Rodeneck (; it, Rodengo ) 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 ...

Geography

Rodeneck borders the following municipalities:

Kiens Kiens (; it, Chienes ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,726 and an area of .Overall demographics and other statistics ...

Lüsen Lüsen (; it, Luson ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol, located about northeast of the city of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 1,543 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian ...

, Mühlbach,

Natz-Schabs Natz-Schabs (; it, Naz-Sciaves ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of the city of Bolzano. Pope Benedict XVI, whose maternal grandmother and great grandmother were born there, became an hon ...

St. Lorenzen St. Lorenzen (; it, San Lorenzo di Sebato ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano. As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 3,752 and an area of .All demographics and other sta ...

and

Vintl Vintl (; it, Vandoies ; Ladin: ''Vandoies''), is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano. Geography As of November 30, 2010, it had a population of 3,264 and an area of .All demographics ...

. In Rodeneck there are 7 municipal fractions: Vill, the largest and most populous fraction of the municipality, Nauders, Gifen, St. Pauls, Spisses, Ahnerberg and Fröllerberg, the municipal fraction with the fewest inhabitants

History

Origin

The presence of non-local

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

and

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

fragments suggests that the area was inhabited by hunters during the middle

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

(5000 BC). The discovery of middle

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 pri ...

forts dates permanent settlement to at least 1500 BC. The community was mentioned by name for the first time in the ''Actum Rotungun'' of 1050 AD as a place that made donations to the bishop. In the following centuries, the name has appeared in a variety of forms. Between 1140 and 1147 Bishop Hartmann of

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic an ...

made the town an

alod Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property (land, buildings, and fixtures) that is independent of any superior landlord. Allodial title is related to the concept of land held "in allodium", or land ownership by occupancy and defens ...

and bestowed it upon his

ministerialis The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a class of people raised up from serfdom and placed in positions of power and responsibility in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire. The word and its German translations, ''Minis ...

Frederick II and his wife Gerbirg, who built a castle there. At the start of the 19th century Rodeneck became an independent municipality, administered from 1822 by its own mayor. In 1926, the municipality lost its autonomy and became part of the municipality of Mühlbach, and then winning back its independence in 1955 after a long struggle.

Coat-of-arms

The emblem is azure a

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

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 ...

. It is the insignia of the Lords of ''Rodank'' who built the ''Rodenegg'' Castle in 1140. The coat of arms was granted in 1969.

Society

Linguistic distribution

According to the 2011 census, 99.65% of the population speak German, 0.26% Italian and 0.09%

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.

References

Bibliography

* Freed, John B. (1995). ''Noble Bondsmen: Ministerial Marriages in the Archdiocese of Salzburg, 1100–1343''. (Ithaca, NY:

Cornell University Press The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in th ...

External links

Official website

{{Authority control Municipalities of South Tyrol