Nature Parks Visitor Centers in South Tyrol

The century-old Lahnersäge in St. Gertraud in Ulten Valley, which until the 80s served as a sawmill to the local farmers in the Ulten Valley. Today the building is home to the new visitors’ center in the National Park. The National Park exposition features movies, slideshows and fascinating recreations of historical events, painting a vivid picture of the historical significance that wood had for the inhabitants of the valley.

 

Located in Enneberg / S. Vigilio at the entrance to Val de Mareo valley, nature park house Fanes-Senes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies provides a wealth of information about nature park Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies via interactive media, videos, and interpretive signs. The facility’s levels are linked via spiral ramps that enable visitors to reach the various galleries, which contain exhibitions on the following topics: the origins of the Dolomites; the 1987 discovery of the cave bear of Conturines; the park’s main habitats; and a three-dimensional relief showing the region’s geomorphology. The galleries also contain pictures of the park’s most impressive features. Next to Alpine pasture agriculture and the attendant Alpine pasture villages, the biodiversity of the park’s mountain meadows of Armentara and Plätzwiese, and the Ladin culture are on diplay. The center also features terrariums and a children’s area with games and crafts, as well as a library.

A paradise for excursions - do not miss walking on the Salto/Salten with its calming larch trees and the panoramic view on the Dolomites! 

Visitor Center Nature Park Schlern-Rosengarten: The area of the nature park Schlern-Rosengarten has a diversified history, not only in its prehistoric formation. The resulting flora and fauna as well as the management by the people, along with their customs and myths, have left their mark. The exhibition in the Visitor Center Nature Park tries to show all aspects of this area’s unique geology, which was the main reason leading to being named as a Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the flora and fauna, which has always been a source of attraction and inspiration for scientists and nature lovers. In laborious detail work, the inhabitants of this area contributed significantly to the preservation of this valuable cultural and natural landscape. In addition to the exhibitions of the Visitor Center Nature Park department, the tourist office Seis am Schlern and the village library complete the offer for guests and locals.

Entering the museum, a film shot from eagle‘s-eye-view provides you with an unusual impression of the park. A 3D relief provides visitors with multimedia information concerning the park’s mountains, trails, refuges, lakes and waterfalls. A pendulum gives visitors a close-up look at how the mountains arose, while a kind of stone puzzle provides insight into the geological structure of the mountains. Visitor information systems give information concerning nature, the landscape and the evolution of the nature park region. And for kids there are fairy tales and legends from times past.

Entrance free!

Water is the element that characterises the Texelgruppe Nature Park like no other. It has not only shaped its landscape, but also has a central influence on the habitats in the park. And it creates challenges for people, animals and plants - where it is lacking and where it is present in abundance.
It is therefore no coincidence that the permanent exhibition in the new Texelgruppe Nature Park House in Naturno is dedicated to water. Under the motto "Towards the water", the journey takes visitors not only upwards through the impressive, snail-shaped building, but also from the Adige river on the valley floor to the eternal ice of the glaciers - and through the various altitude levels of the Texelgruppe Nature Park. 
Adults and children can experience the nature park in a completely new way and discover the complex interrelationships in a playful, varied and hands-on way. At each station of the new 600 square metre permanent exhibition, visitors can lend a hand and work their way through all the habitats: from Mediterranean to high Alpine, from dusty dry to precipitation-rich, from hot to icy cold. 
Animals and plants found in the various habitats are presented like a cabinet of curiosities. There are also special stations dedicated to the irrigation channels and alpine pastures, farms and meadows, where not only attention, but above all curiosity and a little bit of skill are required. The same applies to a technology game from times gone by, which gives an idea of how exciting the geology of the nature park is with its different rock formations and wealth of minerals. The journey through the exhibition even takes visitors to the eternal ice of the glaciers - and into the heart of a mudslide, which also allows visitors to experience the destructive power of water.
The Nature Park House itself is a building with clear lines that - like the landscape in the Texel Group Nature Park - strives upwards. And because, in addition to water, light is also a special feature of the nature park, large windows provide sun and light in the spacious rooms - and an unobstructed view of Naturno, its surroundings and, above all, the Naturno Sun Mountain. The best view of the mountain can be enjoyed from the terrace of the new Nature Park House, which faces the Sonnenberg. And thus the world into which visitors have just immersed themselves.
You can round off your visit to the new Nature Park House with a relaxed stroll through the newly created park next to the house. It features plenty of greenery and a water basin as a link to the exhibition theme and is named after the renowned butterfly collector and researcher Bernardin Astfäller, who himself came from Naturns.

Responsible for the Nature Park House: Annamaria Gapp
Address: Bernardin Astfäller Square 1
Telephone: 0473 668201
Opening period: March - November
Opening hours: Tue - Sat 9:30 - 12:30 and 14:30 - 18:00
     July and August also open on Sundays
     Closed on public holidays
     Free admission

The Monte Corno visitor centre is located in the building of the “old mill” in the centre of Trodena. Under the theme “Make visible the hidden” it gives information on the biodiversity of the Nature Park Monte Corno. Furthermore, the visitor also gets information about the geological structure, the flora and fauna of the nature park as well as on the culture and history of the place. Centrepiece of the house is certainly the electricity-powered elevator mill buildt 1948-49. It's three stories high and the only one in South Tyrol which works today. The flour, which is being grinded in the summer season on the mill grinding days, is used for baking bread.

In the year 2020 we enjoy 40 years Nature Park.

The Visit centre is open also on Sunday during the months July, August and September.

 

In addition to the existing Nature Park House in Truden, an information point for the Trudner Horn Nature Park was opened in Gfrill (Salurn) in 2014. Right next to the car park, visitors will find the most important information about  Gfrill, interesting facts about water and hiking suggestions in the southern part of the Trudner Horn Nature Park. Special attention is also paid to the wetlands, birdlife and amphibians of the nature park.

Free entry

“DOLOMITES WITHOUT BORDERS” is a unique mountain trail with demanding via ferrata sections that runs, in nine stages covering a total of 108 kilometres, through two countries, along 12 via ferrata and past 17 mountain refuges. It is deeply symbolic, not just from a mountaineering but also from a historical point of view. The route runs partly along old military trails by trenches and galleries from the war, and passes through the areas of Cadore and the Sesto Dolomites in the region of the Three Peaks (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) and as far as the Gail Valley in the Austrian Tyrol. There are also several places where the trail can be accessed: in East Tyrol from the mountaineering villages of Kartitsch and Obertilliach, in Sesto from the Passo Monte Croce Pass, the Prati di Croda Rossa or the Fondovalle Refuge Hut, and in Belluno from the Auronzo Hut, Misurina or the Valgrande near Padola. An adventure for present-day summiteers

The information center for the nature park Rieserferner-Ahrn/Vedrette di Ries-Aurina is located at the public parking lot in Kasern/Casere at the the end of the Ahrntal valley in a simple but modern wooden building.

On the ground floor there is an exhibit concerning the crafts and agriculture of the farther reaches of the Ahrntal valley. You will also find here information concerning the nature parks of South Tyrol. A relief provides an overview of the landscape and the view of the valley’s far end will surely make you want to hike there. The exhibition in the center’s basement provides exciting interactive insight into the fascinating world of the farthest reaches of the Ahrntal valleyl.

A documentary titled "Prettauer Leben-Vivere a Predoi-Life in Prettau/Predoi" features village residents talking about their lives. Four cross-border paths, which form the heart of the exhibit, provide information concerning the diversity of nature in the region and the region’s history. In the projection room, visitors can view an impressive short film about nature park Rieserferner-Ahrn/Vedrette di Ries-Aurina.

The three wood constructions, which looks like spruces, inform the visitors about the activity of our forests and the possibility of the usage of the wood. The trees are accessible and with bridges they are connected together. The attraction is recommended especially for children and families, as it is located next to the playground Waldwunderwelt and is very quiet.

Water is the main theme at the visitor center aquaprad.  After entering the facility, visitors can hear and see water.  About 30 local fish species can be seen in fourteen spectacular tanks.  In an impressive manner, visitors will receive insight into the local fish fauna – from mountain streams to rivers, from high mountain lakes to the floodplain. 

Here, through information and fun, nature becomes perceptible, tangible and accessible. Here are available information on the Natural Parks of the Pusteria valley and the formation of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage. On the first floor you can visit the temporary exhibitions. Free admission!                         

The information center for hikers who wish to begin from the start of the Riesenferner Ahrn Natural Park, is situated at the point where the road ends in the Ahrn Valley. The glass rear wall allows hikers to decide their goal from this point, as though on a huge T.V. screen. The ground floor, flat roofed building is built entirely of plain wood: vertical wooden slats cover the exterior and on the inside well placed windows and doors as well as a wooden counter dominate the room, which then leads down three steps to the panoramic window, flanked by floor to ceiling photographs of the glacial area. The lower floor is a light exposed concrete room in which black display cases contain information about the history of building in the mountains in the Ahrn Valley. A pleasant, simple building.

The visitor centre avimundus in Silandro/Schlanders is entirely devoted to the bird kingdom of the Stelvio Pass.
A permanent exhibition offers visitors an overview of the world of birds in the National Park, and selected bird species are clearly presented and assigned to their respective habitats. Visitors are given extensive information about the breeding and rearing, and on bird voices and their songs.

Ticket: 3 Euro, children over 6 years 2 Euro

The visitor centre culturamartell is in the Val Martello next to the sports and leisure centre Trattla. The museum presents themselves as a modern museum of local history and culture from the people on the mountain farms. The national park house culturamartell has a lift and is therefore freely accessible for everyone.

The Resciesa Alp is part of the Dolomites - UNESCO World Heritage and a popular excursion destination for everyone. Hikers, families, hobby photographers, bikers and connoisseurs are taking advantage of this unique space in the middle of Nature park Puez - Odle. The natural park with an area of ​​over 10,000 ha is bordered in the north by Passo delle Erbe and in the south by Passo Gardena; in the east the area reaches Val Badia, in the west into Val di Funes up to  Val Gardena. The northern part of the area is dominated by the Aferer and the Funes Odle and the Sas de Pütia, the southern the plateau of Gherdenacia, Sassongher, Puez with Vallunga and the Cir Group.

 

In the Infopoint Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Zans is shown the long history of the unique Dolomites in a time lapse.

The rocks, once in the seabed, are now building peaks and are sloping, bent or folded. This is reflected in the architectural concept of the Infopoint.

The visitor centre ‘naturatrafoi’ is situated in Trafoi at the Stilfserjochroad.

The exhibition offers interesting insight into the geology of the Ortler group and the survival and adjustment of flora and fauna to the extreme climate conditions in the high mountain region.

The Three Peaks Nature Park visitor center is located in the Grand Hotel. It is playful and informative at the same time: touch, sense, and experience nature.                     

The Nature Park Visitor Center of Villnöss brings visitors closer to nature and is the perfect place to dwell on. A walkable aerial photo gives visitors a bird‘s eye perspective of the Puez-Geisler Nature Park. The exhibition area “Touch the mountains” focuses on the key topic - the geology of the Dolomites. The Puez-Geisler Nature Park has been designated the “Dolomites site office” because it is home to all of the rock types, deposits and weathering that are typically found in the Dolomites. The Puez-Geisler Nature Park in the Dolomites is estendet on a area of the 3 valleys: Gadertal valley, Gröden valley and Villnöss valley.  The “Nature’s treasure trove” on the second floor contains plenty to discover: animal fur, bird’s eggs, feathers, footprints, droppings, teeth, antlers, medicinal herbs … all of which - and much more - is on display and can be touched! The “Conquering Mountains” room is primarily dedicated to alpinism. The world’s probably most famous alpinist, Reinhold Messner, comes from Villnöss. He talks about his experiences in the mountains in a short film. The “Puez-Geisler Nature Park film” is also shown daily in the mountain cinema. Leave your stress at home, discover the world of the mountains, and feel like a hunter in the woods.