Historie a kultura Bolzana

The St. Ulrich-Kirchlein in Gschleier gives hikers a beautiful view over the surrounding mountains. The originally very simple Romanesque construction was rebuilt in 1859. The altarpiece of the holy Bishop Ulrich was painted by the painter Psenner from Ums.

At St. Ulrich-chapel in Gschleier the hiker enjoys a magnificent view of the surrounding mountain world. The original simple Romanesque building was renovated in 1859. The altarpiece with Bishop Ulrich was painted by artist Psenner from Ums.

The Church of Blessed Henry, patron saint of Bolzano/Bozen, is the youngest church in the district of Laives/Leifers. In 1853 donations were collected to make the construction possible. All donors were immortalized on a board in the church. In the church there are three altars, the picture of the high altar shows Blessed Henry. 

The Romanesque St. Anna church, the cemetery church, is probably as old as the Pfarrkirche. On its wooden altar it accommodates a very precious sculpture: the Pieta cast out of stone (1440)

The church of Pineta is the youngest in the surroundings of Laives/Leifers. The building process began on 15th september 1963. Since building a church was extremely expensive, lots of people helped voluntarily. The first mess was celebrated in 1969, even though the church wasn't finished yet and there were no benches.  

The narrow-gauge railway: The Ritten railway was opened on 13th August 1907. For the first time it was possible to cover the just under 1,000 m difference in altitude from Bolzano up to the Ritten effortlessly. Quick, reliable and not subject to changes in weather the modern railway carried not only passengers but also goods up to the Ritten. Up until the 1960s the rack and pinion railway was the lifeline of the Ritten. Today all year round it joins up the localities of Oberbozen, Wolfsgruben, Lichtenstern and Klobenstein. In order to cope with the requirements of the “Südtirol Takt” (regular-interval timetable), the rolling stock has been extended. The course is set for the future. The Ritten railway is one of South Tyrol’s treasures. It is an important public means of transport, a sought-after excursion railway and a technical railway rarity passengers have become fond of and that will also bring a lot of pleasure in the future to those who have taken it to their hearts.

The Parish Church San Biagio was built in the 11th century in romanic stile. During some conversions till the 16th century it becames a Gothic church. Particularly impressive is the statue of the Merciful Mother inside the church.

A place of energy with views of Sciliar, Catinaccio and Latemar.

Titschenwarte is an absolute insider’s tip and a pure place of energy: After a short hike you reach this unique viewpoint with breathtaking views of the Dolomites - Sciliar, Catinaccio and Latemar. The place invites you to linger and to reflect. As a special treat you will be offered a delicious glass of wine. Thanks to a generous benefactor!

The church from St. Georgen is situated on a very historical plateau close to Versein. Numerous findings from the Bronze Age testify the prehistoric settlement of this beautiful place. The carved Gothic altar is ornamented by the statues of Saint Georg, Saint Oswald and Saint Leonhard.

The parish church Maria Himmelfahrt in Meltina/Mölten celebrates its patronage on August 15th. Of its original Romanesque structure, only the lower part of the bell tower is left. The church was Gothicised in the 15th century and extended in the Renaissance style in 1651. Particularly impressive are the coronation of Mary on the high altar (late Gothic) and the Gothic predella on the side altar representing the death of Mary (from Michael Pacher's school).

The Museum of Nature South Tyrol lies in the ancient administrative Headquarters of the Emperor of Austria, Maximilian the First. The variety of South Tyrolean landscape is exhibited on a surface of 100 square metres, with special regard to the Birth of the Dolomites. The main attraction is the marine aquarium, as well as the temporary exhibitions.

Archeological discoveries prove that settlements at Lavena date back to the Bronze Age, probably as a place of paga worship.

The lovely church beside Lavena is dedicated to St. Jacob, the patron of travellers and wayfarer. 150 years ago, Lavena was a frenquently visited merchant's and livestock market.

Today, Lavena has become tourist attraction and hiker's delight on the Salto high plateua in San Genesio.

On "Wallneregg-Bühel", where robbed graves can be visited; some burial objects have been found in the moss. On the top of the "Bühel" you can admire the remains of an altar more than 3 m high, which served as a burnt offering place from about 1500 to 750 BC.

The ruin of St. Valentine was the precurser of today's church in Salonetto/Schlaneid. The wooden church was build in the 8th century, but was replaced by a stone church just one century later. In the following 1000 years the church was architecturally changed multiple times, and completely renewed in 1770, when the church was replaced by a new one in the village center.

First documented mention of a church in Aldein was in 1309, according to excavations it was a Romanesque church with two apses. The masonry dates back to the 12th Century back. In the second half of the 15. cwntury a new church was built which was expanded to the west in 1841/42. A special feature is the pulpit, which is on the roof of Moses with the tablets of the law and above it the St. Spirit shows and the life-size statue of the Heart of Jesus.

Every day, you can climb another summit. You will definitely have to hike up the legendary Alpine rage on the "Hohen Reisch" if you want to be called a friend of South Tyrol. It is one of the most beautiful views of the Sarntal Alps, from where you can see the entire Dolomite group, as well as the Marmolata and the Ortler mountains. Even if the weather should not turn out good, a hiking trip to the "Stanernen Mandln" (stone men) is extrenely fascinating. There are more than one hundred, which have been built over time, and most of them are of an impressive height. They are like a group of soldiers.

Here, at an altitude of 2,000 meters, they say that more than 500 years ago, witches have performed their dances and celebrations with the Devil. There are terrible stories around, which talk about what happened during a thunderstorm and also about the eating of children etc. A legal document from 1540 states that Barbara Pachler was accused of meeting with devils and witches and the document is used to support the old stories. Ancient signs seem to prove that the outlook was used as a Celtic place about thousands of years ago.

The Paul Schuster Bild on the only way from Vilpiano to Meltina is located sideways to Salonetto and was built in 1900 as a sign of gratefulness towards the protection of Mary.

The children´s playground is open the whole year and you can find it after our swimming pool and opposite the Hotel Belvedere.

The St. Blasius Church in the  fraction Verschneid celebrates its patronage with the distribution of the Blasius blessing on February 3rd. The tower is still Romanesque, the church was enlarged and gothicised around 1500. Very expressive is the baroque fresco (1621) "Vom Gastmahl des reichen Prassers".

The Romanesque church of St. Jacob on the Langfenn is located on the highest point of the plateau Salten (1525m). It stands on prehistoric ground and could probably tell exciting and captivating stories from the past . On the altar there are St. Jacob, the protector of the hikers, and the two patron saints of pest Rochus and Sebastian.

lat. JUGUM = YOKE formerly "Schweighof" - in the Middle Age hunting house of the local lords of Maultasch - behind the house you can see a grave that goes back to the migration period (300 - 500 a. Ch.). Beside is the 'Tschaufrer Weiher' - a biotope - once an artificial fish farm.

The town hall and neighboring extension of the church were conceived for a town building competition focused on restructuring the town center. The town hall is distinctly recognizable, with its tower and spacious square in front − identifiable features of the public building. The angular building has a north facing glass facade in front of which stands a row of pillars. These support the large overhang of the roof and are as high as the four-story building. The stone materials used for covering the facade were sourced locally from Europe's largest porphyritic stone deposit in Bolzano. Dark metal constructions for the window frames and exposed copper for the roof complete the selection of materials. Behind the main entrance the visitor is welcomed into a three-story high spacious atrium, which leads onto light rooms without a hint of claustrophobia.

Beeswax products of beekeeping Erwin Wieser in San Genesio:

Candles in different forms and sizes, various table candles and tealights, carved candles with religious motives, lanterns, LED lanterns and much more!

Various hanging decorations with or without threads

Beeswax compresses

The children´s playground is open the whole year and you can find it behind our gym/climbing hall.

A paradise for excursions - do not miss walking on the Salto/Salten with its calming larch trees and the panoramic view on the Dolomites! 

The St. Valentine chapel in the Fraction Schlaneid was built upon request by the population in 1769 in a simple Baroque style. The ruins of the old Valentines church (exposed in 1990) are in the forest “Valteswald”  below the village. The altarpiece with the Bishop Valentin was made by Franz Unterberger from Cavalese. The Stations of the Cross were made in 1770 by Josef Sparer.

The church was first mentioned in 1237. The main patron is the Saint James the Greater, but the church was also dedicated to St. Barbara and St. Christopher. Originally, the little church was a Romanesque nave construction, which in the 15th century has been adjusted to the new gothic architectural forms. The old Gothic winged altar, also of the 15th century, is still preserved inside the church.