, social
and administrative capital of the Valle Isarco area.
According to tradition, Brixen was founded in 901, three
centuries before the establishment of the County of Tyrol. Since
1004 and over the centuries it has been under the ecclesiastical
domination of the Prince Bishop of Brixen, of which it was the
main residence. It is the seat - together with the capital of the
province Bolzano - of the diocese of Bolzano-Brixen, established
in 1964 by detaching the city of Bolzano and the territory south of
the latter from the archdiocese of Trento and aggregating it to the
diocese of Brixen, while the territories of diocese of
Bressanone now located in Austria (Inn Valley) have been detached
from the diocese of Bressanone and aggregated to that of Innsbruck.
The patron saints of the city are Cassiano di Imola - celebrated
on 8 May - and the bishops Albuino and Ingenuino - patrons against
drought and celebrated on 5 February. Their relics are kept in the
cathedral of Bressanone.
Bressanone Cathedral. The Brixner Dom is an imposing Baroque style
church, which stands in the central square of the same name. The church,
dating back to the 13th century, underwent subsequent restorations, due
to a succession of unfortunate fires that lasted over the years. It is
dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, of which it contains an artistic
sculpture by Hans Leinberger from around 1520. Adjacent to the right
side is the ancient Romanesque cloister, dating back to the 14th
century, also known as the "Bible of the Poor", as it is full of
paintings depicting the main scenes narrated in the Holy Scriptures. It
has a particular cross vault, which represents the evolution of medieval
art. On its side walls you can observe ancient sarcophagi of important
people of antiquity and prelates as well as frescoes relating to the
classical age. A cloister door also leads to an ancient chapel, to be
admired for its ancient frescoes. A non-frescoed corner was used as a
public passage with stalls. Worthy of note are the representation of the
elephant (third arch) and the adoration of the Three Wise Men
(thirteenth arch). From the cloister you can access the Baptistery of
San Giovanni Battista (Johanneskapelle am Kreuzgang) which represents
the oldest court chapel of the Bishop's Palace. Inside you can find
Romanesque frescoes of quality and undisputed importance. Furthermore,
the small church has a high, rectangular nave, divided into two floors,
covered with a barrel vault; the light manages to filter inside from
four small windows (divided into the two floors). Around 1400 the nave
was covered with a cross vault.
Church of San Michele. The
Pfarrkirche Sankt Michael is a Romanesque church from the 11th century,
which is located parallel to the Cathedral. The church is the parish of
Bressanone and the Deanery. It is dedicated to Saint Michael the
Archangel. The structure has a Gothic choir, seven altars, a bell tower
(known as the "White Tower") built in the 15th century, while the nave
is Gothic from the late 16th century. The church was baroqued after 1750
with frescoes by Josef Hautzinger from Vienna, one of Paul Troger's
disciples. Another artist who participated was the painter Francesco
Unterberger from Cavalese.
White Tower. The Weißer Turm is the parish
tower. Dating back to the 15th century, originally called the "Black
Tower", but in 1591 the black roof was walled up and its color and
therefore its name were changed. It was renovated in 2007, rightfully
regaining its name, in fact, the top of the tower was returned to its
original colour, white. The tower, 72 meters high, also features a lunar
clock. Its construction was commissioned by Nicolò Cusano. Inside, 89
steps lead to a carillon of 43 bells capable of producing over 100
melodies. The carillon rings every day at 11 am. In addition to the
carillon bells, there are 6 other B2 bells.
Major Seminary of
Bressanone. Together with its library, it stands near the then Insula
Sanctae Crucis, that is, an ancient island that was formed between the
Isarco and the Roggia which separated the island from the urban center.
Initially the Santa Croce hospital was located here, built by Canon
Richer in 1157. Only after 1600, a building was built which also became
the seat of the Prince-Bishop Count Leopold von Spaur (1747-1778). Since
then this became the headquarters for instructing future prelates. Its
library instead contains frescoes by Franz Anton Zeiller, created in
1772.
Church of the Madonna (St. Maria im Kreuzgang or Sancta Maria
in ambitu): palatine church usually closed and therefore not accessible
except through a special guided tour of the cloister.
Old Cemetery of
Bressanone: the place is located between the parish church and the
cathedral, has a Gothic structure dating back to 1483 in the center,
where a candle can be placed. Here, near the western arch, there is also
the tombstone of the poet Oswald von Wolkenstein (commissioned by
himself), representing "a knight with a long beard, with crest, dagger
armor and banner bearing the cross of Jerusalem".
Church of Saints
Gotthard and Erardo: built in the 13th century by the Voitsberg family
near the ancient provost's office. It underwent a subsequent restoration
in the 14th century, later rebuilt in baroque style by the auxiliary
bishop Wilhelm von Vintler and consecrated in 1695. Since 1971 the
church has been entrusted to the evangelical church.
Female Boarding
School of the English Ladies (Englische Fräulein also known as Kirche
der Congregatio Jesu): first settlement of the congregation of the
English Ladies in Bressanone in 1739. The convent was built later
(between 1742 and 1745) by Anna von Sarnthein. The church consecrated in
1748 to San Giuseppe was rebuilt after a fire in 1839 in neoclassical
style. In the 19th century and also in the 20th century the attached
school was enlarged several times.
Church of "Maria Hilf in Zinggen";
Sanctuary of "Maria am Sand", the Madonna delle Grazie: i.e. the old
parish church of Millan. Inside there is a painting of Mary giving a
pear to her son Jesus. The building dates back to the 14th century, but
in the middle of the following century it was baroque and enlarged; a
vaulted nave was built together with the bell tower and a Gothic style
arch.
Parish Josef Freinademetz, the new parish church of Millan, in
contemporary art. It was built between 1984 and 1985 and dedicated to
Josef Freinademetz, a South Tyrolean missionary in China.
Church and
convent of the Capuchin friars (Kapuzinerkirche): the church is
dedicated to Saint Catherine and was built in 1340 by Frederick of
Villanders. Subsequently the church was given to the Capuchins by Bishop
Karl Andreas von Spaur in 1603. In 1630 a new church and a convent were
built, with altarpieces by F. Unterberger and S. Kessler. Since 1970 it
has been the provincial headquarters of the Capuchin Order.
Church
and convent of the Franciscan friars (Franziskanerkloster Brixen).
Convent of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters (Klarissenkloster Brixen):
This was the first seat of the congregation, which was founded in the
eighteenth century by Maria Hueber from Brixen, to help poor girls with
the education. It was also home to the first girls' school in Tyrol. In
2001 the Generalate was moved from Bressanone to Rome.
Church of the
Holy Guardian Angels (Kreuzengelkirche), near Stufles.
Church of San
Cirillo and the Path of the Saints of Europe, near Monteponente, already
documented in 1283 and renovated in 1992. From here it is usual to take
the "pilgrimage to the seven churches", that is, starting from
Bressanone, you visit in addition to the church of San Cirillo, those of
La Mara, Scezze, Tecelinga, Tiles and Pinzago.
Church of San Giorgio,
in the hamlet of Eores.
Small church of San Giacomo in the hamlet of
Eores (St. Jakob in Afers): dating back to the 15th century with a spire
bell tower, it has neo-Gothic altars and various depictions of saints by
an artist of the Bressanone school. Outside you can admire a painting by
Cristoforo.
The small church of San Nicolò near Cleran (St. Nikolaus
in Klerant), located at a height of 850 metres, is characterized by some
late-Gothic frescoes. It dates back to the first half of the 15th
century, but there are also traces of it in the Romanesque era. Inside
there is an altar, where in one of the caskets there is the Madonna with
the child between Saints Andrew and Nicholas, Saint Lawrence and Saint
Sebastian, as well as the biblical representation of the Massacre of the
Innocents.
Church of Sant'Andrea Apostolo in the hamlet of
Sant'Andrea in Monte, with an adjoining cemetery and a small chapel
dedicated to Mary Help of Christians, built in 1696, on a site where a
previous chapel already stood in 1071.
Church of San Giovanni
Battista near Cornale (Karnol), consecrated in 1113, where however its
current form dates back to around 1500. Inside it is depicted the
martyrdom of Saint Ursula and on its sides are depicted Saint Vitus and
Saint Margaret and Christ indicating the wound in his side, Saint Helena
and Saint Erardo. On the left wall, however, three scenes are depicted:
Herod's banquet, the beheading of John the Baptist, and the baptism of
Jesus. The care of the building has always been entrusted to the owner
of the nearby Holderer farm. The missal of the church dating back to the
12th century and preserved in the Seminary Library of Bressanone is
famous.
Church of San Leonardo, near the locality of the same name
located at 1095 meters above sea level, consecrated in 1194, was
enlarged in 1430 by also adding the bell tower. In the 18th century the
church underwent a baroque transformation which erased some works from
older times. The church is notable for the history of the range that
surrounds it one and a half times. Legend has it that when this chain
has completed the third lap around the building, the end of the world
will have arrived.
Church of San Giovanni Evangelista near Meluno
(Mellaun).
Church of Saints Ermagora and Fortunato in the hamlet of
Albes.
Church of San Vito in the hamlet of Tiles
Church of San
Sebastiano in the hamlet of Sarnes
Church of San Giovanni Battista in
the hamlet of Sezze
Bishop's Palace
The so-called Hofburg: ancient residence of the
Bishop, when the bishop still resided near Bressanone. The palace is on
three floors, and its external facades are pale yellow, decorated in
purple. The facades to the north and south have two Renaissance loggias,
while the other two facades are in Baroque style, all designed by Hans
Reichle of Schongau (1565-1642). Since 1998 there has been an important
museum inside, housed in 70 rooms. The palace also hosts a permanent
exhibition of nativity scenes, one of the most important collections in
Europe, of which one of the major promoters was Princebishop Karl Franz
Lodron.
The municipal building
The palace, seat of the town
hall of Bressanone, stands in the center of the city. Its northern side
opens onto the street of the Portici Maggiori, while the southern side
opens onto the central Piazza Duomo. To the visitor this facade presents
some Renaissance elements, while the crenellated roof and the tower
recall the late Middle Ages, although built in the early 20th century.
Inside, however, the paintings are more recent, those on the second
floor are in fact from the twentieth century, despite recalling the
medieval era. One hundred years ago, on the site of the current palace,
there was a bourgeois house owned by the flour merchant Joseph
Oberhaidacher. The building at the time had two floors and the rooms and
facades were of simple construction. In 1895 the Oberhaidacher family
sold the house to the then imperial-royal state councilor Ferdinand
Kaltenegger, of Viennese origin, who made it his home, modifying its
style and architecture. The building was then raised by one floor, so
that it could be distinguished from the other houses in Piazza Duomo.
The tower and the crenellated parapet were then added. Changes were
also made inside, for example the staircase in the southern atrium was
decorated with chivalric frescoes, while the other staircase, the
northern one, with its steep and angled progression, recalled the
antiquity of the palace. The internal walls and ceilings were covered
with wooden cladding, the doors were also renewed, and finally
Kaltenegger decided to give the building the (imaginative) name of
Tauernstein castle, where the owner underlined his relations with
Carinthia and therefore with the Taurians. Furthermore, on the occasion
of the celebrations for the town's millennium, the owner decided to be
portrayed as a crusader knight, after having paraded during the
celebrations. Kaltenegger died on May 13, 1911, and in November, his
daughter Johanna Pejicic, marrying a landowner from Bosnia, decided to
sell the palace. The mayor Otto von Guggenberg and his councilors, as
they needed new spaces for the municipal administration, decided to
purchase the building in 1912. The building houses the council chamber
and the offices of the mayor and the councillors, while the other
various offices they are scattered in the streets of the historic
center.
Former sanatorium
In 1910, planning began for the
hospital in Bressanone: the first stone was laid in 1912 and in 1914, in
the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph, the inauguration of the then
Kaiser Franz Josef Jubiläums-Krankenhaus took place, where he worked as
head physician Lorenz Böhler. Already at that time the hospital housed
the departments of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology,
traumatology, paediatrics, infectious diseases, operating rooms, x-ray
rooms and delivery rooms, etc. The entire structure was equipped with an
ozonated air ventilation system, a particularly bactericidal compound.
All the patient rooms were also painted in restful and cheerful colours.
Inside the structure there was also a small octagonal church
dedicated to the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The entire building
was and is surrounded by a large park. In 1930, the construction of a
second building was considered, given that this first hospital was the
only one equipped in the entire province to treat "chest patients" (for
example with tuberculosis), and therefore it was gradually filling up.
The real reason is not well known, but this new building was designated
as the new hospital (the one of today), while the old building remained
only as a sanatorium. During the Second World War, in October 1944, the
Germans requisitioned the building to make it a military hospital; it
was therefore necessary to free him in a few days. In 1945, once the war
was over and the military hospital was dismantled, a typhus epidemic
broke out in Bressanone. In 1946, once the epidemic was eradicated and
the premises restored, the sanatorium reopened with 170 beds.
On
a summer afternoon in 1954, a fire broke out on the roof of the
sanatorium, due to a defect in the flues, which destroyed two thirds of
it. In just over three months the damage done was repaired with
makeshift means. The structure, which has now lost its primary function
(it was active until 2002), was completely renovated for 9 years, with a
cost of 22 million euros, and since 2004 it has been an integral part of
the civil hospital of Bressanone (block C ).
Don Bosco Oratory
In 1951 Don Franco started a collection of funds among the parishioners
for the future construction of an oratory dedicated to San Giovanni
Bosco also in Bressanone, along Viale Mozart. The works were entrusted
to the Lamber company of Bressanone and began in 1952; on April 25,
1954, then-Bishop Joseph Gargitter blessed the recreational facility.
And from then on the new oratory began to offer various recreational and
cultural activities. The football field was subsequently purchased and a
new facility was built next to it in 1959.
After a period of
fervent activity in 1977 the then parish priest Don Hugo Senoner
promoted a restoration of the structure that the building needed, such
as the renovation of the roof. At the end of 2010 the municipal council
entrusted the demolition and reconstruction works of the building which,
once completed, will also house the "Antonio Vivaldi" musical institute
and the Don Bosco cultural and recreational club, founded in 1981.
The first stone was laid on 21 August 2011 with a ceremony in the
presence of the provincial president Luis Durnwalder and the provincial
councilor Christian Tommasini; the new activities began in December
2012, until its new inauguration on 26 January 2013. During the
excavations for the reconstruction of the building, some finds were
discovered which testify to how this area was used as a lazaret in 1755.
There were also found traces of an ancient chapel dedicated to San
Michele; Four skeletons were also extracted, probably dating back to the
plague of 1692.
Bressanone has always been a city of strategic importance since it
had to defend itself from the invasions of Napoleon's troops. Military
activities resumed especially after the Second World War, for the
defense of northern Italy from a probable invasion of the Warsaw Pact
troops through the Brenner pass or from Pusteria, from San Candido. Thus
from 1945, various military buildings arose, or were renovated, and it
is no coincidence that in the city there were several barracks of the
"Tridentina" Alpine Brigade such as the "Remo Schenoni", the "Verdone"
(in Varna), the "Bortolotti", the "De Benedetti", the "Vodice" and the
"Giovanni Ruazzi" (in Elvas) headquarters of the 1st Heavy Artillery
Group "Adige" of the 3rd Missile Brigade "Aquileia", a nuclear capable
unit, and later of the logistical battalion of Tridentina (barracks
decommissioned since 1 February 2002).
Furthermore there was also
the "Palazzo Reverberi", the current headquarters of the "Tridentina"
command. In particular, the "Remo Schenoni" barracks was built in the
two-year period 1936-37 and was immediately intended for the Guard at
the border of the 14th Isarco coverage sector of the Vallo alpino in
Alto Adige. Since 1938 it has hosted the 18th "Acqui" division regiment;
only after 8 September 1943 was it home to German troops from units of
the SS-Polizeiregiment “Brixen”. Only after the war did the barracks
become the headquarters of the Tridentina troops with the name "Remo
Schenoni". With the dissolution of the “Tridentina” Alpine Brigade, the
barracks was decommissioned and on 23 July 2008 the agreement with the
autonomous province of Bolzano was signed.
Since 2002, apart from
the headquarters of the Tridentina projectable command in the Reverberi
palace, all the other barracks have closed, and have become the property
of the province of Bolzano, in exchange for the construction of new
housing for the employees of the Italian Army (such as example the
"Vodice"). The "De Benedetti" was demolished to make room for the car
park.
There was also the 16th A.M. Radar Center. of the Air Force
with a logistics base in Plancios and an operational base at the top of
Monte Telegrafo on the Plose connected by a private Air Force cable car.
The cable car and radar were deactivated in 1978, the Plancios base a
few years later. Both sites are in a state of abandonment and awaiting
future redevelopment.
There are also several castles near Bressanone:
Pallhaus Castle or
also known as Sarnes Palace, located on the southern outskirts of the
city. The first construction of the building dates back to the 12th
century. The entrance is dominated by the Pallhauser coat of arms and by
a pictorial nucleus of the "Madonna with Child" and "St. Anne" from the
16th century. The external gate is a work of the magnano Hans Waiz from
Bressanone and dates back to the eighteenth century. The entire
perimeter of the castle is surrounded by a park and surrounded by walls.
Campan: this patrician residence is located at the foot of the Pallhaus
Castle above. Of the old castle, destroyed by fire in the spring of
1868, only the foundations of the central body remain. A popular legend
has it that the two castles were connected by an underground tunnel. In
support of these theories there is the fact that a depression still
exists which reveals traces of masonry works.
Karlsburg (translated
as "Charles' stronghold"), was initially an ancient chapter farm, near
Millan, documented in 1217, and noble property since 1392. In the year
1618, Karl Hannibal von Winkelhofen made it his residence in Renaissance
style, giving it your name. Inside there is a hall and a noble chapel.
Since 1855, it has been owned by a peasant family.
Castle of the
Cusano Family: dukes of Bressanone and Bolzano, descendants of Nicola
Cusano, is 7 km from Bressanone, the dukes reside here during the
Christmas period and the castle is only open to the public during this
period. It was built by the will of Nicola Cusano, but he never saw it
complete, as he died shortly before.
Tauernstein Castle, current seat
of the town hall.
Ratzötz Castle: the complex is located in the
hamlet of Millan and is enclosed by crenellated walls. Its current
structure dates back to the restorations carried out at the end of the
19th century by Baron Ernst von Schönberg who valorized the remains of
the fire of 1809. In August 1956, the then Italian foreign minister
Martino and his Austrian colleague Figl for a preliminary discussion on
the South Tyrolean dispute.
Hanberg: castle built on the ruins of the
pre-existing farm called "Kranebitt outside". It is made up of a complex
of buildings divided into various elements. The two largest blocks are
divided by via dei Vigneti and joined by a ring road. Of the old castle,
only the internal arched entrance portal has been preserved, surmounted
by the coat of arms of the Han barons.
Krakofl: This castle is
located on the Elvas hill above the Rienza. The entire complex was
defended by a partially preserved wall.
Köstlan: is a Renaissance
palace built on a pre-existing building known as the "Lower Castle". The
plan is almost square with an internal courtyard.
Seeburg; it is a
residential building mentioned since 1320 as a princely farm called
"Sebe" due to a small lake between Seeburg and Krakofl Castle. The
castle is privately owned and cannot be visited internally.
A city wall stands around the historic center of Bressanone. This was
built by Bishop Heriward (1015-1022) and completed by his successor,
Bishop Arduico (1022-1039). Since the 10th century, the plan had two
distinct sectors: to the south, the grouping of ecclesiastical
buildings, contrasted to the north by the compact city complex, divided
by porticoes. Taken together, they almost formed a perfect quadrilateral
surrounded by walls and defensive towers as well as bridges and gates
leading to the centre. In ancient times the vertices of this defensive
perimeter were arranged as follows:
to the north-east from the
Castle of the lords of Porta San Michele (Weger stationery shop since
1550);
to the south-east from the Castle of the Lords of Rodengo
(current Cassianeum);
to the south west from the Captain's Castle
(i.e. the Bishop's Palace);
to the north-west from the Castle of the
Lords of Sabiona, near the gate of the same name.
The wall left
three passage points, the "three doors". Originally the entire
quadrilateral was surrounded by a defensive moat fed by the Scaleres
stream, the Ospedale stream (Castelliere) and an arm of the Isarco. At
the same time as the erection of the perimeter walls, Bressanone was
also recognized as a "city", the first in all of Alto Adige and the
Austrian Tyrol to boast this coveted record.
The historic center of Bressanone is enclosed by a city wall,
accessible from three main doors:
Porta Sabiona (Säbener Tor), above
which a female figure dyed red has been hung, a recent work by a
sculptor. Formerly "Porta Fienili" (Stadeltor), the current toponym
derives from the Lords of Sabiona, who had the task of defending this
corner of the city walls in the 12th century. In the 17th century this
defensive castle passed to the Lachmuller family and only since the
1980s has it been owned by the valley community. However, a part of the
castle dates back to the oldest construction, commissioned by Bishop
Heriward around the year one thousand.
Porta San Michele (St.
Michaelstor), once also called "Dark Gate", is annexed to the "White
Tower" of the parish. This is the eastern urban gate, or the main access
to Pusteria and the Upper Isarco Valley, until the 17th century. The
internal facade bears the frescoed coat of arms of the Lamb, symbol of
the city and the diocese of Brissino.
Porta Sole (Sonnentor), also
called Porta Croce (Kreuztor), is the western urban gate, which allowed
access to the road to Bolzano. It was previously known as Porta San
Erardo or di San Gottardo (St. Erhards- or Gotthardstor). The gate
actually consists of two gates, where the southern one was built only in
1910 with the aim of streamlining the increasingly intense traffic, also
fed by the new peripheral arteries. The external facade features a now
worn coat of arms of the Habsburg-Lorraine, in memory of the
celebrations in honor of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.
A fourth
door worth mentioning is the Cloister Door. The door dates back to the
13th century and is certainly to be considered the oldest existing in
Bressanone. The Romanesque arch access performs the function of direct
access to the Cathedral buildings and the Cloister.
In addition
to these, there were other gates outside the city walls, which no longer
exist:
Torre di Porta Mercato Vecchio (between the Chiavi d'oro hotel
and the Weger stationery shop);
Torre dei Rodengo (at the entrance to
Via Bruno, between the Cassianeum and the Rienzner house);
Stufles
Mill Gate (Mallepell House);
Porta Pusteria (via della Frana);
Porta Stufles (via Terzo di Sotto);
Porta Roncato (near the convent
of the Tertiary Nuns in via Roncato).
The Millennium Column (Jahrtausendsäule) is a marble column erected
in 1909 on the southern side of Piazza Duomo to mark the first
millennium of the city. The column was designed by the academic sculptor
Norbert Pfretzschner and depicts the lamb at the top, which is also the
city coat of arms, while on the pedestal stands the life-size figure of
Bishop Zacharias in the act of blessing the city. On his right, a little
angel hands him the diploma with which Louis the Child donated the
"Prihsna" farm to him. On the four sides of the base, some important
events in the history of the city are also depicted on bronze panels:
on the right: the act of the solemn feudal investiture of Rudolf IV
of Habsburg which took place on 2 February 1363 by the Prince Bishop of
Brissino Mattheus An der Gassen;
opposite: the Sacred Heart between
two angels watching over the Bressanone basin;
on the left: the
Tyrolean hero Peter Mayr in the act of receiving the last visit from his
wife before facing the firing squad in Bolzano, on 20 February 1810;
on the back: an inscription in German in memory of the Millennium
celebrations which reads: "To commemorate the millennium of its
foundation, the episcopal city of Bressanone erected this monument, as
part of the celebrations for the first centenary of the heroic wars of
liberation sustained by the Tyrolean patriots. To thank the Church, to
honor the sovereign, to glorify the homeland!"
The monument,
including the Paschal Lamb, is 9.36 meters high. For the architectural
part, limestone from Arco was used, while for the figure of the bishop
and the putto marble blocks from Lasa, in Val Venosta, were used.
Three-headed man, the Wilder Mann: wooden statue dating back to the
sixteenth century and remodeled the following century. It depicts a wild
man hanging from a building (at the intersection of via Portici Maggiori
and Portici Minori) who should, according to popular tradition, expel
coins from his three mouths.
Via Mercato Vecchio (Altenmarktgasse),
unlike Via Portici, was and still is a street dedicated to the Brissino
economy. In fact, shops and craft workshops have been located here for
some time. The location outside the city walls is particular,
deliberately away from the activities of the clergy.
In Bressanone there are several fountains, from most of which
drinking water flows:
fountain in Piazza Duomo: created by the artist
Martin Rainer, it represents the path of life;
fountain of love: near
the cathedral;
Portici Maggiore fountain;
fountain in Via Mercato
Vecchio;
fountain in Via Portici Minori: it is a small column
fountain and monolithic basin, without decorative elements and rounded,
with a metal spout positioned halfway up the supporting column;
train
station fountain;
fountain in via Albuino: also called the fountain
of San Michele, with San Michele depicted in a bronze statue while
killing the three-headed dragon;
fountain in via Ponte Aquila;
Hartwig Street fountain;
fountain in via Tratten: it has the shape of
a hexagonal star and is located in front of the historic Hotel Elefante
and the current Carabinieri station;
fountain in the garden of the
Lords: bronze fountain with the statue of Pope Pius VII;
fountain of
via San Cassiano: this fountain is located at the intersection of Via
San Cassiano and Viale Ratisbona, near one of the three passages that
allow you to reach the lords' garden;
fountains in via Bastioni
Maggiori: they are two simple fountains with a decidedly more modern
design, and connected by a small canal at street level. They were built
during the renovation works of the street around the mid-nineties of the
twentieth century.
fountain in Vicolo dei Fornai, near the small
square behind the municipal library.
Bressanone is also known as the city of two rivers, and therefore
several bridges are found there:
Mozart bridge, main road connecting
to the Millan district;
Widmann Bridge (crossing both rivers), built
after the flood of 1600, which destroyed the Kapuzinersteg;
Aquila
bridge, built in place of the previous Mitterbrugge (destroyed in 1927
by a flood). Next to the bridge stands a statue depicting Saint John
Nepomuk of Prague, patron saint of bridges and protector from floods and
inclement weather. A second statue dedicated to the saint is located in
the Rapp gardens;
Otto von Guggenberg bridge, which crosses the
Rienza and is located near the Rapp gardens;
via dei Vigneti bridge,
which connects the Rosslauf and Kranebitt neighborhoods in the northern
part of the city;
Andreas Hofer bridge (pedestrian), built in 1909 on
the occasion of the first centenary of the Tyrolean uprising. Renovated
in 2009, it connects the Karlspromenade with the other bank of the
Rienza river.
Garden of the Lords or garden of the Bishop's Palace (Herrengarten):
it is a floral garden located next to the Bishop's Palace, which takes
on beautiful colors during the warm seasons. The courtyard was rebuilt
only in 1991, based on the original 1831 project. The garden enclosed by
high walls is divided into 4 flowerbeds, where colorful flowers and
vegetables are planted. In the center of the flowerbeds there is a
completely restored bronze fountain from the Biedermair period.
Court
Garden (Hofgarten): located next to the palace, initially laid out by
Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo, prince-bishop of Trento. Later, in 1595,
it was Prince-Bishop Andrew of Austria who built the southern walls of
the palace and the Chinese and Japanese turrets at the two southern
corners.
The toponym is attested for the first time in 827 as Pressena (mentioned in a document by Quartinus, but it is controversial if it is the same place). The belonging of the founders of the city, the Brixeneti, to the Etruscan-Rhaetian group and the comparison with the current names of the city in Ladin (Persenù), but also in Belluno (Persenòn) lead to the etymology with Etruscan root Φersu (Paersonius / Porsaenna , with the meaning of great person (s), (as, for example, the king of the Etruscan Chiusi, Porsenna was called); therefore: city founded / ruled by great people / great person). Early medieval documents from 827 still show the name Pressena for the city. From 901 we find the Prichsna form, in 935-955 it appears as Prixina, in 967 as Brihsine. The German form Brixen (1297) probably evolves from the Celtic term brik / brig ("high ground, summit", similarly to Brigantia (Bregenz) and Brixia (for Brescia and Bresso). The Italian form corresponds to the Ladin Persenù and the northern Venetian Persenón .
From
antiquity to the Middle Ages
The first settlements on site of
Brixen date
back to the Mesolithic age (one of these is located in the area of
Stufles (Stufels). Other evidence of the antiquity of the city are
remains dating back to the Bronze Age in Rivapiana (Plabach). the
restoration and consolidation of Piazza Duomo (1996), the remains of
a hut dating back to about 2500 years ago were discovered, at a
depth of about 4 meters underground. Around 15 BC the area was
integrated by Drusus, stepson of the Emperor Augustus, in the Roman
sphere of influence The conquest of the Alpine territories was
commemorated in the monument Trophy of the Alps where, among the
various defeated tribes, the northernmost Etruscan-Rhaetian group of
the Brixeneti appears.
Historically, after the barbarian
invasions, the baiuvars followed the Romans. There are traces of
Brixen in an ancient writing of 590 AD, when the territory
aggregated to the Duchy of Bavaria. The aggregation of the regional
ecclesiastical structure to the archiepiscopal principality of
Salzburg still corresponded to this political revirement in the late
eighth century, replacing the late antique belonging to the
patriarchate of Aquileia. From a document dated 13 September 901, it
is known that the then bishop Zacharias of the diocese of Sabiona
received as a gift a large agricultural estate (known as mansus
Prihsna), from the then King Ludwig IV the Child, the last of the
Carolingians. Traditionally this document is considered as the
founding act of the city.
Between 960 and 990 the town
underwent an intense building development for ecclesiastical use,
together with a first version of the current Cathedral of
Bressanone, so much so that in 965 the bishops of Sabiona decided to
move to the nearby town of Brixen. From this date Bressanone
became the spiritual center of a large diocese. Among the bishops of
the time stands the figure of Albuino, a descendant of the Ariboni
family, who had important relations with various princely courts and
in particular with the imperial one. His successor, Bishop Heriward
(1017-1022) began the construction of the city walls, which were
completed by the next bishop, Arduico (in German Hartwig,
1022-1039), with the addition of large moats to the north. and to
the west and defense towers to the south of the city.
On 7
June 1027 the entire Isarco Valley, together with the Inn Valley,
was stolen from the rebel Duke Welf II of Bavaria, and given as a
gift to Bishop Arduico, by Emperor Conrad II, together with the
attribution of temporal power. as prince-bishop, similarly to what
happened in those years for the bishops of the nearby Archdiocese of
Trent and Chur (since 1170 capital of the canton of Grisons in the
Swiss Confederation). In 1038 the parish church of Bressanone was
dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo. The then bishop of the diocese
of Brixen, Poppo, was elected Pope, with the name of Damaso II,
in 1048.
Between 25 and 26 June 1080 the episcopal synod was
held in the cathedral and baptistery of San Giovanni, in which the
emperor Henry IV, assisted by the bishop Arduico, succeeded in
having Pope Gregory VII deposed, having Clement III installed as
antipope. In the year 1091 the county of Pusteria was granted to the
Prince-bishops of Brixen. In 1179 the emperor Frederick I
granted the royal rights of sovereignty.
The city walls were subsequently completed in 1115, in 1230 the
new convent for the Poor Clares (where it still has its seat) and in
1265 the new version of the bishop's palace was completed. A mention
certainly deserve the blessed Hartmann bishop, founder of the Abbey
of Novacella, who was also a friend and advisor of Frederick
Barbarossa, and the bishop Bruno von Kirchberg (1250-1288), founder
of the city of Brunico and often in conflict with the powerful local
noble families such as the Voitsbergers, who razed the castle to the
ground.
During the whole medieval period the flourishing
episcopal city remained one of the most important artistic and
cultural centers of the Alpine area. It experienced alternating
vicissitudes on the actual temporal power, disputed between the
prince-bishop of Bressanone and the counts of Tirolo. In 1363, by
inheritance, the County of Tyrol passed to the Habsburg family. In
1444 the historic center suffered a bad fire that devastated the
Portici area.
In 1450 Nicola Cusano was elected bishop and
then cardinal of Brixen (1452-1464) with papal assignment for
the reform of the German lands. He came into conflict with the
counts of Tyrol, with the duke Sigismondo and with the warlike
Verena von Stuben, of Castel Badia, abbess of the Benedictine
monastery in Pusteria. Subsequently Cusano proclaimed himself duke,
even if after his death the power returned to the Habsburgs, as
counts of Tyrol.
From the Middle Ages to the present day
John III of Portugal gave the Indian elephant Suleiman who passed
through Brixen in December 1551, staying there for two weeks to
his nephew Maximilian II of Habsburg. The host Andree Posch of the
inn am Hohen Felde, in whose stables the pachyderm was a guest, has
since renamed it Elephant, on whose facade the painter Leonhard Mair
drew the scene.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the
first channeling of running waters from the Varna area took place in
Bressanone and was brought to their destination by means of hollowed
out larch trunks. In 1558, there was also the first fountain with
running water, located near the White Tower. In 1607 the so-called
Priesterseminar was founded in the city (also active in 2012,
although less and less frequented).
On 23 March 1797 12,000
Napoleonic troops, under the orders of General Joubert, arrived and
occupied Brixen. The huge mass of soldiers led to the spread of
an epidemic, causing the death of thousands of people, who were
buried in mass graves between Millan and Brixen. But, already on
April 3, the troops withdrew. From 1803 the city, which then had
about 3000 inhabitants, experienced a period of decline linked to
the end of the principality. This became more and more aware of how
tied it was to principles. Only six years later, on the night of
December 6, 1809, the Napoleonic troops devastated all the noble
residences and castles, as well as about 200 farms around the city.
In 1814, with the defeat of the French troops, the Tyrol and
therefore Brixen returned to be part of the Austrian Empire,
which in 1867 became the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In his book, 1830:
Reisebilder. Dritter Teil (translatable into Italian as, "Paintings
of travel. Third part") Heinrich Heine described in "The journey
from Munich to Genoa", some characteristics about the episcopal
city, noting: "Everywhere an asphyxiating stench of sacred images
and dry hay ".
In 1865, the works for the construction of the
Brenner railway began along the Brenner axis, and on 24 August 1867
the first convoy arrived in Brixen. The decision to start the
branch of the Val Pusteria railway from Fortezza (instead of from
Brixen as it was initially established), meant a loss in
economic terms for the city of Brixen. Almost simultaneously
there was also a religious and cultural renaissance. New schools
were founded such as the bishop's seminary (called "major") and
later also the minor seminary (the Vinzentinum).
The arrangement of the river basins of the Rienza and the Isarco
in the years 1883 and 1884 brought the city to prosperity. The
arrangement of the pipes that initially carried water through larch
trunks was improved, and a new water pipe was built near Scaleres.
The then mayor Otto von Guggenberg laid the foundations in 1889 for
the first hydrotherapy establishment according to the Kneipp system
south of the Brenner. In 1899 the Kurverein (health club) was
founded and then Brixen became a renowned health center (the
Guggenberg center still exists today). In 1903 the hydroelectric
power station of Sciaves was built. The power plant was inaugurated
on 22 December 1903 by the mayor Otto von Guggenberg and the event
was celebrated with a poem by Albertine Luhde-Ilg. published on
December 24 in the "Brixener Chronik". Later, starting in 1937, it
was replaced by the power plant built in the Hachl strait, along the
Rienza.
In 1914 the First World War broke out: the male
population of Brixen was mobilized and sent to war, and in 1915
the city found itself a short distance from another front, namely
the Italian one. In November 1918 the Italian troops occupied
Brixen, which together with the whole of South Tyrol became part
of the Kingdom of Italy, while the remaining territory of Tyrol
(North Tyrol and East Tyrol) remained in Austria. Until 1925 there
was a surveillance service in the city center, organized by the
so-called "night watchmen". They supervised public order during the
night, after closing the doors of the walls. They also had to warn
of fires, thefts and sightings of enemies, as well as announce the
exact time aloud. In particular in Brixen it happened that one
of the guardians died suddenly, and his wife took his place, thus
giving rise to the legend of the "lady of the tower".
During
Fascism, the city and the entire region underwent a process of
forced Italianization. Subsequently, the "Options" were implemented,
an agreement between the Kingdom of Italy and Germany that obliged
South Tyrolean citizens to choose between Italian and German
citizenship and between remaining in the province, accepting the
definitive Italianization, or moving across the border. In 1928 the
territories of the suppressed municipalities of Millan (Milland),
Sarnes (Sarns), Albes (Albeins) and Monteponale (Pfeffersberg) were
aggregated to the municipal area, and the hamlet of Elvas, detached
from the municipality of Naz. In 1941 the territories of the
suppressed municipality of Sant'Andrea in Monte (St. Andrä) were
instead aggregated. From 1943 to 1945 the city was part of the
Prealps area of operations. In 1964 there was a new arrangement of
the borders of the diocese which correspond since then to those of
the province of Bolzano, and the seat of the diocese, renamed in the
diocese of Bolzano-Brixen, moved from Brixen to Bolzano.
In 1950, for fear of possible anti-Italian demonstrations in
Piazza Duomo, the police ordered to limit the free spaces in the
square. The then mayor, Natale Dander, had the two flower beds
built, recently removed when there was the last revision of the
entire square. An important moment for the Italian community of
Bressanone was in 1952, when Don Giuseppe Franco, canon of the
Cathedral of Bressanone, laid the first stone of the oratory
dedicated to Don Bosco. The complex of the structure, after more
than fifty years of activity, was demolished in January 2010, to be
subsequently rebuilt in 2011.
In the fifties, the climate in
Brixen was colder and gave the opportunity to skate on the
frozen surface of the lake, which was created to regulate the course
of the Isarco in the years 1882-1895. In 2001 the city of Brixen celebrated its 1100 years of history, with a city jubilee.
Located in the valley at about 560 m a.s.l., it is
at the confluence of the Rienza and the Isarco. To the east are the
peaks of the Plose Group with Mount Telegrafo (2,504 m a.s.l.), to
the west the Cane peak (2,354 m a.s.l.) and Monte Pascolo (2,439 m
a.s.l.). It is located about 40 km north of Bolzano, about 45 km
south of the Brennero pass (Italian-Austrian border) and 35 km west
of the municipality of Brunico (in the Pusteria valley).
It
is crossed by the Brenner motorway, with a tollbooth 5 km further
north (Bressanone-Val Pusteria / Brixen-Pustertal) and one 8 km
further south (Chiusa-Val Gardena / Klausen-Gröden). From January 3,
2007, the Brixen-Zona Industriale tollbooth was also opened,
conceived only in a northerly direction when entering and in a
southerly direction when exiting, but much closer to the town and
especially its industrial area. Opening in the opposite direction is
also envisaged.
In the Millan area there is the Prà Millan
biotope. There are several green areas in the town, including the
Rapp gardens (Rappanlagen), built after the disastrous flood of
1882, when it was decided to move the confluence of the two rivers.
The works, supported also thanks to the baron and captain von Rapp,
began in 1883 and ended the following year: the confluence was moved
further south and the entrance to the Isarco was no longer as
perpendicular as it was originally. The new strip of land that came
to be formed was used for the creation of the gardens.
Karlspromenade
Along the east coast of Brixen, in the hamlet
of Millan, is the Karlspromenade: a historic promenade built in 1903
in memory of Emperor Charles I of Austria, who spent some moments of
his life at the Cura Guggenberg, loving to stroll along this street
that in ancient times started from there and led up to the old
church of Millan, Maria am Sand and then to the Karlsburg residence.
Since 2010 this walk continues with the so-called path of the
Psalms and to follow with a via crucis, until it meets the road that
leads to Luson. From here the path, crossing the road, descends to
the Rienza river, where an old bridge has been rebuilt, dedicated to
Andreas Hofer (18 July 2009). After crossing the river, a path that
continues with some stairs leads to Seeburg, from where it is
possible to descend towards the historic center passing through the
old district of Stufles.
Seismology
According to the
seismic classification, the municipality belongs to zone 4 (very low
seismicity).
On the basis of the 1951-2010
reference average, the average temperature of the coldest month -
January - is -2.0 ° C; that of the hottest month - July - is +19.2 °
C.
Average annual rainfall is around 700 mm, on average
distributed over 85 days with an accentuated winter minimum, a
season in which they generally occur with snow, and a peak in
summer, when frequent thunderstorms can occur due to the contrast of
different masses of air, favored by the proximity of the Alps.
Brixen belongs to the climate zone F.