Schenna (; it, Scena ) 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 ...
'' (municipality) in
South Tyrol 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 ...
, located in the
Passeier Valley, about northwest of the city 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 ...
.
Geography
As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,841 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.]
Schenna borders the following municipalities:
Hafling,
Kuens,
Merano,
Riffian,
St. Leonhard in Passeier,
Sarntal, and
Tirol.
Frazioni
The municipality contains the ''
frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Schennaberg (Montescena), Tall (Valle), and Verdins.
History
Origin
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
an important castle was built.
Archduke Johann of Austria
Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwe ...
acquired it in 1845. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s many festivals took place inside it, but now, for health and safety reasons (since there was no emergency exit) there are no more.
Inside the castle, known as "Schloss Schenna"
Andreas Hofer's cot is to be found.
Place-name
"Schenna" comes from the German "Schön Au" meaning "Lovely Pasture" which is why it used to be written "Schönna", although others say that it is named after a
Roman landowner called Sconius. In the 6th-7th century people began to arrive from
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
and
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper F ...
.
Coat-of-arms
The shield is
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 t ...
and
sable
The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...
party per fess; at the top a
gules
In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple).
In engraving, it is sometimes depi ...
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
is represented coming out from the bottom. The emblem was adopted in 1972, even if it was in use prior to World War I.
Society
Linguistic distribution
According to the 2011 census, 98.18% of the population speak German, 1.67% Italian and 0.15%
Ladin as first language.
Demographic evolution
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References
External links
Homepage of the municipality
{{Authority control
Municipalities of South Tyrol