Kiens Explained

Kiens
Official Name:Gemeinde Kiens
Comune di Chienes
Coordinates:46.8167°N 61°W
Region:Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Province:South Tyrol (BZ)
Frazioni:Ehrenburg (Casteldarne), Getzenberg (Monghezzo), Hofern (Corti), St. Sigmund (San Sigismondo)
Mayor:Andreas Falkensteiner
Area Total Km2:33.9
Population Total:2726
Population As Of:Nov. 2010
Population Demonym:German: Kiener
Italian: di Chienes
Postal Code:39030
Area Code:0474

Kiens (pronounced as /de/; Italian: Chienes pronounced as /it/) is a comune (municipality) and a village in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about 50km (30miles) northeast of Bolzano.

Geography

As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 2,726 and an area of 33.9km2.[1]

Kiens borders the following municipalities: Pfalzen, Rodeneck, St. Lorenzen, Mühlwald, Terenten and Vintl.

Frazioni

The municipality of Kiens contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Ehrenburg (Casteldarne), Getzenberg (Monghezzo), Hofern (Corti) and St. Sigmund (San Sigismondo).

History

The hamlet appears for the first time in the Freising book of traditions (Traditionsbuch) in a deed issued in the years 1005—39 as ″locus Kiehna″.[2]

Coat-of-arms

The emblem is based on that of the family Schöneck; on gules a curved pile argent. In the right corner take place a five-pointed argent star, symbolizing the five villages in the municipality. The emblem was adopted in 1961.[3]

Society

Linguistic distribution

According to the 2011 census, 96.73% of the population speak German, 2.32% Italian and 0.95% Ladin as first language.[4]

Demographic evolution

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Demographic evolution[5]

St. Sigmund

St. Sigmund is a frazione of Kiens, its origins date back to 1050, when first it was called Burin and after Peuren, in 1317.

The town is located where the valley widens into a large flat area, for that reason it enjoys excellent weather conditions throughout the year.

From an architectural point of view, the buildings in the area are based on original South Tyrolean farmsteads style. Especially is notable the parish church (1449 - 89), where is present the oldest and best preserved altar in Tyrol, dated around 1430. Another point of interest is the Church of Our Lady (German: Stöcklkapelle) dating back to 1621 and built in Baroque style. Behind the railway station, in the river Rienz, there are the Ilstern thermal baths (German: Bad Ilstern), which once featured facilities for cures. Also in this area is the church of St. Ulrich that dates back to 1491 and is well preserved.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Overall demographics and other statistics: Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).
  2. Book: Martin Bitschnau . Hannes Obermair . Tiroler Urkundenbuch, II. Abteilung: Die Urkunden zur Geschichte des Inn-, Eisack- und Pustertals. Vol. 1: Bis zum Jahr 1140 . Universitätsverlag Wagner . Innsbruck . 2009 . 978-3-7030-0469-8 . 153, no. 182.
  3. http://www.ngw.nl/int/ita/k/kiens.htm Heraldry of the World: Kiens
  4. June 2012 . Volkszählung 2011/Censimento della popolazione 2011 . astat info . 38 . 6–7 . Provincial Statistics Institute of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol. 2012-06-14 .
  5. Data from the Municipality of Kiens.