Cimbrian minority
Luserna/Lusérn, a small town at an altitude of 1333 m about 40 km south-east of Trento, represents the last island where the Cimbrian language, an ancient Bavarian idiom defined by linguists as "the oldest existing peripheral language of the German linguistic domain", is still spoken fluently by 90% of the population.
The term 'Cimbrian' is an Italianisation of the word 'zimbar', by which the Cimbri call their language.
Getting to know the Cimbri
The Cimbrian linguistic minority
Luserna/Lusérn, a small village at an altitude of 1,333 m about 40 km south-east of Trento, is the last enclave where the Cimbrian language, an ancient Bavarian idiom defined by linguists as 'the oldest existing peripheral language of the German linguistic domain as well as the southernmost in the Alps', is still spoken fluently by 90% of the population.
Publication date:Tuesday 20 May 2025
Cimbrian Institute - Kulturinstitut Lusérn
The Kulturinstitut Lusérn is an instrumental public body of the Autonomous Province of Trento responsible for the promotion and protection of the language and culture of the Cimbrian linguistic minority populations through research, study and training initiatives as well as the preservation and enhancement of customs and traditions in order to consolidate the cultural identity of the Cimbrian minority.
News
Publications
Press releases in the Cimbrian language
Cimbrian municipality
Reference Structure
Luserna Town Council
The Municipal Council of Luserna - Lusérn has the task of assessing the state of implementation of policies for the protection and enhancement of the Cimbrian population and of establishing the general guidelines to which the measures within the competence of the municipality and the community must adhere. It expresses, by majority vote, a compulsory and binding opinion on measures and resolutions, or parts thereof, that exclusively or predominantly concern the Cimbrian community, taken by the community.