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Lugano ( , , ; ) is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
and municipality within the
Lugano District The Lugano District ( also called Luganese) is a district of Canton of Ticino, southern Switzerland. The capital is the city of Lugano. It has a population of (as of ). Geography The Lugano District has an area, , of . Of this area, or 15.7% ...
in the canton of
Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an
urban agglomeration An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
of over 150,000. It is the ninth largest Swiss city. The city lies on
Lake Lugano Lake Lugano ( or , from ; ) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated between Lake Como and Lago Maggiore. It was cited for the first t ...
, at its largest width, and, together with the adjacent town of Paradiso, occupies the entire bay of Lugano. The territory of the municipality encompasses a much larger region on both sides of the lake, with numerous isolated villages. The region of Lugano is surrounded by the
Lugano Prealps The Lugano Prealps (''Prealpi Luganesi'' or ''Prealpi Lombarde Occidentali'' in Italian language, Italian) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Canton Ticino (southern Switzerland) and Lombardy (northern Ital ...
, the latter extending on most of the
Sottoceneri The Sottoceneri ('Under the Ceneri'; ) is the part of the Swiss canton of Ticino that lies to the south of the Monte Ceneri Pass through the Lugano Prealps. It includes the Swiss shore of Lake Lugano, and the cities and towns of Lugano, Mendrisi ...
region, the southernmost part of
Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
and
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. Both western and eastern parts of the municipality share an international border with Italy. Described as a market town since 984, Lugano was the object of continuous disputes between the sovereigns of
Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...
and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
until it became part of the
Old Swiss Confederation The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...
in 1513. In 1803, the political municipality of Lugano was created, following the establishment of the canton. Since 1882, Lugano has been an important stop on the international Gotthard Railway. The rail brought a decisive contribution to the development of tourism and more generally of the tertiary sector which are, to this day, predominant in the economy of the city.


Name and coat of arms

The toponym is first recorded in 804 AD, in the form ''Luanasco'', in 874 as ''Luano'', and from 1189 as ''Lugano''. Traditional German-language variants of the name (now virtually unused) are , ''Lauis'', ''Lauwis'', ''Louwerz''. The local Lombard form of the name is rendered . The etymology of the name is uncertain, suggestions include derivation from
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
("grove"), from a
Vulgar Latin Vulgar Latin, also known as Colloquial, Popular, Spoken or Vernacular Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. ''Vulgar Latin'' a ...
''*lakvannus'' ("lake-dweller") and from the god
Lugus Lugus (sometimes Lugos or Lug) is a Celtic god whose worship is attested in the epigraphic record. No depictions of the god are known. Lugus perhaps also appears in Ancient Rome, Roman sources and medieval Insular Celts, Insular mythology. Va ...
. In Romansch, especially in traditional
Sursilvan Sursilvan (; also ''romontsch sursilvan'' ; Sursilvan, Vallader, Surmiran, Sutsilvan, and Rumantsch Grischun: ''sursilvan''; Puter: ''sursilvaun'') is a group of dialects of the Romansh language spoken in the Swiss district of Surselva. It is ...
dialect, the city is known as ''Ligiaun''.


History


Pre-history

The shores of Lake Lugano have been inhabited since the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
. Within the modern city limits (Breganzona, Castagnola, Davesco and Gandria) several
ground stone In archaeology, ground stone is a category of stone tool formed by the grinding of a coarse-grained tool stone, either purposely or incidentally. Ground stone tools are usually made of basalt, rhyolite, granite, or other cryptocrystalline and ...
s or
quern-stone A quern-stone is a stone tool for hand-grinding a wide variety of materials, especially for various types of grains. They are used in pairs. The lower stationary stone of early examples is called a ''saddle quern'', while the upper mobile st ...
s have been found. In the area surrounding Lugano, items from the
Copper Age The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in dif ...
and the
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
have been found. There are
Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...
monuments at Davesco-Soragno (5th to 2nd century BC), Pregassona (3rd to 2nd century BC), and Viganello (3rd to 2nd century BC). Graves with jewellery and household items have been found in Aldesago, Davesco, Pazzallo and Pregassona along with
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
money in Viganello. The region around Lake Lugano was settled by the
Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
by the 1st century BC. There was an important Roman town north of Lugano at
Bioggio Bioggio is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lugano (district), Lugano, in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The municipality was created in 2004 with the union of old town of Bioggio with ...
. There are fewer traces of the Romans in Lugano, but several inscriptions, graves and coins indicate that some Romans lived in what would become Lugano.


Foundation of Lugano

The first written mention of a settlement at Lugano can be found in documents, which are of disputed authenticity, with which the Longobard king Liutprand ceded various assets located in Lugano to the Church of Saint Carpophorus in
Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...
in 724. Other documents, dating from 804 and 844 refer to Lake Lugano as Laco Luanasco, and an act of 984 indicates Lugano as a market town. During the fighting between
Guelphs and Ghibellines The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were Political faction, factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th ...
and the new disputes between Como and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, during the 14th and 15th centuries, Lugano was the scene of clashes between opposing forces. After a long rule by the Rusca family, Lugano was freed from the domination of Como, which had been taken over in 1335 from the
Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
. At the same time, the link between the town and the valley strengthened. By 1405–06 documents attest to a ''vallis comunitas Lugani et'', a governing body that was independent of Como. The new community included the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
es of Lugano, Agno,
Riva San Vitale Riva San Vitale is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland, located in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio. History Riva San Vitale is first mentioned in 774 as ' ...
and
Capriasca Capriasca is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lugano (district), Lugano in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The municipality was created in 2001 by a merger of Cagiallo, Lopagno, Rovered ...
. In 1416 the Duke of Milan,
Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447) was the duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan from 1412 to 1447. Reports stated that he was "paranoid", but "shrewd as a ruler." He went to war in the 1420s with Romagna, Republic of Florenc ...
, conquered the region of Lugano and the Rusca valley and made it a
fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
. A year later, Lugano's freedoms were first documented in a series of statutes modelled on those of Como. The town was able to secure complete independence.


Lugano during the Renaissance

File:Bernardino Luini - Crucifixion and Scenes from the Life of Christ - WGA13751.jpg, Fresco by
Bernardino Luini Bernardino Luini (/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described as having taken ...
, 1529 File:Cattedrale-di-San-Lorenzo-aerial-2.jpg, The 15th century Cathedral of San Lorenzo is now the seat of the
Diocese of Lugano The Diocese of Lugano (Latin: ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Switzerland covering the canton of Ticino. The diocese immediately subject to the Holy See. In 2004, there were 233,017 baptised perso ...
File:Aurèle Robert - Cathédrale de Lugano.jpg, Interior of Lugano Cathedral, built in the 15th century File:Gedeelte van de gevel van de Dom te Lugano, RP-T-1936-5(V).jpg, Drawing of the Lugano Cathedral, 1538 File:Aurèle Robert - Couvent à Lugano.jpg, Interior of the Franciscan Monastery, built in the 15th century File:La Piccionaia, via Pioda.jpg, Civic building from the 15th century
Between 1433 and 1438 the Duke of Milan sat as a feudal lord over Lugano. He compensated the Rusca family with the ownership of Locarno. Under the reign of his heirs in the following decades rebellions and riots broke out, which lasted until the French invasion of 1499.


Lugano as a dependency of the Old Swiss Confederacy

File:Villa Favorita Lugano 01.JPG, Villa Favorita, built in 1687 for Karl Konrad von Beroldingen Lugano was the object of continuous disputes between the sovereigns of Como and Milan, in particular by the powerful dynasties of the
Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
(rulers of Milan) and the Rusca (rulers of Como), until it became a Swiss dominion in 1513. An important name in this period was that of the
von Beroldingen The Beroldingen family is a prominent German noble family that can trace it's ancestry to Thurgau, in what is today Switzerland. History First documented in the 12th century, the family was ennobled in 1521 by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. F ...
, a noble family from
Uri Uri may refer to: Places * Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland * Úri, a village and commune in Hungary * Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India * Uri (island), off Malakula Island in V ...
, whose members between 1576 and 1798 served as chancellors of the ''Vogt'' residing in Lugano. A key member of this family was (1624–1706), who served as Lugano's chancellor and general captain, serving also Spain, and receiving the title of Baron from Leopold I in 1691. He commissioned the construction of Palazzo Beroldingen, on the site of the current , and , in Castagnola.


Lugano during the Enlightenment

File:Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Lugano Bailliage en Italie appartenant aux Suisses - 991035412299705501.jpg, View after 1714 File:Thomas Smith - Town and Lake of Lugano - B1975.4.1745 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, View in the mid-18th century File:CH-NB - Grafiken Orts- und Landschaftsansichten - GS-GRAF-ANSI-TI-69.tif, View in 1790 File:Henri Rollan Lancelot - Lago de Lugano.jpg, View in the late 18th century In 1746, the Agnelli brothers opened the first printing press and bookshop in Lugano. They began publishing the newspaper ''Nuove di diverse corti e paesi'' in 1748 and changed its name to ''Gazzetta di Lugano'' in 1797. The newspaper was widely read in north and central Italy. It supported the cause of the later
Jansenist Jansenism was a 17th- and 18th-century theological movement within Roman Catholicism, primarily active in France, which arose as an attempt to reconcile the theological concepts of free will and divine grace in response to certain development ...
s against the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
s and therefore was banned in 1768 in the territory of the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
. It was open to the themes of enlightened reform and the American Revolutionary War. It was the first newspaper in the Italian language to publish an excerpt from the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...
of 1776. After the death of Abbot Gian Battista Agnelli in 1788, who had been the editor for more than 40 years, Abbot Giuseppe Lodovico Maria Vanelli took over the paper. Under Abbot Vanelli, it supported the revolutionary ideas from France, which drew protests from the Austrian government in
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
. The publication of the magazine ceased abruptly after edition number 17 of 29 April 1799, following the anti-French riots in Lugano during which the Agnelli printing house was sacked and Abbot Vanelli was shot. Swiss control lasted until 1798 when
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
conquered the
Old Swiss Confederation The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...
and created the
Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (; ; ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
, within which Lugano became the capital of the
Canton of Lugano Lugano was the name of a canton of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, with its capital at Lugano. The canton unified the former Landvogteien of Lugano, Mendrisio, Locarno and Valmaggia. As with the other cantons of the Helvetic Republic ...
.


Canton of Lugano

The canton of Lugano unified the former
Landvogtei An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...
en of Lugano,
Mendrisio Mendrisio (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura di Mendris ...
,
Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...
and Valmaggia. However, as with the other cantons of the Helvetic Republic, the
autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...
of Lugano was very limited, the republic having been founded by Napoleon in order further to centralise power in Switzerland. The canton was led by a Directory of five members, who appointed a "national
préfet A prefect (, plural , both ) in France is the State's representative in a department or region. Regional prefects are ''ex officio'' the departmental prefects of the regional prefecture. Prefects are tasked with upholding the law in the departme ...
". The canton was deeply divided between "patriots" supporting the
Cisalpine Republic The Cisalpine Republic (; ) was a sister republic or a client state of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802. Creation After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized two ...
, and traditionalist "
aristocrats Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
". By 1799 riots broke out in Lugano, and the second préfet, Francesco Capra, fled the town. Power passed to a
provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...
sympathetic to the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
s. However, French occupation was restored in 1800. Discontent continued and in early 1802 a revolt in Capriasca led to the autumn ''pronunciamento'' of Pian Povrò, which declared the independence of Lugano from the Helvetic client republic. With the
Act of Mediation The Act of Mediation () was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, French Consulate, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 to abolish the Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Old Swiss Confederacy, Switzerland by F ...
, the following year, political agitation was finally quelled, as were the struggles between unionists and federalists. The canton of Lugano merged with
Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , ; ; is a municipality, a List of towns in Switzerland, historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its Three Castles of Bellinzona, three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sa ...
creating the canton of
Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...
, which endures to the present day.


Lugano in the early 19th century

File:CH-NB-79 vues de la région du Mont-Blanc et de la Suisse-19500-page117.tif, Early 19th-century view File:CH-NB - Grafiken Orts- und Landschaftsansichten - GS-GRAF-ANSI-TI-70.tif, View in 1815 File:Zancon, 1823, View of Lugano.jpg, View of Lugano in 1823 File:CH-NB - Lugano, von Süden - Collection Gugelmann - GS-GUGE-TRACHSLER-F-20.tif, Early 19th-century view File:Die Gartenlaube (1867) b 525 1.jpg, View of the market in 1867 After 1803, the political municipality of Lugano was created. One of the primary tasks of the new city government was to determine the division of property and authority between the patriziato and the new political municipality. Two agreements between the two organizations, in 1804 and 1810, began this process. In the second half of the 19th century, the political municipality received various properties and rights from the patriziato. Francesco Capra, the préfet during the Helvetic Republic, became the first
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Lugano from 1803 until 1813. The cantonal constitution of 1814, set Lugano, Bellinzona and Locarno as capitals of the Canton. They each served as the capital in a six-year rotation. Lugano was the capital in 1827–33, 1845–51 and 1863–69. In the 19th century, the city government was dominated by the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
. In 1900, slightly more than half of the seats on the city council (at the time 50 total members, but 60 members since 2004) were held by Liberals. Most of the rest of the seats were held by either Conservatives or Socialists. The city government initially had eleven members, but in 1908 their number was reduced to five and in 2004 increased to seven. Throughout most of the 20th century, the Liberals held the absolute majority here as well. The rest of the municipal executive posts were held by the Conservatives, the Socialists (1944–48, 1976–80 and since 2000) and the
Ticino League The Ticino League () is a regionalist, national-conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino. The party was founded in 1991 by entrepreneur Giuliano Bignasca and journalist Flavio Maspoli. After some public camp ...
(since 1992). Around 1830 new civic and government buildings began to emerge in Lugano. The town also began to expand into the surrounding hills, along the Cassarate, and toward Molino Nuovo, Paradiso and Castagnola. In 1843–44 the city hall was built on the site of the Bishop's Palace (built in 1346). It housed the cantonal government in 1845–51 and again in 1863–69. Since 1890, it has housed the city government. The promenade was built in stages: the first part was in the 1870s, the second in the first decade of the 20th century. In the first decades of the 19th century, the roads that connect Lugano with Bellinzona (1808–12), Ponte Tresa (1808–20) and Chiasso (1810–16) were built. In 1848 the first steamboat on Lake Lugano began to operate, with regular, scheduled service since 1856.


Modernization of the city

File:Lugano, the quay, and San Salvatore, Tessin, Switzerland-LCCN2001703242.jpg, Late 19th-century view File:Lugano, on the quay, Tessin, Switzerland-LCCN2001703243.tif, Late 19th-century view File:Lugano, the quay, Tessin, Switzerland-LCCN2001703240.jpg, Late 19th-century view File:Lugano, and Monte Brè, Tessin, Switzerland-LCCN2001703236.tif, Late 19th-century view File:Lugano, from Massagno, Tessin, Switzerland-LCCN2001703235.jpg, Late 19th-century view File:Lugano, from San Salvatore, Tessin, Switzerland-LCCN2001703233.jpg, Late 19th-century view File:Louis Michel Eilshemius - Street in Lugano - Google Art Project.jpg, View of a street in 1893 File:Panorama van Lugano 929, 930, 931 (serietitel), RP-F-00-243.jpg, Late 19th-century panorama File:Hotel Du Parc et Beau-Sejour Lugano Arch Paolito Somazzi 1904-05 FotoWehrli.jpg, Hôtel Du Parc et Beau-Sejour, 1904–1905 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-07007A, Lugano, Grand Hotel Palace.jpg, Grand Hôtel Palace in 1928 File:Tami Brüder, Brutarchitekt.jpg, Library built in the 1940s The construction of the
Melide causeway The Melide causeway crosses across Lake Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino, connecting the communities of Melide and Bissone, and provides the only domestic land connection between the southern section of Ticino, around Mendrisio and Chiasso, ...
between Melide and Bissone in 1844–47 favoured the development of the Chiasso-Bellinzona-Lugano-Gotthard line at the expense of the north–south route along
Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake and its shoreline are divided be ...
. This tendency for development was strengthened further in 1882 with the completion of the Gotthard railway line. The railway station was built in 1874–77 in Lugano, and transformed it into one of the main links between northern Italy and central and northern Europe, which led to the development of tourism and in general, helped the services sector. From the mid-19th century to 1970 the city recorded consistent population growth, especially between 1880 and 1910, when the population more than doubled. This increase was partly due to foreign nationals settling in Lugano (in 1870 18.7% of the population, 1910 43.6%) and people from other language areas of Switzerland (1870 1.4% of the population, 1910 6.9%). In the last three decades of the 20th century, the population fell slightly, despite the merger in 1972, of the municipalities of Castagnola and Brè-Aldesago. This reflected a trend to move away from the centre to the suburban communities. However, in 2004 the municipalities of Breganzona,
Cureggia Cureggia is a quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the no ...
,
Davesco-Soragno Davesco-Soragno is a quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Davesco-Soragno was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2004. The municipality contained the villages Davesco Davesco is a village in the di ...
,
Gandria Gandria is both a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano in the Switzerland, Swiss Ticino, canton of Ticino, and a village on the northern shore of Lake Lugano, which forms the core of that quarter. Until 2004, the quarter of ...
,
Pambio-Noranco Pambio Noranco is a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Pambio Noranco was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2004. Villages * Noranco * Pambio References Externa ...
,
Pazzallo Pazzallo is a quarter of the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confed ...
,
Pregassona Pregassona is a quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the ...
and
Viganello Viganello is a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Viganello was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2004. It was first recorded in 1300 as ''de Viganello''. The munici ...
were incorporated into the municipality and followed by Barbengo, Carabbia and
Villa Luganese Villa Luganese is a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Villa Luganese was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2008. References External links * Official site of t ...
in 2008. This, among other factors, resulted in a doubling of the population to 52,059 in 2006, of which over a third were foreigners. In 2013 the municipalities of
Bogno Bogno is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Bogno, Cadro, Carona, Certara, Cimadera, Valcolla and Sonvico merged into the municipality of Lugano ...
,
Cadro Cadro is Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano and a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lugano (district), Lugano in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April ...
, Carona,
Certara Certara is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Bogno, Cadro, Carona, Certara, Cimadera, Valcolla and Sonvico merged into the municipality of Lug ...
,
Cimadera Cimadera is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Bogno, Cadro, Carona, Certara, Cimadera, Valcolla and Sonvico merged into the municipality of ...
,
Sonvico Sonvico (''Sonvìch'' in the Lombard language) is a Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano and former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality of the Lugano (district), Lugano district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton o ...
and
Val Colla The Val Colla is a valley and a Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Ticino, to the north-east of the city of Lugano. It includes the localities of Bogno, Valcolla, Certara, Cimadera, Sonv ...
were incorporated into the municipality.


Postwar Lugano

File:Lugano Banca del Gottardo.jpg,
Banca del Gottardo Banca may refer to: Places * Bangka Island, an island lying east of Sumatra, part of Indonesia * Banca, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département'', France * Banca, Tasmania, a locality in Tasmania, Australia * ...
designed by
Mario Botta Mario Botta is a Swiss architect born in Mendrisio, Ticino on 1 April 1943. At age fifteen, Botta dropped out of secondary school and apprenticed with the architectural firm of Carloni and Camenisch in Lugano. After three years, he went to the Ar ...
in the 1980s File:ETH-BIB LBS SR05-090023-33 Edificio Ransila I Lugano 1990.jpg, Edificio Ransila I designed by
Mario Botta Mario Botta is a Swiss architect born in Mendrisio, Ticino on 1 April 1943. At age fifteen, Botta dropped out of secondary school and apprenticed with the architectural firm of Carloni and Camenisch in Lugano. After three years, he went to the Ar ...
Following the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and particularly during the 1960s and 70s, thanks to an abundant flow of capital from nearby Italy, Lugano experienced a period of exponential growth in banking activities which led to it placing itself as the third financial centre of Switzerland, with over 100 banking institutions present in the city. Trade, tourism and finance are the mainstays of the local economy. In 2000, nine-tenths of the workers were employed in the services sector, of which three-quarters were commuters, including many cross-border commuters (13% of the working population). Lugano was the host city of the 1956 Eurovision Song Contest, the first-ever edition of the contest. In 1975, the Congress Center was built followed in 1978 by the new City Hospital. In 1963 the city acquired the land for the airfield Lugano-Agno, and the first scheduled flights was in 1980. At the beginning of the 21st century they began the Grande Lugano projects, including: the car tunnel Vedeggio-Cassarate, which started in 2005 and connects the
A2 motorway A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''English alphabet#Letter names, a'' (pronounced ), plural ...
with the neighbourhood of Cornaredo, the creation of a new Kulturpol on the site of the former Grand Hôtel Palace and a convention and exhibition centre in the area of Campo Marzio.


Israeli replication

In June 2011, officials of the Israeli town of
Yehud Yehud may refer to: * Yehud, the Levantine province of the Neo-Babylonian Empire * Yehud Medinata, the Levantine province of the Achaemenid Persian Empire * Yehud, the modern-day Israeli city See also *Yahud (disambiguation) *Yehudi (disambiguatio ...
announced they would undertake a massive construction project to replicate Lugano's old square in the centre of their town, to reinvigorate commerce and tourism. The replica will be replete with neoclassical columns and colonnades.


Geography and climate


Topography

The municipality Lugano lies at the edge of Lake Lugano ( or ), which is situated between the lakes
Lago Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the List of lakes of Italy, second largest lake in Italy and the List of lakes of Switzerland, largest in southern Sw ...
and Lago di Como, south of the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
. It lies at the heart of the
Sottoceneri The Sottoceneri ('Under the Ceneri'; ) is the part of the Swiss canton of Ticino that lies to the south of the Monte Ceneri Pass through the Lugano Prealps. It includes the Swiss shore of Lake Lugano, and the cities and towns of Lugano, Mendrisi ...
, that part of the
canton of Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is Bellinzo ...
that lies south of the
Monte Ceneri Pass Monte Ceneri is a mountain pass in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It connects the Magadino Plain and the Vedeggio Valley across the Lugano Prealps at an elevation of above sea level. It provides the most direct route between the cities ...
. The city centre is located on the lake shore just to the west of where the river
Cassarate Cassarate is a village on the northern shore of Lake Lugano, to the east of the outfall of the Cassarate River, in the Swiss canton of Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the C ...
enters the lake. The city's waterfront forms a crescent around the bay between the
Brè Brè () is a village on the eastern slopes of the mountain of Monte Brè, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. Politically the village forms part of the Brè-Aldesago quarter of the city of Lugano, although until 1972 Brè-Aldesago was an independe ...
() and the San Salvatore () mountains. Because of the historical development of the city, incorporating some relatively distant suburbs but leaving other, nearer, suburbs as independent municipalities, the borders of the city are disparate. A large and sparsely populated section of the city is on the east bank of Lake Lugano and separated from the city by that lake. Similarly, the inner-urban but independent municipality of Paradiso is a near-
enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...
, totally surrounded as it is by the municipality and Lake Lugano. Based on the 1997 land survey, the municipality Lugano has a total area of . Of this area, or 10.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 21.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 14.0% is settled (buildings or roads), or 0.1% is either rivers or lakes and or 0.4% is unproductive land. Of the built-up area, housing and buildings made up 9.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.0%. while parks, green belts and sports fields made up 1.2%. Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 0.5% is used for growing crops and 9.4% is used for alpine pastures. Almost all the water in the municipality is in lakes.


Climate

Lugano is amongst the warmest places in Switzerland, along with
Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...
and
Grono Grono may refer to: Places * Grono, Switzerland, municipality in Graubünden * Mount Grono Other uses

* Grono (surname) * Grono.net, social networking website in Poland {{disambiguation ...
. Lugano has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: Cfa) due to the warmer average being above 22 °C (71.6 °F). The vegetation is from the
subtropics The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately ...
with
deciduous forest In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flo ...
. It is characterized by relatively mild winters and warm humid summers. It has an average of 98.1 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives of
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
. The wettest month is May during which Lugano receives an average of of rain, while the driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 4.6 days. Located on a plain in southern
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and protected by the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
and
lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
s, the climate is one of the mildest in the country, typical of the
Italian Lakes The Italian Lakes (, lit. "great pre-alpine lakes") are a group of large lakes lying on the south side of the Alps, in the basin of the river Po and the Mediterranean Sea. As their name suggests, they are essentially located in northern Italy; ...
in the Insubrian region. In addition, the precipitation is ample while the deviations of temperature are moderate. Lugano is also one of the sunniest Swiss cities. The greatest precipitates anticipate and succeed much of the summer. Winter freezing temperatures are more common on the night of January (between 27 and 28 days), but the low temperatures remains are rare and do not occur every year. Much of the summer is pleasant, but warm days above 30 °C (86 °F) are not uncommon (average of about 8 days). It usually snows every winter, but often a single snowfall doesn't leave more than 50 cm on the ground. Heavier snowfalls or blizzards are possible but not very common. The highest temperature recorded in Lugano is , recorded in July 1945, with the lowest temperature recorded being , recorded in February 1929.


Politics


Coat of arms

The
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
of the municipal
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
is Gules, a cross throughout argent, between the upper case serif letters L, V, G and A (respectively in the I, II, III and IV quarters). The coat of arms dates from around 1200. The four letters on the coat of arms are an abbreviation of the name Lugano.


Neighborhoods and circles

The municipality is subdivided into 25 quartieri (neighborhoods) which are grouped into three (cantonal) circles. Quarters 1–9 are the older quarters of the city, which have been added to by successive enlargements of the municipality in 2004, 2008 and 2013; these enlargements involved previously independent municipalities becoming parts of the municipality.


Elections


Cantonal

In the
Grand Council of Ticino The Grand Council of Ticino (Italian: ''Gran Consiglio di Ticino'') is the legislature for the Swiss canton of Ticino. The 90-member council is elected every four years by proportional representation in a single constituency comprising the citize ...
election, there were a total of 27,557 registered voters in Lugano, of which 15,214 or 55.2% voted. 237 blank ballots and 38 null ballots were cast, leaving 14,939 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the FDP.The Liberals, PLR which received 3,680 or 24.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the Ticino League, Lega (with 2,854 or 19.1%), the SSI (with 2,532 or 16.9%) and the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, PS (with 2,170 or 14.5%). In the Council of State of Ticino election, 158 blank ballots and 79 null ballots were cast, leaving 14,980 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the Lega which received 3,839 or 25.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLR (with 3,596 or 24.0%), the PS (with 2,496 or 16.7%) and the SSI (with 2,169 or 14.5%).


National

In the 2019 Swiss federal election, 2019 federal election for the National Council (Switzerland), Swiss National Council the most popular party was the Ticino League, Lega which received 20.6% (-5.8) of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the FDP.The Liberals, PLR (20.3%, -2), the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland, PPD (14.0%, -1.1), Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, PS (13.9%, -1.3), the Swiss People's Party, UDC (13.2%, -0.2), and the Green Party of Switzerland, Green Party (11.1%, +7.0). In the federal election a total of 15,639 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 46.6%. In the 2007 Swiss federal election, 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP.The Liberals, PLR which received 26.6% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the Ticino League, Lega (19%), the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland, PPD (18.71%) and the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, PS (17.46%). In the federal election, a total of 11,980 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 42.8%.


Demographics

Since its union with some surrounding municipalities in 2004 (Breganzona,
Cureggia Cureggia is a quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the no ...
,
Davesco-Soragno Davesco-Soragno is a quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Davesco-Soragno was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2004. The municipality contained the villages Davesco Davesco is a village in the di ...
, Gandria,
Pambio-Noranco Pambio Noranco is a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Pambio Noranco was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2004. Villages * Noranco * Pambio References Externa ...
,
Pazzallo Pazzallo is a quarter of the city of Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confed ...
,
Pregassona Pregassona is a quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the ...
and
Viganello Viganello is a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Viganello was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2004. It was first recorded in 1300 as ''de Viganello''. The munici ...
), 2008 (Barbengo, Carabbia and
Villa Luganese Villa Luganese is a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano, Switzerland. Villa Luganese was formerly a municipality of its own, having been incorporated into Lugano in 2008. References External links * Official site of t ...
) and 2013 (
Bogno Bogno is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Bogno, Cadro, Carona, Certara, Cimadera, Valcolla and Sonvico merged into the municipality of Lugano ...
, Cadro, Carona,
Certara Certara is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Bogno, Cadro, Carona, Certara, Cimadera, Valcolla and Sonvico merged into the municipality of Lug ...
,
Cimadera Cimadera is a former municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Bogno, Cadro, Carona, Certara, Cimadera, Valcolla and Sonvico merged into the municipality of ...
, Sonvico and
Val Colla The Val Colla is a valley and a Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of the city of Lugano in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Ticino, to the north-east of the city of Lugano. It includes the localities of Bogno, Valcolla, Certara, Cimadera, Sonv ...
), Lugano has a population () of and is, therefore, the canton's largest city. The expansion in 2004 was the second major expansion after the union in 1972 with the municipalities of Brè-Aldesago and Castagnola. , 38.1% of the population do not hold Switzerland, Swiss citizenship and 14,778 or 23.2% of the population was born in Italy. In 2013, among the Swiss population (61.6%, 41,392), 24.3% (16,349) are Luganesi, 21.7% (14,585) from anywhere else in the canton of Ticino, and 15.6% (10,458) from other cantons in Switzerland. The city's economy provides an estimated 38,000 jobs, over a third of which are occupied by cross-border commuters. Business, tourism and finance constitute the backbone of the local economy. In 2000, the tertiary sector offered 90% of all jobs in Lugano, of which 75% were occupied by commuters, many of which commute from neighbouring Italy (approximately 13% of the active working population); in the same year tax revenues reached CHF 104 million, of which CHF 59 million were attributable to the banking sector. The town is Switzerland's third largest Banking in Switzerland, banking centre after Zürich and Geneva. With regards to intercommunal financial equalisation, thanks to its financial strength Lugano contributes significantly to the equalisation fund. The population is Italian-speaking and mainly Catholic Church, Catholic by faith. Lugano is the largest city outside Italy with Italian as official language. Between 1997 and 2007, the population changed at a rate of 6.9%. Most of the population () speaks Italian language, Italian (80.3%), with German language, German being second most common (7.1%) and Serbo-Croatian being third (2.7%). Of the Swiss national languages (), 20,998 people speak Italian, 1,855 speak German, 597 people speak French language, French, and 39 people speak Romansh language, Romansh. The remainder (3,071 people) speak another language. , the gender distribution of the population was 47.1% male and 52.9% female. The population was made up of 15,457 Swiss men (28.1% of the population), and 10,461 (19.0%) non-Swiss men. There were 19,417 Swiss women (35.3%), and 9,725 (17.7%) non-Swiss women. In there were 318 live births to Swiss citizens and 190 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in the same period there were 351 deaths of Swiss citizens and 92 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 33 while the foreign population increased by 98. There were 7 Swiss men and 3 Swiss women who emigrated from Switzerland. At the same time, there were 672 non-Swiss men and 556 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources, including moves across municipal borders) was an increase of 197 and the non-Swiss population change was an increase of 706 people. This represents a Population growth#Population growth rate, population growth rate of 1.7%. The age distribution, , in Lugano is; 4,666 children or 8.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 5,013 teenagers or 9.1% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 6,270 people or 11.4% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 8,267 people or 15.0% are between 30 and 39, 9,113 people or 16.6% are between 40 and 49, and 6,844 people or 12.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 6,459 people or 11.7% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 4,947 people or 9.0% are between 70 and 79, and there are 3,481 people or 6.3% who are over 80. the average number of residents per living room was 0.61 which is about equal to the cantonal average of 0.6 per room. In this case, a room is defined as space of a housing unit of at least as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 19.1% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words, did not pay rent (though they may have a Mortgage loan, mortgage or a rent-to-own agreement). , there were 23,168 private households in the municipality and an average of 2 persons per household. there were 489 single-family homes (or 20.6% of the total) out of a total of 2,372 inhabited buildings. There were 214 two-family buildings (9.0%) and 1,046 multi-family buildings (44.1%). There were also 623 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 0.64%. there were 16,333 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 5,398. There were 1,811 single-room apartments and 2,019 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 13,342 apartments (81.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 2,485 apartments (15.2%) were seasonally occupied and 506 apartments (3.1%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 3.3 new units per 1000 residents. the average price to rent an average apartment in Lugano was 1073.49 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$860, £480, €690 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 623.12 CHF (US$500, £280, €400), a two-room apartment was about 809.81 CHF (US$650, £360, €520), a three-room apartment was about 1030.53 CHF (US$820, £460, €660) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 1890.13 CHF (US$1510, £850, €1210). The average apartment price in Lugano was 96.2% of the national average of 1116 CHF.


Historic population

The population of the original town of Lugano (not including the municipalities added after 1972) is given in this chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) ImageSize = width:1020 height:210 PlotArea = height:150 left:100 bottom:50 right:100 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:55000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0 PlotData= color:yellowgreen width:40 mark:(line,white) align:center bar:1710 from:start till:2320 text:"2,302" bar:1783 from:start till:3761 text:"3,761" bar:1850 from: start till:5939 text:"5,939" bar:1870 from: start till:6836 text:"6,836" bar:1888 from: start till:8185 text:"8,185" bar:1900 from: start till:10847 text:"10,847" bar:1910 from: start till:14988 text:"14,988" bar:1930 from: start till:17672 text:"17,672" bar:1950 from: start till:21448 text:"21,448" bar:1970 from: start till:27121 text:"27,121" bar:1990 from: start till:25334 text:"25,334" bar:2000 from: start till:26560 text:"26,560" bar:2010 from: start till:54667 text:"54,667"


Religion

From the , 18,035 or 67.9% were Catholic, while 1,517 or 5.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. There are 4,714 individuals (or about 17.75% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 2,294 individuals (or about 8.64% of the population) did not answer the question.


Economy

, Lugano had an unemployment rate of 5.59%. , there were 77 people employed in the Primary sector of the economy, primary economic sector and about 28 businesses involved in this sector. 3,520 people were employed in the Secondary sector of the economy, secondary sector and there were 420 businesses in this sector. 33,601 people were employed in the Tertiary sector of the economy, tertiary sector, with 3,877 businesses in this sector. There were 12,191 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 45.9% of the workforce. , there were 28,174 workers who commuted into the municipality and 3,994 workers who commuted away. Lugano is the economic centre of the region and draws about 7.1 workers into the municipality for every one leaving. About 12.4% of the workforce coming into Lugano are coming from outside Switzerland, while 1.6% of the locals commute out of Switzerland for work. Of the working population, 15.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 44.6% used a private car. , there were 43 hotels in Lugano with a total of 1,584 rooms and 2,889 beds. The airline Darwin Airline, operating under the brand name Etihad Regional since January 2014, has its head office on the grounds of Lugano Airport in Agno, near Lugano.


Tourism

Lugano is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland. The city is home to a number of historic buildings and museums, whilst the surrounding area has many natural sights. Both Lake Lugano and the surrounding mountains provide a wide variety of outdoor activities. The area surrounding Lugano is home to over of mountain biking trails, the largest net of trails in Switzerland.


Heritage sites of national significance

17 sites in Lugano are part of the Swiss Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance, heritage site of national significance. The city of Lugano, the districts of Barbengo, Brè, Gandria and Biogno, and the sites of Cantine di Gandria and Castagnola are all part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites. The heritage sites of national significance include two libraries, the Biblioteca Cantonale and the Biblioteca Salita dei Frati as well as the Swiss National Recording Archives (Fonoteca nazionale svizzera). There were three churches; Cathedral of Saint Lawrence (Lugano), Cathedral of San Lorenzo, Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli and the Church of San Rocco. There were four museums; the , , the and the Villa Ciani complex with the 'Museo civico. In 2015, the two art museums in the city merged to form MASI Lugano. The cemetery complex at via Trevano is also one of the sites, as is the Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana (RTSI) Italian-language broadcast facility. The rest of the sites are houses throughout the town. They include the Palazzo civico at piazza della Riforma, the Palazzo e cinema Corso at via Pioda, the Palazzo Riva at via Francesco Soave, the Palazzo Riva at via Massimiliano Magatti, the Palazzo Riva at via Pretorio 7 and Villa Favorita in Castagnola. File:Lugano Cattedrale di San Lorenzo Interno Coro 1.jpg , Cathedral of San Lorenzo File:Santa Maria degli Angioli.jpg , Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli File:Lugano San Rocco.JPG , Church of San Rocco File:Mairie de Lugano (10855973443).jpg, Palazzo Civico or City Hall File:Antonio Ciseri - Bozzetto per l'Ecce Homo.jpg, Sketch of Ecce Homo from MASI Lugano File:Lugano - Biblioteca cantonale.jpg, Biblioteca Cantonale File:Villa Favorita Lugano 03.JPG, Villa Favorita in Castagnola


Natural sights

A very popular destination in Lugano is Lake Lugano. The lake is in size, 63% of which is in Switzerland and 37% in Italy. It has an average width of roughly and is nearly at its widest. The maximum depth of the lake is . The water is generally warm with average water temperatures in the summer ranging from to . Several companies provide tourist boat services on the lake. A popular excursion is by boat to the picturesque lakeside village of Gandria. Additionally, there are numerous shipyards, water taxis and boat rental sites along the lake, as well as hotels and restaurants that offer moorings. Bathing in the lake is allowed at any of the 50 or so bathing establishments located along the Swiss shores. In addition to the lake, Lugano is surrounded by mountains, which provide a number of opportunities for sports or sightseeing. Two mountains, both providing excellent views over the city and lake, bracket each end of the town's waterfront. Monte Brè (), to the north, is reputedly Switzerland's sunniest spot and is also home to the old village of Brè. Monte San Salvatore (), to the south, has an old church and museum atop its summit. Both mountains are accessible by funicular, funicular railways, which are themselves easily accessible by frequent city bus or by car. Slightly further afield is Monte Generoso (), with a view that encompasses the lakes of Lugano, Lake Como, Como and Lake Maggiore, Maggiore, as well as the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
from the Matterhorn to the Bernina Range, the Lombardy, Lombardy Plains, and, on a clear day, the city of Milan. The summit can be reached by taking either an SNL boat, or a railway train, to Capolago, and changing there onto a rack railway, rack railway train of the Monte Generoso Railway.


Religious buildings

*Cathedral of Saint Lawrence (Lugano), St. Lawrence Cathedral (9th and 15th century) * (16th century) with the fresco of the Christ's Passion from
Bernardino Luini Bernardino Luini (/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described as having taken ...
* *Sant'Antonio Abate, Lugano, Sant'Antonio Abate


Secular buildings

* * * *


Museums

*MASI Lugano (or ''Swiss–Italian Art Museum''), on three sites: **Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC), a cultural centre dedicated to visual arts, music and performing arts **Palazzo Reali **Giancarlo and Danna Olgiati Collection *Museo delle Culture (Museum of Cultures) *Foundation Aligi Sassu and *Historical Museum * *Swiss Customs Museum *Wilhelm Schmid Museum *Hermann Hesse Museum *Swiss National Sound Archives


Education and research

In Lugano about 63.7% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory Education in Switzerland#Secondary, upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule, University of Applied Sciences).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
accessed 9 January 2011
In Lugano there were a total of 7,931 students (). The Ticino Education in Switzerland, education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten and in Lugano there were 1,356 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 2,280 students attended the standard primary schools and 129 students attended the special school. In the lower secondary school system, students either attend a two-year middle school followed by a two-year pre-apprenticeship or they attend a four-year program to prepare for higher education. There were 1,932 students in the two-year middle school and 47 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 884 students were in the four-year advanced program. The upper secondary school includes several options, but at the end of the upper secondary program, a student will be prepared to enter a trade or to continue on to a university or college. In Ticino, vocational students may either attend school while working on their internship or apprenticeship (which takes three or four years) or may attend school followed by an internship or apprenticeship (which takes one year as a full-time student or one and a half to two years as a part-time student). There were 492 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 722 who attend part-time. The professional program lasts three years and prepares a student for a job in engineering, nursing, computer science, business, tourism and similar fields. There were 89 students in the professional program. , there were 3,537 students in Lugano who came from another municipality, while 887 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Lugano is home to 2 libraries. These libraries include; the Biblioteca universitaria di Lugano and the Biblioteca cantonale Lugano. There was a combined total () of 448,811 books or other media in the libraries, and in the same year a total of 51,740 items were loaned out. The headquarter of the university in Lugano includes 5 of its 6 faculties, the Academy of Architecture being based in Mendrisio. The main building, built in 1909, was originally the hospital of Lugano and since 1996 it is home of the university. In the next years, several added buildings enriched the headquarter until the other side of the river, in the quarter called Viganello. In fact, the area of the older buildings on the west side of the river is called "West Campus" (or "Campus Ovest" in Italian), whereas the newest building (active since 2021) on the other side of the river is called "East Campus" (or "Campus Est" in Italian) and it houses both the university USI and the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland SUPSI. Some of the universities and colleges in Lugano include: *Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI): This Swiss university, translated as "University of Italian Switzerland", which is organised in 6 faculties: the Faculty of Informatics, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Theology and the Academy of Architecture (which is based in Mendrisio). *Swiss National Supercomputing Centre: an autonomous unit of ETH Zürich that focuses on high-performance computing. *IDSIA, Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA): a non-profit oriented research institute for artificial intelligence, affiliated with both the Università della Svizzera Italiana and SUPSI. *Franklin University Switzerland: an American and Swiss accredited liberal arts college. *The American School In Switzerland: an international secondary school. *SUPSI: University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland.


Transport


Air

Lugano is served by Lugano Airport, in the nearby municipality of Agno. Currently, only Silver Air (Czech Republic), Silver Air operates to Lugano Airport. While there is limited service to Lugano's airport, Milan#Transport, Milan's airports are not that far away and provide access to a greater number of worldwide locations. Milan Malpensa Airport is connected to Lugano by a direct hourly train with a travel time of 1:45h from/to Lugano, or about one hour, 80 km by road.


Railways

Lugano railway station, Lugano's railway station is situated on the historically and concurrently important Gotthard railway line, which links northern Switzerland with Ticino and Italy. Since the inauguration of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, in 2016, and the Ceneri Base Tunnel, in 2020, train connections with cities in Northern Switzerland, such as Zürich, Luzern and Basel, have been improved, with significantly faster services through the base tunnels. Long-distance trains of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS), together with international trains of Trenitalia, connect Lugano with the cities of northern Switzerland and with Italy. The trains operate under the InterCity and EuroCity brands. Service is provided hourly to Zürich and once every two hours to Basel and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. One train per day operates to each of Bologna, Genoa and Venice. All the above trains operate via the Gotthard and Ceneri base tunnels. Between April and mid October, the tourist oriented Gotthard Panorama Express connects Lugano with Lucerne once a day by train and boat, travelling by train over the historic high-level Gotthard route, and then by boat along the length of Lake Lucerne. Lugano is also served by several lines of regional trains of the Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia (TILO) network which operates in the canton of Ticino and the north of the Italian region of
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
. Line RE80 provides a half-hourly semi-fast service northbound to
Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...
and southbound to
Mendrisio Mendrisio (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura di Mendris ...
and Chiasso, with alternate southbound trains continuing to
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. Line S10 provides a half-hourly all-stations service northbound to
Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , ; ; is a municipality, a List of towns in Switzerland, historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its Three Castles of Bellinzona, three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sa ...
and Biasca and southbound to Mendrisio and Chiasso, with alternate southbound trains continuing to
Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...
and occasional northbound trains continuing to Airolo. Line S50 provides an hourly service to Milan Malpensa Airport, running coupled to an S10 service between Biasca and Mendrisio. All the above trains use the Ceneri Base Tunnel, but line S90 provides a half-hourly service north to Giubiasco and an hourly service south to Mendrisio serving all the stations over the old high-level Ceneri route. Additionally, the metre gauge ( gauge) Ferrovia Lugano-Ponte Tresa, Lugano-Ponte Tresa Railway (FLP) provides a quarter-hourly service to Agno, Lugano Airport and Ponte Tresa. The service operates as line S60 from its own station adjacent to the main railway station. Lugano is also served by three funicular railways. The Lugano Città–Stazione funicular, Funicolare Città–Stazione, which has recently been renewed, is a short line connecting Lugano railway station to the lower part of the city centre by the lake, whilst the Monte Brè funicular, Funicolare Monte Brè and the Monte San Salvatore funicular, Funicolare Monte San Salvatore ascend nearby hills to vantage points. A fourth funicular, the Lugano degli Angioli funicular, Funicolare degli Angioli, still exists but has not operated since 1986.


Road

Lugano is located along the
A2 motorway A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''English alphabet#Letter names, a'' (pronounced ), plural ...
, a part of the European route E35 that stretches over between Amsterdam and Rome. Like the original railway, the A2 to the north crosses the Ceneri and Gotthard passes and links Lugano to northern Switzerland and, via Basel, to the German motorway network. To the south it crosses the Swiss-Italian border at Chiasso, linking to the Italian motorway network. The motorway runs to the west and south of the city, using extensive tunnelling to deal with the mountainous landscape. The Trasporti Pubblici Luganesi (TPL) operate frequent inner city buses throughout Lugano and some of its closer neighbours. The Autolinee Regionali Luganesi (ARL) runs buses connecting Lugano with the districts of Davesco, Sonvico and the towns of Canobbio, Lamone and Tesserete, whilst the Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano (SNL) runs buses to the lakeside districts of Gandria and Campione d'Italia, complementing its boat services to the same locations. TPL, ARL and SNL services operate from the ''Lugano Centro'' bus station. Longer distance buses, as well as some local buses, are operated by PostBus Switzerland, known locally as the ''AutoPostale''. Its ''Palm Express'' service connects Lugano railway station to St. Moritz. Other ''AutoPostale'' buses operate from an underground bus station and ticket office, located at Via Balestra 4 in the centre of Lugano. ASF Autolinee, an Italian bus company, operates an international bus route from Lugano to Menaggio, on the shores of Lake Como.


Shipping

Boats of the Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano (SNL) provide services on
Lake Lugano Lake Lugano ( or , from ; ) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated between Lake Como and Lago Maggiore. It was cited for the first t ...
. Whilst these are principally provided for tourist purposes, they also connect Lugano with other lakeside communities. Several of the landing points are within the sparsely populated section of the municipality that lies on the east side of the lake and have no road access.


Culture

Lugano hosts the Swiss National Sound Archives, responsible for safeguarding the sound heritage of Switzerland. The Palazzo dei Congressi is the performing arts centre for Lugano. It is the main venue for the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. The Lugano Festival runs during April and May, followed by the related "Progetto Martha Argerich" in June. Estival Jazz arrives in July. Between July and August, there is the LongLake Festival, one of the greatest urban open-air happenings in Switzerland. During one month, the LongLake offers over 300 events in downtown Lugano. The Blues-to-Bop Festival arrives in late August and early September turns the town into a hive of activity as thousands crowd the streets and piazzas for free open-air concerts. In 1956, the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1956, first Eurovision Song Contest. The MASI (Museo d'Arte della Svizzera italiana) has two parallel objectives: the conservation and study of the Museum's permanent collection, which is above all made up of works belonging to the 19th and 20th centuries; and the planning and presentation of temporary exhibitions. It focuses on the art of the cantons of Ticino and Graubünden (Grigioni in Italian) and presents artists from the region on a regular basis. Lugano Arte e Cultura, Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC) is a cultural centre dedicated to music, visual and performance arts. It opened in 2015. The district of Brè-Aldesago offers its visitors charming corners created by its characteristic stone buildings. The cobblestone streets of the town offer art enthusiasts an artistic path that is very interesting both because of the presence of national and international "names" and the combination of art and the environment.


Sports

Hockey Club Lugano (HCL) plays in the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL), the top tier of Swiss hockey and is by far the town's number one team. They play at the Cornèr Arena and have won seven national titles, having participated twice in the IIHF European Champions Cup, European Cup final round and once in the top four final in the Euroleague. In 1991, Lugano reached the final of the Spengler Cup and twice reached third place in the IIHF Continental Cup Superfinal. FC Lugano plays in the Swiss Super League. They play at the Stadio Cornaredo and won the Swiss title in 1938, 1941 and 1949 and the Swiss Cup in 1931, 1968, 1993 and 2022. The Stadio Cornaredo currently sits 4,800 people. It hosted the Italy-Belgium match at the 1954 FIFA World Cup. According to some sources, Lugano is the smallest city ever to hold a World Cup match. Around the soccer field there is a gravel lane used during athletic contests and that, outside of official match and training hours, can be used by joggers free of charge. Next to the stadium are three small training fields. There are also two artificial grass fields: one for field hockey and one for soccer. There is also a skate park next to the stadium. BC Lugano Tigers (former Basket Club Lugano) plays in the Ligue Nationale de Basketball (Switzerland), Swiss National League A (LNA). They play at the Elvetico gym, won the Swiss Cup in 2011 and have been Swiss LNA Champions in 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2010. Lugano annually hosts the racewalk Gran Premio Città di Lugano Memorial Albisetti and the Ladies Open Lugano, an International level WTA tennis tournament. The city hosted the 1953 and 1996 UCI Road World Championships, as well as the 18th Chess Olympiad. Lugano has traditionally been one of Switzerland's hubs in Water polo. The Società Nuoto Lugano won the :de:Schweizer Meister (Wasserball), Swiss Championship a total of 17 times.


People


People born in Lugano

; Middle Ages * Giovanni Battista Trevano (c.1560–1644), Italian-speaking architect who worked in Poland as a royal architect * Francesco Contin (1585–1654), Swiss-Italian sculptor and architect * Giovanni Battista Discepoli (1590–1660), Swiss-Italian painter of the Baroque period * Gasparo Molo (15??-16??), goldsmith * Karl Konrad von Beroldingen (1624–1706), Lugano's chancellor and general captain * Carlo Giuseppe Plura (1663–1737), Swiss-Italian stucco artist and sculptor * Giovanni Maria Fontana (c.1670–after 1712), Italian-Swiss architect, worked in Russia * Giacomo Zanetti (c.1696–1735), Italian master builder and architect * Domenico Reina (1796–1843), Swiss bel canto opera tenor and composer ; 19th C * Carlo Bossoli (1815–1884), Swiss-born Italian painter and lithographer of scenes from the Risorgimento * Domenico Giambonini (1868–1956), Swiss sport shooter, bronze medallist in the 1920 Summer Olympics ; 20th C * Leonardo Conti MD (1900–1945), Reich Health Leader in Nazi Germany * Romano Amerio (1905–1997), Catholic theologian * Niccolò Tucci (1908–1999), short story writer and novelist who wrote in English and Italian * Hans Zellweger (1909–1990) Paediatrician and clinical geneticist who described Zellweger syndrome * Lauro Amadò (1912–1971), also known as Lajo, Swiss football player, played 54 games for the Swiss national football team * Mario Agliati (1922–2011), Swiss-Italian journalist, writer and historian * Mario Comensoli (1922–1993), Swiss painter of the Realism (arts), realist movement * Sergio Mantegazza (1927–2024), Swiss-Italian businessman, chairman and owner of Group Voyagers, Globus a multinational travel company. * Duilio Arigoni (1928–2020), Swiss chemist, worked on the biosynthetic pathways of many organic natural substances * Tito Tettamanti (born 1930), Swiss lawyer, politician, and entrepreneur * Giulia Daneo Lorimer (1932–2021), Italian violinist and singer * Pietro Balestra (economist), Pietro Balestra (1935–2005), Swiss economist specializing in econometrics * Franco Ambrosetti (born 1941), jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer * Christian Giordano (born 1945), Swiss anthropologist and sociologist * Giorgio Giudici (born 1945), Swiss architect and politician, Mayor of Lugano 1984–2013 * Romolo Nottaris (born 1946), Swiss rock climber, mountaineer and author of documentary films * Chiara Banchini (born 1946), Swiss Baroque violinist * Loris Kessel (1950–2010), Swiss racing driver * Georg Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza (born 1950), manager * Luca Pianca (born 1958), Swiss musician-lutenist whose specialty is archlute * Diego Fasolis (born 1958), Swiss classical organist and conductor * Marco Borradori (1959–2021), Swiss lawyer and politician, Mayor of Lugano 2013–2021 * Mauro Gianetti (born 1964), Swiss directeur sportif, former professional rider * Gianluca Barilari (born 1964), head coach of the Swiss national basketball team * Carlo Bonzanigo (born 1966), Italian and Swiss car designer, works for Pininfarina and for Citroen Design. * Hardy Krüger junior (born 1968), German actor * Antonio Esposito (footballer, born 1972), Antonio Esposito (born 1972), Swiss-Italian former footballer, 320 games * NEVERCREW, Christian Rebecchi (born 1980), Swiss painter and sculptor of the NEVERCREW artists duo * Joël Camathias (born 1981), Swiss racing driver * Alberto Regazzoni (born 1983), footballer, with over 440 games and 3 for the national side * Elly Schlein (born 1985), Italian politician * Stefano Comini (born 1990), Swiss racing driver * Alex Fontana (born 1992), Swiss racing driver


People who lived or died in Lugano

; 19th C * Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876), Russian revolutionary anarchist and founder of collectivist anarchism * Enrico Bignami (1844–1921), Italian merchant and editor of La Plebe (newspaper), La Plebe, a socialist newspaper * Ferdinando Fontana (1850–1919), Italian journalist, dramatist, poet and committed, passionate socialist * Hans Kundt (1869–1939), German military officer, the primary military figure of Bolivia * Heinrich Thyssen (1875–1947), German-Hungarian entrepreneur and art collector * Hermann Hesse (1877–1962), author and philosopher, won the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize in 1946 * Jurgis Šaulys (1879–1948), Lithuanian economist, diplomat and politician; one of the twenty signatories to the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania * Wilhelm Backhaus (1884–1969), German pianist and pedagogue * Alfred Neumann (writer), Alfred Neumann (1895–1952), German writer of novels, stories, poems, plays and films ; 20th C * Rudolf Caracciola (1901–1959), German racing driver * Gustav Fröhlich (1902–1987), German actor and film director * Ernst Marlier (1875–1948), German pharmaceutical manufacturer who built the Wannsee Villa, the venue of the Wannsee Conference * Rainis (1865–1929), Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician * Aspazija (1865–1943), Latvian poet and playwright * Mariuccia Medici (1910–2012), Italian-born Swiss actress on TV and in the theatre * Caterina Valente (1931–2024), Italian-French, multilingual singer, guitarist, dancer, and actress * Mina (Italian singer), Mina (born 1940) (Anna Maria Mazzini), Italian singer * Steve Reid (1944–2010), American jazz drummer and session drummer for Motown * Robert Palmer (1949–2003), English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer * Behgjet Pacolli (born 1951), former President of Kosovo, a businessman with Mabetex Group * Ivo Pogorelić (born 1958), Croatian pianist * Johann Sebastian Paetsch (born 1964), American cellist and musician * Anna Kravtchenko (born 1976), Ukrainian classical pianist with an international career * Alberto Contador (born 1982), Spanish professional cyclist, winner of the Tour de France, Vuelta a España and Giro d'Italia * Nicole Cooke MBE (born 1983), Welsh former professional road bicycle racer, Commonwealth, Olympic and World road race champion


See also

*
Canton of Lugano Lugano was the name of a canton of the Helvetic Republic from 1798 to 1803, with its capital at Lugano. The canton unified the former Landvogteien of Lugano, Mendrisio, Locarno and Valmaggia. As with the other cantons of the Helvetic Republic ...
*Cities of Switzerland *Tourism in Switzerland


References


Further reading

* * * *


External links

*
Lugano TourismLugano Monte Brè
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lugano Lugano, Cities in Switzerland Lakeside resorts in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in Ticino Populated places on Lake Lugano