Russo is a village and former municipality in the district of

Locarno , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...

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 . ...

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 ...

. In 1995 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Comologno and Crana to form a new and larger municipality

Onsernone Onsernone is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Ticino, near the city of Locarno. The river Isorno runs through this valley. The municipality was created in 1995 by a merger of Comologno, Crana and Russo.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 14 January 2010

History

Russo is first mentioned in 1231 as ''de Ruxi''. In 1277 it was mentioned as ''Rusio''. During 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 {{disambig ...

, Russo belonged to the ''Squadra'' of Russo, part of the old municipality of Onsernone. 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 or m ...

was probably created in 1656, when it separated from Loco. It included Comologno until 1715, Vergeletto until 1757, and Crana until 1787. 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 S. Maria Assunta is first mentioned in 1365, and was renovated in 1995-2002. Until about the mid-20th Century, agriculture, animal husbandry and

straw plaiting Straw plaiting is a method of manufacturing textiles by braiding straw and the industry that surrounds the craft of producing these straw manufactures. Straw is plaited to produce products including straw hats and ornaments, and the process is ...

were the main sources of income in the village. This was supplemented by the traditional

seasonal migration Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of Migration (ecology), migration in ecology. It is found in all major animal groups, including Bird migrat ...

. While the number of inhabitants had decreased consistently over the decades, it began increasing in the 1970s. In 1989, the opening of the ''Centro sociale onsernonese'' nursing home provided a few dozen jobs in the village.

Historic population

The historical population is given in the following table:

References

Former municipalities of Ticino Villages in Onsernone {{Ticino-geo-stub