Biasca
Encyclopedia
Biasca is a town of the district of Riviera
in the canton
of Ticino
in Switzerland
.
. In 1119 it was mentioned as Abiasca.
donated the area around Biasca to the Bishop of Milan
. This led to the spiritual and secular domination of the valley north of Bellinzona
. During the Bishop's conflicts with the Holy Roman Empire
over the Lombardy
provinces, Biasca and the surrounding region suffered from armies marching through the valley.
A branch of the Orelli family of Locarno was given the castle above Biasca, near the chapel of S. Petronilla, in the 12th Century. They were also given the rights of high justice
over the village. However, in 1292 the village was able to push through an agreement that allowed them to elect some local leaders, giving them limited self-government. The Orelli family ruled until the middle of the 14th Century, when their territory was incorporated into the dominion of the Visconti
. They granted the village along with the Blenio valley to the Bolognese
Pepoli family. In the second half of the 14th Century, Biasca as was granted the right to choose the Console who had the right to call courts. This right was confirmed in 1422 and subsequent years. In 1403, after the death of Gian Galeazzo, the Visconti Duke, Biasca was conquered by the two Swiss cantons of Uri
and Obwalden
and incorporated into the Italian bailiwicks of the two towns. In 1422 the Visconti troops of Milan attacked and at the Battle of Arbedo
defeated the Swiss and reestablished Milan's borders.
In 1512, a landslide from Monte Crenone created a dam across the Brenno river north of the village. The dam created a 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long lake above the village, until 1515 when the dam burst causing heavy damage. Due to its location on a major Alpine road traffic, the local economy gradually recovered from this disaster. However, at the end of the 16th and at the beginning of the 17th Century, at least three major plague epidemics hit the town. After repeated searches, Charles Borromeo
choose Biasca as the center to spread the reforms of the Council of Trent
to the Tre Valli region.
Located at the entrance to the Alpine valleys, Biasca as has always played an important role in regional and trans-Alpine trade, even after the Gotthard route opened in the early 13th Century. The Orelli family collected tolls on the roads after 1352. In the following years, the existence of a Sust or transshipment warehouse for the transit of goods is mentioned in Biasca. Starting in 1434, the municipality collected a fee, known as forletto on the transport of goods over the passes. In addition to transportation, the main income sources were, forestry, agriculture in the valleys and livestock which spent their summers in alpine pastures and migrated in the winter
to the valley.
led to an economic and demographic change in Biasca as it lost its rural character. A feature of the history of Biasca from the middle of the 19th Century into the early 20th Century is the in the first years of the 20th Century is the large number of atheists living in the town as well as a number of anti-clerical acts. In 1980, it became the town in Switzerland with the highest proportion of non-religious. The cause of this phenomenon is probably the influence of immigrants and the railway workers in the 19th Century.
For a few decades, the silkworm industry flourished in Biasca. Also, the granite mining industry is important to the whole region, and it reached its peak in Biasca in 1900. In the wake of industrialization, the first economic class battles in Ticino broke out in Biasca. There remains a strong Socialist Party core in the town.
of San Pietro dates back to the migration period following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
. It is the oldest Ambrosian Rite
church in the region that came to be known as Ambrosian Valleys, which included the Levantine and Blenio valleys and the villages of the Riviera village down to Gnosca
and Claro
. It was the center of a parish
at Biasca. However, it appears that the Church of San Martino in Olivone formed another independent parish, at least until the mid-12th Century. The Church of San Martino was probably built in the 11th Century. It became a collegiate church
with a dean and canons
. The collegiate chapter's statutes originate in 1398. It possessed the right to collect tithe
s in the Riviera and Levantine valleys. The Church of SS Giacomo e Filippo was finished in 1468 the village, but was destroyed, along with other religious and secular buildings, during the wars of the early 16th Century. A Catholic church, the Rotonda di San Carlo, is a magnificent example of the modern architecture of the Milan
ese architect Macciacchini.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Out of the forested land, 35.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 2.4% is used for growing crops and 1.9% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 13.7% is unproductive vegetation and 23.0% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Riviera district, between the Leventina, Blenio and Riviera valleys. It is the most important community in the so-called Ambrosian Valleys. The Ambrosian Valleys were several alpine valleys that were traditionally a center of Ambrosian Rite churches. It is 19 km (11.8 mi) north of Bellinzona
, on the banks of the Brenno
. About 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Biasca is the small lake of Carigiolo, from which a stream with an 80 m (262.5 ft) waterfall flows. The villages of Loderio, Ponte, Pontirone, Sant'Anna, and Valle belong to the municipality.
of the municipal coat of arms
is Per pale argent a serpent erect azure and or an eagle displayed sable langued beaked and membered gules and overall in a chief gules two keys argent in slatire tied with a ribbon also argent.
(5,026 or 86.7%), with Albanisch being second most common (205 or 3.5%) and Serbo-Croatian
being third (194 or 3.3%). There are 45 people who speak French
and 7 people who speak Romansh.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 1,821 Swiss men (30.6% of the population), and 1,137 (19.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 2,019 Swiss women (33.9%), and 978 (16.4%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 2,330 or about 40.2% were born in Biasca and lived there in 2000. There were 1,098 or 18.9% who were born in the same canton, while 286 or 4.9% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 1,979 or 34.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 30 live births to Swiss citizens and 22 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 50 deaths of Swiss citizens and 8 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 20 while the foreign population increased by 14. There was 1 Swiss man and 2 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 27 non-Swiss men and 18 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 69 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 39 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.5%.
The age distribution, , in Biasca is; 554 children or 9.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 615 teenagers or 10.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 712 people or 12.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 738 people or 12.4% are between 30 and 39, 950 people or 16.0% are between 40 and 49, and 795 people or 13.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 745 people or 12.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 530 people or 8.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 316 people or 5.3% who are over 80.
, there were 2,277 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 2,900 married individuals, 388 widows or widowers and 230 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.65 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 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 35.7% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 2,369 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 727 households that consist of only one person and 134 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 2,371 households that answered this question, 30.7% were households made up of just one person and 47 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 522 married couples without children, 902 married couples with children There were 137 single parents with a child or children. There were 34 households that were made up unrelated people and 2 households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 967 single family homes (or 67.5% of the total) out of a total of 1,433 inhabited buildings. There were 394 multi-family buildings (27.5%), along with 40 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (2.8%) and 32 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.2%). Of the single family homes 18 were built before 1919, while 75 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (315) were built between 1946 and 1960.
there were 2,883 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 1,049. There were 127 single room apartments and 518 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 2,364 apartments (82.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 381 apartments (13.2%) were seasonally occupied and 138 apartments (4.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 5.6 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.35%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
church of SS. Pietro e Paolo are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance
. The town of Biasca and the village of Pontirone are both part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
.
the most popular party was the FDP
which received 34.53% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
(21.72%), the CVP
(17.57%) and the Ticino League
(17.54%). In the federal election, a total of 1,460 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
was 47.2%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 3,093 registered voters in Biasca, of which 2,029 or 65.6% voted. 39 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,987 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
which received 494 or 24.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS
(with 437 or 22.0%), the SSI (with 396 or 19.9%) and the LEGA
(with 318 or 16.0%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 22 blank ballots and 4 null ballots were cast, leaving 2,003 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 495 or 24.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 488 or 24.4%), the LEGA (with 439 or 21.9%) and the SSI (with 314 or 15.7%).
the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 2,052. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 34, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 675, of which 265 or (39.3%) were in manufacturing, 18 or (2.7%) were in mining and 322 (47.7%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 1,343. In the tertiary sector; 432 or 32.2% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 75 or 5.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 113 or 8.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 or 0.1% were in the information industry, 58 or 4.3% were the insurance or financial industry, 93 or 6.9% were technical professionals or scientists, 143 or 10.6% were in education and 205 or 15.3% were in health care.
, there were 1,351 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,087 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 7.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 61.4% used a private car.
, there were 4 hotels in Biasca with a total of 70 rooms and 157 beds.
. Of the rest of the population, there were 233 members of an Orthodox church
(or about 4.02% of the population), there were 2 individuals (or about 0.03% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
, and there were 84 individuals (or about 1.45% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 5 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who were Jewish
, and 395 (or about 6.82% of the population) who were Islam
ic. There were 3 individuals who were Buddhist
, 1 individual who was Hindu
and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 538 (or about 9.28% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
or atheist
, and 201 individuals (or about 3.47% of the population) did not answer the question.
. The wettest month is May during which time Biasca receives an average of 181 mm (7.1 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.4 days. The driest month of the year is December with an average of 65 mm (2.6 in) of precipitation over 5.6 days.
). Of the 372 who completed tertiary schooling, 55.6% were Swiss men, 26.6% were Swiss women, 13.4% were non-Swiss men and 4.3% were non-Swiss women.
In Biasca there were a total of 1,015 students . The Ticino education system
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
and in Biasca there were 153 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 309 students attended the standard primary schools and 8 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 250 students in the two year middle school and 6 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 94 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 61 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 114 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 20 students in the professional program.
, there were 81 students in Biasca who came from another municipality, while 193 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
Riviera (district)
The district of Riviera is a district of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It has a population of . The capital of the district is Biasca.-Geography:...
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
Biasca is first mentioned in 830 as Aviasca in the Liber viventium of Pfäfers AbbeyPfäfers Abbey
Pfäfers Abbey , also known as St. Pirminsberg from its position on a mountain, was a Benedictine monastery in Pfäfers near Bad Ragaz, in the canton of St...
. In 1119 it was mentioned as Abiasca.
Early history
In 948, the Bishop of VercelliRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Vercelli
The Archdiocese of Vercelli is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in northern Italy, one of the two archdioceses which form the ecclesiastical region of Piedmont. The archbishop's seat is in Vercelli Cathedral...
donated the area around Biasca to the Bishop of Milan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan
The Archdiocese of Milan is a metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has long maintained its own rite: the Ambrosian rite. It is led by the Archbishop of Milan who serves as metropolitan to the dioceses of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Crema, Cremona, Lodi, Mantova, Pavia, and Vigevano.The...
. This led to the spiritual and secular domination of the valley north of Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
. During the Bishop's conflicts with the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
over the Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
provinces, Biasca and the surrounding region suffered from armies marching through the valley.
A branch of the Orelli family of Locarno was given the castle above Biasca, near the chapel of S. Petronilla, in the 12th Century. They were also given the rights of high justice
High, middle and low justice
High, middle and low justices are notions dating from Western feudalism to indicate descending degrees of judiciary power to administer justice by the maximal punishment the holders could inflict upon their subjects and other dependents....
over the village. However, in 1292 the village was able to push through an agreement that allowed them to elect some local leaders, giving them limited self-government. The Orelli family ruled until the middle of the 14th Century, when their territory was incorporated into the dominion of the Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
. They granted the village along with the Blenio valley to the Bolognese
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
Pepoli family. In the second half of the 14th Century, Biasca as was granted the right to choose the Console who had the right to call courts. This right was confirmed in 1422 and subsequent years. In 1403, after the death of Gian Galeazzo, the Visconti Duke, Biasca was conquered by the two Swiss cantons of Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
and Obwalden
Obwalden
Obwalden is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 33,997 of which 4,043 are foreigners. Its capital is Sarnen. The canton contains the geographical centre of Switzerland.-History:...
and incorporated into the Italian bailiwicks of the two towns. In 1422 the Visconti troops of Milan attacked and at the Battle of Arbedo
Battle of Arbedo
The Battle of Arbedo was fought on June 30, 1422 between the Duchy of Milan and the Swiss Confederation.In 1419, Uri and Unterwalden bought the Bellinzona stronghold from the Sacco barons, but were unable to defend it adequately...
defeated the Swiss and reestablished Milan's borders.
Under the Swiss Confederation
In 1439, the town was attacked by Uri once again. The Duke of Milan reinforced Biasca and in 1441 made it a bulwark against the Levantine valley which had been conquered by Uri. It was again attacked and occupied by Uri in 1449. The town reached an agreement in 1450 with the new Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, which confirmed the previously extended rights. Other raids took place after the death of Francesco Sforza in 1466 and during the campaign of 1478. It was probably annexed in 1495 along with the rest of the Blenio valley by the Swiss. After 1500 it was part of the Bailiwick of Riviera.In 1512, a landslide from Monte Crenone created a dam across the Brenno river north of the village. The dam created a 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long lake above the village, until 1515 when the dam burst causing heavy damage. Due to its location on a major Alpine road traffic, the local economy gradually recovered from this disaster. However, at the end of the 16th and at the beginning of the 17th Century, at least three major plague epidemics hit the town. After repeated searches, Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo was the cardinal archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was a leading figure during the Counter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests...
choose Biasca as the center to spread the reforms of the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
to the Tre Valli region.
Located at the entrance to the Alpine valleys, Biasca as has always played an important role in regional and trans-Alpine trade, even after the Gotthard route opened in the early 13th Century. The Orelli family collected tolls on the roads after 1352. In the following years, the existence of a Sust or transshipment warehouse for the transit of goods is mentioned in Biasca. Starting in 1434, the municipality collected a fee, known as forletto on the transport of goods over the passes. In addition to transportation, the main income sources were, forestry, agriculture in the valleys and livestock which spent their summers in alpine pastures and migrated in the winter
Transhumance in the Alps
Transhumance in the Alps, or seasonal migration between valley and high pastures is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2000 m would be forests.While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal...
to the valley.
Early Modern Biasca
The construction of the road network in 1815 and the construction of the Gotthard tunnelGotthard Rail Tunnel
The Gotthard Rail Tunnel, is a 15-kilometre long railway tunnel and forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Gotthard massif...
led to an economic and demographic change in Biasca as it lost its rural character. A feature of the history of Biasca from the middle of the 19th Century into the early 20th Century is the in the first years of the 20th Century is the large number of atheists living in the town as well as a number of anti-clerical acts. In 1980, it became the town in Switzerland with the highest proportion of non-religious. The cause of this phenomenon is probably the influence of immigrants and the railway workers in the 19th Century.
For a few decades, the silkworm industry flourished in Biasca. Also, the granite mining industry is important to the whole region, and it reached its peak in Biasca in 1900. In the wake of industrialization, the first economic class battles in Ticino broke out in Biasca. There remains a strong Socialist Party core in the town.
Modern Biasca
In the postwar years, Biasca's economy grew strongly, especially the industrial sector (in 1990, 43% of the economically active population) and the service sector (56%). Agriculture lost almost all importance in the area and now only provides about 1% of jobs. Most of the development has occurred around the Biasca industrial zone, which is the only one in the canton that is considered "of Cantonal importance". The services sector has grown as Biasca has become a hub for the entire Tre Valli region. The addition of Biasca on the trans-alpine rail link (NEAT) is expected to encourage it to continue its growth.Churches of Biasca
The parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of San Pietro dates back to the migration period following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
. It is the oldest Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
church in the region that came to be known as Ambrosian Valleys, which included the Levantine and Blenio valleys and the villages of the Riviera village down to Gnosca
Gnosca
Gnosca is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Gnosca is first mentioned in 1198 as Niosca in the records of Como and the cathedral of Milan. While it is likely that there were earlier settlements, nothing is known about them. An arbitration...
and Claro
Claro, Ticino
Claro is a municipality in the district of Riviera in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Claro is first mentioned in 1120 as locus Clari....
. It was the center of a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
at Biasca. However, it appears that the Church of San Martino in Olivone formed another independent parish, at least until the mid-12th Century. The Church of San Martino was probably built in the 11th Century. It became a collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
with a dean and canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
. The collegiate chapter's statutes originate in 1398. It possessed the right to collect tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s in the Riviera and Levantine valleys. The Church of SS Giacomo e Filippo was finished in 1468 the village, but was destroyed, along with other religious and secular buildings, during the wars of the early 16th Century. A Catholic church, the Rotonda di San Carlo, is a magnificent example of the modern architecture of the Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese architect Macciacchini.
Geography
Biasca has an area, , of 59.13 square kilometres (22.8 sq mi). Of this area, 2.86 km² (1.1 sq mi) or 4.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 26.6 km² (10.3 sq mi) or 45.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.92 km² (1.1 sq mi) or 4.9% is settled (buildings or roads), 1.19 km² (0.459461568725117 sq mi) or 2.0% is either rivers or lakes and 21.7 km² (8.4 sq mi) or 36.7% is unproductive land.Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 1.9% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Out of the forested land, 35.2% of the total land area is heavily forested and 3.7% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 2.4% is used for growing crops and 1.9% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 13.7% is unproductive vegetation and 23.0% is too rocky for vegetation.
The municipality is located in the Riviera district, between the Leventina, Blenio and Riviera valleys. It is the most important community in the so-called Ambrosian Valleys. The Ambrosian Valleys were several alpine valleys that were traditionally a center of Ambrosian Rite churches. It is 19 km (11.8 mi) north of Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
, on the banks of the Brenno
Brenno
Brenno is a long river in canton Ticino in Switzerland. It drains most of the Blenio Valley and it joins the Ticino River between Pollegio and Biasca....
. About 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Biasca is the small lake of Carigiolo, from which a stream with an 80 m (262.5 ft) waterfall flows. The villages of Loderio, Ponte, Pontirone, Sant'Anna, and Valle belong to the municipality.
Coat of arms
The blazonBlazon
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 the appropriate image...
of the municipal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is Per pale argent a serpent erect azure and or an eagle displayed sable langued beaked and membered gules and overall in a chief gules two keys argent in slatire tied with a ribbon also argent.
Demographics
Biasca has a population of . , 35.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of -1.2%. Most of the population speaks Italian languageItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(5,026 or 86.7%), with Albanisch being second most common (205 or 3.5%) and Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
being third (194 or 3.3%). There are 45 people who speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and 7 people who speak Romansh.
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population was made up of 1,821 Swiss men (30.6% of the population), and 1,137 (19.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 2,019 Swiss women (33.9%), and 978 (16.4%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 2,330 or about 40.2% were born in Biasca and lived there in 2000. There were 1,098 or 18.9% who were born in the same canton, while 286 or 4.9% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 1,979 or 34.2% were born outside of Switzerland.
In there were 30 live births to Swiss citizens and 22 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 50 deaths of Swiss citizens and 8 non-Swiss citizen deaths. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 20 while the foreign population increased by 14. There was 1 Swiss man and 2 Swiss women who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 27 non-Swiss men and 18 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 69 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 39 people. This represents a population growth rate of 0.5%.
The age distribution, , in Biasca is; 554 children or 9.3% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 615 teenagers or 10.3% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 712 people or 12.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 738 people or 12.4% are between 30 and 39, 950 people or 16.0% are between 40 and 49, and 795 people or 13.4% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 745 people or 12.5% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 530 people or 8.9% are between 70 and 79, there are 316 people or 5.3% who are over 80.
, there were 2,277 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 2,900 married individuals, 388 widows or widowers and 230 individuals who are divorced.
the average number of residents per living room was 0.65 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 4 m² (43.1 sq ft) as normal bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens and habitable cellars and attics. About 35.7% of the total households were owner occupied, or in other words did not pay rent (though they may have a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
or a rent-to-own agreement).
, there were 2,369 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 727 households that consist of only one person and 134 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 2,371 households that answered this question, 30.7% were households made up of just one person and 47 were adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 522 married couples without children, 902 married couples with children There were 137 single parents with a child or children. There were 34 households that were made up unrelated people and 2 households that were made some sort of institution or another collective housing.
there were 967 single family homes (or 67.5% of the total) out of a total of 1,433 inhabited buildings. There were 394 multi-family buildings (27.5%), along with 40 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (2.8%) and 32 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.2%). Of the single family homes 18 were built before 1919, while 75 were built between 1990 and 2000. The greatest number of single family homes (315) were built between 1946 and 1960.
there were 2,883 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was 4 rooms of which there were 1,049. There were 127 single room apartments and 518 apartments with five or more rooms. Of these apartments, a total of 2,364 apartments (82.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 381 apartments (13.2%) were seasonally occupied and 138 apartments (4.8%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 5.6 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 1.35%.
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Heritage sites of national significance
The Arsenale, and the provost'sProvost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
church of SS. Pietro e Paolo are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
. The town of Biasca and the village of Pontirone are both part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites
The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage.-Sites of national importance:-Types:...
.
Politics
In the 2007 federal electionSwiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
the most popular party was the FDP
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 34.53% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(21.72%), the CVP
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
(17.57%) and the Ticino League
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(17.54%). In the federal election, a total of 1,460 votes were cast, and the voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 47.2%.
In the Gran Consiglio election, there were a total of 3,093 registered voters in Biasca, of which 2,029 or 65.6% voted. 39 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 1,987 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PLRT
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
which received 494 or 24.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(with 437 or 22.0%), the SSI (with 396 or 19.9%) and the LEGA
Ticino League
The Ticino League is an isolationist, national conservative political party in Switzerland active in the canton of Ticino.In 1991, after some public campaigning in the Sunday journal Mattino della Domenica against political power and use of public money, the editor Giuliano Bignasca and the...
(with 318 or 16.0%).
In the Consiglio di Stato election, 22 blank ballots and 4 null ballots were cast, leaving 2,003 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PS which received 495 or 24.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 488 or 24.4%), the LEGA (with 439 or 21.9%) and the SSI (with 314 or 15.7%).
Economy
, Biasca had an unemployment rate of 4.82%. , there were 77 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 37 businesses involved in this sector. 768 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 72 businesses in this sector. 1,479 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 237 businesses in this sector. There were 2,464 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 37.7% of the workforce.the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 2,052. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 34, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 675, of which 265 or (39.3%) were in manufacturing, 18 or (2.7%) were in mining and 322 (47.7%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 1,343. In the tertiary sector; 432 or 32.2% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 75 or 5.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 113 or 8.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 or 0.1% were in the information industry, 58 or 4.3% were the insurance or financial industry, 93 or 6.9% were technical professionals or scientists, 143 or 10.6% were in education and 205 or 15.3% were in health care.
, there were 1,351 workers who commuted into the municipality and 1,087 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 1.2 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving. Of the working population, 7.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 61.4% used a private car.
, there were 4 hotels in Biasca with a total of 70 rooms and 157 beds.
Religion
From the , 4,230 or 73.0% were Roman Catholic, while 101 or 1.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed ChurchSwiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
. Of the rest of the population, there were 233 members of an Orthodox church
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
(or about 4.02% of the population), there were 2 individuals (or about 0.03% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church
Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland
The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is the Swiss member church of the Union of Utrecht, also known as Old Catholic Church, originally founded by the jansenists, with a later influx of discontented Catholics following their disappointment with the First Vatican Council. It has 14,000...
, and there were 84 individuals (or about 1.45% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 5 individuals (or about 0.09% of the population) who were Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and 395 (or about 6.82% of the population) who were Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic. There were 3 individuals who were Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, 1 individual who was Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 538 (or about 9.28% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
or atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, and 201 individuals (or about 3.47% of the population) did not answer the question.
Weather
Biasca has an average of 97.3 days of rain or snow per year and on average receives 1587 mm (62.5 in) of precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. The wettest month is May during which time Biasca receives an average of 181 mm (7.1 in) of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 11.4 days. The driest month of the year is December with an average of 65 mm (2.6 in) of precipitation over 5.6 days.
Education
In Biasca about 1,887 or (32.6%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 372 or (6.4%) have completed additional higher education (either University or a FachhochschuleFachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
). Of the 372 who completed tertiary schooling, 55.6% were Swiss men, 26.6% were Swiss women, 13.4% were non-Swiss men and 4.3% were non-Swiss women.
In Biasca there were a total of 1,015 students . The Ticino education system
Education in Switzerland
The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system mainly to the cantons...
provides up to three years of non-mandatory kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and in Biasca there were 153 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 309 students attended the standard primary schools and 8 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 250 students in the two year middle school and 6 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 94 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 61 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 114 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 20 students in the professional program.
, there were 81 students in Biasca who came from another municipality, while 193 residents attended schools outside the municipality.
External links
- Official website
- Biasca and Riviera Tourism website (Italian, French, German, English)