Zubiena
Welcome to Zubiena: a brief guide to its history and places of interest
Welcome to Zubiena, a municipality in the province of Biella in Piedmont. With its 1110 inhabitants, the village offers interesting attractions and a rich history of events, including the episode during World War II that cost the lives of five innocent boys.
History
During World War II, Zubiena was often subjected to the violence of Nazi soldiers. This led to the emergence of partisan groups, who tried to oppose the raids. However, they rarely managed to repel the attackers. In 1944, the Nazis sentenced all the heads of the families in the town to be shot, as a reprisal for the killing of a German soldier and two republicans captured on the Ivrea - Biella bus.
Father Riccardo Alberto, the town's parish priest, offered his life in vain in exchange, but managed to obtain the release of the heads of the families and the modification of the sentence to burning down the town. Finally, the sentence was again converted, and five innocent boys not originally from the town were shot near the Villa cemetery. The following day, the schools of Zubiena took the children to see the remains of the killed persons.
Symbols
The coat of arms and the gonfalon of the municipality of Zubiena are the emblems of the noble family Avogadro, to whom Amedeo VIII of Savoy assigned the lands of Zubiena, Cerrione, Mongiovetto, Donato, Ponderano, Quaregna, Valdengo, and Villa in 1434. The ten gold and red stripes represent the family.
Monuments and places of interest
In the municipality of Zubiena, there is the Baragge and La Bessa nature reserve, which houses the Bessa visitor center, the gold mining arena, and the Museum of Gold and Bessa, part of the Valle Elvo and Serra Ecomuseum. In the Mulini hamlet, near the confluence of a small semi-permanent river in Olobbia, there is a sulfuric fountain, known in the nineteenth century for its therapeutic virtues.
Society
In the last hundred years, the population of Zubiena has halved, from over 2000 inhabitants in 1911 to the current 1110.
Culture
The Vermogno hamlet houses the Museum of Gold and Bessa, where you can learn about the history of gold and bessa, a particular stone used in the construction of farmhouses and walls.
Administration
The municipality belonged to the Alta Valle Elvo Mountain Community, abolished in 2009 and merged with the Bassa Valle Elvo Mountain Community to form the Valle dell'Elvo Mountain Community. In 2019, the citizens of Zubiena re-elected Mayor Davide Basso.
See also
Serra d'Ivrea is another interesting location near Zubiena.
External links
For more information on Zubiena and its attractions, visit the official website of the municipality.
