Puster Valley

Coordinates: 46°44′N 12°13′E / 46.733°N 12.217°E / 46.733; 12.217
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Puster Valley
Comunità comprensoriale Val Pusteria
Bezirksgemeinschaft Pustertal
Puster Valley (highlighted in green) within South Tyrol
Puster Valley (highlighted in green) within South Tyrol
Country Italy
Autonomous region Trentino-Alto Adige
Autonomous province South Tyrol
Established1969
Administrative seatBruneck (Brunico)
Area
 • Total2,072 km2 (800 sq mi)
Population
 (2005)
 • Total76,149
 • Density37/km2 (95/sq mi)
Websitewww.bezirksgemeinschaftpustertal.it

The Puster Valley[1][2] (Italian: Val Pusteria [ˈval pusteˈriːa]; German: Pustertal, Ladin: Val de Puster) is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The South Tyrolean municipalities of the Puster Valley constitute the Puster Valley district.

Puster Valley

The Puster Valley at Bruneck

The Puster Valley is located in the western part of the Periadriatic Seam, which separates the Southern Limestone Alps from the Central Eastern Alps, as well as most of the limestone Alps from the central gneiss and slate peaks of the range's central section. East of Sillian, the Puster Valley leaves the Peradriatic Line (which moves into the Gail valley) and turns to the northeast towards Lienz.

Half of the valley drains to the west to the

Drau river flows eastwards into East Tyrol. The eastern part of the valley on the upper Drava is called Upper Puster Valley
.

The towns in the Puster Valley are located between 750 and 1,180 meters (2,460 and 3,870 ft) above sea level. The most important of these towns in the western valley are Toblach, Welsberg-Taisten, Olang, and Bruneck; the most important in the eastern valley are Innichen, Sexten, and Sillian.

The largest tributaries of the Rienz river form the Antholzer Bach, the Ahr, the Pragser Bach, the Gsieser Bach, the Gran Ega, the Pfunderer Bach, and the Lüsenbach. The Puster Valley's largest side valley is the Tauferer Ahrntal. The Drau's largest eastern tributaries are the Sextner Bach and the Villgraten-Bach.

History

The Puster Valley was inhabited since

Hapsburg took possession of it. During the Napoleonic era, following the Austrian defeat at Austerlitz and the treaty of Pressburg in 1805, the entire region passed to the Bavaria: the Tyroleans, led by Andreas Hofer, repeatedly fought against the Bavarian domination.[5] After Napoleon's fall, the Puster valley was reunited with Austria and, following the World War I, it was assigned to Italy.[6]

Opening in 1871 the Puster Valley Railway uses the relative simple landscape to avoid climbing steep slopes.

Puster Valley District

Map of the Puster Valley.

The Puster Valley District (Italian: Comprensorio della Val Pusteria; German: Bezirksgemeinschaft Pustertal) was founded in 1969 with the merger of 26 municipalities. Its combined area is 2,071 km² and its population is over 73,000. Its main town is Bruneck. According to the 2001 census, 80.96% of the population of the valley speak German, 13.40% Ladin, and 5.64% Italian as their native language.[7]

The following municipalities are part of the Puster Valley District:

Gallery

  • Ahrntal and Bruneck
    Ahrntal and Bruneck
  • Lienzer Dolomite range in East Tyrol in the Upper Puster Valley
    Lienzer Dolomite range in East Tyrol in the Upper Puster Valley
  • Innichen
    Innichen
  • Farmhouse in the Antholz Mittertal valley
    Farmhouse in the Antholz Mittertal valley
  • Heiligkreuzkofel in the Abteital valley
    Heiligkreuzkofel in the Abteital valley

References

  1. ^ Pignatti, Erika, & Sandro Pignatti. 2014. Plant Life of the Dolomites: Vegetation Structure and Ecology. Heidelberg: Springer, p. 612.
  2. ^ Russ, Charles. 1990. The Dialects of Modern German: A Linguistic Survey. London: Routledge, p. 480.
  3. ^ Puerari, Mariner (1955). Das Pustertal und seine Nebentäler. Bolzano. p. 6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. .
  5. ^ Paulin (1970). Andreas Hofer. pp. 16–131.
  6. ^ Rovati, Paolo (1983). "Brunico, una piccola città della media valle della Rienza". Annali di ricerche e studi della geografia: 65–82.
  7. ^ Bevölkerung und soziales Leben, Statistisches Jahrbuch 2006, p. 120, tab. 3.19

External links

46°44′N 12°13′E / 46.733°N 12.217°E / 46.733; 12.217