Sand in Taufers

Sand in Taufers
Comune
Marktgemeinde Sand in Taufers Comune mercato di Campo Tures
Town centre with Taufers Castle
Coat of arms
Sand in Taufers Location of Sand in Taufers in Italy
Coordinates:
Country	Italy
Region	Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Province / Metropolitan city	South Tyrol (BZ)
Frazioni	Ahornach (Acereto), Kematen (Caminata di Tures), Mühlen in Taufers (Molini di Tures), Rein in Taufers (Riva di Tures)
Government
• Mayor	Sigfried Steinmair
Area
• Total	164.3 km2 (63.4 sq mi)
Elevation	864 m (2,835 ft)
Population (Nov. 2010)
• Total	5,261
• Density	32/km2 (83/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	German: Sandner Italian: di Campo Tures
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	39032
Dialing code	0474
Website	Official website

Sand in Taufers (Italian: Campo Turescode: it is deprecated [ˈkampo ˈtuːres]) is a comune mercato (market town) in South Tyrol in northern Italy.

Geography

Located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of Bolzano, the town centre is situated in the Tauferer Ahrntal (Taufers) valley of the Ahr river, stretching from Bruneck in Pustertal up northwards to the Venediger Group mountains of the Hohe Tauern range and the border with Austria. The municipal are comprises the frazioni of Ahornach, Kematen, Mühlen in Taufers, and Rein in Taufers. As of 30 November 2010, Sand in Taufers had a population of 5,261 and an area of 164.3 square kilometres (63.4 sq mi).

Taufers Castle

The market town borders the Tauferer Ahrntal municipalities of Gais in the south as well as Ahrntal and Prettau further north. In the east, the municipal area comprises the Reinbach gorge and the slopes of the Rieserferner Group. Large parts are covered by the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park, a protected nature reserve which extends to neighbouring Percha, Rasen-Antholz and Sankt Jakob in Defereggen in Austrian East Tyrol. West of the village of Mühlen, the Mühlwald valley streches westwards up along the Speikboden massif to the Neves reservoir and the crest of the Zillertal Alps.

The local Taufers Railway connection from Bruneck station to Sand in Taufers, built in 1908, was discontinued in 1957. Today, the region largely depends on tourism.

Taufers Castle

The settlement of Tvfres was first mentioned in the mid 11th century in the registers of the Prince-bishops of Brixen. The Tyrolean lordship was ruled from Taufers Castle, a huge medieval fortress which towers on a rock above the village and was built from the early 13th century onwards. Restored in the 20th century, the preserved castle complex is a popular film location, providing the setting of the 1998 drama film The Red Violin and the 2003 comedy Just Married. It also served as a picturesque backdrop for Roman Polanski's 1967 horror classic The Fearless Vampire Killers.

Demography

Linguistic distribution

According to the 2011 census, 97.34% of the population speak German, 2.30% Italian and 0.36% Ladin as first language.

Demographic evolution

Coat-of-arms

The arms is barry of six gules and argent. The first two of argent have three lozenge of azure, the third has two. The emblem was of the Lords of Taufers that became extinct in 1300. The emblem was adopted in 1967.

Notable people

• Hans Kammerlander (born 1956), mountaineer.

References

• Josef Innerhofer: Taufers, Ahrn, Prettau. Die Geschichte eines Tales, Bozen: Verlagsanstalt Athesia 1980, ISBN 978-3-921365-06-9.
• Alexander von Hohenbühel: Taufers - eine Dynastenburg, Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner 2007, ISBN 978-3-7954-1836-6.
• Idem: Taufers - il fascino di un castello dinastiale, Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner 2007, ISBN 978-3-7954-1837-3.

External links

• (German) (Italian) Homepage of the municipality