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Meride
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Meride
Meride is a village and former municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Besazio, Ligornetto and Meride merged into the municipality of Mendrisio.
Meride is first mentioned in 852 as Melede. In 1430 it was mentioned as Merede.
The area around Meride is of great interest to geologists and paleontologists, due to a Triassic chalk formation, the so-called Meridekalk. Excavation projects at the Monte San Giorgio in the chalk have discovered several new fossils.
In 963, the Benedictine abbey of S. Ambrogio in Milan gave their property and farms in Meride to the monastery of San Pietro in Lodi. During the Middle Ages it was part of the Pieve of Riva San Vitale. It formed, along with Besazio and Tremona, a Terzi (third) of the Pieve. The Terzi shared the grazing and timber rights to the surrounding fields and forests.
In 1483, Meride separated from the mother church at Riva San Vitale, and became an independent parish. In the same year, the former parish church of San Silvestro, was built on a hill above the village. San Silvestro stands on the remains of what was probably a castle, and the remains of which were integrated into the church. The current parish church of San Rocco, was built in 1578, expanded in 1770–72 and restored in 1969–70. On a hill near the village, a hermitage was built by the blessed Manfredo Settala (12th century-1217). Next to the hermitage, the 13th century chapel of Saint George was built.
In the past farming and grazing was the main occupation. In the 20th century the continual population decline continued, until the 1990s when new living spaces allowed the population to stabilize. In 2000 two-thirds of the working population commuted to other municipalities for work. In 1973 a fossil museum opened in Meride. More recently, the summer tourism industry has gained a foothold in the village.
Before the merger, Meride had a total area of 7.5 km2 (2.9 mi2). Of this area, 0.74 km2 (0.29 sq mi) or 9.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 6.61 km2 (2.55 sq mi) or 88.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.13 km2 (32 acres) or 1.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.05 km2 (12 acres) or 0.7% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.8%. Out of the forested land, 86.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 7.6% is used for growing crops, while 1.5% is used for orchards or vine crops.
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Meride AI simulator
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Meride
Meride is a village and former municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 14 April 2013 the former municipalities of Besazio, Ligornetto and Meride merged into the municipality of Mendrisio.
Meride is first mentioned in 852 as Melede. In 1430 it was mentioned as Merede.
The area around Meride is of great interest to geologists and paleontologists, due to a Triassic chalk formation, the so-called Meridekalk. Excavation projects at the Monte San Giorgio in the chalk have discovered several new fossils.
In 963, the Benedictine abbey of S. Ambrogio in Milan gave their property and farms in Meride to the monastery of San Pietro in Lodi. During the Middle Ages it was part of the Pieve of Riva San Vitale. It formed, along with Besazio and Tremona, a Terzi (third) of the Pieve. The Terzi shared the grazing and timber rights to the surrounding fields and forests.
In 1483, Meride separated from the mother church at Riva San Vitale, and became an independent parish. In the same year, the former parish church of San Silvestro, was built on a hill above the village. San Silvestro stands on the remains of what was probably a castle, and the remains of which were integrated into the church. The current parish church of San Rocco, was built in 1578, expanded in 1770–72 and restored in 1969–70. On a hill near the village, a hermitage was built by the blessed Manfredo Settala (12th century-1217). Next to the hermitage, the 13th century chapel of Saint George was built.
In the past farming and grazing was the main occupation. In the 20th century the continual population decline continued, until the 1990s when new living spaces allowed the population to stabilize. In 2000 two-thirds of the working population commuted to other municipalities for work. In 1973 a fossil museum opened in Meride. More recently, the summer tourism industry has gained a foothold in the village.
Before the merger, Meride had a total area of 7.5 km2 (2.9 mi2). Of this area, 0.74 km2 (0.29 sq mi) or 9.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 6.61 km2 (2.55 sq mi) or 88.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.13 km2 (32 acres) or 1.7% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.05 km2 (12 acres) or 0.7% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.8% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.8%. Out of the forested land, 86.3% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 7.6% is used for growing crops, while 1.5% is used for orchards or vine crops.