The Ladins are an ethnolinguistic group[1][2] of northern Italy. They are distributed in several valleys, collectively known as Ladinia. These include the valleys: of Badia and Gherdëina in South Tyrol, of Fassa in the Trentino, and Livinallongo (also known as Buchenstein or Fodom) and Ampezzo in the Province of Belluno.[3] Their native language is Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language related to the Swiss Romansh and Friulian languages.[4] They are part of Tyrol, with which they share culture, history, traditions, environment and architecture.

Ladins
The Ladin-speaking valleys of Val di Fassa, Val Gardena, Val Badia, Livinallongo and Ampezzo and their locations in northern Italy
Total population
≈31,000 (2011, est.)
Regions with significant populations
Ladinia
Languages
Ladin
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Friulians, Romansh

Ladins developed a formal national identity in the 19th century.[3][5] Micurà de Rü undertook the first attempt to develop a written form of the Ladin language. Nowadays, Ladin culture is promoted by the government-sponsored cultural institute Istitut Ladin Micurà de Rü in the South Tyrolean municipality of San Martin de Tor. There is also a Ladin museum in the same municipality. The Ladins of Trentino and Belluno have their own cultural institutes: Majon de Fascegn in Vigo di Fassa, Cesa de Jan in Colle Santa Lucia and Istituto Ladin de la Dolomites in Borca di Cadore.

The Ladin people constitute only 4.53% of the population of South Tyrol.[6] Many of the South Tyrolean Sagas come from the Ladin territory, including the national epic of the Ladin people, the saga of the Kingdom of Fanes. Another figure from Ladin mythology is the demon Anguana.

Communities

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Ladin communities in the core area
Ladin
Name
Italian
Name
German
Name
Province Area
(km2)
Population
Anpezo Cortina d’Ampezzo Hayden Belluno 255 6,150
Urtijëi Ortisei St. Ulrich in Gröden South Tyrol 24 4,569
Badia Badia Abtei 82 3,237
Mareo Marebbe Enneberg 161 2,684
Moéna Moena Moena Trentino 82 2,628
Sëlva Selva di Val Gardena Wolkenstein in Gröden South Tyrol 53 2,589
Poza Pozza di Fassa Potzach im Fassatal Trentino 73 1,983
Cianacei Canazei Kanzenei 67 1,844
Santa Cristina Gherdëina Santa Cristina Valgardena St. Christina in Gröden South Tyrol 31 1,840
San Martin de Tor San Martino in Badia St. Martin in Thurn 76 1,727
Fodom Livinallongo del Col di Lana Buchenstein Belluno 99 1,436
Corvara Corvara Kurfar South Tyrol 42 1,266
La Val La Valle Wengen 39 1,251
Låg Laghetti Laag 23 1,284
Vich Vigo di Fassa Vig im Fassatal Trentino 26 1,142
Ciampedèl Campitello di Fassa Kampidel im Fassatal 25 732
Sorèga Soraga Überwasser 19 677
Mazin Mazzin Mazzin 23 440
Col Colle Santa Lucia Verseil Belluno 15 418
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Notable people

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See also

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Further reading

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  • Tobia Moroder (Ed.): The Ladins of the Dolomites. People, landscape, culture. Vienna/Bozen: Folio 2016, ISBN 978-3-85256-697-9

References

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  1. ^ Jan Markusse: The South Tyrolese Inter-Ethnic Package Deal. An Example for Other Multi-Ethnic Regions?, in: Yearbook of European Studies 6. Borders and Territories. Rodopi, Amsterdam/Atlanta 1993, ISBN 90-5183-506-X, p. 193-220. E. g. For the small ethnic group of Ladins the package offers advantages and disadvantages.
  2. ^ Christoph Perathoner: Die Dolomitenladiner 1848–1918: ethnisches Bewusstsein und politische Partizipation. Folio, Bozen/Wien 1998, ISBN 978-3852560809
  3. ^ a b Sakalis, Alex (22 November 2021). "Italy's Most Mysterious Region Has Warrior Princesses and a Marmot Obsession". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  4. ^ [1][permanent dead link] "die drei rätoromanischen Teilgruppen (Bündnerromanisch, Dolomitenladinisch, Friaulisch) ... treten als eine vom Oberitalienischen gänzlich differenzierte Sprachfamilie auf" (the 3 reto-romance language-groups Rumanc, Dolomite Ladin and Friulan are a separate language-family from northern-Italian), 2003 by Prof. Dr. Roland Bauer, University of Salzburg
  5. ^ Christoph Perathoner: Die Dolomitenladiner 1848–1918: ethnisches Bewusstsein und politische Partizipation. Folio, Bozen/Wien 1998, ISBN 978-3852560809
  6. ^ "South Tyrol in Figures" (PDF). Declaration of language group affiliation – Population Census 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
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