Urtijëi

Urtijëi (Ladin, pronounced [uʁtiˈʒɜi̯]  Listen ; German: St. Ulrich in Gröden; Italian: Ortisei [ortiˈzɛi]) is a town of 4,637 inhabitants in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It occupies the Val Gardena within the Dolomites, a mountain chain that is part of the Alps.

Geography

Urtijëi borders the following municipalities: Kastelruth, Villnöß, Lajen and Santa Cristina Gherdëina.

History

The Ladin-language name Urtijëi derives from the Latin word urtica and the suffix -etum with the meaning "place of nettles".

From 1860 to 1914 Urtijëi experienced a relevant economical growth due to the opening of a major road connecting Val Gardena to the main railroad; as a result the local woodcarving industry flourished. International tourism developed through the discovery of the Dolomites first by English tourists, and subsequently visitors from other parts of Austria-Hungary as well as the German Empire. Currently, the town's economy is mostly based on winter skiing tourism, summer hiking tourism, and woodcarving.