Všechny pevnosti a hrady

castel builded on 1580 - today it is a hotel - special is the "stube" - livingroom with the fenomenal wood wall

The viewing platform "Klapf", just a few minutes walk from the village center, is quite a highlight: lose yourself in the breathtaking view over the main chain of the Alps. 

The seminary of Brixen has a very interesting history. The current seminary building was built in the years 1764-1771 under Prince-Bishop Leopold of Spaur on the site of the old pilgrims' hospice and was consecrated on 28 June 1767. Today the seminary is the seat of the Theological-Philosophical Seminary.

Colz Castle, also called Rubatsch Residence, is a massive building, which boasts a curtain wall with four round towers and many embrasures.

The castle dates back to the year 1536, when Ferdinand I. permitted Hans von Rubatsch to build himself a residence. At the end of the 16th century the castle entered into the possession of the Lords of Colz. In the course of time, the building served many functions, like the one of a poorhouse. Finally, it entered into the possession of a farmer’s family.

Colz Castle gained some popularity thanks to the knight Franz Wilhelm Prack zu Asch, also called “Gran Bracun“, who lived in the Ladin valleys between 1573 and 1581 and was known for his cruel but heroic battles.

Finally, Colz Castle was restored, today it is private. 

Laimburg Castle was built in the 13th century by the Lords of Laimburg as a residence and was intended to secure the transition over the “Kreithersattel”, the connection between the Val d'Adige valley and the Oltradige/Überetsch valley. Originally, the castle was built in Romanesque style and later, in 1342, extended in Gothic style. Towards the end of the 15th century the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair. In 2002 the castle was completely restored and secured and is freely accessible ever since.

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.

 

The famous landmark of Sterzing, the city tower, is widely known as “Zwölferturm”. Its name is attributed to the fact that its bell rings the citizens for lunchbreak. Consisting of gray granite blocks from the area, it was erected over the city gate from 1468 to 1472 according to the design of Hans Feur. Two marble tablets above the archway remind us of the laying of the foundation stone by the Duke Sigismund of Austria back in 1469. It became a symbol of the economic and cultural boom in the city in the north of South Tyrol and has established itself to this day as the symbol for the city of Sterzing. 

At certain events, the tower can also be visited also from the inside, e.g. during the Cristmas Market, in summer during the lantern parties or at the famous dumpling festival ("Knödelfest"). 

Opinions differ as to its founding date and one legend has it that it was built by a knight. In 1376, the chruch and annex were taken over by the Monte Maria Abbey, but today only the ruins of the walls remain.

 

 

Old watermill

At the entrance to the village there is an old water mill. The mill and its giant millstone is restored and fully functional - even the interior can be visited. The aim of the old water mill is to remind people of the ancient, significant profession of the miller and of the many mills, sawmills and forges that made usage of the streams until the last century

In 1256, the Winnebach Castle, also called Aschburg, was first mentioned in an official document. The castle was originally owned by the Rodank family of Asch. Part of the dungeon was still there about 50 years ago, and in the middle of the tower an imposing, giant and legendary spruce grew. A local wanted to search for the legendary gold treasure in Aschburg Castle around 1970, and thereby blew up the entire tower. According to the legend, Arnold V. von Schöneck constructed the castle as a hunting castle. It is believed, that at the end of their lives, the Schöneck sons were cruel men who attacked and plundered the people. For this reason the castle is also called the Thieves Castle by locals. Starting point: car park in the village center

Like the village of Tablà, Stava was also a separate municipality in the past. In 1928 the village was joined with the municipality of Naturno. Today Stava has around 360 inhabitants. Even in the Middle Ages Stava was renowned for its hospitality. There was even a health resort in the "Bad Kochenmoos" inn which provided hospitality to illustrious guests taking a break from the exertions of their travels.

The Ursuline Gate is located near the Ursuline Church at the western entrance of the "Stadtgasse". It was enlarged in 1758 to allow a large fountain to be transported into the town. The fresco was designed by Johannes of Bruneck in about 1420.

The ruins of Salegg are not far from the Hauenstein ruins, at the foot of the might rock face of the Santner, hidden deep in the forest. The castle dates back to the 12th century and were passed in the hands of the Wolkenstein dynasty. 
Today all hat remains of its former glory are the castle walls, and yet the site continues to emanate a very special, mysterious energy.
According to an old legend, a secret passageway runs between the two castles Hauenstein and Salegg.

The Hill of the Holy Sepulchre is the most beautiful viewpoint of Tiso. The Holy Grave Chapel was built as a baroque building at the end of the 17th century. In it, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was worshiped. After the entry of Italy into the First World War in May 1915, fortifications were built here on the order of the Austrian Empire army. They should serve as a defense against a possible invasion of Italian troops in the Isarco Valley, if the Dolomite front should fall. The trenches and a bunker were built by Russian prisoners. However, the defenses were not used during the First World War. However, during the final months of World War II, the bunker was used by the village population as protection against air raids and bombing.

First documented in 1159, the ruins were destroyed many times due to fires and battles, and have always been rebuilt. The castle ruin today bears the name “Sauschloss”, which literally translated means “pork/pig castle”, as according to a legend a pork was thrown out of the castle.

The ruins are only 15 minutes walk from the restaurant Noafer in Cologna/San Genesio.

About an hour from Seis am Schlern you will find the ruins of Hauenstein on an enormous mountain slope. These ruins were once home to poet and singer Oswald von Wolkenstein, and every so often in the quiet of the night, one can hear the sounds of violins and the mournful song of a maiden who is said to have been bewitched there. Late one evening, shepherds were guarding their flocks around the castle. They sat to rest at the entrance to the castle and recounted one tale after another. All of a sudden, they sensed that somebody in the castle had opened a window. They looked up and saw, through the shimmering light of the open window, a woman combing her long hair. Her head, however, was but a skull, and the shepherds blood curdled at the sight of such beautiful hair growing from a head so fearsome. The woman threw stones and sand at the flock of sheep, who ran in terror. It's believed that the skeleton is the wife of a banished knight, destined to roam the castle until the return of her lost spouse.

From the church of Sant'Antonio Abate, mentioned for the first time in 1323, today are only preserved some walls.

The lime pit was built of bricks and reminds of the shape of a well. There was produced lime for the construction of houses.
Wolves were also caught on the basis of stories.

At the foot of the might rock face of the Santner, hidden deep in forest, lies the legendary castle ruin of Hauenstein. The castel dates back to the 12th century and was built by the Lords of Hauenstein and enlarged in the 15th and 16th century. One of the owners was the famous minnesinger Oswald von Wolkenstein.
Today all that remains of the former glory are the castle walls, and yet the site continues to emanate a very special, mysterious energy.
According to an old legend, a secret passageway runs between the two castles of Hauenstein and Salegg. And every so often, or so they say in the area around the Schlern, you can hear the spine-chilling wails of a banished damsel.

"BZ '18–'45: one monument, one city, two dictatorships", is an exhibition opened to the public in July 2014. It illustrates the history of the Monument to Victory, designed by Marcello Piacentini and erected by the Fascist regime between 1926 and 1928. The monument reflects and provides a link to local historical events during the twenty years of Fascism and the Nazi occupation, within the context of national and international events in the years between the two World Wars (1918–1945). The exhibition also covers the radical urban transformations for the construction of a new “Italian” city of Bolzano, from the end of the 1920s. Finally, the exhibition confronts the difficult relationship between the different language groups, caused by the overbearing legacy of Fascism, within the evolving social and political framework of the second half of the twentieth century to the present day.

You will soon find more information about the Perlmühle mill here. 

Walking through the Raintor Gate, you will reach the Oberstadt district, where the Parish Church is also located. Many years ago, this gate was not very important for traffic; in fact, it was mainly used to connect the town center with the main cemetery.

You will soon find more information about the St. Catherine’s Chapel and the manor house Gurten here.

The scheme to promote mountaineering villages in the Alpine regions supports environmentally-friendly, natural tourism. The network unites villages with a thriving natural and cultural landscape, which have been spared major technical innovations and where mountains and mountaineering are an integral part of the identity.
From leisurely “Waalweg” irrigation-channel trails through to the three-thousand metre climbs – enjoy all the authenticity of the Matsch Valley. The living traditions and customs offer you an insight into the active village community, and a stop-off to wander round the castle ruins at the entrance to the village brings the dreaded Matsch robber-barons back to fearsome life.

The chapel, dedicated to all saints, is located in the basement of Fahlburg Castle.

Site of the Roman settlement Sebatum, once spreading from the Schraffl-Bühel vis-à-vis the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche guite far downstream the Rienz on both sides (new digs have been undertaken from time to time). There are remains of residential buildings, storehouses and troop quarters.

Around 1200 the ruins of Rasen ( Neurasen und Altrasen ) were habitation and court of the sires of Rasen. 
The Rasun Nuova Castle in Oberrasen is privately owned and belongs to the Burgfrieder farm.

Around the village of Teis, from the bottom of the Villnöss valley to the Haube mountain at 1260 m above sea level, you can find a line of partly uncovered and partly hidden trenches, shelters and caverns. These are the remains of the extensive fortifications built as part of the “Barricade of Klausen/Chiusa” at the beginning of the First World War. Over the course of the last century, the trenches have been partly destroyed by human activities and partly reclaimed by nature. A group of locals has taken on the task of investigating the history of these fortifications more closely, preserving them and making them accessible to the public.

Schlandersburg Castle was built around 1600 as the residence of the Hendl aristocrats. The castle was later enlarged thus becoming one of the most important Renaissance edifices in the entire Venosta Valley. In 1988, the castle was placed under the administration of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and today it houses a public library in addition to the Employment offices and those of the Forestry Department - and the Menhir exhibition.

In 2013, two menhirs dating to the Copper Age were recovered from pieces of marble during the conversion work for a gardening shop in Vezzano/Vetzan, near Silandro/Schlanders. Since March 2017, the menhirs have been showcased at Schlandersburg Castle as part of a comprehensive thematic exhibition. In addition to these two original pieces, eighteen abstract pictorial figures made of metal are also displayed, which represent the eighteen menhirs found in South Tyrol and Trentino in recent decades.

The two unique sculptures, with male and female attributes respectively, give us an intriguing insight into the history of the area. The male sculpture is over 3 m in height, and wears a belt from which the handle of a dagger sticks out. The female menhir wears a robe and a necklace. The original set-up of these two sculptures can no longer be recovered; most likely they formed part of a larger group of figures.

 

In 2013, two menhirs dating to the Copper Age were recovered from pieces of marble during the conversion work for a gardening shop in Vetzan near Schlanders. Since March 2017, the menhirs have been showcased at Schlandersburg Castle as part of a comprehensive thematic exhibition. In addition to these two original pieces, eighteen abstract pictorial figures made of metal are also displayed, which represent the eighteen menhirs found in South Tyrol and Trentino in recent decades.

The two unique sculptures, with male and female attributes respectively, give us an intriguing insight into the history of the area. The male sculpture is over 3 m in height, and wears a belt from which the handle of a dagger sticks out. The female menhir wears a robe and a necklace. The original set-up of these two sculptures can no longer be recovered; most likely they formed part of a larger group of figures.