Kultura a památky v jižním Tyrolsku

Tschon Stoan One day, long ago, the wizard Hans Kachler was very angry and threw an immense stone, the Tschon Stoan, from the highest peak of the Sciliar/Schlern mountain on the Seiser Alm. That’s how the legend goes. Starting point: Seis am Schlern

The Beimstein Knott knoll is particularly impressive for its stunning view overlooking the village of Vöran/Verano.
The new “Attimo” installation on the red rock here is comprised of five chairlift seats placed in a row, representing an imaginary chairlift.
The artists: architects Verena and David Messner

This "Knott" is one of the three "tuff knolls" (Rotstein, Beimstein and Unterstein Knott), they are of volcanic origin and are unparalleled in South Tyrol.

The Beimstein Knott is part of the new circular hike Knottnkino³.

Hiking up to see the Stoanernen Mandln, which translates roughly to ‘Men of Stone’, is quite a popular excursion.

The stone men are located atop a remarkable knoll on Alpine pasture and tower at an elevation of 2,000 metres above the municipality of Tschögglberg mountain plateau, looking out over the Sarentino Alps. Human figures made of stone such as these can also be found in other parts of South Tyrol: they served as a landmark frequently or were simply built by shepherds to pass the time.

Prehistoric flint tools and stone carvings have been found at the Stoanernen Mandln, however, demonstrating that this stone knoll has served as a passage from the Adige Valley into the Sarentino Valley for millennia.

Mythology and Witchcraft:
Myriad tales are linked to this place. In early modern times, people believed witches met with the devil up there, celebrating wild festivals, changing the weather, and sending strong thunderstorms down into the valley.

Tip: Sunrise and sunset hikes.

Witches'spring: adventure path with the witch Curadina to the sulfur springs

The Power of the milk.
That’s right, we make the best cheese! Thanks to our considerable expertise, knowledge and partners: our good cows.

The fresh mountain air is playing its part; our cheese farm on the Gostner Schwaige is located at 1900 meters above the sea level beneath Mt. Schlern in the Dolomites.  Here are our tasty products crafted from fresh alpine milk:

• Various yogurts
• Mountain cheese
• Tyrolean grey cheese
• Petal cheese
• Mountain saffron cream cheese
• Edelweiss Camembert
• GOLDI our yellow Muscat cream cheese
• First Summer – soft cream cheese from the first weeks of grazing

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.

At the tractor museum, 30 Porsche Diesels from various model years can be examined. An experience for young and old alike!

Every first Friday of the month from March to November at 3 pm there is a free tour (further tours available on request). Free admission, closed on Mondays.

In the museum you will find a large exhibition of historical working equipment and instruments used by our farmers. Furthermore it represents the traditional life and function of the Southtyrolean farmers. 

Exhibition theme: antique equipments, instruments used by farmers in South Tyrol 

Place: San Genesio

Free entry with donation

Info: tourist office San Genesio, Tel. +39 0471 354196 or directly by Mr. Erich Egger Tel. +39 331 624 1968

Telescope on the St. Kathrein Kirche Church with view on the Tyrol Castle.

The Telescopes cannot rotate: it is meant to focus solely on a single building.

The Laranz Forest between Seis and Telfen is the quintessence of a mysterious fairytale forest: The trail through the forest is a gift of peace, strength and inner contemplation. Settlements had already been established on this hilly knoll in the days of Ötzi the Ice Man, and to this day we can still see the Wallburg fortresses of Gschlier and the pre-Christian sacrificial site at the Rungger Egg. The leisurely loop route leads through dappled pine forests to the Königswarte (the "King's Keep"), a spectacular lookout point. Shortly before the Lanzin farms the trail branches off into another loop route, which will take you to a further lookout point, the Katzenlochbühl.

This wonderful panoramic point is right next to the church in Altenburg/Castelvecchio and offers a stunning view towards Lake Kaltern and the homonymous village. Northwards you can see the mountain peaks of Hirzer/Punta Cervina and Ifinger/Picco Ivigna, but also the Sarner Scharte/Forcella Sarentina and the Rittner Horn/Corno del Renon. Eastwards instead you can see the peaks of Rosengarten/Catinaccio and Latemar, while southwards the view sweeps across the Etschtal/Val d’Adige.

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.

Locals refer to the pond above Hafling/Avelengo either as Sulfner Weiher, which means ‘pond’ or Sulfner See, which means ‘lake’. Whether the body of water classifies as a pond or a lake, it was created many years ago as an artificial water reservoir to irrigate Sulfner’s lower lying pastures. Over time, many animal and plant species settled in and around the pond.

The pond is at its loveliest in summer. White water lilies cover the pond while yellow irises, floating water plantains, marsh horsetails, bulrushes, bur-reed, and a host of other plants thrive at the shoreline. Higher up on the banks of the pond, Alpine roses bloom in June – a colourful juxtaposition to forests of spruce, larch and Scots pine. In spring, common toads mate by the hundreds in the water: in the months that follow, naturally, you can see myriad tadpoles and small frogs in the water, surrounded by dragonflies.

The Sulfner Weiher Pond is easy to reach in a short walk from St. Kathrein/S. Caterina.

Marvel the impressive spectacle of the Schwarzbach waterfall above Luttach/Lutago wich, in the midst of a narrow crevice, falls 15 meters into a blue lagoon. Feel the cooling freshness on your skin, breathe in the pleasant fresh air and admire the colorful light reflections when the sun shines. The track is lined with wooden sculptures made during the annual sculptors-symposium by internationally renowned artists.

In the Laas Marble World many sculptures made of the world famous Laas marble can be admired. Numerous artists have made the last few years many works of art, each unique and one of a kind.

Tip: Many works of art have now become very popular photo motifs

Explore the exciting history of Val Venosta marble with the help of display boards and replicas.

• From difficult and dangerous mining earlier
• The manual transport of marble with oxen and horses
• The processing of marble with the simplest means to wonderful works of art
• The mechanical mining today
• The transport via the unique inclined track
• Machining with the most modern machines

The Lasa Marble World is an oasis of peace and relaxation. Take the opportunity for a relaxing break on our marble table or the many different seating areas under the trees. Here you will find a marble sandbox for the little ones to play and many attractions for the whole family

In the marble world you will also find a toilet and fresh drinking water.

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

The historic gothic block house is one of the oldest existing wooden structures in South Tyrol. Listed under a historical preservation order in 1982, the old kitchen has an open-hearth fireplace typical of the Alpine mountain regions. In 2000, MuseumPasseier established a small museum illustrating traditional rural life, farming the pastures and the local way of life in medieval times. The exhibition remains open throughout the summer months.

Not far from the animal compound lies the late Baroque Chapel of St. Anna, dating from 1796.

Getting there: starting from the center of St. Leonhard/San Leonardo, pass the church on trail no. 13 or just follow the directions to St. Anna. The ascent along the forest road up a moderately steep slope (difference in altitude: 650m) takes about 2.5 hrs, and is also suited to mountain bikes.

In a side valley at an altitude of 1,350m a.s.l., the mountain pasture is located in a picturesque setting north-east of St. Leonhard/San Leonardo. Open in summer.

The Engelrast viewing platform on Puflatsch offers a breathtaking 360° panoramic view of the Alpe di Siusi, the Val Gardena and the Dolomites. The platform is surrounded by a metal plate that gives a detailed description of the fantastic mountain panorama of the entire Alpe di Siusi with Sciliar, Sassolungo and Sassolungo, as well as the surrounding mountain ranges. You can find out which mountains you can see in which direction of the sky and how high the peaks are. A nice detail of this platform is the little angel enthroned above this vantage point. A visit to this magnificent viewpoint with some wooden benches is worthwhile. The Engelrast is located near the mountain station of the Telemix Puflatsch. You can reach the viewing platform on foot from Compatsch on the Alpe di Siusi following hiking trail no. 14 or by taking the Puflatsch cable car.

The observation platform is situated on the European footpath on 2,086m and offers a fantastic panoramic view at the surrounding mountains: from the Dolomites, to the Ortles and the mountains around Meran/Merano.

Cheese dairy Plattkofelschwaige hut

Homemade goat cheese and we have our own cow milk.

The building complex, comprising the old hotel and the new residence apartments, is located at the entrance of the valley-side entrance to Selva/Wolkenstein, and is easily accessible both by car and by public transport. Based upon the modern mountain architecture of the 1920s, an elongated wing was designed on the constricted plot that adapts to the natural lay of the land and adjoins itself to the scale of the existing hotel to which it is attached. The reinforced-concrete support structure was built with materials that suit the surrounding landscape: dark impregnated larch wood in the outdoor area, bright spruce wood in the interiors, oak floors, quartzite, white stucco, black steel, leather and natural-colored materials. The ventilated horizontal wooden slats in front of the wooden-clad facade and balconies form as a "second skin”, so to speak, a sort of filter between the interior and exterior spaces.

The Timpfler Knott is one of the three "tuff knolls" (Rotstein, Beimstein and Timpfler Knott), they are of volcanic origin and are unparalleled in South Tyrol.

Set in a quiet location near Vöran, the Timpfler Knott is an ideal rest stop for passing hikers. The seating arrangement was dug out of the porphyry stone directly, and serves as a viewing platform. This peaceful place is complemented by an enigmatic sculpture by artist Michael Fliri, which never fails to surprise observers: two gloved hands intertwined on a stick project a shadow resembling a wolf on the ground, which moves with the changing position of the sun.
The artists: Verena and David Messner, Michael Fliri

The Timpfler Knott is part of the new circular hike Knottnkino³.
From Vöran village follow the signs to Timpfler Knott.

The Knottnkino (Rock Cinema) is the work of artist Franz Messner, who hails from Renon. The Knottnkino sits atop a red porphyry rock formation, Rotstein Knott Mountain, which is located in Vöran/Verano on 1,457 metres.

The lookout point, outfitted with thirty cinema seats made of steel and chestnut wood, is a wonderful place for hikers to take a seat, unwind, and enjoy a unique experience: nature as cinema. The site overlooks the whole of the Adige Valley so visitors enjoy stunning views that encompass the Texel Group Nature Park, Mount Penegal, and even Corno Bianco/Weißhorn Mountain farther afield.

In the local German dialect spoken in South Tyrol, Knottn means ‘rock’. Millions of years ago, when lava and falling ash formed the Tschögglberg Mountain Plateau, these round, wine-red knolls also came into being. These rock formations are unparalleled in South Tyrol. In Verano, there are three: Rotstein, Beimstein and Unterstein Knott.

The Knottnkino³ circuit trail conects the three red porphyry rocks of Vöran/Verano. Starting from the Burgstall-Vöran upper cableway station, the trail leads to the three panoramic landmarks of Verano: the Rotstein, Beimstein and Timpfler Knott.

The South Tyrolean traditional costumes are renowned for their beauty. It is interesting that almost every village and town has its own costume. These pieces of clothing are worn at every festive occasion, such as religious festivities or at processions. During the time of Charles the Great, it was not permitted for farming folk to wear expensive clothing. People of the lower ranks of society were not allowed to wear more than a Loden jacket. The farmers had to wear clothes made of materials they could produce themselves. Expensive fabrics such as silk and brocade were reserved for the richer people in society. Only when Empress Maria Theresia came to power, was this law amended so that the population could wear traditional costumes of any style. This resulted in a variety of traditional costumes that are still used to this day.
Kastelruth costumes for men: Men wear a shirt, cardigan and jacket with trousers and costume shoes. Their hat is decorated with a carnation and some leaves. The top button of the cardigan and jacketremain open.

Kastelruth costumes for women: Women wear a long black skirt and a black velvet corset. During the winter, they also wear a black small cape and during the summer a white jacket. On top of these, there is a silver or coloured shawl with long fringes. With the jacket, they need to wear a blue apron and with the small cape a black, water-silk apron. In addition, they wear fashionable ribbons that look well with their shawl. Married women wear their hair up, with a silver hairpin and a type of stylish comb, which helps to keep their hair in a knot. Unmarried women wear pigtails that are arranged in a type of Gretl hair style and incorporate this with a black velvet ribbon.

The delightfully landscaped Weiher Bruggen Pond on trail no. 16 below Leadner Alm Mountain Hut in Vöran affords weary travellers a refreshing footbath and some peace and quiet.

In the summertime, little fish dash about in the water. The pond also makes an ideal habitat for frogs, toads and dragonflies. Benches around the pond invite hikers to linger and enjoy a lovely backdrop: spectacular views of the Ifinger Peak.