Pontida (
Bergamasque
The Bergamasque dialect is the western variant of the Eastern Lombard group of the Lombard language. It is mainly spoken in the province of Bergamo and in the area around Crema, in central Lombardy.
Bergamasque has official status in the p ...
: ) 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 the
Province of Bergamo in the
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 ...
region of
Lombardy, located about northeast 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 ...
and about northwest of
Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,112 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 ...
.
It has been the location of the
Pontida's Oath on 7 April 1167.
Pontida received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on July 11, 2006.
Geography
The municipality of Pontida 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) Boffuro, Buttarello, Cà Barile, Cà Frosco, Cà Pietaglio, Canto, Cerchiera, Costa, Gaggio Sopra, Gaggio Sotto, Ghiringhello, Grombosco, Gromfaleggio, Massera, Metà Ripa di Sotto, Odiago, Roncallo, Sotto i Ronchi, Torchio, Valmora
Pontida borders the following municipalities:
Ambivere,
Brivio,
Calco,
Caprino Bergamasco,
Carvico
Carvico (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about west of Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,355 and an area ...
,
Cisano Bergamasco
Cisano Bergamasco ( Bergamasque: or ; Brianzöö: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, northern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southe ...
,
Palazzago,
Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII,
Villa d'Adda.
Demographic evolution
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History
Pontida's main claim to historical renown is due to the
Oath of Pontida
The oath of Pontida (''Giurament de Pontida'' in Lombard, ''Giuramento di Pontida'' in Italian), according to tradition, would have been a ceremony that would have sanctioned on 7 April 1167, in the abbey of Pontida, near Bergamo, in Italy, the ...
, signed there in 1167 and marking the foundation of the
Lombard League,
[Lexikon des Mittelalters: Band IV Seite 931] which nine years later would go on to defeat
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 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 o ...
at the
Battle of Legnano.
The "Oath of Pontida" often inspired Italian nationalists during the 19th century
Risorgimento
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
, struggling against the Austrian occupation, and seeing this historical event as a precedent and inspiration for their own struggle.
References
{{Bergamo-geo-stub