Bozen, the capital of the province of Bolzano, is the administrative, economic and cultural centre of South Tyrol. Bozen, with its historic centre with its arbours and the famous fruit market, expanded significantly in the time between the two world wars: numerous houses west of the Talfer River and an extensive industrial zone in the south were built. Bozen's development and importance - in respect to other large cities in the Alps - has been based on several determining factors: firstly, its location at the entrance of three large valleys with important north-south traffic routes, which unit at Bozen and secondly, its mild climate in a protected basin.