Sehenswürdigkeiten in Leifers

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.

Due to population growth, the little church of San Giacomo/St. Jakob had become far too small. So it became necessary to think about a new church in the centre of the village. The foundation stone was laid in 1951 and the church was completed in 1954. In 1964, ten years after its completion and opening, the church was consecrated by Bishop Josef Gargitter.

The saga of Weissenstein depicts the life of the religious farmer Leonhard. He was very ill and fell into a ravine. The Mother of God appeared to him and promised to safe him, if he built a chapel in her honor. The Mother of God told him: "So that you don't doubt my promise, i will leave you in this cave for nine more days and nights, without meat and drink. On the ninth day your family will find you. But don't forget my words!".

It happened how the Mother of God predicted, but Leonhard forgot to built the chapel and became ill again. From that moment on a light was shining where Leonhard fell in the cave and nobody had an explanation why. Leonhard eventually remembered his promise to the Mother of God. He quickly began to build the chapel and was then cured from his illness. When digging he found a little statue which represented the Mother of God. Leonhard continued to finish bulding and placed the statue in the chapel.

Soon after Maria Weissenstein became a popular place of pilgrimage. In 1787 the statue of the Mother of God was relocated to the church of Laives/Leifers.

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.

The tower in the Vadena district of Birti is the last remnant of the curacy church of St. Mary Magdalene from the 14th century. It is 24.6 m high and the walls are 70 to 90 cm thick. You can see the bricked-up arched windows on each side, only one is still open and intact. At that time, three bells hung in the tower, two smaller and one large. The brick helmet is damaged at its top, as the wind had thrown the button off the tower in 1743/44. Due to its very unfavourable location on the open valley floor, the Madgalena Church was hit by countless Adige floods. The church was flooded in 1755. The citizens of Vadena therefore thought about moving the church to the castle chapel in the courtyard of Vadena. In 1794, the church had to be abandoned after further numerous floods, because the water exceeded the altar refectory and the death chests floated around like ships. On 2 July 1795, a contract was concluded between the castle chapel owner Menz and the neighbours in Vadena and the castle chapel was designated as the new curacy church. In 1796, the Church of Mary Magdalene was demolished, only the tower still reminds us of the location of the old church. 

The chapel of St. Peter is the symbol of the Municipality of Laives/Leifers, and is also depicted in the town’s coat of arms. It is located on a hill above Laives and dates back to the 12th century. The chapel was originally intended to be the chapel for Castle Lichtenstein. Next to the church there are only a few ruins left of the ancient castle, which was also part of a fortress below, which was built in 1160 and destroyed in 1290. Today the chapel can only be visited from the outside. Inside only the altar remains with its altar stone.

The original church of San Leonardo in Bronzolo/Branzoll had become too small and so the new neo-Romanesque parish church was built in 1896. It is a three-aisled basilica with a perforated clerestory, flat ceiling and a bell tower with a pyramid roof. The church was inaugurated in 1897 and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The parish church of Laives/Leifers – Where past and future meet

The parish church of Leifers is made of two parts, a historical one and a modern one. The historic part was first mentioned in 1286 and contains the miraculous image of Maria Weissenstein. Thanks to the former curate of Laives/Leifers, Johann von Kolb it is still possible to admire the statue. During the 70s there was already the intention of expanding the church. The Italian speaking community first wanted an own parsonage, but the bishop of that time was keen on reinforcing the connection between the two communities (Italian and German speaking), not separating them. Therefore, the decision to extend the already existing church has been made. The construction began in 2000 and ended 4 years later. The modern part has been christened in 2004. The form of the building is a symbol for acceptance, home, friendship and understanding and shows the way to an eternal home. As a sign for Christianity and resurrection, a triumphal cross has been put up over the altar. The different light inside the church symbolise Christ, who is the world’s light.

The church of Pineta is the youngest in the surroundings of Laives/Leifers. The building process began on 15th september 1963. Since building a church was extremely expensive, lots of people helped voluntarily. The first mess was celebrated in 1969, even though the church wasn't finished yet and there were no benches.  

The parish church of St. Magdalena used to be a small chapel that was integrated into a castle. The chapel was built in 1304 and dedicated to St. Mary Loreto. In 1797 the chapel had some modifications, such as the construction of a tower and the extension of the chapel to a church. In 1804 the patronage of the church was transferred to St. Magdalena.

The Church of Blessed Henry, patron saint of Bolzano/Bozen, is the youngest church in the district of Laives/Leifers. In 1853 donations were collected to make the construction possible. All donors were immortalized on a board in the church. In the church there are three altars, the picture of the high altar shows Blessed Henry. 

In Bronzolo/Branzoll we find one of the most beautiful church squares in South Tyrol with the romanesque and late gothic parish church St. Leonhard.

The church was first mentioned in 1237. The main patron is the Saint James the Greater, but the church was also dedicated to St. Barbara and St. Christopher. Originally, the little church was a Romanesque nave construction, which in the 15th century has been adjusted to the new gothic architectural forms. The old Gothic winged altar, also of the 15th century, is still preserved inside the church.