Lugano: history and development

Lugano developed from the center outwards, from the area delimited by the convent building of the old village to the surrounding countryside in the directions of Cassarate, Molino Nuovo and up from the railway in the district of Besso.

A transformation that began in the second half of the 19th century, and in particular after the arrival of the Gottardo Railway to Lugano and when the main roads were extended outside of the village, towards the plain of Cassarate, opened this area to building and development.
The central area coincides largely with the historical nucleus and its surroundings, an area made up of the FFS station, the lower part of Via San Gottiardo, Via Zurigo, which forms the boundary with Molino Nuovo and the right bank of the river Cassarete, ending at the southwest end of Via Nassa, near the border with the Chiesa degli Angioli, which marks the beginning of the quarter of Loreto.
The true historical center coincides with the six quarters that made up the ancient town: Nassa, Sassello, Cioccaro, Pessina, Cortogna and Canova. The old town developed according to a variable grid centered on the shore landing of the lake (between modern-day Piazza Manzoni and Piazza Rezzonico) and in different directions lead to the ports of Santa Margherita, Cappuccine/San Giuseppe, degli Angioli and to that of San Lorenzo, which was accessed via the famous rizzata.

The physiognomy of the old town district has seen, in time, various radical transformations, in particular around the 1930's, when it was opened to Via Motta and the quarter of Sassello was thus cleared.
On the other hand, Lugano is a city always characterized by a notable economic and commercial dynamism. Lugano has grown many times its original size, and buildings have been built and transformed repeatedly to make way for the economic and social demands that presented themselves throughout the years.

These transformations took place with great intensity during the second half of the nineteenth century with the development of hotels and tourism, and in the course of the twentieth century, particularly with changes to the city center from the 30's, and post-World War 2 with the development of the financial center of Lugano.

The regulatory plan of 1983 made available an important tool for guiding and limiting construction and restructuring in the historic center, and kicked off a number of studies for the functional redefining of the center and its areas, allowing an affirmation of environmental, architectural and aesthetic quality in the center.

 

Population: 55,060 inhabitants
women: 25'918
men: 29'142
(Data 12/31/2009 Federal statistics office)

 

(Main source: wikipedia)

 

Next page: Ticino: description of the region

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Lugano: history and development
Ticino: description of the region
The Swiss context: geography and languages

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