Bellinzona Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Bellinzona Parish, Ticino, Switzerland, ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, parish census, civil census, family history, area history, and military records.



Geography

 * As of 1997, the town Bellinzona has an area of 19.15 square kilometers (7.39 sq mi).
 * Bellinzona is located in the valley of the river Ticino, at an altitude of 240 metres (790 ft).
 * The town center lies about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the river, with the urban area restricted to the bottom and lower slopes of the valley.
 * However, the municipality's boundaries spread up both sides of the valley, to altitudes of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft) to the west, and 2,195 metres (7,201 ft) to the east.
 * The town is situated at a point at which the river Ticino, which has been flowing in a generally southerly direction, makes a turn to the west, to flow through the wide Pionoa di Magadino before entering the Lake Maggiore, and after it finally reaches to the Italian Po Valley and Lombardy.
 * Upstream, several valleys extend into the high Alps, with access to northern Switzerland over or through the Passo del San Gottardo via the Valle Leventina, the upper valley of the Ticino, and further to the west with access to the Valais over the Nufenen Pass via the Val Bedretto, and access to the Grisonian Surselva of the Anterior Rhine via the Valle di Blenio over the Lukmanier Pass.
 * The river Moesa, running down the Valle Mesolcina from the San Bernardino Pass with access to the Gresionian valley Rheinwald of the Posterior Rhine, connects the Ticino on the northern boundary of the town.
 * To the south the Monte Ceneri Pass crosses the Lugano Prealps to give entrance to Lake Lugano and an alternate route to Lombardy, whilst the San Jorio Pass provides a possible route east to the upper Lake Como.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 22.0% - agricultural purposes
 * 62.5% - forested
 * 23.8% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 2.5% - rivers or lakes
 * 0.5% - unproductive land

On 2 April 2017, these former neighboring municipalities merged into Bellinzona:
 * Camorino
 * Claro
 * Giubiasco
 * Gnosca
 * Gorduno
 * Gudo
 * Moleno
 * Monte Carasso
 * Pianezzo
 * Preonzo
 * Sant'Antonio
 * Sementina

History
Bellinzona is a historic Swiss town and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is known for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sasso Corbaro) that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000.

The first mention of Bellinzona was in 1218 as Bilizone.

The population history of Bellinzona is: 1591 - 200 hearths 1781 - 1100 inhabitants 1808 - 1260 inhabitants 1850 - 3209 inhabitants 1880 - 4036 inhabitants 1910 - 10406 inhabitants 1930 - 10706 inhabitants 1970 - 16979 inhabitants 1990 - 16849 inhabitants 2000 - 16463 inhabitants 2020 - 55906 inhabitants

Bellinzona has always occupied a significant geographic location in the Alps. It has been ruled by many different groups of people and conflicts for over 1000 years.

Census
(See here for information regarding Ticino census records.)

The 1808 Ticino census for Bellinzona can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Bellinzona prior to 1875, along with any known soprannomi. For more information about soprannomi, click here.

Related sources
The town's website (in Italian) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Ticino

Societies
Società Genealogica della Svizzera Italiana (SGSI)