Vinschgau Vintschgau | |
|---|---|
| Comunità comprensoriale Val Venosta Bezirksgemeinschaft Vinschgau | |
 Vinschgau district (highlighted in green) within South Tyrol; the yellow-black stripes mark the geographical extent of the valley | |
| Coordinates:46°36′54″N10°42′18″E / 46.615°N 10.705°E /46.615; 10.705 | |
| Country |  Italy |
| Autonomous region |  Trentino-Alto Adige |
| Autonomous province |  South Tyrol |
| Established | 1962 |
| Administrative seat | Schlanders (Silandro) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,442 km2 (557 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
• Total | 35,043 |
| • Density | 24/km2 (63/sq mi) |
| Website | www |
TheVinschgau,Vintschgau (German:[ˈfɪn(t)ʃɡaʊ])[1] orVinschgau Valley[2] (Italian:Val Venosta[ˈvalveˈnɔsta];Romansh:Vnuost[ˈfnuɔ̯ʃt]ⓘ;Ladin:Val Venuesta; medieval toponym:Finsgowe) is the upper part of theAdige or Etsch river valley, in the western part of the province ofSouth Tyrol,Italy.
TheGerman nameVinschgau, like ItalianVal Venosta, is derived from theCeltic (Rhaetian)Venostes tribes mentioned on the ancientTropaeum Alpium. AFrankishGau was established underCharlemagne in 772; it was first mentioned in a 1077 deed, when KingHenry IV of Germany granted the estates ofSchlandersin pago Finsgowe to BishopAltwin ofBrixen.
The Vinschgau Valley[3] runs in a west-east orientation, from theMerano basin atPartschins up the Adige river toReschen Pass in the northwest. TheÖtztal Alps in the north, part of theAlpine crest, separate it from the upperInn Valley. The Adige valley is further confined by theSesvenna Alps in the west and theOrtler Alps in the south. It comprises several side valleys, such as theSuldental, theMatscher Tal, or theSchnalstal.
Due to the insular location within theCentral Eastern Alps, a rather warm climate and a lack of rain (400mm per year), fields, meadows andapple orchards are irrigated.Viticulture is also common.
According to the 2001 census, 96.51% of the population of the valley speak German, 3.41% Italian and 0.08%Ladin as first language.[4]
The Vinschgau District (Italian:Comprensorio della Val Venosta;German:Bezirksgemeinschaft Vinschgau) was established in 1962. The district covers the largest part of the Vinschgau region and its side valleys, in which 13 municipalities cooperate:
The municipalities ofNaturns (Naturno),Plaus andPartschins (Parcines) geographically belong to the lower Vinschgau region, though politically they are affiliated with the neighbouringBurggrafenamt district.
Media related toVinschgau at Wikimedia Commons |  | ||
