Bosco Gurin - History

History

Bosco/Gurin is first mentioned in 1244 as als Buscho de Quarinobis. Until 1934, it was known as Bosco-Vallemaggia, and in German as Gurin.

The village was started during Walser migration in the 13th century, with the first settlers arriving in 1244. The area was briefly part of the Canton of Lugano, before the canton was unified with Bellinzona to form Ticino. Up until the 20th century, the village was almost completely isolated, and since then much of the population has emigrated. By 2004, there were only 72 inhabitants left, from a peak of 382 in 1850.

Bosco Gurin was settled in the course of the medieval Walser migration. Today the Walser German dialect is being abandoned in favour of the Italian language, and Italian speakers make up the majority in the village, which today has the fifth highest proportion of German speakers. Given the aforementioned, Bosco Gurin is the only district in Ticino where German is a co-official language.

The Walser emigrated from the Val Formazza Walser around 1240 at the request of the Lombardy rulers and the Capitanei of Locarno who needed a band of mercenaries. In 1244, a noble family from Locarno and the villagers of Losone leased from the pastures around the village. Later these pastures passed fully into their possession. Until the beginning of the 20th Century, the Walser colony survived almost totally isolated. The rare contacts with the outside world were more with the Val Formazza or Valais than from the rest of Ticino. The geographic isolation strengthened the independent living habits and traditions of the village. The town was frequently buried by avalanches.

The parish church of St. James and St. Christopher was consecrated in 1253, probably at the same time that the village separated from the parish of Cevio. It was expanded and rebuilt in the 15th and 16th Centuries. The chapel of Madonna della Neve is from the early 18 Century.

By 1914, there were seasonal migration (especially by masons) into the German-speaking Switzerland. Livestock and farming (potatoes, rye, hemp) have been the main sources of income over the centuries. During the winter months, the villagers make timber vessels, spin linen, hemp and wool, and embroider handkerchiefs. Tourism is an important source of income, especially during the winter. The village center is home to many historic buildings. The local museum was opened in 1936.

A custom in Bosco Gurin (found also in the Avers valley, Graubünden) was to build houses with a Seelabalga ("soul-beam"). This was a sliding wooden door covering a small round hole through the wall, which was opened to allow the soul of a deceased inhabitant to depart.