Historie a kultura Bolzana

St. Valentine's Church on the Gentersberg is traditionally regarded as the oldest church in the Val Sarentino/ Sarntal Valley. The little church is famous in particular for its outstanding medieval frescoes.

The XIII century castle, situated right behind the hystoric city centre, is surrounded by fields of the fine Lagrein grapevines and has stunning views of the Rosengarten. It was renovated in the 1980s and transformed into a conference and exhibition centre. It is certainly the most interesting and exclusive complex, ideal for housing conferences, seminars, banquets, concerts, cultural events and exhibitions. The beautiful interiors, with stunning frescoes, have all the modern features and conference facilities. The view of the castle from the river walk nearby is particularly impressive. Adjacent parking.

The castle is a congress centre and open for visitors only during events and exhibitions.

San Nicolo/St. Nikolaus Church | This church dedicated to St. Nicholas in Valdurna, situated at the end of Val Sarentino/Sarntal Valley, dates from the thirteenth century. Particulary noteworthy are its beautiful sixteenth-century fresco cycle depicting the legends of St. Nicholas and St. Vitus and the Passion of Christ. These paintings were only discovered in 1986, when whitewash was removed from the walls: they are among the largest and the finest works of high Gothic art in South Tyrol. | San Nicolo/St. Nikolaus Church in Valdurna/Durnholz

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.

A church in Flaas is documented for the first time in 1237. The present church was built around 1500 and has a Romanesque predecessor with a half-round apse.

Panoramic view Sattele The top "Sattele" in the near of the mountain chairlift-station with his 2460 m is the highest point of the Skiing Area Reinswald. The "Sattele" is one of the most beautiful panoramic points in the Sarentino Mountains. The panoramic view for the Dolomites is great.

Consecrated in 1180, the small church is Bolzano/Bozen's pride and joy. The simple central architecture is enriched by the beautiful bell Tower with mullioned Windows with two and three lights from the early years of the 14th century. The interior artwork is splendid: artists from Giotto's "vagabond" movement introduced a new plastic style and an astounding fresco technique, which reveal extraordinary interpretative and artistic capabilities. For information and guided tours please ask the Tourism Board (Via Alto Adige - Südtiroler Straße 60).

The oldest glacier mummy in the world, Ötzi the Iceman, has found his last resting place at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Dating from the Copper Age (5,300 years old), he can been seen with his original clothing and equipment. Each year there are different special exhibitions on archaeological topics from South Tyrol to supplement the permanent display.

More about Ötzi and the museum

Exhibition of sacred furniture from the baroque époque in the Tyrolean area. Next to the precious liturgical vestments and gonfalons painted by famous artists, the museum also stands out for its precious jewels from the 18th century.

This is one of the most suggestive places in town, thanks to its long and curved shape and colourful fruit and vegetable market. Neptune's Fountain is waiting for you, a masterpiece signed by Joachim Reis, based on the model of Georg Mayr from Völs (1745). On the opposite corner a plaque reminds visitors of the existence of the "Zur Sonne" Hotel where, among others, even Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Emperor Joseph II and the German literate and philospher Johann Gottfried Herder stayed.

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.

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!

This church was probably built between 1220 and 1225. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It has been very much altered over time and in 1510 was enlarged in the Gothic style. The tower, which is not very tall, was probably first erected in 1300 and shows signs of the coming Gothic style, as do the slightly pointed tower windows. The tower was not extended in 1510 and so today makes rather a modest impression

Museum Pons Drusi - Remains of the Roman Era

During the construction work of the Center for the Care of the Elderly, some extraordinary evidence of the Roman Era (1st century AD) was brought to light: a richly frescoed building with a columned hall and a massive structure, probably the base of a temple or a monument. To date, the archeological area is considered the most important testimony of Pons Drusi, i.e. Bolzano Bozen in the Roman era. The settlement stood at the intersection of the Roman road between the Val d'Isarco and the Val d'Adige along the Via Claudia Augusta.

Entry & admission
only with guided tours
€ 7 for adults
€ 5 for seniors aged 65 and over
€ 3 for children under 14 years
Maximum 15 people
Resevation required

Info & Booking
info@grieserhof.bz.it - T. +39 0471 097100

This street carries the Name of the Poet, lawyer and Mayor of Bolzano/Bozen during the second half of the 19th century. The street overlaps the old northern moat of the first medieval centre and the buildings on ist southern part correspond the the northern facade of the arcades. Especially during summer, the beginning of the street becomes a suggestive Corner of Bolzano: criss-cross from an original oper-bar on the fish Banks to shop, decorations and Restaurants, which create a Special and unique atmosphere. Numerous arches look down on the street, which contribute to the medieval hue. Number 25 corresponds to the entrance to the ancient Town Hall.

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 ruins of Stein Castle at Renon are located below Siffiano between Collalbo and Auna di Sotto. The few imposing remains of the castle ruins rise on an isolated rock above a gorge that drops from Renon into Valle Isarco. Only the south and west walls of the palace remained, the ring walls of the lower situated outer castle have largely fallen into the depths. In the first half of the 13th century, the complex was built by the Lords "de Lapide" (to the stone), destroyed in 1349, then rebuilt and abandoned in the 17th century.

For a long time, the castle, situated on important secondary connections, served as the court seat of Renon. In the 15th century, the Tyrolean sovereigns commissioned a court judge, such as the Bolzano noblewoman Ingenuin ofWeineck as "phleger auf dem Stain" in 1417.

The modest little church in Maria Saal was built in the mid-1600s and then was expanded in 1719. According to a local legend the miraculous image above the altar had originally hung in a sheep barn. Due to an ever-growing number of pilgrims then finally a church was built. Like many other churches, this one too was closed down under the reign of Joseph II. In 1847, it was re-inaugurated by prince bishop Johannes Tschiderer who celebrated his first mass in Collalbo on August 3rd 1800. Tschiderer was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

The rather particular motive, a fresco of the Madonna with an umbrella, in the round arch between presbytery and nave has contributed to this pilgrimage church’s popularity. The fresco was painted by Alexander Dejaco as an expression of gratitude for his unscathed return from World War I, leaning on the prayer “Under thy shield and protection we seek refuge, o holy mother of God”. This painting also takes on a special meaning as the Renon mountain is a rather arid area, thus its farmers would pray to the Holy Mother for rain in times of great draughts and water scarceness.  

The contemporary longing for nature and sports in the city influenced the thinking of the Fascist municipal government of Bolzano/Bozen and, as a result, had an outdoor swimming complex built on the banks of the Isarco/Eisack River. From a horticultural viewpoint, the site was designed as a striking landscape architecture within the urban area. The buildings show the influence of the Italian rationalist thought of those years, oriented towards the Bauhaus. Clear functionality and a design that is both reduced and concentrated on the essential, avoided Fascist monumentality of any kind. The plastered entrance building with its sweeping terrace section shows expressive motifs that do not deny the influence of the Gmunden outdoor pool by Franz Gessner, a student of Otto Wagner's. Although this architecture seemed strange to the South Tyroleans of the day, it is nevertheless of lasting quality.

The Magdalena church was built from scratch in 1705, because in 1629 was already built a chapel dedicated to St. Magdalena. The altar dates back to the Renaissance and was probably already in the first chapel.

The St. Nicholas church in Mittelberg is first mentioned in 1289. This church was enlarged in the Gothic style in 1400 and has kept its appearance from that time. The tower is somewhat later than the church and was probably built in the 14th Century. It is made of natural stones laid in regular patterns. Possibly in 1400 the upper levels were altered to the Gothic tyle and the existing windows date from that period. In 1744 a rather large onion dome was added. It does not fit the building but is still quite pleasing. Another reason for building the church was the competition between the summer visitors to Klobenstein and those of Maria Himmelfahft. In Klobenstein they did not wish to be behind the people who were building their own church in Himmelfahrt at the time.

The small chapel was built in 1867 and consecrated in honour of the picture of grace Maria Hilf in Innsbruck. In the chapel there are sculptures of Peter and Paul, Isidor and Hubertus. The chapel was last renovated in 1994.

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.

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 the holy cross was foundet in 1896 in gotic style.

Haselburg Castle is accessible to the general public as a restaurant and as a party and reception venue (opening times of the restaurant). To get there you have to pass through the neighbourhood of Haslach: a steep path will take you to the rocky lookout on which the castle is perched (with parking space). Nice view on the Etsch valley and on Bolzano/Bozen itself looking North (Salten plateau, Sarntal Valley, Ritten). It contains frescoes from 1500.

The gothic church of Avigna/Afing was approximately built in the 15th century, its patron saint is Saint Nicolò. 

The first documentary mention of the St. Cyprian Chapel in Sarnthein / Sarentino Village was in the year 1328. In the middle of the 15th century, the church was rebuilt in the Gothic style. The well-preserved frescoes are a special treat.

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 Fascist Youth GIL Buildings emerged in Merano/Meran, Bressanone/Brixen and Bolzano/Bozen in the 1930s according to designs by the architects Miozzo and Mansutti. Although in need of renovation, only the Bressanone structure has retained its original form. In Bolzano one of the most important buildings of Fascist Italy's rationalism period, a structure that had already been dilapidated, has been successfully repurposed. It was renovated and expanded through a competition. The fact that an Austrian architect achieved this, shows the overlap of cultures in Bolzano. The renovated, heritage-listed old building sections, painted in Tuscany red, were contrasted with a transparent building of glass and steel on a lightweight concrete structure, which also redefined the urban context with a vestibule, garden café and garden courtyard. The design of the interior spaces is just as light as that of the external appearance.