Laives

Names

The town was first mentioned as Leiuers in 1237.

As it is more than 70% Italian-speaking, the town is usually known in English by its Italian name, Laives. It is also known by its German-language name, Leifers; South Tyrol is mainly German-speaking. The municipality is officially bilingual in Italian and German.

Geography

As of 30 November 2010, Laives had a population of 17,168 and an area of 24.3 km2.

Subdivisions

The municipality contains four urban centers:

• Laives (Leifers)
• Pineta (Steinmannwald)
• San Giacomo (St. Jakob)
• La Costa (Seit)

Laives is the seat of the town hall, Pineta and San Giacomo are two frazioni (hamlets), while La Costa is – according to the municipal statute – a località (inhabited locality), but it is often referred to as a frazione also in the official documentation. The Brantental valley connects it with Deutschnofen.

History

Laives' population was highly affected by political changes in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and, after World War I, by the Italianization of South Tyrol.

In 1890, Peterlini records that the town had a slight majority of Italian-speakers (937) compared to German-speakers (873). Rapid population changes in the Austro-Hungarian Empire caused Laives/Leifers in 1910 to have far more German-speakers (2,583) than Italian- and Ladin-speakers (361).

After World War I, South Tyrol became part of the Kingdom of Italy. A 1923 order by the fascist government led to the province's forced Italianization including through migration, particularly in areas around Bolzano. After World War II, Italian-speakers comprised 75% of Laives' population by 1971.

Coat-of-arms

The emblem consists of an argent pile, with concave sides on azure and a chapel on a mountain of gules. The sign, similar to that of the Counts of Lichtenstein who lived in the castle on Mount Köfele, represents the church of Peterköfele. The emblem was adopted in 1970.

Society

Laives has had the youngest population for a town in South Tyrol since 1985, and the municiplity has had some of the province's largest population increases.

Linguistic distribution

According to the 2024 census, 74.47% of the town's population speak Italian, 25.16% German and 0.36% Ladin as first language.

The complex linguistic history of Laives has caused the traditional population there (and in Salorno) to be especially adept at code-switching, according to the linguist . Locals have traditionally been fluent in four dialects: standard Italian, German, the (South) Tyrolean dialect of German, and the Italian Trentino dialect. The Trentino dialect's presence has weakened with the arrival from Bolzano of Italian-speakers who do not use that dialect; "paradoxically, the Trentino dialect is currently still part of the repertoire of the [German-identifying] community". Due to population shifts, this linguistic repertoire is expected to become more simplified.

Culture

The ** is one of the most important carnivals in Trentino-South Tyrol.

The city is also the headquarters of the Coro Monti Pallidi, an all-male a cappella chorus founded in 1967 by Sergio Maccagnan and conducted since 2004 by Paolo Maccagnan.

Notable people

• Reinhard Dallinger (born 1950 in Laives), a retired zoologist and Professor of zoology and ecotoxicology

Notes

References

References

1. All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy). Istat]].
2. (1995). "Die Ortsnamen Südtirols und ihre Geschichte". Verlagsanstalt Athesia.
3. (29 March 2017). "Laives - Bolzano and surroundings". Peer.
4. "Leifers (Bolzano/Bozen, Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy)". International Database and Gallery of Structures.
5. (July 2016). "Half spaghetti - half Knödel: cultural division through the lens of language learning". University of Oxford.
6. "Comuni bilingue".
7. "The languages of South Tyrol".
8. (1997). "Autonomie und Minderheitenschutz in Trentino-Südtirol, Überblick über Geschichte, Recht und Politik". Nomos.
9. (1997}}
   Citing: {{cite web). "Autonomie und Minderheitenschutz in Trentino-Südtirol, Überblick über Geschichte, Recht und Politik". Nomos.
10. (2023). "German and Romance varieties in contact in northeastern Italy". Aalborg University.
11. "Volkszählung [Census] 1981". Autonomous Province of South Tyrol.
12. [http://www.ngw.nl/int/ita/l/leifers.htm Heraldry of the World: Laives]
13. "Leifers (Südtirol)". University of Innsbruck.
14. (2023). "German and Romance varieties in contact in northeastern Italy". Aalborg University.
15. (2023). "German and Romance varieties in contact in northeastern Italy". Aalborg University.
16. Oscar Benvenuto (ed.): [http://www.provinz.bz.it/Astat/downloads/Siz_2008-eng.pdf "South Tyrol in Figures 2008", Provincial Statistics Institute of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol] {{Webarchive. link. (14 June 2016 , Bozen/Bolzano 2007, p. 17, table 10)
17. (June 2012). "Volkszählung 2011/Censimento della popolazione 2011". Provincial Statistics Institute of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol.
18. (December 2024). "Ergebnisse Sprachgruppenzählung 2024/Risultati Censimento linguistico 2024". Provincial Statistics Institute of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol.
19. (31 December 2012). "Laives, carnevale tra le meraviglie italiane". Alto Adige.