South Tyrol

Bolzano (Italian: [bolˈtsaːno] (listen) or [bolˈdzaːno]; German: Bozen, pronounced [ˈboːt͡sn̩] (listen) (formerly Botzen); Bavarian: Bozn; Ladin: Balsan or Bulsan) 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 largest in historical Tyrol. The greater metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants and is one of the urban centers within the Alps.Bolzano is the seat of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, where lectures and seminars are held in English, German, and Italian. The city is also home to the Italian Army's Alpini High Command (COMALP) and some of its combat and support units.In the 2020 version of the annual ranking of quality of life in Italian cities, Bolzano was ranked joint first for quality of life alongside Bologna.Along with other Alpine towns in South Tyrol, Bolzano engages in the Alpine Town of the Year Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention. The Convention aims to promote and achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Consequently, Bolzano was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2009. Bolzano is considered a bridge between Northern Europe and Southern Europe due to the three spoken languages in South Tyrol (Italian, German, and Ladin) and the confluence of Italian and German-Austrian culture.

The Civic Archives in Bozen-Bolzano (German: Stadtarchiv Bozen; Italian: Archivio Storico della Città di Bolzano) are the municipal archive of the city of Bolzano in South Tyrol, Italy. They are located in the old town hall and store documents from over 700 years of civic and regional history.

NOI Techpark is the science and technology park of South Tyrol that hosts 4 research institutes (Fraunhofer Italia, Eurac Research, ClimateHouse and Research Centre Laimburg), 4 Faculties of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 40 scientific laboratories, 40 companies and 30 start-ups. Inaugurated in Bolzano in October 2017, it is the result of an urban redevelopment project. The structure is managed by NOI Spa, In-House company of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.

South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (German: Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum; Italian: Museo archeologico dell'Alto Adige) is an archaeological museum in the city of Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. It is the home of the preserved body of Ötzi the Iceman.

The Library of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (German: Bibliothek der Freien Universität Bozen, Italian: Biblioteca universitaria di Bolzano) is a university library located in Bozen/Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. Established in 1998, the library forms part of the big scientific libraries of South Tyrol, similar to the "Dr. Friedrich Teßmann" library, and is associated with the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.

The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italian: Libera Università di Bolzano, German: Freie Universität Bozen, Ladin: Università Liedia de Bulsan) is a university primarily located in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. It was founded on 31 October 1997 and is organized into five Faculties. The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (unibz) aims to offer students a multilingual, practice-oriented education that meets the demands of the local and the European labor market. Lectures and seminars are held in Italian, German and English. The only exception is the Faculty of Education, which offers Italian, German and Ladin speaking students separate training sections. The university offers study programmes ranging from bachelor's degrees to doctorates. The emphasis of teaching is to provide theoretically sound and practice-orientated training. A large proportion of educational activities take place as seminars, lectures given by guest speakers, practical training and workshops. Within the framework of the academic exchange program students are encouraged to spend one or more semesters at universities abroad.

The Chiesa dei Domenicani (German: Dominikanerkirche) is a medieval church in Bolzano/Bozen, South Tyrol, northern Italy. The church, one of the earliest examples of Gothic architecture in Tyrol, was founded by the Dominicans after their arrival, in a location that was then outside the city's walls. The construction ended in 1272 but was expanded in the following century. The quarter which originated from the monks' church and monastery became known as Neustadt ("New City"); their cultivated lands were nationalized by the Fascist regime in 1930s. The church was damaged by bombs during World War II. The church has a single hall two rows of octagonal pillars. The presbytery, separated a five-span bridge, was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 18th century; in 1458-1468 the church and the cloister received new vaults in Gothic style. The four side chapels, dating from the 14th century, were damaged in World War II. The interior is home to several frescoes, including a Madonna and Saints by Haus Stotzinger from Ulm (1404), a Madonna Enthroned by a Veronese school artist (1379) and Four Saints by an artist from Martino da Verona's school (1400). The Chapel of St. John, finally, houses a fresco cycle by a Giottoesque painter, including a scene with one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and, below, the sinners. At the end of the apse is The Vision of Soriano, an altarpiece by Guercino (1655) showing a vision by Lorenzo da Grotteria, a Dominican lay brother in the monastery at Soriano Calabro on the night of 15 September 1530, in which he saw the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and Catherine of Alexandria, who at the end of the vision left in his hands a painting of his order's founder Saint Dominic holding a book and a lily, respectively symbolising the learning and purity of the order's members. With three surviving preparatory sketches for it (two in the National Gallery of Ireland and the third in a private collection in Stuttgart), Guercino's painting was commissioned by the town's Mercantile Magistrate via consul Bernardino Borno of Verona and put in place a year later. It was taken to the parish church when the monastery was suppressed in 1785, but was returned to the Dominicans' former monastery church in 1970. The cloister, first mentioned in a 1308 document, has wall paintings depicting the Life of Jesus and Mary, executed by Friedrich Pacher around 1496. Other Giottoesque frescoes from the 14th century can be seen in the St. Caterine Chapel which is accessed through the cloister.

The Museion (from the greek μουσείον, meaning the temple of the muses) is the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Bolzano, in South Tyrol, Italy.It was founded in 1985. Since 2006 it has been managed by the Museion Foundation, founded by the Autonomous Province Bozen and the Museion Association. On 24 May 2008 the Museion opened to the public its new venue, built by the KSV - Krüger Schuberth Vandreike architects in the center of Bolzano.

Maretsch Castle (German: Schloss Maretsch; Italian: Castel Mareccio) is a castle located in the historic center of Bolzano, South Tyrol, northern Italy. It is a residence rather than a defense construction. The oldest part of the castle dates back to the 13th century. The present form is due to the members of the Römer family, who transformed it in a Renaissance castle between 1560 and 1570. Today the castle is a convention center, but it can be visited after previous reservation.

The Franciscan Friary, Bolzano (German: Franziskanerkloster, Bozen; Italian: Convento dei Francescani, Bolzano) is a Franciscan friary in the city of Bolzano, in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It was founded in 1221, less than a century after Bolzano was refounded as a trading centre on the important Brenner route connecting the March of Verona and Italy with the Holy Roman Empire north of The Alps.The friary is located in Bolzano's central Boden-Rentsch quarter. The friary and its church are home to some important frescoes and other art works. Although Bolzano has been an Italian city since 1919, its Franciscan friary has since 2007 been part of the Franciscan Order of Austria for historical reasons.

The cathedral Maria Himmelfahrt (German for the Assumption of Mary) is the parish church of the South Tyrolean capital Bolzano and cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bozen-Brixen. While the Bishop has resided in Bozen since 1964, the cathedra and the cathedral chapter remain in Brixen. Maria Himmelfahrt is therefore with Brixen Cathedral co-cathedral of the diocese.

The BOclassic is an annual road running competition over the distance of 10 kilometres for men and 5 kilometres for women. It is held on New Year's Eve in Bolzano, Italy. The competition has only elite races, competed between a limited number of runners, but over 10,000 spectators gather in the streets each year to witness the race. The race has been broadcast live on television by Italian channel Rai Sport Più.It was first held in 1975 under the title Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro – inspired by the Saint Silvester Road Race in Brazil, it was the first European New Year's Eve road race (Silvesterlauf). After nine editions as a 13 km race, the men's race settled on its 10 km format. A women's competition was included in the programme from 1977 onwards and it has been a 5 km race since 1987. The Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro changed its name in 1996: race president Kurt Putzer renamed it the BOclassic.The course is in the centre of the town of Bolzano. It is a looped circuit, starting at Walther Square and heading west on Via della Mostra before turning onto Via Goethe and Via del Portici. The route then heads southwards along Via Laurin before looping back on itself to follow along Vaile della Stazione back to the starting point.Past male competitors have included multiple European champion Serhiy Lebid, Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini while women such as World Half Marathon Champions Tegla Loroupe and Berhane Adere have won the women's section. The 2011 edition featured three reigning world champions in Vivian Cheruiyot, Imane Merga and Wilson Kiprop.