Culturonda® Dolomythos - 12 routes to discovering culture and life in the Dolomites
When the Dolomites were still nameless they were called the ‘pale mountains’, for they are more pallid than the surrounding peaks. In 1788 scientists discovered that the rocks consisted of limestone containing magnesium. The Dolomites were named after Déodat de Dolomieu. In 2009 their unique beauty was recognised by Unesco, which designated them as a world natural heritage property. Culturonda Dolomythos approaches the Dolomites along 12 routes: via nature, history and stories, and the inhabitants.
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Mountain biking in the heart of the UNESCO world natural heritage
Sella Ronda guided mountain bike tour more...
The Witches’ Benches
The resting place of the Sciliar/Schlern witches on the Bullaccia/Puflatsch mountain is a truly mythical location. more...
Dolomites: Unesco world natural heritage property
Mountains of fossilised corals
The Swiss architect Le Corbusier is said to have described the Dolomites as the world’s most impressive construction. The Dolomites really have been built from fossilised algae and coral reefs which were transformed into rock and forced upwards from the warm Tethys ocean 270 years ago, white, weirdly shaped and rich in fossils. Hikers and scientists have written the region’s geological picture book: gastropods, dinosaur footprints, the fossilized bones of a prehistoric cave bear, the ancestors of snakes and lizards ‘hewn’ singularly in stone testify to the origin of the Dolomites. more...
The ancient ocean is still alive
A living fossil occupies an aquarium in Bolzano/Bozen’s natural history museum: the Nautilus has not has not evolved for millions of years. Fossils show that it inhabited the sea where the Dolomites were formed.
More on the NautilusEnrosadira
Enrosadira in den Dolomiten
Mountains in flame
Love, hate, a man sees red: the dwarf king Laurin decides to marry Similde. He kidnaps the damsel and Laurin’s rose garden is trampled on in a skirmish. And Laurin curses: nobody will ever again see his rose garden, neither by day nor night. However Laurin forgets the twilight. Since then the Rosengarten has glowed in the evening sun. The Ladin people call the fantastical red colouring of the Dolomites at sunset Enrosadira and are not interested in explanations of the physical reasons. more...
The best places around Catinaccio / Rosengarten
Trading routes
Armies, traders, wooden toys
The route out of the mountains leads over the mountains. The Romans convert mule tracks into military roads. A route leads from the Adriatic through the Dolomites and the Val Pusteria/Pustertal and on towards the Germanic north. Settlements are established along the way, such as the road station Sebatum near San Lorenzo/St. Lorenzen. Trade increases during the Middle Ages. The market town of San Candido/Innichen flourishes at an important crossroads, and its monastery church is a gem of Romanesque art. In the 18th century the inhabitants of the Dolomites begin to emerge, wood carvers bearing wooden toys on their backs to send them around the world. more...
Cutting a good figure
There was a time when the people from Val Gardena/Gröden, from grandfather down to grandchild carved objects to earn extra income in this poor valley. You can also try it: the tourist boards offer wood-carving lessons.
Wood-carvings in Val Gardena/GrödenFamous South Tyroleans
Three stations from Oswald’s life
Oswald von Wolkenstein
Oswald von Wolkenstein (1377-1445) did everything to ensure his name went down in history living the life of an adventurer, leaving his ancestral castle the Trostburg at ten, travelling all over Europe in the service of the emperor as a knight, old warhorse and diplomat. He spent half his life defending Hauenstein Castle near Siusi/Seis and even published his songs in two magnificent manuscripts. His eventful life inspired him to sing of wine and love and about himself rather than of the ideals of a troubadour. He entered the world literature of the Middle Ages with his songs, thrilling to the point of making listeners blush. more...
And if I kept silent now …(roughly)
1422-26 Oswald was the administrator of Neuhaus Castle in the Val Pusteria/Pustertal. Here he composed some of his most beautiful works. A cultural route dedicated Oswald’s life with works of art leads from Gais to the castle.
Neuhaus CastleMyths and legends
Scene of Dolomite legends
The earth prince and moon princess
Mysterious forces such as witches, Salvans and Vivanas held sway over everyday life before science began to explain natural phenomena. The heart of the great magical realm developed in the secluded Dolomite valleys. Sagas explain the mystery of the pale mountains, where dwarfs spin white moonbeams to so that the earth prince could finally join the moon princess. The same stories were recounted over and over on long winter evenings. more...
Mythical Dolomites
Window with a view
Amazement at the beginning
The mountain as backdrop
The Tyrolean farmers regularly indulged themselves in a spa holiday. However, tourism only really gathered momentum after the Brenner railway opened in the 1860s. In cities physicians prescribed their rich patients fresh air, best savoured in the mountains. Grand hotels opened, good-humoured landladies were on everybody’s lips, scenic roads were built. Theodor Christomannos was one of the driving forces. He built the road into the Val d’Ega/Eggental and the luxury Carezza hotel, where guests sat at their windows and marvelled at the mountain backdrop. Very few intended to conquer a peak. more...
Gustav Mahler as guest of honour
Gustav Mahler spent three summers in Dobbiaco/Toblach and wrote the Song of the Earth and his 9th Symphony here. Two music festivals are dedicated to Mahler: The Gustav Mahler Music Weeks and the South Tyrol Festival.
More on the music festivalsAlpinism
Where the mountains stand for passion
The call of the mountains
The inhabitants of the mountains never ventured into the area of barren rock, for it was said that anybody who did would be punished. Consequently the first rock climbers were from the cities. From 1800 they conquered peak after peak with the help of Tyrolean mountain guides, became heroes and brought fame to the Dolomites. The first Alpine club opened in London. Finally Tyrolean climbers followed. The legendary Sepp Innerkofler opened up numerous routes on the Tre Cime/Drei Zinnen, later the extreme climber Reinhold Messner found new routes to well-known summits, while Luis Trenker made the Dolomites the scene of several films. more...
High above the world
War in the Dolomites
Mountains become a front
Stalemate prevails along the Dolomite front in the First World War as Austrian and Italian soldiers face each other. The conflict in the high mountains lasts two and a half years; soldiers endure two winters among the rock and ice. Under the most hostile conditions pathways and tunnels are built, for supplies must reach the front line. Today these climbing routes and paths have become challenging hiking trails. Ski runs cross the former front line on the Lagazuoi and the Dance of Death fresco cycle (1924) by the South Tyrolean painter Rudolf Stolz in the Sesto/Sexten cemetery proudly recall the struggle against enemy and the elements. more...
Strada degli Alpini/Alpinisteig
The Strada degli Alpini is a fixed-cable mountain climbing path dating from the First World War, but is still in good condition, showing just how well these military paths were in fact constructed. The section between the Forcella Undici/Elferscharte and Passo della Sentinella/Sentinellascharte gaps is very icy, so crampons, pickaxes and ropes are essential.
moreHiking & mountaineering
Crystal clear mountain lakes
Wild waters
In the beginning water sculpted the landscape. Thousands of streams and rivulets descend from the mountains to the valley in South Tyrol; melt water collects in glistening mountain lakes and provides precious energy and sought-after drinking water. The curative water in the San Candido/Innichen baths was first mentioned in 1586, though Tyrol’s farmers had long known about it. Even servants were allowed a spa holiday. Five mineral water sources rise at San Candido: the bottled water brands Lavaredo, Kaiser and Candida. more...
In Val di Morins/Mühlental
A themed trail leads from Longiaru/Campill into the Val di Morins/Mühlental following the Seresbach stream. Nine restored mills show how farmers once harnessed the power of water – some still grind corn.
More on the Val di Morins/MühlentalRegion & people
Gens Ladina
After German and Italian, Ladin is South Tyrol’s third official language. It is the region’s ancient language which evolved from Vulgar Latin and is spoken by around 30,000 people in the valleys around the Sella massif. The people here preserved their language and developed their individual Ladin culture over centuries in the seclusion of their valleys. Ladin is one of Europe’s tiniest languages. South Tyrol’s 18,000 Ladin speakers live above all in Val Gardena/Gröden and Val Badia/Gadertal valleys. more...
Cursc de lingaz
Ladin goes back to the Roman era when Vulgar Latin spread across the region. Would you like to join a taster course in the Institut Micura de Rü in San Bartino in Badia/St. Martin in Thurn?
Ladin coursesDolomites – UNESCO world natural heritage site
Masterpieces of nature
One of the spectacular features of the Dolomites is the way lush Alpine pastures suddenly give way to sheer limestone and Dolomite rock faces and towers. The myriad shapes and forms which reveal the evolution of the Dolomites is fascinating. For example, the Sella massif is a mighty coral reef, while the Tre Cime/Drei Zinnen evolved by erosion from a single massive rock and the Latemar comprises pale Dolomite interspersed with volcanic rock. Around 100 natural monuments are protected, including plants and landscape features such as earth pyramids, caves and Alpine lakes. more...
Stunning hiking trails
Nature reserves
Four nature reserves in the Dolomites
In 2009 the Dolomites were added to the Unesco world natural heritage list. This has imposed a comprehensive conservation obligation, while at the same time this recognition has honoured the hitherto conservation practices carried out by the South Tyrol provincial government. Extensive areas of natural and cultivated landscapes have long been protected in seven nature reserves, four of which are located in the Dolomites. The aims of the nature reserve concept include providing spaces for recreation and encouraging people to behave responsibly in their relationship with nature. The nature reserve visitor centres provide interesting information on each region’s geology, history and environments in a lively manner. more...
Four nature reserves and one Geoparc
Other items that may interest you
climbing
Delagoturm tower (Vajolet towers-Catinaccio/Rosengarten)
This is a famous and much-climbed route on the sharp south-western edge of the Delago tower in the ... more...
Architecture
Fortezza/Franzensfeste fortress
Habsburg fortress, army barracks, hiding place for Nazi gold and now exhibition venue – the walls ... more...
Legends & mystical places
Nasswand Mountain War Cemetery
On 23rd May 1915, the Kingdom of Italy declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Italian ... more...
Winter walking & hiking
Alpe di Villandro/Villanderer Alm - Stöfflhütte refuge
A winter hike through a sea of snow at Villanderer Alm that takes about an hour more...
