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Locarno: Definition from Answers.com

A town of southern Switzerland at the northern end of Lake Maggiore. The Locarno Pact between Germany and various European powers was signed here in 1925, in an effort to promote peace and maintain existing territorial borders. Today the city is a popular resort. Population: 14,700.

(lōkär') , town (1990 est. pop. 14,150), Ticino canton, S Switzerland, at the northern end of Lago Maggiore. In a beautiful resort region with a mild Mediterranean climate, Locarno attracts a great number of tourists. Machinery and electrochemical products are made. In 1512 it was taken from Milan by the Swiss cantons, and in 1803 it was included in Ticino canton. There are many fine churches; among them is the noted pilgrimage church, Madonna del Sasso (first built 1480), which has a painting by Bramantino.


Dialing Code: The telephone dialing code for: Locarno, Switzerland

The country code is: 41
The city code is: 91


Coordinates: 46°10′N 8°48′E / 46.167, 8.8

Locarno
Country Switzerland Coat of Arms of Locarno
Canton Ticino
District Locarno
46°10′N 8°48′E / 46.167, 8.8
Population 14,320 (December 2002)
  - Density 738 /km² (1,912 /sq.mi.)
Area 19.4 km² (7.5 sq mi)
Elevation 200 m (656 ft)
Postal code 6600
SFOS number 5113
Mayor Carla Speziali
Surrounded by Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Contone, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Magadino, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Tegna, Tenero-Contra
Website www.locarno.ch
Profile (Italian)

Locarno (Switzerland)

Locarno

Locarno

View from the mountains surrounding Locarno.

Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore) in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000 (60'000 for the urban area including Ascona). The official language of Locarno is Italian. It is the 74th biggest city in Switzerland by population.[citation needed]

An important film festival, the Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Locarno, takes place every year in August in the Piazza Grande.

The Locarno Treaties were negotiated here in 1925.

In January 2004, the Italian historian Marino Vigano speculated that Locarno's castle may have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

Main sights

Locarno has a number of interesting sights that draw tourists year-round.

Astrovia Locarno

The Astrovia Locarno is a 1 : 1,000,000,000 scale model of the Solar System. The Sun can be found at the end of Via Gioacchino Respini where the cycle path, which runs alongside the river, starts. Pluto, the final planet in the model, can be found 6 km away from this starting point in the village of Tegna.

Madonna del Sasso.

Madonna del Sasso, Cardada and Cimetta

The sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso in Orselina above the city is the principal sight and goal of pilgrimage in the city.

The founding of the sanctuary goes back to a vision of the Virgin Mary that the Franciscan brother Bartolomeo d'Ivrea experienced in the night of 14/15 August 1480. The interior is highly decorated, and a platform gives a magnificent view of the city.

A gondola runs from Orselina to the top of Cardada (el. 1340 m), and a tram goes further to the top of Cimetta (el. 1671 m).

Castello Visconteo

Castello Visconteo.

Castello Visconteo on the edge of the old town was built in the 12th century, probably as the residence of a Captain Orelli, who remained true to the Emperor. In 1260, it fell into the hands of the Ghibellines. In 1342 the Visconti of Milan, for whom it is now named, attacked the castle from both the land and the lake side and took it. It first came into the hands of the Eidgenossen in 1503. Today, only a fifth of the original structure remains. Most of that dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Only the foundation remains from the original structure.

References

This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.

See also

External links

v  d  e

Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore, Verbano)
Italy   Lombardy (Province of Varese) · Piedmont (Province of Novara · Province of Verbano Cusio Ossola)
Switzerland   Canton Ticino (Distretto di Locarno)
Settlements
Islands
Rivers
Landmarks
Films
People

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