Levico Terme (''Levego'' in local dialect; cim, Leve) is a ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' (municipality) in
Trentino
Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...
in the northern
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
region
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
it, Trentino (man) it, Trentina (woman) or it, Altoatesino (man) it, Altoatesina (woman) or it, Sudtirolesegerman: Südtiroler (man)german: Südtirolerin (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title = Official ...
, located about southeast of
Trento
Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...
. As of 30 June 2012, it had a population of 7,668 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute ]Istat
The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
.
Geography
Levico Terme is located on the highest point of the
Valsugana
The Valsugana ( it, Valsugana, german: Suganertal) or Sugana Valley is one of the most important valleys in the autonomous province of Trentino in Northern Italy. Leading into the Alps' foothills, an important main north-south Roman road, the Vi ...
valley bottom, at above sea level, from
Trento
Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...
and about from
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, PÃ dova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
, on the banks of the Rio Maggiore brook, which is a tributary of
Lake Levico, from which originates the
Brenta River
The Brenta is an Italian river that runs from Trentino to the Adriatic Sea just south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region, in the north-east of Italy.
During the Roman era, it was called Medoacus (Ancient Greek: ''Mediochos'', ''ΜηδΠ...
.
The city is dominated by the mountains of the Lagorai range on the north, with Monte Fronte, elevation , and Monte Panarotta (), and the zone of the Plateaus (Vezzena,
Lavarone,
Luserna
Luserna ( Cimbrian: ''Lusérn'', german: Lusern) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about southeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 284 and ...
,
Folgaria
Folgaria (Cimbrian: ''Folgrait'', from the Latin ''filicaria'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about southeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2013, it had a population ...
) on the south, where Cima Vezzena, also locally called Pizzo di Levico , with its distinctive Austro-Hungarian fort on its top, and Cima Pegolara are located. To the west the Vigolana range can be seen past the lakes of Levico and
Caldonazzo, and on the east the valley opens considerably, and the view extends beyond
Borgo Valsugana
Borgo Valsugana (''El Bórgo'' in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about east of Trento.
Borgo Valsugana borders the following municipalities: Telve, ...
.
The urbanised area is predominantly on the valley floor, with the main urban centre lying on the left side of the river Brenta along with the ''frazioni'' of Selva and Campiello, while on the right of the river lie the 'frazioni' of Barco, Santa Giuliana and Quaere. Other hamlets do not lie on the valley floor, though their population is low and often tied to seasonal activities such as tourism (Vetriolo Terme, ) or mountain activities such as logging, grazing and recreation (Passo Vezzena, ).
The municipality of Levico Terme is traditionally divided into six ''rioni'' (quarters): Chiesa (north-west), Furo (north-east), Grande (south-west) and Cortina (south-east) in the main urban centre, Oltrebrenta comprising all the ''frazioni'' on the right bank of the Brenta (Barco, Santa Giuliana, Quaere), and Selva comprising the village of the same name and Campiello.
West of the city, above Lake Levico, lies Forte Col De Le Bene, an Austro-Hungarian fort, also known as Forte San Biagio, from the name of the hill it is built on.
History
Ancient history
Traces of inhabitants in the Levico area can be dated back to the Iron Age, though the first organised settlement springs up during the Roman era.
The etymology of the name "Levico" is still debated. The major theories make Levico derive from Celtic terms such as , or , signifying "border post/boundary marker", or from the barbaric gentilic ''Letta'', from which came ''Levi vicus'' then contracted into ''Levicus'', or from the Latin ''(praedium) Livicune'' ("Livius' farm", then vulgarised into ''Lievigo'' and ''Levigo'') or ''Laevus vicus'', "village left
f the river. The Latin interpretations are the ones most agreed with, given the abundance of Latin terms in the topography of the municipality (such as Furo, from ''forum'').
Successive
Lombard presence is also cited in various documents and found in some toponyms, such as ''Guizza'' (from , communal grazeland).
Bishopric of Trent
In 1027, the territory of Levico passed under the Bishopric of Trent, established with
Conrad II
Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
's donation to Bishop Ulrich II. However, Levico remained under the
Diocese of Feltre regarding spiritual authority, and would remain that way until 1785.
The name Levico (as ''Levigo'') appears for the first time in a document dated 29 October 1184, in a
papal bull in which
Pope Lucius III
Pope Lucius III (c. 1097 – 25 November 1185), born Ubaldo Allucingoli, reigned from 1 September 1181 to his death in 1185. Born of an aristocratic family of Lucca, prior to being elected pope, he had a long career as a papal diplomat. His pa ...
reaffirms the rights of the Diocese of Feltre in Valsugana.
Levico followed the history of the Bishopric, and, as ''communitas Levigi'', proclaimed its statute in 1431 and 1479. During the
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
, in August 1525, peasants from the Valsugana marched towards Trento against the then-Bishop's Captain; the rebellion, however, was rapidly crushed. In 1575 and 1636 Levico was ravaged by plague epidemics; the latter cut the population in half.
In the 18th century, scientific journals spread news about the health effects of the local waters, rich in arsenic and iron, which were mentioned in Michelangelo Mariani's ''History of the Council of Trent'' in 1673. The first spa building taking advantage of these springs was opened in 1860.
The Austrian period to the present day
In 1779, through a treaty between Austria and the Bishopric of Trent, the jurisdiction of Levico passed to the House of Habsburg.
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, on his way to the
battle of Bassano
The Battle of Bassano was fought on 8 September 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, in the territory of the Republic of Venice, between a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces led by Count Dagobert von Wurmser. The ...
in September 1796, after reaching Trento passed through the Valsugana, encountering a light Austrian resistance in Levico, which was then defined by Napoleon ''loco ameno et hospitale'' (quaint and hospitable town). Afterwards, Levico would follow the rest of Trentino in its annexation to Austria, after the abolition of the Bishopric as a political entity in 1803.
The
Third Italian War of Independence
The Third Italian War of Independence ( it, Terza Guerra d'Indipendenza Italiana) was a war between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire fought between June and August 1866. The conflict paralleled the Austro-Prussian War and resulted in ...
saw a battle between Austrian and Italian troops, during the latter's advance towards Trento, fought in town through the night of 23-24 July 1866. In 1894 Levico was elevated to the rank of city (''Stadtgemeinde''), by Imperial-Royal Decree, under
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the Grand title of the Emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg m ...
, and in 1896 it was reached by the
Valsugana railway.
At the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Levico was still part of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, and as such it supplied a contingent of soldiers (The 1st
Kaiserjäger
The ''Kaiserjäger'' (officially designated by the Imperial and Royal (''k.u.k.'') military administration as the ''Tiroler Jäger-Regimenter'' or "Tyrolean Rifle Regiments"), were formed in 1895 as four normal infantry regiments within the Commo ...
Regiment had a battalion stationed in the city). The civilian population, though, was mostly deported to internment camps (''Internierungslager'') in the heartland of the Empire when
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
joined the Entente on 24 May 1915. The city lay indeed right next to the frontline of the plateaus to the south, and most of the population ended up in camps in
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
, in the so-called ''wooden cities''. Those that, mostly for being suspected of holding pro-Italian positions, were deemed to pose a security risk were instead interned in Katzenau, in harsh conditions.
The
peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring ...
assigned Levico, along with the rest of Trentino and South Tyrol, to Italy. The city had been devastated by abandonment and the long absence of workers, and reconstruction was slow. In order to hasten the rebuilding, the massive Austro-Hungarian forts that had been employed during the war were scavenged for scrap iron and building material, making most of these forts little more than ruins.
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
touched Levico, along with the rest of the province, only to a limited extent until the
Badoglio Proclamation The Badoglio Proclamation was a speech read on Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche (EIAR) at 19:42 on 8 September 1943 by Marshal Pietro Badoglio, Italian head of government, announcing that the Armistice of Cassibile between Italy and the ...
on 8 September 1943, when it was invaded by the Wehrmacht and incorporated to the
Alpenvorland under direct
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
administration.
The city was chosen as the site of the ''Deutsches Marinekommando Italien'' from October/November 1943 to February 1944, and from July 1944 to 27 April 1945
(as ''Marineoberkommando Süd''), despite lying more than inland from the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
. Levico was bombed many times throughout the second part of the war; the largest bombing, on 15 March 1945 destroyed the spa building and the Regina hotel, at the time one of the most luxurious hotels in the region.
After the war, Levico saw a large urbanistic expansion and the rebuilding of the spa complex (opened in 1965), developing the existing tourism-based economy even more. As tourist destination Levico Terme is mainly geared towards senior citizens and families with small children. Thermal treatments, biking and excursions in the area are possible. Around 50 restaurants and 30 accommodation facilities are available to guests.
Demographic evolution
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Twin towns
Levico Terme is
twinned with:
*
Hausham
Hausham is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
geographical classification
Hausham is located approximately 45 km south of Munich, between Miesbach and Schliersee. It is surrounded to the south by moun ...
, Germany, since 1959
References
External links
*
Comune di Levico TermeHomepage of the city
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol