Toblach, Alpine commune in South Tyrol, Italy
Toblach is a commune in South Tyrol that extends over 120 square kilometers in the Puster Valley and lies at the Austrian border. The settlement sits at approximately 1240 meters elevation and forms a gateway between different Alpine valleys in this mountain region.
The first written mention dates back to 827, when church records from the bishopric of Freising named the place as vico Duplago. Over the centuries, the settlement developed into a transit point between different Alpine regions and retained its bilingual character.
The bilingual character appears in daily life through the use of both place names on street signs and in public buildings, while most residents speak several languages. Local shops and inns often display their signs in parallel languages, making the special linguistic context of the region visible.
A small airfield with a grass runway lies about one kilometer south of the center and is used for civilian flights on summer weekends. The elevation brings cooler temperatures than in lower valleys, so warmer clothing is advisable even in summer.
The composer Gustav Mahler spent several summers here and composed his ninth symphony in a small house at the forest edge between 1908 and 1910. His stay shaped the cultural perception of the place and is still honored in the region today.
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