Mals (; it, Malles Venosta ) 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

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

in northern

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 ...

, located about northwest of

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

, on the border with

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

History

Coat-of-arms

The emblem is party per fess: the upper of

gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

fess In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English ''fesse'', from Old French ''faisse'', from Latin ''fascia'', "band") is a charge on a coat of arms (or flag) that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield.Wo ...

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

, at the bottom or three gules circles arranged in a triangle upside-down. It is the combination of coats of arms of the

House of Austria The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

and

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...

. The emblem was adopted in 1928.

Geography

As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 5,092 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 ...

. The

Zerzer Tal The Zerzer Tal is a side valley of the Vinschgau in South Tyrol, 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, ...

, a

side valley Side valleys and tributary valleys are valleys whose brooks or rivers flow into greater ones. Upstream, the valleys can be classified in an increasing order which is equivalent to the usual orographic order: the tributaries are ordered from th ...

of the

Vinschgau The Vinschgau, Vintschgau () or Vinschgau Valley ( it, Val Venosta ; rm, Vnuost ; lld, Val Venuesta; medieval toponym: ''Finsgowe'') is the upper part of the Adige or Etsch river valley, in the western part of the province of South Tyrol, Italy. ...

, is in Mals. Mals borders the following municipalities:

Graun im Vinschgau Graun im Vinschgau (; it, Curon Venosta ; rm, La Carun) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a village in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of Bolzano, on the border with Austria and Switzerland. Geography At 1 January 201 ...

Glurns Glurns (; it, Glorenza ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 876 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: I ...

, Laas,

Scuol Scuol () is a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Grisons. The official language in Scuol is Romansh. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Ardez, Guarda, Tarasp, Ftan and Sent merged into S ...

(Switzerland),

Schnals Schnals (; it, Senales ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the autonomous province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria. The municipality includes large parts of the Schnalst ...

Sent Sent is a former municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss Canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Ardez, Guarda, Tarasp, Ftan and Sent merged into the municipality of Scuol.

(Switzerland),

Schlanders Schlanders (; it, Silandro ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about west of the city of Bolzano. Overview Schlanders borders the following municipalities: Latsch, Laas, Mals, Martell, Schnals. Schl ...

Schluderns Schluderns (; it, Sluderno ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 1,831 and an area of .All demographics and other statisti ...

Sölden Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. Geography At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tou ...

(Austria), and

Taufers im Münstertal Taufers im Münstertal (; it, Tubre ; rm, Tuer) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about west of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Switzerland. Geography As of November 30, 2010, it had a population ...

Frazioni

The municipality of Mals contains the ''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...

'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets): Burgeis (Burgusio), Laatsch (Laudes), Matsch (Mazia), Planeil (Planol), Plawenn (Piavenna), Schleis (Clusio), (Slingia), Tartsch (Tarces), and Ulten-Alsack (Alsago-Ultimo).

Climate and Temperature

Mals has a cool, wet climate. Frost is common from October to May and is even recorded in the summer, although temperatures below -1C are rare from June to September. Most winter days fail to rise above freezing. Summer is generally mild, but most summers see temperatures rise above 20C on several days.

Transportation

The commune is the northern terminus of the train from

Meran Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...

. The trip from Merano takes approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. Trains depart hourly. There is also local bus service between Mals and Schlanders.

Notable people

Johann Rufinatscha Johann Rufinatscha (1 October 1812 – 25 May 1893) was an Austrian composer, theorist and music teacher. Life Rufinatscha was born in 1812 in Mals (Austria, now in the Italian province of South Tyrol). At the age of 14 he came to Innsbruck ...

(1812–1893), an Austrian composer, theorist and music teacher *

Walter Caldonazzi Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

(1916-1945), an important resistance fighter against Nazi Germany *

Karl Plattner Karl Plattner (February 13, 1919 in Mals, Italy – December 8, 1986 in Milan, Italy) was a Southtyrolian Painter. Biography Plattner was born in 1919 as one of ten children in the Obervinschgau. After he left school, he apprenticed as a pai ...

(1919–1986), painter. * Gabriel Grüner (1963-1999), journalist for Stern magazine, shot by Yugoslav soldiers

Society

Linguistic distribution

According to the 2011 census, 96.92% of the population speak

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 ...

, 3.00%

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 ...

and 0.08%

Ladin Ladin may refer to: * Ladin language, a language in northern Italy, often classified as a Rhaeto-Romance language *Ladin people, the inhabitants of the Dolomite Alps region of northern Italy See also *Laden (disambiguation) * Ladino (disambigua ...

as first language.

Demographic evolution

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Gallery

File:Mals, die Sankt Benedikt Kirche Dm15779 foto1 2012-08-13 10.44.jpg, St. Benedict's Church in Mals File:ChiesaTarces2.JPG, ''St. Veit am Bichl'' in Tartsch File:Mals, toren foto8 2012-08-13 10.26.jpg, Tower of the old St. John's Church File:Mals, der Fröhlichsturm Dm15773 foto5 2012-08-13 10.32.jpg, The tower ''Fröhlichsturm'' in Mals

References

External links

Municipality of Mals Homepage
(in German and Italian)

(English) {{Authority control Municipalities of South Tyrol