Editing Sterzing

{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Sterzing
| official_name       = Stadtgemeinde Sterzing<br />Comune di Vipiteno
| native_name         = 
| image_skyline       = Sterzing-Zwoelferturm2.jpg
| image_caption       = The ''Zwölferturm'' in Sterzing
| image_shield        = Vipiteno-Stemma.png
| shield_alt          = 
| image_map           = 
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt     = 
| coordinates         = {{coord|46|53|N|11|26|E|region:IT_type:city(5,997)|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region              = {{RegioneIT|sigla=TAA}}
| province            = [[South Tyrol]] (BZ)
| frazioni            = Ried (Novale), Thuins (Tunes), Tschöfs  (Ceves)
| mayor_party         = 
| mayor               = Peter Volgger
| area_footnotes      = 
| area_total_km2      = 33
| population_footnotes = <ref name="istat">All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute ([[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Istat]])</ref>
| population_total    = 6950
| population_as_of    = March 2021
| pop_density_footnotes = 
| population_demonym  = German: Sterzinger<br />Italian: vipitenesi
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 950
| twin1               = 
| twin1_country       = 
| saint               = 
| day                 = 
| postal_code         = 39049
| area_code           = 0472
| website             = {{official website|http://www.sterzing.net}}
| footnotes           = 
}}

'''Sterzing''' ({{IPA|de|ˈʃtɛrtsɪŋ}}; {{langx|it|Vipiteno}} {{IPA|it|vipiˈtɛːno|}}) is a [[comune]] in [[South Tyrol]] in northern [[Italy]]. It is the main town of the southern [[Wipptal]], and the [[Eisack]] River flows through the medieval town. It is one of [[I Borghi più belli d'Italia]] ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/trentino/|title=Trentino Alto Adige|access-date=31 July 2023|language=it}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:(Aug 1912) - Sterzing - A.E.Hasse.JPG|thumb|280px|Sterzing in August 1912 by A.E.Hasse]]

===Origin===
The town traces its roots to 14 B.C., when [[Nero Claudius Drusus]] founded a military camp called "Vipitenum" along the road between what are now Italy and Germany. Ancient ruins found nearby include a sepulchral monument dedicated to [[Postumia Vittorina]], a milestone of the Imperator [[Septimius Severus]] period and a stone altar dedicated to Lord [[Mithras]]. The first mention of a town called ''Wibitina'' dates back to the years between 985 and 990. That name, which is still memorized in [[Wipptal]], is traced back to the nearby Celto-Roman settlement Vibidina.

In 1182, the German name ''Sterçengum'' appears in a document of the Sonnenburg abbey.<ref>{{cite book| author1 = Martin Bitschnau| author2 = Hannes Obermair | title= Tiroler Urkundenbuch, II. Abteilung: Die Urkunden zur Geschichte des Inn-, Eisack- und Pustertals. Vol. 2: 1140–1200 | publisher= Universitätsverlag Wagner | place= Innsbruck | year= 2012 | pages= 301–7 no. 783| isbn= 978-3-7030-0485-8}}</ref>

In 1280, Duke [[Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia|Meinhard]] of [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]], promoted the town to the rank of city.  As the region's proximity to the [[Brenner Pass]] made it a frequent trade route, the [[Fugger]] of [[Augsburg]] opened a branch to sort the products of the nearby silver mines in Ridnaun Valley and Pfleres Valley. Sterzing knew its magnificence in the 15th and 16th centuries after the 1443 fire which destroyed part of the town.  New embattled houses were built, some late gothic style, in Neustadt (New Town) as: Town and Regional Trial House (1450), Hotel "Goldenes Kreuz" (1446), Fugger's Branch (1553), Rafenstein House (former Köchl, 1472), the Town Hall (1473), Geizkofler House (1600) and the Mining District House (1500) all still in use.

The town is mentioned in several sources from the 16th to 19th centuries as ''Störzingen''.<ref>Heinrich Schickhardt von Herzenberg, "Beschreibung einer Reis welche der Durchleuchtig Hochgeborne Fürst und Herr, Herr Friedrich zu Würtemberg (...) im Jahre 1599 (…) aus dem Land Würtemberg in Italien gethan", 1602.</ref><ref>Johann Georg Zinner, "Ausführliche und genaue Reisebeschreibung Ihrer königlichen Majestät Marien Josephs (…) ls hochstdieselbe  im 1768sten Frühjahre (..) abreiste", 1767.</ref> In the course of the [[Italianization of South Tyrol]], the modern Italian name of the town ''Vipiteno'' - created from the old Roman settlement of ''Vipitenum'' - was made official.<ref>Egon Kühebacher (1991), ''Die Ortsnamen Südtirols und ihre Geschichte'', Bozen: Athesia, p. 449</ref> Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, a number of wanted Nazis stayed in Sterzing at the Hotel Goldenes Kreuz which still exists today. At different times, people like [[Erich Priebke]], [[Adolf Eichmann]], and [[Josef Mengele]] were in transit here as they waited for forged passports for their journey out of Europe and by ship to South America.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}

===Coat of arms===
King Henry I, Count of [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]], granted a seal, similar to the present, depicting a crippled pilgrim with a stick and the rosary above the Tyrolean eagle, this appeared as a coat of arms August 30, 1328.  In 1524, the pilgrim is shown as a monk above the Tyrolean eagle. 
<ref>[http://www.ngw.nl/int/ita/s/sterzing.htm Heraldry of the World: Sterzing]</ref>

==Main sights==

===Religious architecture===

====Parish of "Our Lady of Marsh"====
The Parish is the biggest church between Verona and Munich and was built from 1417 to 1451. The gothic altar, woodwork by [[Hans Multscher]] of Ulm, is {{convert|12|m|ft}} high and was completed in 1458. The church was later enlarged from 1497 to 1525 by Hans Lutz.  In 1753, the church was then modified in baroque style, with paintings by Adam Mölk, and the gothic altar removed; presently the altar is on display at the Multscher Museum.

====Holy Spirit Church====
The Holy Spirit Church is the oldest gothic church in town. Built in 1399, in the same main building of the old Hospital, is located in the Town Square; the nave is painted in fresco by Giovanni of Bruneck (1402).

====Saint Elisabeth Chapel====
Saint Elisabeth Chapel is part of the Deutschhaus and was built in Baroque in 1729&ndash;33 by Giuseppe Delai.  It has an octagonal plan with a rectangular sector concerning the altar and the choir. The dome frescos represent the patron saint and the coat-of-arms of the [[Teutonic Order]] were painted by [[Matthäus Günther]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.provinz.bz.it/denkmalpflege/themen/1071.asp?status=detail&id=17440|title = Denkmalpflege &#124; Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol}}</ref>

====Kapuzinerkirche====
The church was built in 1636 and was consecrated the following year to Saint Mary Magdalene; it has a rectangular apse and a lateral chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The image in the niche on the façade represent the patron saint and is a work of the 17th century. The altarpieces presumably were painted by Josef Renzler in 1800 circa and represent Saint Mary Magdalene with Saint Francis and Saint Anthony; on the lateral altars are depicted Saint Felix and Saint Anthony of Padua.

====Saint Margaret Church====
The present church was built on the initiative of Bishop Paulinus Mayr in early Tyrolean baroque on a project of Peter Delai in 1678. The old church, mentioned for the first time in 1337, was restored and enlarged between 1459 and 1463 in gothic. In 1678, it was completely demolished, rebuilt, and consecrated in 1681.  The bell tower is detached from the church and it comes from the previous church, in 1624, the Romanic tower was demolished and built the present. The façade was inspired by to renaissance with the characteristic Palladian tripartite windows. In the niches are placed the wooden sculptures of [[Margaret the Virgin|Saint Margaret]] and Saint Agnes and above the portal is a fresco showing the Last Supper. The imposing interior has one nave, large windows, and a vaulted ceiling with lunettes.  The great high altar has six columns and an altarpiece representing the Coronation of Mary painted by Joseph Renzler in 1822, beside are two wood-carving of the Saints Francis Xavier and  John of Nepomuk.  Above the altar on the right is placed a statue of the Madonna with Child of 17th century bordered by the Rosary formed by fifteen painted discs presumably by Joseph Mildorfer.

===Civil architecture===

====Zwölferturm====
The Zwölferturm is a 46 m. high tower erected in 1470, it is the symbol of the city that divides the New Town from Old Town.  A fire in 1867 destroyed the original spire, which was replaced with the present embattled roof.
[[File:Sterzing (Aug 1912) - Zwölferturm.JPG|thumb|Sterzing (Aug 1912) - Zwölferturm]]

====Town Hall====
Built in 1468&ndash;72 in late gothic style while, the angular "Erker" was added in 1526. In the patio take place a Roman stone altar, dedicated to Lord Mithras and a milestone of the Imperator Septimius Severus; the same period the military road was completed in 200 A.D.

====New Town (Neustadt)====
It is the main street of the old city centre with buildings erected after the 1417 fire, during a period when the town was prosperous with the trade and the silver mines in the nearby Ridnaun Valley and Pflersch Valley.

===Military architecture===

====Reifenstein Castle====
Outside the city is the [[Reifenstein Castle]], one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the province.

==Notable people==
=== Olden times ===
* Vigil Raber (1490–1552) restorer and painter, later writer and editor and pianist<ref>[[:de:Vigil Raber|German Wiki, Vigil Raber]]</ref>
* [[Michael Gaismair]] (1490 Sterzing – 1532), Social revolutionary, Master builder, leader of the [[German Peasants' War]] (1524–1525)
* Michael Toxites (1514–1581), Doctor, Humanist and Literary man<ref>[[:de:Michael Toxites|German Wiki, Michael Toxites]]</ref>
* Kasper Goltwurm (1524, Sterzing – 1559), Lutheran theologian<ref>[[:de:Kasper Goltwurm|German Wiki, Kasper Goltwurm]]</ref>
[[File:Anton Mitterwurzer.jpg|140px|thumb|Anton Mitterwurzer, 1843]]

=== More modern times ===
* [[Johann Baptist Gänsbacher]] (1778–1844) composer and conductor <ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Gänsbacher,_Johann_Baptist |volume= 11 |short=x}}</ref> 
* [[Anton Mitterwurzer]] (1818–76) baritone opera singer 
* Carl Domanig (1851–1913), Writer<ref>[[:de:Carl Domanig|German Wiki, Carl Domanig]]</ref>
* Konrad Fischnaller (1855, Sterzing – 1941), teacher and historian<ref>[[:de:Konrad Fischnaler|German Wiki, Konrad Fischnaler]]</ref>
* [[Andreas Khol]] (born 1941) an Austrian politician, raised in Sterzing
* [[Alexander Langer]] (1946–1995) Italian journalist, peace activist, politician, translator and teacher.
* [[Franco Bernabè]] (born 1948) banker, formerly CEO of [[Telecom Italia]]
* [[Johannes Pramsohler]] (born 1980) a violinist, conductor and record producer

=== Sport ===
[[File:Katja Haller 1.jpg|140px|thumb|Katja Haller 2011]]
* [[Carlo Gartner]] (1922–2013) alpine skier, competed in the [[1948 Winter Olympics|1948]] and [[1952 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Herbert Plank]] (born 1954) alpine skier, competed in the [[1976 Winter Olympics|1976]] and [[1980 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Oswald Tötsch]] (born 1964) former alpine skier, competed in the [[1984 Winter Olympics|1984]] and [[1988 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Josef Polig]] (born 1968) former Alpine skier, gold medallist in the [[1992 Winter Olympics]] 
* [[Gerhard Plankensteiner]] (born 1971) luger, bronze medallist at the [[2006 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Astrid Plank]] (born 1971) former alpine skier, competed in the [[1992 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Reinhold Rainer]] (born 1973) luger, competed in four Winter Olympics 
* [[Stéphanie Jiménez]] (born 1974) an Andorran mountain runner, lives in Sterzing
* [[Devis Da Canal]] (born 1976) biathlete, competed at the [[2002 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Silvia Weissteiner]] (born 1979) long-distance runner, competed at the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] and [[2012 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Katja Haller]] (born 1981) professional biathlete, competed in three Summer Olympics
* [[Alex Schwazer]] (born 1984), former race walker
* [[Hans Peter Fischnaller]] (born 1985), luger
* [[Markus Gander]] (born 1989), ice hockey player
* [[Sandra Gasparini]] (born 1990) luger, competed at the [[2010 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Ivan Deluca]] (born 1997), ice hockey player

==Society==

===Linguistic distribution===
According to the 2024 census, 67.66% of the population speak German, 32.08% Italian and 0.27% [[Ladin language|Ladin]] as first language.<ref name="Volkszählung 2024/Censimento della popolazione 2024">{{cite journal |date=December 2024 |title=Ergebnisse Sprachgruppenzählung 2024/Risultati Censimento linguistico 2024 |journal=astat info |issue=56 |publisher=Provincial Statistics Institute of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol|url=https://astat.provinz.bz.it/de/aktuelles-publikationen-info.asp?news_action=300&news_image_id=1160209 |access-date=2024-12-09 }}</ref>

===Culture===
*Sterzing/Vipiteno is a site to the Orfeo Music Festival, a renowned classical music event
*The [[ice hockey]] team [[Wipptal Broncos]] is based in the town

==Economy==

===Industry===
Sterzing is home of the Leitner Group, an international industry, a manufacturer of cable systems, snowgroomer, utility tracked vehicles, systems for urban rail called [[minimetrò]], and wind turbines.<ref>[http://en.leitner-technologies.com/ Leitner Technologies]</ref>

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy}}

===Twin towns – Sister cities===
Sterzing is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Kitzbühel]], [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]], [[Austria]], since 1971<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kitzbuehel.eu/system/web/zusatzseite.aspx?detailonr=34869817 |title= Partnerstädte |access-date=2008-08-04 |work= Stadtgemeinde Kitzbühel |language= de}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Vipiteno View.JPG|A close sight of the inner town
File:Vipiteno Twelve hour Tower.JPG|The town's symbol, the "Zwölferturm", is {{convert|46|m|ft}} high and was built in 1472.
File:Vipiteno Multscher Museum.JPG|The Multscher Museum: Exposition of ancient maps, documents and the plans for building the Parish altar by Hans Multscher
File:Sterzing, die Elisabethkapelle Dm17440 IMG 1013 2019-08-03 11.13.jpg|Saint Elisabeth Chapel
File:Vipiteno Parish Church 1.JPG|External sight of the Parish "Our Lady of Marsh"
File:Vipiteno Parish Church 2.JPG|The central nave with frescos by Adam Mölk
File:Sterzing, beeldhouwwerk op de Neustadt foto1 2012-*08-10 16.33.jpg|Sculpture at the Neustadt
File:Pfarrkirche Sterzing76.jpg|Parish church
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}} 
* {{in lang|it}}  Guide d'Italia, Trentino Alto Adige, Editrice TCI, 1976
* {{in lang|it}} Grande Dizionario Enciclopedico, Unione Tipografico - Editrice Torinese, 1962

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sterzing}}
* {{in lang|de|it}} [http://www.sterzing.net Homepage of the municipality]
* [http://gallery.gvcc.net/sterzing/webcam/bild.jpg Sterzing Webcam]
* Orfeo Music Festival [http://www.orfeomusicfestival.com/]
{{South Tyrol}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Municipalities of South Tyrol]]
[[Category:Borghi più belli d'Italia]]