All forts and castles

Schlandersberg Castle is built on the bare rock-face above the town of Silandro/Schlanders and has remained in its present form since the 16th Century. Schlandersberg Castle was originally the residence of the Schlandersbergs, one of the most influential families in the South Tyrol during the 15th Century. After the last member in the family line died in 1813, a farmer bought the castle and today the castle remains private property and is inaccessible to the public.

Be inspired culinary delights! A visit to the Castle Sichelburg with Mirko Mair is the combination of indulgence and history. Experience the magnificent paneled rooms and the impressive vaults of Sichelburg contemporary cuisine in a historic setting.

The "Jaufenburg" above St. Leonhard was built in the 13th and 14th Century by the men of the Passeiertal Valley and was once a magnificent castle. As well as many picture presentation boards about the history of the castle, you can also visit the court house, shield farms, wall frescoes from 1538, listen to an audio recording of legends and enjoy the unique view.

Enjoy good home-made food in our traditional country inn. We serve varied menus with biological products from our farm.

BOOKING REQUIRED!!

Castle Hochnaturns is located above from the village Naturno/Naturns. The Roman Tower has been changed in Mediaeval style and in the middle of the 13th century the “Oswald Tower” has been established and named after Oswald von Naturns, who was a knight of the Teutonic Order. From then on, the castle was the principle residence of the Lords of Naturns (Naturno). After various owners, Castel Hochnaturns had its prime in the 16th century has been equipped with various items such as wood ceilings or tilted stove. Then came a period of decay until Franz Ritter von Goldegg had the castle restored in the 19th century. As the complex has been changed into a hotel, its original shape can only be guessed. The castle was designated a historic monument in 1950. Today, Castel Hochnaturns is in private ownership and cannot be visited.

Near the Brunner Hotel in Vernuer/Vernurio there is a fully preserved sawmill dating back to 1906.

Open daily for visits.

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 privat. In summer some concerts are organised in the courtyard of the castel.

The Wiesemann farm, situated between Antholz Niedertal and Antholz Mittertal, is one of the oldest farms in the valley. The old water mill stands and rattles on a modest foundation of lime and stones, harmoniously close to the farmhouse. Today the mill is a testimony of how dependent people were on nature at that time and what burdens they had to take on in order to survive.

The buildings of the "Happacherhof" estate can be dated back to 1604. Originally, the estate consisted of two farmsteads belonging to two different families. One of them was the Happacher family; for several generations, the mayors of the municipality of Auer/Ora came from this family. In 1911, the Theodor Steinkeller acquired the estate. His family was employed in the fruit trade and supplied the Habsburger monarchy from Bolzano/Bozen. Due to the Great Depression of the 1920s and 30s, the family was unable to keep the estate. In 1938, the farmstead was put up for auction and bought by the "Ente di Rinascita," an organization that focused on buying farms in South Tyrol and making them available to interested Italian investors. It sold the estate to the Rovereto-based Botta family. A family supervisor ran the farm, but the family did not invest in its maintenance. In February 1984, the farm was purchased by the provincial administration for use as a "practice farm for the secondary school for agriculture" and named "Happacherhof" after the original owner family. Today, it is an important place for students of agriculture to practice their trade. The extensive restoration

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"). 

The Farmstead Finailhof is one of the oldest farms in Schnalstal Valley, first records date back to the 11th century. It is known for its rare visit in 1416. Those days the farmers harbored Duke Frederick IV by employing him as a shepherd. Until 1967, the farm was highest one in Europe which cultivated cereals. To preserve the rural culture and architecture the entire farm became a listed building in 1981. Today the family Gurschler lives with four generations on the farm and welcomes guests in their „Stube“ and a huge sunny terrace with a great view over the lake Vernago/Vernagt.

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.

In 2022, on the initiative of the meditation group of La Val, and under the direction of labyrinth expert Gernot Candolini, a labyrinth was built in the centre of the area occupied by the former church of San Genesio. It is a simple Gothic labyrinth, consisting of five paths traced with brook stones. Many things here in Dlijia vedla remind us of the transience of life: the remains walls of the old church, the abandoned cemetery...

Memento mori - Memento vivere!

Everything passes quickly, and the moment never stops. So be ACCORDIOUS and aware, enjoy the view, feel the hope that lurks in life, let yourself be inspired and blessed by goodness and change.

"This place here is a place of power, you must make use of it" Dr. Karl Gruber, Regional Conservator

                                

The oldest settlement traces of Naturno are the huge rock formations of „Neuräutl“ at the "Leitenhang" above Compaccio in Naturno.

The Neuräutl area is located on Naturnser Sonnenberg, where a large rock formation rises out of the mountainside in the shape of a roof. The protective cavity underneath was first used as a dwelling in the Stone Age around 11,000 years ago. This makes the rocky roof one of the earliest settlement sites discovered in the Venosta Valley to date. In Roman times, the Middle Ages and up until the 19th century, the rock also served as a shelter from time to time. The artefacts are on display in the Prokulus Museum in Naturns. On display are Finds from the Stone Age: tools made from flint (silex): blades and scrapers. 9th-8th millennium BC Middle Stone Age and finds from the Roman period: fragment of a Roman bronze coin. 2nd-1st century BC

At Kaserbach, where hydroelectric power was once used, lies the former artisan zone that characterized village life back then. Our path leads past the smithy, the knitter mill and the old sawmill. At that time, the grain of the Lüsner farmers was ground in the mill. The "Stricker mill", whose historical roots reach back to the year 1645, has remained true to its original function until today.

If we take a look at Vila Ruac and Alfarëi we can see one of the oldest in the whole valley.
This is a late-Romance house in the architectural style of the medieval period, the oldest kind of house which can be found in the valley. What was once the hay barn has a stable on the ground floor and is characterized by a wide balcony, the "parincinch", where agricultural products were dried.
A short distance away there is an old sawmill and a mill. On the path leading from the farm to the old mill, which has recently been restored, we can see various types of fencing which were often used.

The house "Alfarëi" is today a restaurant where typical food is prepared on reservation.

The Castle Ehrenburg was the residence of the Sirs von Ehrenburg, who were later called von Künigl. It was built in the 12th century. During the 15th century, the castle was extended, and in the year 1512, it was extended again with the arcade yard. In the year 1732, it was converted into a baroque castle. The big hall, the bay windows, the wooden paneling, and the paintings on the ceiling, as well as the castle chapel are very remarkable. The castle is not open to visitors.

Only visible from the outside.

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.

Families which have owned the same land for more than 200 years are awarded a "Deed of inheritance" by the Province of Bolzano-South Tyrol. The Nagler family has been honoured in this way. The original name was "Murin da Coz" (murin = mill) because grain from the Coz farm was milled here. The oldest written documents mention Hof Palua (The Palua farm) in about 1566, Pares in 1780 and finally Murin. The first settlement can be dated 1296; the saw and the grain mill probably needed water power. In 1771 the Brochia family from Longiarü settled here. In common with many other family names in Val Badia, Brochia was reinvented in German, in this case, as Nagler.

In those days priests as well judges came from places outside Ladinia and they could not speak Ladin which led them to renaming their family names; most written documents were set out in German or Italian. Before 1800 the Ladin language was used relatively rarely in written documents.

Now the Murin farm is privat and can be visited outside doing the culture trail in Badia.

The Coz residence is a short distance away from San Linert. The name "Coz" appears to be of pre-Latin origin and comes from the word "koltju" although we do not know where this word comes from or what it means. This is one of the oldest farms in the area.

The Coz residence we see today was built by the Colz family in 1604. The residential part was renovated in 1996/97. The Colz family sold the farm to the Winkler family from St. Lorenzen in 1695 and they sold it to Jakob Irsara in 1754 and his family still own the farm.

The house is a rectangular form and a hipped roof with two wings. The decorations in the house chapel are very valuable; built in 1613 we can see scenes from the creation, the life of Moses, the Crucifixion and the copper snake. On the external wall we can see two saints; St. Christopher and St. Florian.

In addition to the living quarters there are also smaller buildings such as the corn silo, the smithy and the fodder store.

Now the Coz residence is privat and can be visited outside doing the culture trail in Badia.

Coldrano Castle was once the ancestral seat home of Count Hendl and nowadays an educational center. The architectural history of the castle is unable to trace a precise date of its inauguration; however, it is assumed that the palace was built after 1323. Coldrano Castle is a three-wing building with an inner courtyard, which is surrounded by an almost rectangular shaped wall and by rounded corner towers.

Sompunt is located between Badia and La Villa and was an important residence for the families Mayrhofen and Koburg (rich families in the 19th century).
The house was already mentioned in the year 1296 and it is painted with decorations of the 16th century.

Today the house is privat and inhabited.

The "Ciasanöia" is the old tavern and was an important meeting point for the residents of Badia.

It is similar to a castel and was built in 1614 for the nuns of Sonnenburg (Castel near Brunico). It was the seat of this Domination.

Today the house is privat and not open for the public.

The castle Obermontani was built in 1228 by Albert II of Tyrol as defence against the Bishops of Chur and is the place where the original handwritten copy of the "Nibelungenlied" was found; now it is in the public record office of Berlin-Dahlem. Viewing only possible from outside.

If we take the path above the Church in Badia, after about half an hour, we arrive at a junction; one road leads to Valgiarëi and the other to Sotciastel. The name of this farm is easy to  explain; the Ciastel farm is further above. As it's the case in many other places the name of the settlement below is given with the preposition "sot" (below).

In the 1980s Sotciastel became famous as the result of research carried out by the University of Trento in cooperation with the Provincial Monument Office and the Ladin Cultural Institute "Micurá de Rü". These excavations proved that a Bronze Age settlement including permanent living quarters once stood here. The kind of articles found: parts of weaving looms, kitchen implements, agricultural tools, jewellery, pins and awls lead us to believe that the settlement was agricultural and pastoral, was inhabited the whole year round and that above all sheep, goats, oxen and cattle were reared.

The settlement in Sotciastel appears to have been one of the first in the valley where people lived for a longer period of time.

An unique group of holy buildings is standing on Mount Calvary, also called Kofel/Colle at Kastelruth/Castelrotto. From the village a path leads among porphyry rocks and beautiful nature. Several chapels line the pilgrimage, which ends at the Roman tower. The seven chapels show pictures of Jesus and his mother, the Mount of Olives, the scourging, crowning with thorns and the handwashing and the Entombment. (Nice walk - 20 minutes)

Visiting the town of Certosa/Karthaus is like a journey into the past. The town was built inside the walls of the Cloister of Certosa degli Angeli, founded in 1326 and reopened in 1782. The Via Crucis of the ancient cloister is especially interesting.

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

The Sandwirt is the birthplace of the Tyrolean freedom fighter, Andreas Hofer. Today an inn stands on the location, with the farmhouse parlor of the old inn building particularly worth seeing.