Graun

Graun may refer to several topics, primarily a geographic region in northern Italy and a surname associated with notable German composers.

Graun im Vinschgau, known in Italian as Curon Venosta, is a municipality in the autonomous province of Bolzano-South Tyrol, northern Italy. It lies in the Val Venosta (Vinschgau) near the Reschen Pass and forms part of the Vinschgau region. The area is closely associated with the nearby Reschensee (Lago di Resia), an artificial lake created in the 20th century that led to the submersion of several villages, including parts of historical Graun. The municipality includes the village of Graun and surrounding settlements, and the region is characterized by a mixed German- and Italian-speaking population within the broader Tyrolean cultural sphere.

Historically, Graun im Vinschgau was part of the Tyrolean region within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following World War I, the area was incorporated into Italy. Today it forms part of the Italian autónoma province of Bolzano, where German remains widely spoken alongside Italian, and local cultural traditions reflect a blend of Tyrolean and Italian influences.

Notable people with the surname Graun include the German Baroque composers Gottfried Heinrich Graun and Johann Karl Graun, brothers who were prominent in the 18th century and worked at the Prussian court in Berlin, contributing to opera, sacred music, and other musical forms. The name is also encountered in other historical and genealogical contexts as a family surname.