Airolo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Airolo
Coat of arms
Airolo Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Airolo Location in Canton of Ticino Show map of Canton of Ticino
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Ticino
District	Leventina
Area
• Total	94.35 km2 (36.43 sq mi)
Elevation	1,175 m (3,855 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	1,476
• Density	15.644/km2 (40.517/sq mi)
Postal code	6780-6781
Surrounded by	Andermatt (UR), Bedretto, Hospental (UR), Lavizzara, Quinto, Realp (UR), Tujetsch (GR)

Airolo (Airöö in Lombard) is a town in the Leventina district, located in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It's a key spot because it sits at the southern end of the famous St. Gotthard Pass, which connects northern and southern Europe.

Geography

View from halfway up St. Gotthard Pass, looking down toward Airolo and the Leventina valley.

Airolo is found in the Leventina valley, within the Lepontine Alps. It's right on the southern side of the St. Gotthard Pass. This makes it super important for travel. Both the Gotthard rail tunnel and the Gotthard road tunnel start here on their southern side. These tunnels are a big part of the main route connecting northern and southern Europe.

Airolo is the largest town in the canton of Ticino. It includes the main village of Airolo and smaller areas called hamlets like Valle, Madrano, Brugnasco, Nante, and Fontana. There's even talk of Airolo and Quinto joining together to form a new, bigger town.

The total area of Airolo is about 94.37 square kilometers (36.4 square miles). A small part, about 3.9%, is used for farming. A bigger part, about 21.7%, is covered by forests. Buildings and roads take up about 2.9% of the land. Rivers and lakes make up 2.4%, and a large part, about 41.6%, is unproductive land, like rocky areas.

What is Airolo's Coat of Arms?

The coat of arms of Airolo.

A coat of arms is a special design that represents a town or family. Airolo's coat of arms has a blue background. At the bottom, there's a green base with a silver fir tree growing from it. Next to the tree is a golden lion standing on its hind legs.

Population and Languages

Airolo has a population of about 1,540 people (as of 2008). Around 21.5% of the people living here are from other countries. Over the past 10 years, the population has decreased a bit.

Most people in Airolo speak Italian, which is about 85.6% of the population. German is the second most common language, spoken by about 3.6% of residents. Serbo-Croatian is third, at 3.3%.

In 2009, about 7.4% of the population were children aged 0-9. Teenagers (10-19 years old) made up about 8.5%. Adults between 20 and 59 years old made up about 54.1% of the population. Older adults (60 and above) made up about 29.9%.

Historical Population Changes

The number of people living in Airolo has changed a lot over time. For example, during the time the Gotthard Tunnel was being built (around 1880), the population grew a lot because many workers came to the town.

Important Heritage Sites

The historic Forte Airolo.

Airolo has several important historical places, known as heritage sites. These are places that are protected because they are very important to the country's history and culture.

Some of these sites include:

• The Hospice Complex on the St. Gotthard Pass, which has an old station, house, and barn.
• The Forte Airolo and Forte Foppa, which are old forts.
• A prehistoric settlement and a Roman-era burial ground in Madrano.
• Another prehistoric settlement on the St. Gotthard Pass, called Alpe di Rodont.

The whole town of Airolo and the village of Fontana are also listed as important Swiss heritage sites.

The Church of Santi Nazario e Celso

In 1877, a big fire destroyed almost all of Airolo, including most of its church. This church, dedicated to Santi Nazario e Celso, was very old, first mentioned in 1224. Luckily, its tower, with its unique double rows of arches, survived the fire. The church was rebuilt in 1879, thanks to the efforts of a lawyer named Carl Alois (Luigi) Müller.

St. Gotthard Tunnel Memorial

This memorial is a bronze sculpture made by Vincenzo Vela. It honors the workers who sadly died while building the Gotthard Tunnel in the 1880s.

Economy and Jobs

The train station of Airolo.

In 2007, Airolo had a low unemployment rate of 2.58%. Many people in Airolo work in different areas:

• Farming: About 65 people work in farming, with 24 businesses in this area.
• Industry: About 356 people work in factories or construction, with 20 businesses.
• Services: The largest group, about 596 people, work in services like shops, hotels, or offices. There are 74 businesses in this sector.

Many people who work in Airolo travel into the town from other places. About 5.6% of workers use public transport, while 47.4% drive their own cars to work.

Airolo also has 8 hotels with a total of 137 rooms, offering places for visitors to stay.

Skiing in Airolo

Airolo in winter, seen from the Sasso della Boggia.

Airolo is home to a small ski resort. It has about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of prepared ski slopes, making it a fun place for winter sports.

Religion

According to the 2000 census, most people in Airolo are Roman Catholic, making up about 80.8% of the population. A smaller number, about 2.1%, belong to the Swiss Reformed Church.

Weather in Airolo

Airolo gets a good amount of rain or snow each year, averaging about 121.4 days with precipitation. The total amount of rain or snow is about 1662 millimeters (65.4 inches) per year.

• Wettest Month: October is usually the wettest month, with about 193 mm (7.6 inches) of rain or snow over about 9.3 days.
• Most Rainy Days: May has the most days with rain or snow, averaging 13 days, but with a bit less total precipitation (184 mm or 7.2 inches).
• Driest Month: January is the driest month, with about 88 mm (3.5 inches) of precipitation over 9.3 days.

Education

In Airolo, many adults (aged 25–64) have completed higher education, either at a university or a specialized college.

In 2009, there were 218 students in Airolo.

• Kindergarten: 35 children were in kindergarten, which is not required but helps young kids prepare for school.
• Primary School: 67 students attended standard primary schools for five years.
• Lower Secondary School: Students then move to lower secondary school. Some attend a two-year middle school, while others go to a four-year program to get ready for higher education.

After lower secondary school, students can choose different paths. Some go into vocational training, which prepares them for specific jobs. Others continue their studies to go to a university or college.

Transportation

Airolo has its own train station, located right in the village center. This station is on the important Gotthard railway line. Trains run hourly between Arth-Goldau and Locarno, with many starting from bigger cities like Basel SBB or Zürich HB.

There are also bus services. You can take an hourly bus to Bellinzona, and there's a less frequent bus route that goes over the Novena Pass to Oberwald.

Famous People from Airolo

• Felice Lombardi (1791–1863), a leader in the Ticino government.
• Emilio Motta (1855–1920), a well-known historian.
• Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947), a famous painter.
• Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940), an important Swiss politician.
• Eugenio Corecco (1931–1995), a Roman Catholic bishop.
• Giorgio Orelli (1921–2013), a Swiss writer and literary critic.
• Giovanni Lombardi (born 1926), a Swiss engineer known for tunnels and dams.
• Marco Lombardi (1941–2014), a lawyer and former president of the Hockey Club Ambri-Piotta.
• Filippo Lombardi (born 1956), a Swiss politician and businessman.
• Katrin Müller (born 1989), a Swiss freestyle skier.
• Lara Gut (born 1991), a famous skier.

See also

In Spanish: Airolo para niños