Lugano (Lombard language: Lügan ) is a town (56,889 inhabitants, a total of 130,000 people in the agglomeration) in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy. The city lies on Lake Lugano, and its warm summers and the fact that in recent years it has attracted an ever growing number of celebrities, entertainers and successful athletes have given it the nickname of the "Monte Carlo of Switzerland". It is the 9th largest city of Switzerland by population.
The origin of the name is possibly the Latin word Lucus , meaning wood or sacred wood, or Gaulish locovanno "lake dweller".
History
Pre-History
The shores of Lake Lugano have been inhabited since the Stone Age. Within the modern city limits (Breganzona, Castagnola, Davesco and Gandria) a number of ground stones or quern-stones have been found. In the area surrounding Lugano, items from the Copper Age and the Iron Age have been found. There are Etruscan monuments at Davesco-Soragno (5 th to 2 nd Century BC), Pregassona (3 rd to 2 nd Century BC), and Viganello (3 th to 2 nd Century BC). Graves with jewelry and household items have been found in Aldesago, Davesco, Pazzallo and Pregassona along with celtic money in Viganello.
The region around Lake Lugano was settled by the Romans by the 1 st Century BC. There was an important Roman city north of Lugano at Bioggio. There are fewer traces of the Romans in Lugano, but several inscriptions, graves and coins indicate that some Romans lived in what would become Lugano.
Foundation of Lugano
The first written mention of a settlement at Lugano can be found in documents, which are of disputed authenticity, with which the Longobard king, Liutprand, ceded various assets located in Lugano to the Church of Saint Carpophorus in Como in 724. Other documents, dating from 804 and 844 refer to Lake Lugano as Laco Luanasco , and an act of 984 indicates Lugano as a market town. In 874 the town was referred to as Luano , and in 1189 it became known by its present name. The town coat of arms also dates to around this time. The four letters on the coat of arms are an abbreviation of Lugano according to documents from 18 October 1208 and 14 November 1209. This city was also known in the German-speaking cantons as Lowens , Lauis and Lauwis .
It was the object of continuous disputes between the Dukes of Como and Milan until it became a Swiss dominion in 1513. Swiss control lasted until 1798 when Napoleon conquered the Old Swiss Confederation and created the Helvetic Republic. Under the Helvetic Republic, Lugano became the center of the Canton of Lugano.
Canton of Lugano
See also: Canton of LuganoThe canton of Lugano unified the former Landvogteien of Lugano, Mendrisio, Locarno and Valmaggia. However, as with the other cantons of the Helvetic Republic, the autonomy of Lugano was very limited, the republic having been founded by Napoleon in order further to centralise power in Switzerland. The canton was led by a Directory of five members, who appointed a "national préfet".
The canton deeply divided between "patriots", supporting the Cisalpine Republic, and traditionalist "aristocrats". By 1799 riots broke out in Lugano, and the second préfet, Francesco Capra, fled the city. Power passed to a provisional government sympathetic to the Habsburgs. However, French occupation was restored in 1800. Discontent continued and in early 1802 a revolt in Capriasca led to the autumn pronunciamento of Pian Povrò, which declared the independence of Lugano from the Helvetic client republic.
With the Act of Mediation, the following year, political agitation was finally quelled, as were the struggles between unionists and federalists. The canton of Lugano merged with Bellinzona creating the canton of Ticino, which endures to the present day.
Modern Lugano
Following the Second World War, and particularly during the 1960s and 70s, thanks to an abundant flow of capital from nearby Italy, Lugano experienced a period of exponential growth in banking activities which led to it placing itself as the third financial centre of Switzerland, with over 100 banking institutions present in the town.
Geography
Lugano lies at the edge of Lake Lugano (Italian: Lago di Lugano or Ceresio ), which is situated between the lakes Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como, south of the Alps.
The city is located where the river Cassarate enters the lake between the Brè (925m) and the San Salvatore (912m) mountains.
Demographics
Since its union with some surrounding municipalities (Breganzona, Cureggia, Davesco-Sorengo, Gandria, Pambio-Noranco, Pazzallo, Pregassona, and Viganello) in 2004, Lugano has a population of over 56,000 is therefore Canton Ticino's largest city. This was the second major expansion after the union in 1972 with the municipalities of Brè-Aldesago and Castagnola.
The town's thriving economy provides an estimated 38,000 jobs, over a third of which are occupied by cross-border commuters. Business, tourism and finance constitute the backbone of the local economy. In 2000, the tertiary sector offered 90% of all jobs in Lugano, of which 75% were occupied by commuters, many of which commute from neighbouring Italy (approximately 13% of the active working population); in the same year tax revenues reached CHF 104 million, of which CHF 59 million were attributable to the banking sector. The city is Switzerland's third largest banking centre after Zurich and Geneva. With regards to intercommunal financial equalisation, thanks to its financial strength Lugano contributes significantly to the equalisation fund. The population is Italian-speaking and mainly Roman Catholic.
Tourism
Lugano is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland. Both Lake Lugano and the surrounding mountains provide a wide variety of outdoor activities. Lugano is, also, home to a number of historic buildings and museums.
Natural sights
A very popular destination in Lugano is Lake Lugano. The lake is 48.7 square kilometers (18.8 sq mi) in size, 63% of which is in Switzerland and 37% in Italy. It has an average width of roughly 1 km (0.62 mi) and is nearly 3 km (1.86 mi) at its widest. The maximum depth of the lake is 279 m (915 ft). The water is generally warm with average water temperatures in the summer ranging from 19.5 °C (67.1 °F) to 24.0 °C (75.2 °F). Bathing in the lake is allowed at any of the 50 or so bathing establishments located along the Swiss shores. There are numerous shipyards, water taxis and boat rental sites along the lake, as well as hotels and restaurants that offer mooring.
In addition to the lake, Lugano is surrounded by mountains. The mountains provide a number of opportunities for sports or sightseeing. The area surrounding Lugano is home to over 300 km (186 mi) of mountain biking trails, the largest net of trails in Switzerland. Monte Brè (925 meters (3,035 ft)) east of Lugano has had a funicular that runs up the mountain since 1912. Monte Brè, which is Switzerland's sunniest spot, is also home to the village of Brè which is a fairly intact old village. Monte San Salvatore (912 meters (2,992 ft)) also has a funicular, with the base station located only 500 meters (1,640 ft) from the Lugano-Sud motorway exit and 5 minutes away from the Paradiso railroad station. Monte San Salvatore is located on the outskirts of Lugano and provides an excellent view over the entire city.
Buildings
- St. Lawrence Cathedral (9th and 15th century)
- St. Mary of the Angels Church (16th century) with the fresco of the Christ's Passion from Bernardino Luini
- Parco civico - Villa Ciani
- Piazza della Riforma
- Villa Favorita
Museums
- Art Museum
- Museo delle Culture (Museum of Cultures)
- Cantonal Art Museum
- Foundation Aligi Sassu and Helenita Olivares
- Historical Museum
- Cantonal Museum on Natural History
- Swiss Custom Museum
- Municipal Art Museum
- Wilhelm Schmid Museum
- Gottardo Gallery
- Hermann Hesse Museum
Weather
Education and research
- Università della Svizzera italiana: Lugano is the home of the faculties of informatics, economics, and communication sciences.
- Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence: a non-profit oriented research institute for artificial intelligence, affiliated with both the Università della Svizzera Italiana and SUPSI.
- Franklin College Switzerland: an internationally accredited college.
- The American School In Switzerland: an international secondary school.
- SUPSI: University of Applied
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