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, neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca),
Gambarogno Gambarogno is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It was created on 25 April 2010 through the merger of the municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant ...
,
Gordola Gordola () is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Gordola is first mentioned in 1200 as ''Gordora''. In 1219, it was mentioned as ''Gordolla/e''. Gordola was located near major roads through ...
,
Lavertezzo Lavertezzo is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Lavertezzo is first mentioned in 1327 as ''Laverteze''. In the Middle Ages, Lavertezzo was a ''Squadra'' of the '' Vicinanza'' of Verzasca. ...
,
Losone Losone is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History The peat bogs of Arcegno, the rock shelters of Quarigo and the rock carvings in soapstone and gneiss appear to confirm that Losone has been inhab ...
,
Minusio Minusio is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History In the Ceresole section, a significant Iron Age necropolis (c. 6th-5th century BC) was discovered. It held about 20 graves and rich grave goods. ...
,
Muralto Muralto is a municipality in the district of Locarno, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Geography Muralto has an area, , of . Of this area, or 71.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 3.3% is forested. Of the rest of the lan ...
,
Orselina Orselina is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Orselina is first mentioned in 1182 as ''Concilio Meziano''. In 1323 it was mentioned as ''Orsarina''. During the Middle Ages and into the Ea ...
,
Tegna Tegna Inc. (stylized in all caps as TEGNA) is an American publicly traded broadcast, digital media and marketing services company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia. It was created on June 29, 2015, when the Gannett Company split into t ...
,
Tenero-Contra Tenero-Contra is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Geography Tenero-Contra has an area, , of . Of this area, or 27.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 45.5% is forested. Of the res ...
, twintowns =*
Gagra Gagra ( ka, გაგრა; Abkhaz and Russian: Гагра) is a town in Abkhazia/Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular he ...
, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic *
Lompoc Lompoc ( ; Chumash: ''Lum Poc'') is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast, Lompoc has a population of 43,834 as of July 2021. Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who called ...
, United States * Montecatini Terme, Italy *
Urbino Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of F ...
, Italy } Locarno (, ; Ticinese: ; formerly in german: Luggárus ) is a southern Swiss
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...
and
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the district Locarno (of which it is the capital), located on the northern shore of
Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest l ...
at its northeastern tip in the canton of
Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
at the southern foot of the Swiss Alps. It has a population of about 16,000 (proper), and about 56,000 for the agglomeration of the same name including Ascona besides other municipalities. The town of Locarno is located on the northeastern part of the river Maggia's delta; across the river lies the town of Ascona on the southwestern part of the delta. Locarno is the 74th largest city in Switzerland by population and the third largest in the Ticino canton, after
Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
and
Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...
. The official language of Locarno is
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 ...
. The town is known for hosting the
Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...
which takes place every year in August and involves open-air screenings at the main square, the Piazza Grande. It is also known for the Locarno Treaties, a series of European territorial agreements negotiated here in October 1925.


History


Prehistoric Locarno

In 1934, in the vicinity of today's Via S. Jorio, a necropolis with 14 urn graves from the Early
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
(about 14th century BC) were found. Some of the urns were directly buried, while others were placed in boxes of uncut stone. The urns contained, in addition to burned bones, bronze ornaments, which had some fire damage, including, bangles, hairpins with conical head and slightly thickened neck, rings and knives. Similar urns were also discovered in the district of S. Antonio, which was probably also a small cemetery. The ceramic and bronze objects date from the
Canegrate culture The Canegrate culture was a civilization of prehistoric Italy that developed from the late Bronze Age (13th century BC) until the Iron Age, in the areas that are now western Lombardy, eastern Piedmont, and Ticino. Canegrate had a cultural dynamic ...
(named after a large necropolis in the province of Milan). However, no traces of the settlement have been discovered. In 1935, a large necropolis was discovered at Solduno. The over 200 graves cover nearly a thousand years, from the
La Tène culture The La Tène culture (; ) was a European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture without any defi ...
to the 3rd century AD. Many of the La Tène era grave goods (particularly from the 3rd–1st centuries BC) are Celtic style Fibulae or brooches. These objects demonstrate a cultural influence from regions north of the Alps. However, the ceramic objects are indigenous to
Golasecca culture The Golasecca culture (9th - 4th century BC) was a Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age culture in northern Italy, whose type-site was excavated at Golasecca in the province of Varese, Lombardy, where, in the area of Monsorino at the beginning of the ...
which spread into Ticino and Lombardy.


Roman era

Between 1946 and 1949, a number of
Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
tombs were discovered on the terrace between the churches of Santa Maria in Selva and San Giovanni Battista in Solduno. The Roman city that became Locarno was therefore between the
vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...
of Muralto and this cemetery. Unfortunately, intensive construction and agricultural activity have destroyed most traces of the ancient city. In 1995 and 1997, 57 graves were found in Via Valle Maggia. Nineteen were from the Roman period, which confirms that even in the
3rd century The 3rd century was the period from 201 ( CCI) to 300 ( CCC) Anno Domini (AD) or Common Era (CE) in the Julian calendar.. In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, starting with the assassination of the Roman Emperor Severus Alexande ...
AD cremation and body burials were practised side by side. Among other significant finds, a number of glass items were discovered. The Roman necropolis was used from the end of the prehistoric La Tène era until the middle of the 3rd century AD. The extensive
Romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...
of Locarno wiped out much of the local culture and replaced it with ancient Roman elements. However, it appears that there was no Roman ruling class which could have dominated the local population.


Capitanei di Locarno

The capitanei were a group of prominent noble families who emerged in the early Middle Ages and led Locarno. The term is first mentioned in a document granting market rights to the town by the
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Frederick I Frederick I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I, Count of Zoll ...
in 1164. This title was originally reserved only the direct
vassals A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. ...
of the king's
fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
. The lower vassals were known as ''valvassores'', but could have been awarded the title of ''capitanei'' as a special concession. The original ''capitanei'' were probably descendants of the old Lombard noble family of Da Besozzo from the
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of Seprio, a historic region of
Lombard Italy The Kingdom of the Lombards ( la, Regnum Langobardorum; it, Regno dei Longobardi; lmo, Regn di Lombard) also known as the Lombard Kingdom; later the Kingdom of (all) Italy ( la, Regnum totius Italiae), was an early medieval state established ...
which comprised areas in southern Ticino and modern-day Italian provinces of
Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...
and
Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...
on the western side of Lake Maggiore, and was centered in Castelseprio, some 20 kilometres south of Locarno. Around 1000, the family was granted a fief in Locarno by the schismatic
Bishop of Como The Diocese of Como ( la, Dioecesis Comensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It was established in the Fourth Century. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of ...
Landolfo da Carcano. The ''capitanei'' were given the right to manage the property of the Church entrusted to the local
pieve In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after t ...
, they had the rights of immunity and coercion, but were not owners of the village cooperatives' (''vicini'') land, with the exception of the churches and royal estates. They did not have the right of
high justice High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judicial power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents. Low just ...
so their political power was limited. However, they played an important role in the later conflicts in the 13th and 14th centuries between the Guelphs and Ghibellines and in the wars between Como and the Duchy of Milan. In Locarno, during the
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
period in the 16th century, two of the three great feudal families of capitanei, the Muralto and the Orelli families, left the town and moved to
Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...
. A branch of the Muraltos was established in Bern. The third great Locarno family, the Magoria, remained in Locarno. The ''capitanei'' retained a central role in Locarno's politics until 1798. In 1803, the lands and rights of the ''capitanei'' were integrated into the political municipality of Locarno.


Early Locarno

Starting in the Lombard period (after 569), the area around Locarno (and presumably the town) was part of the county Stazzona and later the
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...
of Lombardy. Locarno is first mentioned in 807 as ''Leocarni''. In German, it came to be known as ''Luggarus'', ''Lucarius'', ''Lucaris''. It is likely that a market existed at or near the lake since the Roman era. The long history of the town and its location led to the creation of a royal court, which is first mentioned in 866. During the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
Locarno and Ascona formed a community, with several, separate neighbourhoods. The community managed its common goods (alpine pastures, pastures, forests, churches) and tax officials and police. In the 10th century, Bishop of Milan began to consolidate more and more power to himself at the expense of the Kings of the Germans. This expansion by Milan was countered by Henry II, who incorporated Locarno in 1002/04 with the surrounding areas into the Diocese of Como.
Friedrich Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
granted extensive
market rights A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
to Locarno in 1164 and granted
imperial immediacy Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular pri ...
in 1186. Due to these privileges, Locarno developed substantial local autonomy, which assisted the development of municipal institutions. The nobles (''Nobili'') lost more and more rights to the citizens (''borghesi''). By 1224, the ''borghesi'' had their own administration and various privileges, including: market rights, the right to their own weights, maintenance of mills and grazing rights in Saleggi, in Colmanicchio (''Alp Vignasca'') and in the Magadino and Quartino valleys. Locarno was the administrative centre of the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
of Locarno. The ''
Podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...
'' or high government official, resided in the Casa della Gallinazza, which was burned in 1260 during the clashes between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Several Locarno families, including members of the ''Capitanei di Locarno'' and Simone da Orello, played an important role in the battles between the two factions. In 1342, Luchino and Giovanni Visconti conquered the area, which brought Locarno back under the power of
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. In 1439, Count Franchino Rusca was awarded Locarno as a fief. In 1291, a
Humiliati The Humiliati (Italian ''Umiliati'') were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century. Origin The origin of ...
monastery was first mentioned in Locarno. St. Catherine's church, attached to the monastery, probably dates to the mid-14th century.


Under the Swiss Confederation

The rule of the Rusca ended 1503, when the Confederates occupied Locarno, but failed to conquer the Visconti castle. After the battle of Novara in 1513, the French King
Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...
gave the Confederates the castle. In the Treaty of Freiburg in 1516, they received all of Locarno. The Twelve Cantons took turns appointing a governor ( it, commissario), to rule over Locarno. The governor had both civil and criminal jurisdiction, except in certain cases after 1578, where seven judges were elected by the locals to try the cases. On taking office, the Governor swore under oath to obey the statutes of Locarno. The Governor was supported by a local mayor, and criminal fines were usually given to the local community. The rule of the Twelve Cantons also had an effect on the social and political relations of the town. In addition to the nobility (representing the three old noble families Orelli, Muralto and Magoria) and citizens, there was a third group. This third group, the ''terrieri'', was a group of residents who had lived a long time in Locarno, but were not citizens. Each of the three groups were a statutory corporation, with shared property and a governing body. Under the Confederation, each of these groups or corporations had representation in the ''Consiglio Magnifico'' which ruled Locarno. However, the town's dominance over the villages in the region, until 1798, is clearly shown in their representation in the council. The three groups in Locarno had twelve aldermen (six nobles, four citizens and two ''terrieri''), while all the rural communities together had only eight members. During the Middle Ages, Locarno was centered around the intersection of Via Cittadella and Via S. Antonio. The town stretched up the slope of the mountain and behind the castle. Some houses lined the shore, and above the Contrada Borghese a small, almost rural settlement grew up. The center of town was dominated by townhouses with their large courtyards and gardens. The members of the upper class also owned small country houses with
vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineya ...
s, which went up the hill behind Locarno as well as in Solduno and Cugnasco. Locarno also had several noble estates during the
Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
, including the so-called Cittadella. The buildings of the 17th and 18th Centuries, including the Casa Simona (16th to 18th century), the Casa Rusca from the first half of the 18th century (now the seat of the municipal art gallery) and the Casa del Negromante, were built on older structures and didn't change the layout of the town.


Locarno's castles

There were several castles from the
Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
in Locarno. One was destroyed by the Milanese in 1156. Another, first mentioned in 1210 as Orelli castle, was occupied in 1342 by the Visconti and enlarged. This castle came to be known as Visconti Castle. In 1531, the Confederates demolished much of the castle, leaving only the central core. The castle was used as the residence of the governor, but in the following centuries, it began to fall apart. From 1804 to 1909, the castle was the seat of the administrative governor and the District Court. After 1909, it came into the possession of the city and was renovated in 1921–28. Since 1920, it houses the city and Archaeological Museum. In 1507, a defensive bastion or ravelin was added to protect the castle entrance. It is likely that Leonardo da Vinci designed this structure. North-east of the castle is Palazzo Casorella (Casa degli Orelli) from the 16th century.


Early modern Locarno

During the Middle Ages, the economy of Locarno and the whole region was closely linked with the nobles who owned the market, fishing, alpine and grazing rights and
tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...
s. Starting in the 13th century, some of these privileges went to the citizens' corporation. The hill areas were dominated by
viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
, while grain was raised in the plains. Within the town, vegetables and fruits were grown. Artisans and stores were concentrated in the interior of the town. The repeatedly flooded shorelines and the alpine pastures were used for grazing. In the early modern period, Locarno developed into a thriving commercial center on an important road that linked the major cities of Lombardy, with German-speaking Switzerland and Germany. Cereals and salt came from Lombardy and
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
to Locarno, while Locarno and its hinterland (especially the Maggia Valley) provided large quantities of wood and cattle to Italy. The
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of Locarno, S. Antonio Abate, was first built in 1353–54. It was replaced by the current building in 1664. The decoration of the church was financed, primarily, by the grain traders at the end of the 17th century, and the chapel frescoes are by Giuseppe Antonio Felice Orelli from 1742. The citizens of Locarno had the right to appoint priests at S. Antonio Abate, S. Maria in Selva (consecrated in 1424, since 1884 only the
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
and bell tower remain) and SS Trinità dei Monti (consecrated 1621). The church of San Francesco, together with the adjoining convent, were built in the early 13th century. The church's first consecration was probably in 1230, but the first documented consecration of the church was in 1316. It was rebuilt and enlarged between 1538 and 1675 using construction material from Visconti Castle. San Francesco hosted the meetings of the nobility and the citizens. Starting in the 16th century, the appointed Governor swore his oath in the church. In the 16th century, the
Humiliati The Humiliati (Italian ''Umiliati'') were an Italian religious order of men formed probably in the 12th century. It was suppressed by a papal bull in 1571 though an associated order of women continued into the 20th century. Origin The origin of ...
order was suppressed and St. Catherine's church and monastery closed. All three ruling groups of Locarno agreed to convert the church and monastery into the Hospital S. Carlo. The Hospital remained until 1854 when it closed, due to financial reasons. In the 16th century, Locarno's population declined as a result of the exodus of Protestants and the plague in 1576–77. After a recovery in the 17th century, the population declined considerably in the 18th century again.


Protestant Reformation

By 1535, there was a
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
community known as the ''ecclesia christiana locarnensis'' in Locarno. They owed their existence to the work of Giovanni Beccaria, several notables of the town (including Taddeo Duni) and religious refugees from
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
and Piedmont. To counteract the tensions, the Protestant community and the Catholic clergy met for a debate on 8 May 1549. At the end of the debate, Beccaria was imprisoned. However, because of protests against his arrest, he was immediately released. In 1550, Locarno declared itself to be a Catholic town, but a large group continued to practice the Protestant faith. However, in 1554, the Diet of Baden issued an ultimatum to the Protestants, either renounce new faith or go into exile. On 3 March 1555, over 100 people left Locarno to emigrate to
Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...
. In the course of Counter-Reformation in the 17th century, many religious buildings in Locarno were renewed or rebuilt. These include the 1604 church dedicated to SS Sebastiano e Rocco with the Capuchin monastery and the church of S. Maria Assunta (Chiesa Nuova).


The Canton of Ticino

Under the Helvetic Republic (1798–1803) Locarno was part of the
Canton of Lugano Lugano was the name of a canton of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, with its capital at Lugano. The canton unified the former Landvogteien of Lugano, Mendrisio, Locarno and Valmaggia. As with the other cantons of the Helvetic Republic, t ...
. Following the collapse of the Helvetic Republic, the
Act of Mediation The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasi ...
, in 1803, created the Canton of Ticino with Locarno as an independent municipality. The Helvetic Republic was very liberal and attempted to reform much of Swiss society. However, the changes were too great and the Republic collapsed. The compromise Act of Mediation changed some aspects of society but left others unchanged. The new municipality of Lucarno was no longer ruled by three different '' patriziati'', which had emerged from the three groups (nobles, ''borghesi'' and ''terrieri''), but until the mid-19th century there were institutions that reached back to the
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...
. For example, the community of Locarno and Ascona was dissolved in 1805. Nevertheless, a "committee of the representatives of the former communities of Locarno" managed, for several decades, the S. Carlo Hospital and schools, which had been shared by the ''patriziati'' of the old, combined community. However, the power of the old ''patriziati'' gradually weakened. In 1859, the ''terrieri'' decided to set aside their corporation. The nobles corporation distributed its assets in 1866–67 to its members and dissolved the archive, but retained until about 1920, the fishing rights. Only the citizens' corporation has preserved its status as a civil community. The Constitution of 1814, established Locarno, Bellinzona and
Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
as the capitals of the canton, in a six-year rotation. Locarno was the capital of the canton in 1821–27, 1839–45, 1857–63 and 1875–81. In 1838–39, on the initiative of a group of notables, a government building was built. It was sold in 1893 to a private company. It then became the headquarters of Credito Ticinese and since 1917 it has been the headquarters of the Electricity Company of Sopraceneri. Locarno was repeatedly the scene of political clashes. In 1839 and 1841, uprisings against the government broke out. In 1855, a murder in a coffee house was used as a pretext for a coup of radicals (''pronunciamento''). Another coup, the Ticino coup of 1890, did nothing to change the balance of power between the parties in the city. After a liberal
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
ruled for 35 consecutive years (1865–80), a conservative mayor ruled for another 36 years (1880–1916). To break the conservative hegemony of the late 19th century, the
Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
, allied with the Liberals in 1916 elections. They succeeded to a majority in the city government (which then consisted of nine members, but in 1987 was limited to seven), which they kept in the following decades. In the 19th century, the population in Locarno grew noticeably compared to neighbouring communities. As early as 1836, the immigrant population was over 16% of the population. Between 1860 and 1880, the population fell slightly mainly because of emigration to
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. In the following decades, the growth rates were below those of other population centers of the canton, which, unlike Locarno, benefited directly from the Gotthard railway. In 1816, the special rights and title of the old mother church of San Vittore in
Muralto Muralto is a municipality in the district of Locarno, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Geography Muralto has an area, , of . Of this area, or 71.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 3.3% is forested. Of the rest of the lan ...
went over to S. Antonio Abate. In 1863, snow collecting on the roof of the church caused the
vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...
to collapse, killing 40 people. The citizens collective or ''borghesi'' lacked the resources to repair the church. Therefore, in 1866, the ownership and maintenance of the churches of S. Antonio and S. Maria in Selva were given to the town as a whole. For financial reasons, the collapsed church was not completely repaired. Only the façade and central vault were rebuilt and the choir was expanded. Between 1863 and '74, church of San Francesco had to be used for services, and after 1798, the Assemblies of the neighbourhoods, the city and the county were held in the church. In 1814, the church of San Francesco was secularized and the
Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
had to leave. The church and convent served from 1821 until 1827 as the State Government offices. From 1848 to 1863, the church was closed for worship, and in 1874 it was converted into a barracks and a salt storage. In 1924, it was converted back into a church and used by Benedictines for
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
services delivered in the
German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...
. The
Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...
took over this task from 1947 until 1992. The monastery was secularized in 1848, and after the 1893–94 renovation, it housed the first high school. Then in 1930, it was used for teacher training.


Modern Locarno

Between 1935 and '92, the newspaper, ''L'Eco di Locarno'' was printed in Locarno. In 1992, it merged with the official newspaper of the Liberal party ''Il dovere'' to create the daily newspaper ''La Regione''. Since 1987, the only German language newspaper in Ticino, the ''Tessiner Zeitung'', is published three times each week in Locarno.


Geography

Locarno has an area, , of . Of this area, or 43.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 31.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 25.5% is settled (buildings or roads), or 6.5% is either rivers or lakes and or 4.7% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 1.4% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 10.3% and transportation infrastructure made up 7.6%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 2.6% of the area while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 3.6%. Out of the forested land, 28.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 2.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 31.2% is used for growing crops, while 2.1% is used for orchards or vine crops and 10.3% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 0.8% is in lakes and 5.7% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 4.6% is unproductive vegetation. The municipality is the capital of its district. Locarno is located on the left shore of Lake Maggiore. The city is made up of the old town (historic settlement center), the new town (Nuovo quartiere) toward the lake and the land district (quartiere Campagna) toward Solduno. The area of the municipality extends from the lake (elevation ) to the mountains above the city (Monti della SS Trinità, Bre, Cardada and Cimetta, highest point at ). It includes a large part of the Magadino valley along with the right side of the
Ticino river The river Ticino ( , ; lmo, Tesín; French and german: Tessin; la, Ticīnus) is the most important perennial left-bank tributary of the Po. It has given its name to the Swiss canton through which its upper portion flows. It is one of the four ...
, and stretches from the Bolle di Magadino to Monda Contone.


Climate

Located on the southern Alpine foothills, Locarno is amongst the warmest places in Switzerland, along with
Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
and Grono. It is also amongst its wettest places, receiving of
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
per year (in comparison Stalden receives only 545 mm). The wettest month is September during which time Locarno receives an average of of precipitation, followed by May during which time Locarno receives an average of of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 4.5 days. Although a wet location in general, Locarno averages 99.3 precipitation days and as much as 2171 hours of sunshine per year, or 56% of possible sunshine. The high number of sunshine hours and precipitation is explained by the high intensity of rainfalls that affect the region. In comparison, Sion has fewer sunshine hours with three times less precipitation. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as on the border between temperate
oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...
(''Cfb'') and
humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(''Cfa'').


Coat of arms

The
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...
of the municipal
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
is ''Azure a lion rampant argent.''


Demographics

Locarno has a population () of . , 33.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Superweb database – Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008
accessed 19 June 2010
Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of 3.7%. Most of the population () speaks Italian (76.6%), with German being second most common (10.5%) and
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...
being third (3.1%).STAT-TAB Datenwürfel für Thema 40.3 – 2000
accessed 5 March 2014
Of the Swiss national languages (), 1,528 speak German, 189 people speak French, 11,153 people speak Italian, and 27 people speak Romansh. The remainder (1,664 people) speak another language.Popolazione residente, secondo la lingua principale e la religione, nel 2000
accessed 23 November 2010
, the gender distribution of the population was 46.5% male and 53.5% female. The population was made up of 4,421 Swiss men (29.1% of the population), and 2,636 (17.4%) non-Swiss men. There were 5,654 Swiss women (37.2%), and 2,474 (16.3%) non-Swiss women. In there were 83 live births to Swiss citizens and 45 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in the same time span, there were 115 deaths of Swiss citizens and 33 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 32 while the foreign population increased by 12. There were 14 Swiss men and 3 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 87 non-Swiss men and 78 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 159 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 55 people. This represents a
population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...
of 1.4%. The age distribution, , in Locarno is; 1,205 children or 7.9% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 1,454 teenagers or 9.6% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 1,791 people or 11.8% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 2,002 people or 13.2% are between 30 and 39, 2,442 people or 16.1% are between 40 and 49, and 1,979 people or 13.0% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 1,767 people or 11.6% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 1,541 people or 10.1% are between 70 and 79, there are 1,004 people or 6.6% who are over 80.01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente
accessed 23 November 2010
, there were 6,730 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.1 persons per household.
accessed 3 December 2010
there were 904 single family homes (or 42.1% of the total) out of a total of 2,147 inhabited buildings. There were 252 two family buildings (11.7%) and 480 multi-family buildings (22.4%). There were also 511 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.63%. there were 8,647 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 3,068. There were 856 single room apartments and 877 apartments with five or more rooms.09.02.02 Abitazioni
accessed 23 November 2010
Of these apartments, a total of 6,709 apartments (77.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 1,695 apartments (19.6%) were seasonally occupied and 243 apartments (2.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 10.5 new units per 1000 residents. the average price to rent an average apartment in Locarno was 1046.19 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$840, £470, €670 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 611.61 CHF (US$490, £280, €390), a two-room apartment was about 816.64 CHF (US$650, £370, €520), a three-room apartment was about 1007.47 CHF (US$810, £450, €640) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1896.51 CHF (US$1520, £850, €1210). The average apartment price in Locarno was 93.7% of the national average of 1116 CHF.Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Rental prices
2003 data accessed 26 May 2010


Historic population

The historical population is given in the following table:


Heritage sites of national significance

There are nine Swiss heritage site of national significance in Locarno. Three of the sites are churches; the church of S. Francesco and former convent, the church of S. Maria Assunta (new church) and the house of the canons and the church of S. Maria in Selva with Cemetery. The ''Castello Visconteo'' complex (part of which may have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci) is on the list. Two schools, the Ai Saleggi primary school and the Secondary School at via Dr. G. Varesi 30, as well as the Cantonal Library, are also listed. The last two are the Pinacoteca comunale Casa Rusca at piazza Sant’Antonio and the Casorella at Via Bartolomeo Rusca 5 make up the rest of the list. The entire city of Locarno is listed on the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. File:Locarno Castello Visconteo.JPG, Castello Visconteo File:Locarno Castello Visconteo 2.JPG, Castello Visconteo File:Santa Maria in Selva, affreschi, XV sec 02.jpg, Santa Maria in Selva mural File:Santa Maria in Selva, affreschi, XV sec.jpg, Santa Maria in Selva mural


Main sights

Locarno has a number of interesting sights that draw tourists year-round.


Astrovia Locarno

The Astrovia Locarno is a 1 : 1,000,000,000 scale model of the
Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...
. The Sun can be found at the end of Via Gioacchino Respini where the cycle path, which runs alongside the river Maggia, starts.
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...
, the final planet in the model, can be found away from this starting point in the village of Tegna.


Madonna del Sasso, Cardada and Cimetta

The sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso in
Orselina Orselina is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Orselina is first mentioned in 1182 as ''Concilio Meziano''. In 1323 it was mentioned as ''Orsarina''. During the Middle Ages and into the Ea ...
above the city is the principal sight and goal of pilgrimage in the city. The founding of the sanctuary goes back to a vision of the Virgin Mary that the
Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
brother Bartolomeo d'Ivrea experienced in the night of 14/15 August 1480. The interior is highly decorated, and a platform has views of the city. The Locarno–Madonna del Sasso funicular links Locarno city centre with the Madonna del Sasso sanctuary and Orselina. From Orselina, a cable car operates to the top of Cardada (el. ), and a
chair lift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...
goes further to the top of Cimetta (el. ).


Castello Visconteo

Castello Visconteo, on the edge of the old town, was built in the 12th century, probably as the residence of a Captain Orelli, who remained true to the Emperor. In 1260, it fell into the hands of the
Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...
s. In 1342 the Visconti of Milan, for whom it is now named, attacked the castle from both the land and the lakeside and took it. It first came into the hands of the ''
Eidgenossen ''Eidgenossenschaft'' () is a German word specific to the political history of Switzerland. It means "oath commonwealth" or "oath alliance" in reference to the "eternal pacts" formed between the Eight Cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy of th ...
'' in 1503. Today, only a fifth of the original structure remains. Most of that dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Only the foundation remains from the original structure.


Politics

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 34.88% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (19.72%), the CVP (18.75%) and the
Ticino League The Ticino League ( it, Lega dei Ticinesi) is a regionalist, national-conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino. The party was founded in 1991 by entrepreneur Giuliano Bignasca and journalist Flavio Maspoli. ...
(9.54%). In the federal election, a total of 3,303 votes were cast, and the
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Univ ...
was 40.5%. In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 8,555 registered voters in Locarno, of which 4,291 or 50.2% voted. 90 blank ballots and 15 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,186 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT which received 913 or 21.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the SSI (with 822 or 19.6%), the PS (with 790 or 18.9%) and the PPD+GenGiova (with 703 or 16.8%).Elezioni cantonali: Gran Consiglio, Consiglio di Stato
accessed 23 November 2010
In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 66 blank ballots and 23 null ballots were cast, leaving 4,202 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 946 or 22.5% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 837 or 19.9%), the SSI (with 768 or 18.3%) and the PPD (with 714 or 17.0%).


Economy

, Locarno had an unemployment rate of 5.93%. , there were 86 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 23 businesses involved in this sector. 2,385 people were employed in the
secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in constructi ...
and there were 158 businesses in this sector. 7,338 people were employed in the
tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
, with 920 businesses in this sector. There were 6,688 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 46.6% of the workforce. , there were 7,550 workers who commuted into the municipality and 2,864 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.6 workers entering the municipality for everyone leaving. About 12.1% of the workforce coming into Locarno are coming from outside Switzerland, while none of the locals counted in the census, commute out of Switzerland for work.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Statweb
accessed 24 June 2010
Of the working population, 10.5% used public transportation to get to work, and 44.1% used a private car. , there were 30 hotels in Locarno with a total of 777 rooms and 1,536 beds.


Religion

From the , 10,179 or 69.9% were
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
, while 1,072 or 7.4% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There are 2,307 individuals (or about 15.84% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 1,003 individuals (or about 6.89% of the population) did not answer the question.


Education

In Locarno about 57.1% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a '' Fachhochschule''). In Locarno there were a total of 2,210 students (). The Ticino
education system The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...
and in Locarno, there were 292 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the village, 648 students attended the standard primary schools and 65 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 512 students in the two-year middle school and 10 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 203 students were in the four-year advanced program. The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 146 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 293 who attend part-time. The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 41 students in the professional program. , there were 1,484 students in Locarno who came from another municipality, while 405 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Locarno is home to the ''Biblioteca Cantonale Locarno'' library. The library has () 122,115 books or other media, and loaned out 97,667 items in the same year. It was open a total of 264 days with an average of 44 hours per week during that year.


Transport


Air

Locarno is served by Locarno Airport, a mixed civilian and military airport.


Rail

Locarno railway station, situated in
Muralto Muralto is a municipality in the district of Locarno, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Geography Muralto has an area, , of . Of this area, or 71.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 3.3% is forested. Of the rest of the lan ...
, is served by the Swiss Federal Railways' Giubiasco–Locarno railway, a branch from the Gotthard railway. Underground, there is a terminal for the Domodossola–Locarno railway, a metre gauge link to Italy operated in Switzerland by the Regional Bus and Rail Company of Ticino.


Crime

In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the
Swiss Criminal Code , french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer , citation = , territorial_extent = Switzerland , enacted_by = Federal Assembly of Switzerland , date_enacted = 20 Decemb ...
(running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Locarno was 77.9 per thousand residents, which was 20.6% higher than the national average (64.6). During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 27.2 per thousand residents. This rate is 138.6% greater than the rate in the district, 209.1% greater than the cantonal rate and 174.7% greater than the national rate. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 2.6 per thousand residents. This rate is lower than average, only 72.2% of the rate in the canton and only 53.1% of the rate for the entire country.


Sports

Locarno has a football team,
FC Locarno FC Locarno is a Swiss football club based in Locarno in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in southern Switzerland. As of the 2019–20 season, Locarno play in the Swiss sixth level, 2. Liga. History The club, founded in 1906, spent most ...
. As of the 2012–2013 season they play in the Swiss Challenge League, the 2nd tier of the Swiss football league system.


Notable people

* Giuseppe Antonio Orelli (1700 or 1706 in Locarno – died after 1776), a Swiss-Italian painter, mainly of sacred subjects *
Franz Anton Bustelli Franz Anton Bustelli (12 April 1723 – 18 April 1763) was a Swiss-born German modeller for the Bavarian Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory from 1754 to his death in 1763. He is widely regarded as the finest modeller of porcelain in the Rococo ...
(1723 in Locarno – 1763), modeller for the Bavarian Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory from 1754 *
William Bally William Bally (1796 – 8 November 1858) was a Swiss sculptor and phrenologist active in Manchester, United Kingdom. Life Born in 1796 in Locarno, Switzerland, William Bally travelled as an artist with Johann Caspar Spurzheim from 1829. In 1 ...
(1796 in Locarno – 1858), a Swiss sculptor and
phrenologist Phrenology () is a pseudoscience which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.Wihe, J. V. (2002). "Science and Pseudoscience: A Primer in Critical Thinking." In ''Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience'', pp. 195–203. C ...
active in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, UK * Giovanni Battista Pioda (1808 in Locarno – 1882), a Swiss politician, member of the
Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...
1857–1864 *
Otto Braun Otto Braun (28 January 1872 – 15 December 1955) was a politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) during the Weimar Republic. From 1920 to 1932, with only two brief interruptions, Braun was Minister President of the Free State ...
(1872–1955 in Locarno), German politician, Prime Minister of Prussia 1920 to 1932, lived in exile from 1933 * Karl Rapp (1882–1962 in Locarno), a German founder and owner of
Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH was a German aircraft engine manufacturer based in Munich, Bavaria. Founded in 1913, the firm changed its name in 1917 to Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH (BMW). The company later became known as after its engine-production a ...
* Teresina Bontempi (Locarno, 1883–1968), an Italian-speaking Swiss writer and editor *
Fritz Glarner Fritz Glarner (July 20, 1899 in Zurich – September 18, 1972 in Locarno) was a Swiss-American painter. Glarner was a leading proponent of so-called Concrete Art, an artists' movement whose roots lead back to the painters of De Stijl and ...
(1899–1972 in Locarno) a Swiss-American painter * Robert Gilbert (1899–1978 in Minusio), a German composer of light music, lyricist, singer and actor * Mattli (1907 in Locarno – 1982), also known as ''Jo Mattli'', a Swiss-born and London-based fashion designer * Remo Rossi (1909 in Locarno – 1982), Swiss sculptor *
Patricia Highsmith Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novel ...
(1921-1995) an American novelist and short story writer, lived in Locarno from 1982 *
Mirko Ellis Mirko Ellis (4 September 1923 – 11 September 2014) was a Swiss-Italian film, stage and television actor. Born Mirko Korcinsky in Locarno to a family of Lithuanian origin, Ellis moved, after his studies, to Italy, where he made his film debut i ...
(1923 in Locarno – 2014), a Swiss-Italian film, stage and television actor * Walo Lüönd (1927–2012 in Locarno), a Swiss movie actorIMDb Database
retrieved 22 January 2019
*
Livio Vacchini Livio Vacchini (February 27, 1933 – April 2, 2007) was a Swiss architect from Ticino. Life Livio Vacchini was born in Locarno. From 1953 to 1958 he studied architecture at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. After a stay in Stoc ...
(1933 in Locarno – 2007), a Swiss architect * Felice Varini (born 1952 in Locarno), a Paris-based Swiss artist * Raffaello Ossola (born 1954 in Locarno), a painter, lives in Italy * Francesco Piemontesi (born 1983 in Locarno), a Swiss pianist ; Sport * Đurđica Bjedov (born 1947), a retired Yugoslav swimmer of
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
n nationality, lives in Locarno * Claudio Mezzadri (born 1965 in Locarno), a retired professional tennis player * Anamarija Petričević (born 1972), a retired Croatian swimmer, lived in Locarno since 1999 *
Oliver Neuville Oliver Patric Neuville (, born 1 May 1973) is a German former footballer who played as a striker. During an 18-year professional career he played mainly for Bayer Leverkusen (five seasons) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (six), amassing Bundeslig ...
(born 1973 in Locarno), a German retired footballer, won 519 club caps and 69 for the German national team *
Iradj Alexander Iradj Alexander (born September 17, 1975 in Locarno) is a race car driver. From 2001 until 2004 he competed in the FIA GT Championship for JMB Ferrari, although 2002 was his only full season. He also competed in the American Le Mans Series (200 ...
(born 1975 in Locarno), a race car driver * Charyl Chappuis (born 1992 in Locarno), a Thai footballer, won two consecutive
AFF Championship The ASEAN Football Federation Championship (less formally the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup for sponsorship reason, is the primary association football tournament organized by the ASEAN Football ...
s with Thailand * Saulo Decarli (born 1992 in Locarno), a Swiss footballer, won almost 200 club caps


International relations

Locarno is twinned with:


See also

* Locarno Treaties


References


External links


The city of Locarno official websiteOfficial Website of Ascona-Locarno TourismThe old town of LocarnoPhoto tour of the Astrovia LocarnoCastello Visconteo information
* {{Authority control Cities in Switzerland Free imperial cities Cultural property of national significance in Ticino Populated places on Lake Maggiore Lakeside resorts in Switzerland