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Gurin

Bosco/Gurin
BoscoGurin veduta.jpg
Coat of arms of Bosco/Gurin
Coat of arms
Bosco/Gurin is located in Switzerland
Bosco/Gurin
Bosco/Gurin
Bosco/Gurin is located in Canton of Ticino
Bosco/Gurin
Bosco/Gurin
Coordinates: 46°19′N 8°30′E / 46.317°N 8.500°E / 46.317; 8.500Coordinates: 46°19′N 8°30′E / 46.317°N 8.500°E / 46.317; 8.500
Country Switzerland
Canton Ticino
District Vallemaggia
Government
 • Mayor Sindaco
Alberto Tomamichel
Area
 • Total 22.04 km2 (8.51 sq mi)
Elevation 1,504 m (4,934 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
 • Total 55
 • Density 2.5/km2 (6.5/sq mi)
Postal code 6685
SFOS number 5304
Surrounded by Campo, Cerentino, Cevio, Formazza (IT-VB), Premia (IT-VB)
Website www.bosco-gurin.ch
SFSO statistics

Bosco/Gurin (Walser German: Gurin / Guryn, Lombard: Bosch / Gürin) is a municipality in the district of Vallemaggia in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The village is near the end of the valley of Bosco Gurin, near the Italian border. Despite the overall prominence of Italian in Ticino, the small municipality of Bosco/Gurin is historically German-speaking.

Bosco/Gurin is first mentioned in 1244 as als Buscho de Quarinobis. Until 1934, it was known as Bosco-Vallemaggia, and in German as Gurin.

The village was started during Walser migration in the 13th century, with the first settlers arriving in 1244. The area was briefly part of the Canton of Lugano, before the canton was unified with Bellinzona to form Ticino. Up until the 20th century, the village was almost completely isolated, and since then much of the population has emigrated. By 2004, there were only 72 inhabitants left, from a peak of 382 in 1850.

Bosco/Gurin was settled in the course of the medieval Walser migration. Today the Walser German dialect is being abandoned in favour of the Italian language, and Italian speakers make up the majority in the village, which today has the fifth highest proportion of German speakers. Given the aforementioned, Bosco/Gurin is the only municipality in Ticino where German is a co-official language.

The Walser emigrated from the Val Formazza Walser around 1240 at the request of the Lombardy rulers and the Capitanei of Locarno who needed a band of mercenaries. In 1244, a noble family from Locarno and the villagers of Losone leased from the pastures around the village. Later these pastures passed fully into their possession. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Walser colony survived almost totally isolated. The rare contacts with the outside world were more with the Val Formazza or Valais than from the rest of Ticino. The geographic isolation strengthened the independent living habits and traditions of the village. The town was frequently buried by avalanches.


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