Historie a kultura v Jižní Tyrolsko Vinná cesta

Located at the southern-western outskirts of Bolzano/Bozen, this castle is considered one of the emblems of South Tyrol. The original name "Formigar" stems from the Latin word "formicaria". From the 10th century a.d. the castle belonged to the Prince-Bishop of Trento, while during the second half of the 15th century Duke Sigismond , Count of Tirol, bought it and transformed it into the biggest and most prestigious of his castles naming it Sigmundskron (Sigismonds' crown). At the present date it has become the Mountain Museum of Reinhold Messner MMM Firmian.

The castle of Salorno stands imposingly on the rocks above the village and is the symbol of the village. Its position makes it one of the most impressive ruins in the Alps. It was built in the Middle Age and during the time it was constantly enlarged. It was in possession of different nobel families and since the 17th century it belongs to the descendants of Earl Zenobio-Albrizzi from Venice. Thank to their help the castle was restored. Since 2003 it can be visited during summer. Nowadays there take place many cultural events during the warm season.

There is a path called "Way of visions" which leads to the hill of the castle in 20 minutes (by foot).

The castle chapel of Hocheppan with its roman frescos is one of the most important roman art monuments in South Tyrol. The centuries old frescos had been painted over and were only entirely laid open in 1926. Besides religious themes, the hunting scene on the exterior wall can be seen as one of the rarest profane depictions in Tyrol dating from this time period. The wall paintings originate from the first decade of the 13th century and show famous illustrations like the foolish virgins, the dumpling eater - the first proof for Tyrolean dumplings - and the picture of 'Maria Heimsuchung' which is well known far beyond the border of South Tyrol.

Note: Hocheppan Castle will be closed for winter break from November 11, 2025, until March 27, 2026, inclusive. From Saturday, March 28, 2026, we warmly welcome you back and look forward to a new season full of history, culture, and enjoyment at Hocheppan Castle!

The Leuchtenburg/Castelchiaro ruin dominates the hill above Lake Kaltern and shapes the landscape all around this wonderful village. The panoramic view from there is stunning and involves Kaltern itself, Tramin/Termeno, the South Tyrolean Unterland/Bassa Atesina and the nearby mountain peaks.

The train station of the old Val di Fiemme railway was the starting point of the line extending from Auer/Ora to Predazzo, passing through Montan/Montagna, Truden/Trodena, and Kaltenbrunn/Fontanefredde. In 1894, the construction of a railroad had already been considered. Prompted by WWI, the Austrian army command ordered construction of the railway in 1916; it was an important means of supplying the Dolomite Front. From 1918 onward, the railway also carried passengers. In 1930, the train - which was pulled by a steam engine - was electrified, thus reducing the travel time from 4 to 2 hours. Due to increasing mobilization and the establishment of a bus connection to Val di Fiemme, the train lost its importance. On January 10, 1963, the train ran one last time from, Auer to Predazzo, before being decommissioned. Today, the railway track is a popular path for cycling tours or hiking excursions. The old train station Auer Val di Fiemme is the location of several cultural events and concerts.

The building techniques and the disposition of stones in layers let suppose that this little fortress was built around 1180. It is highly likely that the lords of the castle were the Counts of Tyrol. The last written documentation about the Helfenburg goes back to 1353.

Calvary was laid out by the Order of the Capucin monks near Bozen. After this, most other brother houses of the Order did the same, and this included Eppan. At the end of this pathway the Gleif Church was built in 1716. Each station of the cross took time to erect and several figures were finished in the 19th century. Architectural style: the church was built in the middle of the 18th century as the graveyard church at the end of the pilgrimage path. The two domed towers of the Renaissance building give it an impressive appearance. With all its inside decorations, it is definitely worth a visit. Extras: the view of Eppan from here is worth the walk. Walking: the easy walk to the Gleif Church is part of nearly everyone's holiday programme, but can also be combined with the Ice Holes, Matschatsch, Kem Ravine, the Mendel or the Gantkofel.

Eines der schönsten Anwesen auf rebbepflanztem Hügel. Beliebter Drehort für Filmszenen. Ehemals einfacher mittelalterlicher Weinhof; Umbau zu einem vornehmen Ansitz im Stilempfinden
der Zeit um 1600 vom Besitzer Elias Leis (Baumeister Luca d’Allio): zwei Ecktürme am Wohntrakt, Freitreppe, Loggia, gewölbte Mittelsäle mit Doppelbogenfenstern. Wegen Überschuldung wurde das Anwesen bald verkauft. Über die Jahrhunderte mehrmals Besitzerwechsel, u. a. Johann Anton Zeffer, der 1641 mit „von Zephyris“ geadelt wurde. Seit dem frühen 19. Jh. im bäuerlichen Besitz.
Die Kapelle mit Fassadenturm ist dem Viehpatron St. Anton Abt geweiht und auf einem mittelalterlichen Kern erbaut, im 17. Jh. erweitert. Die Deckenmalerei, Szenen des Hl. Antonius, stammt von Lukas Plazer (1664).

The parish church of St. Florian/St. Floriano on the old imperial road north of Laag/Laghetti was first mentioned in 1189, but it dates back to around 1145. The lower part of the nave dates from the time of its first mention (1189). The choir with the accentuated towering choir loft replaced an older end in the 13th century. The church of St. Florian is a unique artistic monument. In the nave, the old Romanesque building form is still preserved. Later, an elevated transverse square was attached to this nave, which was probably intended as a domed building. A round apse was attached to it in the 12th century, the exterior decoration of which features beautiful pilaster strips and a round arch frieze with various sculptures worth seeing. From 2005 to 2008, the church was restored from the ground up. The outside area around the church was also redesigned and a parking lot was built. On May 03, 2008, the church of St. Florian was consecrated by Bishop Wilhelm Egger.

Walking along the Margreider Leitenweg to Entiklar, where you can vistit the vinary Turmhof Tiefenbrunner. 

Greifenstein castle is enthroned high above the village of Siebeneich/Settequerce. It was first mentioned in 1159.  During the war between the Counts of Tyrol and the Bishop of Trient, in 1275/1276, the castle was destroyed.  Only in 1334, the small aristocrats, the Lords of Greifenstein decided to re-built it again.  On a few years later, in 1348, it was burnt down.  In latter years (once more re-built in 1363), Greifenstein went into the hands of the Lords of Starkenberg.  In 1420, when a part of the Tyrolean aristocracy went into war against the sovereign Duke Frederick of Austria, the sovereign had the castle besieged and starved out.  Amongst the duke's enemies was also the minnesinger Oswald von Wolkenstein.  He wrote a poetic song about the duke's besieger and made fun of them.  The duke's army could not take Castle Greifenstein, but the fight of the aristocracy and the castle's owner, Wilhelm von Starkenberg, became meaningless and, therefore, the Lord of Starkenberg escaped probably through a crevice at the south-western part of the castle.  His 18 servants gave up their resistance once they were promised free withdrawal.  Today, Castle Greifenstein is merely a ruin. 
In common language, it is also called the Sauschloss.  This name derived from a legend, which speaks about the time of the siege.  During this time, the people inside the castle had to face fact that they were left with no food.  There was only one well fattened pig in the castle's cellar.  Suddenly, one of the servants had an idea: instead of slaughtering the animal, they threw it with much laughter over the castle walls and down the rock just in front of the besiegers.  When those realised what just had happened, they lost all courage as they believed that the castle's inhabitants still had lots of food available.  Therefore, they withdrew ..... and Greifenstein was saved.

 

Juval Castle, the summer residence of the world-famous mountaineer, Reinhold Messner and the Messner Mountain Museum.

Medieval Juval Castle is situated on a prehistoric place of worship at the entrance to the pristine Val Senales. The castle was built around 1278 by Hugo von Montalban. In 1540, Juval Castle changed ownership and reached its heyday in those years. In 1913, the Dutch Colonial William Rowland turned up at the dilapidated castle and had it professionally restored. Since 1983 Juval Castle has been the residence of extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner and has turned Juval Castle into the main site of the MMM Messner Mountain Museum. The castle contains an extensive Tibetan collection as well as the Mountain Gallery and the ethnic mask collection with exhibits from five continents. Juval Castle also boasts some Renaissance-era frescoes that can be visited. Alpine fauna can sometimes be spotted wandering about in the castle grounds and there is also a farm with its own vineyards and a winery. The attached winery Unterortl, the organic farm Oberortl, and the Schlosswirt revitalize these small-scale cultural landscape in Lower Venosta Valley.

The first written documentation referring to this church appears at the end of the 14th century. From this era, the bell tower remains today, with its double-mullioned windows surmounted by triple-mullioned windows and frescoes on the façade representing the saints Anne, Catherine and Margaret, Christopher with the baby Jesus, and St. Michael, to whom the church is dedicated. In 1672, the church was restored, supplied with a barrel vault, and supplemented with a new chancel, side altar, and sacristy. Particularly rich are the decorations of the choir stalls: The scenes depicted on the parapet stem from the 17th century and represent the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth, the Adoration of the Magi, the circumcision of Jesus, the flight from Egypt, and the Massacre of the Innocents. The busts painted on the lower part of the choir stalls represent the twelve Apostles and date back to the 18th century. The interior of the church is bare due to the theft of the furnishings and sacred images in 1969. The stolen original altarpiece was replaced by a representation of St. Michael fighting evil.

 

The Hausmann-Locherer estate dates from the Renaissance period, was built in the second half of the 16th century and is characterised by architectural elements of Nordic and Italian origin that are typical of the Überetsch/Oltradige architectural style. Architrave-shaped windows and an entrance portal with a round arch decorate the façade of the building. Above this round arch is the coat of arms of Andrä Locherer from 1593, consisting of a unicorn standing on its hind legs. The interior rooms with their central hall are arranged symmetrically. Some rooms have stuccoed ceilings, others are covered with 17th century woodcarving decorations. The entire building encloses an inner courtyard.

The most prominent artwork of Tramin and at the same time one of the finest masterpieces of Tyrolean art can be found in the small St. Jakob church situated on a hill above the village.

It contains a well- preserved Romanescue fresco cycle dating back to about 1220. The figures portrayedin the colourful frescoes are quite atypical in painting since they are usually represented as stone sculptures. In fact, on the walls of the small chancel you can admire bizarre hybrid creatures with both human an beastly attributes, fabulous figures emanating from the myths of medieval times. They all seem to represent the sinful antagonism of the overlying scenes showing a graceful depiction of the Twelve Apostels with the enthroned Crist in the Mandorla, the almond- shaped aureole.

The southern annex of the chapel contains yet another jewel: here the painter Ambrosius Gander executed some bright and valuable murals, amongst which the well-known legend of the Pilgrims. The inscription tells us that these paintings were completed 1441.