As a Rhaeto-Romance language, Ladin was part of a large area, which about 1000 AD stretched from Ticino and Grisons in the Swiss Alps to the Julian Alps in the east. The Ladin people developed a national identity during the 19th century, when most of the area—except for the Venetian parts—was incorporated into the Princely County of Tyrol and, as part of the Austrian Empire, underwent a process of Germanisation. The local peasants were called Welsche by Germans, while they called themselves "Latin". The Ladin movement was sparked by the Tyrolean Rebellion during the Napoleonic Wars; in 1833, the Ladin language was codified by Micurà de Rü, a priest from Badia. A Naziun Ladina association was established in 1870 by several seminarists in Brixen, among them Saint Joseph Freinademetz; followed by the Uniun Ladina, founded in 1905 at Innsbruck, which also maintained relations with Romansh and Friulian organisations. Ceded of Italy after World War I, the Ladin community, in spite of its high level of identification with the land, did not enjoy any official recognition. On 5 May 1920, representatives from the Ladin valleys met at Gardena Pass to protest against the resolutions of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and to demand their rights of self-determination according to the Fourteen Points outlined by US President Woodrow Wilson. A blue-white-green flag was adopted, symbolising Ladinia's forests, the snow-covered peaks, and the blue sky above. The Ladin movement was suppressed under the Italian Fascist regime, when many Ladin citizens joined the German emigrants under the terms of the 1939 South Tyrol Option Agreement. After World War II, an Uniun Generela was re-established and the Ladin flag was again occasionally displayed. In 1976, the Istitut Ladin Micurà de Rü was founded at San Martin de Tor for the promotion of the Ladin culture. The Museum Ladin opened in 2001 at nearby Tor Castle.
Territory
The territory occupies approximately 1,200 square kilometers, encompassing five valleys in the Dolomite Alps centred around the Sella massif:
Other notable peaks in the region include Marmolada at 3,343 m and Antelao, the "King of the Dolomites" at 3,263 m. The main rivers are the Aviso stream, a tributary of the Adige rising from the Marmolada Glacier and running through the Fascia Valley, the Boite in Ampezzo, a tributary of the Piave. Other creeks include the Gran Ega in Val Badia and the Derjon in Val Gardena. Administratively, Ladinia is divided between two Italian regions, three provinces, and 18 small municipalities: Furthermore, the Ladin language is officially recognised in 53 comuni of Belluno, South Tyrol, and Trentino.
