Airolo
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Airolo (''Airöö'' in Lombard, in ) is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in the district of Leventina 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 ...
in
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 ...
.


Geography

Airolo is located in Leventina valley and the
Lepontine Alps The Lepontine Alps (, , ) are a mountain range in the north-western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland (Valais, Ticino, Canton of Uri, Uri and Graubünden) and Italy (Piedmont and Lombardy). The Simplon Tunnel, Simplon rail tunnel ...
, on the southern flank of the St. Gotthard Pass. Both the Gotthard rail tunnel, on the important Gotthard railway linking northern and southern Europe, and the Gotthard road tunnel, on the A2 motorway, have their southern portal in Airolo. It is the largest municipality 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 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts and its capital city is Bellinzo ...
, and consists of the village of Airolo and the
hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...
of Valle, Madrano, Brugnasco, Nante and Fontana. The municipalities of Airolo and Quinto are considering a merger some time in the future into a new municipality which will be known as Airolo-Quinto.Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz
published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office . Retrieved 14 January 2010
Airolo has an area, , of . Of this area, or 3.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 21.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 2.9% is settled (buildings or roads), or 2.4% is either rivers or lakes and or 41.6% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.8%. Out of the forested land, 14.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.5% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.2% is used for growing crops. Of the water in the municipality, 1.5% is in lakes and 0.9% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 20.2% is unproductive vegetation and 21.4% is too rocky for vegetation.


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 ''Azure on a base Vert a fir tree Argent issuant and a lion rampant Or.''


Demographics

Airolo has a population () of . , 21.5% of the population are foreign nationals.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Superweb database – Gemeinde Statistics 1981-2008
. Retrieved 19 June 2010
Over the last 10 years (1997–2007) the population has changed at a rate of −14.6%. Most of the population () speaks
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
(85.6%), with German being second most common (3.6%) and
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...
being third (3.3%).Swiss Federal Statistical Office
. Retrieved 5 November 2010
Of the Swiss national languages (), 57 speak German, 8 people speak French, 1,363 people speak Italian, and 1 person speaks Romansh. The remainder (164 people) speak another language.Popolazione residente, secondo la lingua principale e la religione, nel 2000
. Retrieved 23 November 2010
, the gender distribution of the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. The population was made up of 577 Swiss men (37.6% of the population), and 189 (12.3%) non-Swiss men. There were 641 Swiss women (41.8%), and 128 (8.3%) non-Swiss women. In there were 6 live births to Swiss citizens and 6 births to non-Swiss citizens, and in same time span there were 20 deaths of Swiss citizens. Ignoring immigration and emigration, the population of Swiss citizens decreased by 14 while the foreign population increased by 6. There was 1 Swiss woman who immigrated back to Switzerland. At the same time, there were 2 non-Swiss men who emigrated from Switzerland to another country and 5 non-Swiss women who immigrated from another country to Switzerland. The total Swiss population change in 2008 (from all sources) was a decrease of 2 and the non-Swiss population change was a decrease of 28 people. This represents a
population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 8.2 billion in 2025. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 70 million annu ...
of −1.9%. The age distribution, , in Airolo is as follows: 114 children or 7.4% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 131 teenagers or 8.5% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 184 people or 12.0% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 198 people or 12.9% are between 30 and 39, 215 people or 14.0% are between 40 and 49, and 234 people or 15.2% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 221 people or 14.4% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 130 people or 8.5% are between 70 and 79, there are 108 people or 7.0% who are over 80.01.02.03 Popolazione residente permanente
. Retrieved 23 November 2010
, there were 700 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.2 persons per household. there were 503 single family homes (or 66.4% of the total) out of a total of 757 inhabited buildings. There were 88 two family buildings (11.6%) and 114 multi-family buildings (15.1%). There were also 52 buildings in the municipality that were multipurpose buildings (used for both housing and commercial or another purpose). The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 3.31%. there were 1,325 apartments in the municipality. The most common apartment size was the 3 room apartment of which there were 393. There were 78 single room apartments and 314 apartments with five or more rooms. 09.02.02 Abitazioni
. Retrieved 23 November 2010
Of these apartments, a total of 698 apartments (52.7% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 585 apartments (44.2%) were seasonally occupied and 42 apartments (3.2%) were empty. , the construction rate of new housing units was 0.6 new units per 1000 residents. The historical population is given in the following table: : Population during construction of the St. Gotthard Tunnel


Heritage sites

The Hospice Complex on the St. Gotthard Pass with old station, house and barn, the Forte Airolo and Forte Foppa, the prehistoric settlement and Roman era necropolis of Madrano and the prehistoric settlement on the St. Gotthard Pass (known as ''Alpe di Rodont'') are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance. The entire town of Airolo and the village of Fontana are listed in the
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) 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 The types are based on t ...
.


Church

In 1877 a fire destroyed almost all of the town, including most of the church dedicated to Santi Nazario e Celso, which had been built in the 12th century and is first documented in 1224. The tower, crowned by a double row of twin arches has survived from the Romanesque building. In 1879 the church was rebuilt, under the auspices of an Uri lawyer based in Airolo, Carl Alois (Luigi) Müller, who was married to Genovefa Lombardi, the daughter of Felice Lombardi, Director of the St Gotthard hospice. There is a marble plaque in the church recording his efforts to get the church rebuilt.


St Gotthard Tunnel Memorial

This is a bronze bas-relief by the Ticinese sculptor Vincenzo Vela (1820–1891) commemorating the labourers who died building the tunnel in the 1880s.


Politics

In the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the CVP which received 36.19% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (29.1%), 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 ...
(16.16%) and the SP (9.11%). In the federal election, a total of 676 votes were cast, and the
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of Voter registration, registered voters, Suffrage, eligible voters, or all Voti ...
was 64.3%. In the '' Gran Consiglio'' election, there were a total of 1,109 registered voters in Airolo, of which 870 or 78.4% voted. 13 blank ballots and 2 null ballots were cast, leaving 855 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD+GenGiova which received 298 or 34.9% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 243 or 28.4%), the SSI (with 119 or 13.9%) and the LEGA (with 88 or 10.3%). Elezioni cantonali: Gran Consiglio, Consiglio di Stato
. Retrieved 23 November 2010
In the ''Consiglio di Stato'' election, 9 blank ballots and 3 null ballots were cast, leaving 857 valid ballots in the election. The most popular party was the PPD which received 290 or 33.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were; the PLRT (with 239 or 27.9%), the LEGA (with 140 or 16.3%) and the SSI (with 105 or 12.3%).


Economy

, Airolo had an unemployment rate of 2.58%. , there were 65 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 24 businesses involved in this sector. 356 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 20 businesses in this sector. 596 people were employed in the
tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
, with 74 businesses in this sector. There were 774 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 34.5% of the workforce. , there were 451 workers who commuted into the municipality and 161 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net importer of workers, with about 2.8 workers entering the municipality for every one leaving.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Statweb
. Retrieved 24 June 2010
Of the working population, 5.6% used public transportation to get to work, and 47.4% used a private car. , there were 8 hotels in Airolo with a total of 137 rooms and 322 beds.


Ski facilities

Airolo is also home to a small ski-resort with of prepared slopes.


Religion

From the , 1,287 or 80.8% were
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, while 34 or 2.1% belonged to the
Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...
. There are 243 individuals (or about 15.25% of the population) who belong to another church (not listed on the census), and 29 individuals (or about 1.82% of the population) did not answer the question.


Weather

Airolo has an average of 121.4 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 October during which time Airolo receives an average of of rain or snow. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 9.3 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is May, with an average of 13, but with only of rain or snow. The driest month of the year is January with an average of of precipitation over 9.3 days., the weather station elevation is 1139 meters above sea level.


Education

In Airolo about 61.3% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a ''
Fachhochschule A (; plural ), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a Hochschule, German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts, such as engineering, te ...
''). In Airolo there was a total of 218 students (). The Ticino education system provides up to three years of non-mandatory
kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
and in Airolo there were 35 children in kindergarten. The primary school program lasts for five years and includes both a standard school and a special school. In the municipality, 67 students attended the standard primary schools and 0 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 52 students in the two-year middle school and 1 in their pre-apprenticeship, while 11 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 19 vocational students who were attending school full-time and 31 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 2 students in the professional program. , there were 14 students in Airolo who came from another municipality, while 31 residents attended schools outside the municipality.


Transport

Airolo is served by Airolo station, on the Gotthard railway, which is situated in the village centre. The station is served by an hourly
InterRegio The InterRegio, often shortened to IR, is a train categories in Europe, train category for mainly domestic train services in use in some European countries, with Swiss Federal Railways operating the most dense network. InterRegio trains are semi ...
train between
Arth-Goldau Arth-Goldau railway station () is a railway station in the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Schwyz and Arth, municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth. The station is an important ...
and
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 ...
, most of which start from either Basel SBB or Zürich HB. Bus services include an hourly service 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 ...
, together with a less frequent route across the Novena Pass to Oberwald.


Famous people

* Felice Lombardi (1791–1863), son of Giuseppe, Ticino cantonal parliament was in 1841 appointed by the Ticino State Council as Head of the Hospice on the Gotthard Pass. * Emilio Motta (1855–1920), historian * Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947) (Citizenship Hospental), painter, son of Alois and Genovefa Müller-Lombardi * Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940), Swiss politician (CIP), Bundesrat.Giuseppe Motta
in admin.ch (retrieved: 14. May 2016.)
* Eugenio Corecco (1931–1995), Roman Catholic bishop in
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 ...
in the canton Ticino * Giorgio Orelli (1921–2013), Swiss writer, literary critic, translator and lecturer. * Giovanni Lombardi (born 1926), Swiss engineer, known for tunnel and dam projects * Marco Lombardi (1941–2014), lawyer, former President of the Hockey Club Ambri-Piotta * Filippo Lombardi (born 1956), Swiss politician (CVP) and entrepreneur, President of States (2012 and 2013) * Katrin Müller (born 1989) is a Swiss freestyle skier, ski crosser * Lara Gut (born 1991), skier, lives in
Canobbio Canobbio is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the circolo Vezia of the district of Lugano (district), Lugano in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Switzerland in the Roman era, Roman era inscript ...


See also

*
Bedretto Bedretto () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and a village in the Val Bedretto, the upper most part of the river Ticino (river), Ticino. It belongs to the district of Leventina (district), Leventina in the Cantons of Switzerland, c ...
* Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geoenergies * Rotondo Granite


References


External links


Official website
* {{Authority control Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in Ticino Populated places on the Ticino (river) Lepontine Alps