Bolzano

Bolzano, also called Bozen, lies at an Alpine crossroads on the route between Augsburg and Venice. A Roman settlement known as Pons Drusi stood in the district, and in the late twelfth century the bishop of Trent founded a market town along the street of arcades known as the Lauben. Its position south of the Brenner Pass made it a meeting place for merchants travelling between German and Italian lands.

Count Meinhard II of Tyrol seized the town in 1277, beginning a long struggle with the bishops of Trent. Duke Leopold granted the citizens a council in 1381, and the bishops surrendered their remaining jurisdiction in 1462. Four annual fairs drew traders across the mountains. To settle their disputes, Duchess Claudia de' Medici established a mercantile magistracy in 1635, with Italian and German merchants serving as officers during the fairs. After a period under Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy, Bolzano returned to Austrian Tyrol following the Congress of Vienna.