Martell (; it, Martello ) is a valley and ''
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 ...
. It is located in the Martell Valley of the long river
Plima
The Plima ( it, Rio Plima; german: Plima) is a stream in South Tyrol, Italy. It flows into the Adige near Latsch
Latsch (; it, Laces ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest ...
, about west 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 ...
. The commune reaches from an elevation of up to the of the Zufallspitze (Italian: Monte Cevedale) which towers over the southeastern end of the valley.
Geography
As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 884 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.]
Martell borders mainly to the municipality of
Latsch at the bottom of the valley. Other neighbors based in the
Vinschgau of the
Adige
The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the pro ...
are
Stilfs
Stilfs (; it, Stelvio ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located near the northern ramp of the Stelvio Pass.
The municipality of Stilfs contains the ''frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainly villag ...
,
Laas and
Schlanders.
Ulten is in the neighboring valley to the East, while
Peio
Peio (''Péj'' in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about northwest of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,892 and an area of .All ...
,
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
and
Valfurva
Valfurva (''Valforba'' in lombard) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Sondrio, in the Alps. As of 31 December 2004, it had a popul ...
are to the south.
Frazioni
Apart from the main village of Gand (Ganda), the municipality of Martell 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 era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) of Ennetal (Val d'Enne), Ennewasser (Transacqua), Gand (Ganda), Meiern, and Sonnenberg (Montesole), as well as several farms and hotels.
History
Coat-of-arms
The emblem shows
two-headed sable eagle, with an
or halo, placed on
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 ...
mountain and
azure background. The two colors means that the municipality reaches a high altitude, up to the glaciers. According to legend, the right to adorn the city arms with the imperial eagle was recognized for the courage showed, from the residents, in the Battle of ''Schanzen'' nearby Colorano. The emblem was adopted in 1969.
Society
Linguistic distribution
According to the 2011 census, 100% of the population speak German as first language,
making it the only comune in Italy without any native speakers of Italian.
Demographic evolution
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References
External links
Homepage of the municipality
{{Authority control
Municipalities of South Tyrol