Holidays in Sterzing/Vipiteno and environs

The basin of Sterzing was once covered with an enormous swamp that extended towards the south to Trens and towards the east to Wiesen. The basin of Sterzing was once covered with an enormous swamp that extended towards the south to Trens and to the east to Wiesen. It was the bottom of a lake that had formed in prehistoric times, fed by local springs, which became a swamp and gradually emptied. The legend that surrounds the Swamp of Sterzing is still told: In ancient times it frequently happened that young women's beauty went to their heads. Regardless of whoever asked their hand in marriage, nobody seemed to be good enough for them. But as the years passed, their beauty waned and they became horrible old maids. In order to punish them for being so pride, they were exiled to live in the Sterzing Swamp, where they cried bitterly for not having wed; and their laments can still be heard today: "hätt' i's gwaggt, hätt' is gwaggt..." (if only I had accepted, if only I had accepted), which only foreigners confuse with the croaking of the frogs, but they are actually the lamenting cries of the old maids.

This Church was cited as early as 1298; today's building, however was built at the beginning of the XVI century. The rich and original reticular vault ceiling is particularly worthy of note. The Church was restored in 1938 following a fire.

A Rosetta Stone depicting the Persian god of light Mithras was found near Mules in 1589. The original is conserved at the Bozen Archaeological Museum, while a copy is exhibited in the internal courtyard of the Sterzing City Hall, where there is also a Roman Milestone of Septimius Severus (approximately 200 A.D.), which was discovered in Sterzing in 1979.

Whether you would like to go on a tour in summer or winter, the mountain guides are experts in all questions of mountaineering and alpinism, not only in rock- and ice climbing, ski touring or on glaciers. Above all they are experts in safety and fun in the mountains.

We are a family of jewelers for four generations: small, personal, independent. And especially close to our customers.

Welfenstein is a castle in South Tyrol between Trens and Mauls in the municipality of Freienfeld near Sterzing. It is located in the Wipptal on the orographic left side of the Eisack river.

The castle can be visited only from outside.

The octagonal construction was built according to a project by Giuseppe Delai between 1729 and 1733, on the site of an older chapel. Matthäus Günther of Augsburg realised both the main altarpiece and the frescoes of the vaulted ceiling, which depict St. Elisabeth and St. George, the protectors of the Teutonic Order. The walls and vaulted ceiling are embellished with the rich and extraordinarily refined stucco decorations by Anton Gigl of Innsbruck. The church can be visited along the H. Multscher and City Museum.

The playground in Mauls / Mules is a pleasant place and a popular meeting place for children and parents.

A rafting tour in Freienfeld / Campo di Trens near Sterzing / Vipiteno means having fun together in the foaming white water, wonderful South Tyrolean mountain landscapes under deep blue skies, thrilling action and intense team experience! 

Rafting in South Tyrol, guaranteed fun and excitement for the whole family. A new experience for beginners, experts, old or young. For our experienced team safety is our priority. What are you waiting for? 

Das Kreuzkirchl wurde 1692 von Peter Dellai erbaut. Im frühbarocken Zentralbau wurde die
Statue des leidenden Erlösers aufbewahrt. Die Kapelle konnte jedoch nur für kurze Zeit genutzt
werden. Sie fiel in der Zeit von 1780 bis 1790 wie viele weitere Sakralbauten den Reformen
Kaiser Josef II. von Habsburg zum Opfer. Nach 1925 nutzte die Sterzinger Bürgerschaft das Kreuzkirchl als Totenkapelle und während des Zweiten Weltkrieges wurde sie kurzfristig in ein
Lebensmitteldepot umfunktioniert.

Castle Reifenstein (Castel Tasso), one of the best preserved and artistic-historically most important castles in South Tyrol, is located in the municipality of Freienfeld / Campo di Trens near Sterzing / Vipiteno. In the castle you can admire the original kitchen, the old bathroom, medieval sleeping bunks in the old tower, gothic panelled rooms, the famous green hall (restored 2013) with the beautiful woodcarved chapel-door and other interesting rooms. Reifenstein Castle has been the private property of the Tyrolean count family von Thurn und Taxis since 1813 and has been lovingly preserved in its original medieval condition ever since. 


Exact times: see below

On the path up to the entrance and inside the castle, we recommend solid shoes and caution since the authentic knight's castle is not barrier-free.

Cost: 9.00 euros per person; children (6-16 years) 7.00 euros; children under 6 years free of charge

The playground in Trens is a pleasant place and a popular meeting place for children and parents.

Whether you would like to go on a tour in summer or winter, the mountain guides are experts in all questions of mountaineering and alpinism, not only in rock- and ice climbing, ski touring or on glaciers. Above all they are experts in safety and fun in the mountains.

Along the stream near the hamlet of "Burgum" you can hear the whisper of one of the most beautiful natural monuments in the region. When the sunlight shines on it, uncountable cascades of a filigree waterfall shine in numerous beautiful colours. Between the cascades a dark olive-green moss grows, saturated with crystal clear and fresh water. It is tough to decide from which angle you have the best view of the waterfall. A few years ago, this spring waterfall was placed under conservation and is now a natural monument that should not be missed. Take the chance and come to rest and dream in this magical place. This natural monument can be found in the wooded Burgum valley on the way to the hut “Sterzinger Hütte” on path nr. 2.

The playground is a pleasant place and a popular meeting place for children and parents.

The church was built between 1821 and 1824 under the supervision of Jakob Prantl. The frescoes were created by the local painter Josef Renzler in 1823.

The Multscher and Town Museum of Sterzing is housed in the Deutschhaus, a former Teutonic Order commandery next to the parish church. The museum houses the largest part of the former late Gothic altarpiece by the famous sculptor and painter Hans Multscher from Ulm. The altar wings are amongst the most important works of art in the southern German region and are considered the last major work of the Ulm master. The altar was created between 1456 and 1459 for the parish church „Unsere liebe Frau im Moos”.

Furthermore, the museum houses imperial fiefs and confirmation documents, privileges and regulations of various craft guilds, seals, guild signs, and guild chests. The premises themselves are already a sight worth seeing and worth a visit. They serve as an information source about the local history of the Brothers and Knights of the Teutonic Order (1254-1809). Particularly noteworthy is the "Count's Room" („Grafenzimmer"), where valuable ceiling frescoes from four different South Tyrolean monasteries are located, and on the walls, there is a panoramic view of the Sterzing basin with culturally significant details. An insight into St. Elisabeth's Church completes the visit.

The museum is about five minutes away from the town center of Sterzing.

Guided tours by appointment: +39 0472 766464 | museum@sterzing.eu

Following repeated floods, a monument in honour of St. John Nepomuk (1350-1393) was erected in 1739 in Sterzing / Vipiteno. He is venerated as the protector of waters and bridges and is invoked when there is danger of flood. According to the legend, St. John Nepomuk, who came from the Bohemian town of Pomuk, refused to reveal the confessional secrets of the Bohemian queen. The king ordered him to be drowned in the Moldavian river. For this reason he is venerated as the protector of waters and bridges and is invoked when there is danger of flood.

The Church of St. Margaret in Sterzing / Vipiteno was built between 1678 and 1680 in early baroque style, according to the design of Peter Delai. The bell tower, however, dates from a previous construction, which was cited as early as 1227. The altarpiece of the main altar, dedicated to the Patron Saint of the Church, St. Margaret, was realised by Josef Renzler in 1822.

Souvenirs - vase - stones - jewelry - decoration - winter roses.

Bakery - cake shop - cafè - corner shop - confectionery.

Lunch and dinner, we offer not only tasty pizza from the wood oven, but also homemade pasta dishes, steaks and "Tagliata" from domestic breeding, and hearty salads.

A small late Gothic church dating from approximately 1.500. The church is constructed on a sunny, east-facing mountain slope between the villages of Mauls and Trens, 1.110 m above sea level.

The first stone was laid for this simple, typical construction of the Capuchin in 1636 and the Church was consecrated just one year later. The altarpieces, presumably realised by Josef Renzler in around 1800, are worthy of note: The Patron Saint Magdalene, together with St. Francis and St. Anthony, can be seen on the main altar, while St. Felix and St. Anthony of Padua are depicted on the lateral altars.

The "holy ghost church / hospital church" in Sterzing / Vipiteno was built in 1399. In the nave are late Gothik-style frescos (1402) of the Southtyrolien painter Hans von Bruneck, which demonstrate the most important truths of the doctrine. Notable is Holy Sebastian, who was included in the prayer and finally chosen to be patron saint and got his place in the church of "Santo Spirito". The wing next to the church of "Santo Spirito" was in the past a hospital and the care applied to palmers and sick and old persons. The importance of this church can also be seen in the emblem of Vipiteno the picture under the spread eagle demonstrates a palmer on crutches with a rosary.

Die den beiden Apostelführern geweihte Kirche liegt gegenüber der Kapuzinerkirche und ist
ein Anbau des Ansitz Jöchlsthurn. Sie wurde von der Familie Jöchl erbaut, welche auch nach
damaliger Zeit selbst den Kaplan auswählten. Mit Aussterben der männlichen Linie wurde die
Kirche vom Hofgericht der Stadt übertragen. Die Erben der Familie Jöchl erhielten die Empore
zugesprochen, so dass sie der Messe beiwohnen konnten ohne sich unters Volk zu mischen.
Hierfür hatten sie sogar einen eigenen Zugang über das Wohnhaus. 1787 wurde die Kirche mit
dem schönen spätgotischen Flügelaltar des Tiroler Meister Friedrich Pacher von der Familie
Enzensberg, welche inzwischen Eigentümer des Jöchlsthurn war, zurückgekauft. Sie ist bis heute
im Privatbesitz und wie der Ansitz Jöchlsthurn selbst derzeit nicht zu besichtigen.

The octagonal building was built by Daniel von Elzenbaum, who was the administrator of the curacy of Sterzing. It was consecrated in 1631. A space arranged as a choir accommodates a simulacrum of the Holy Sepulchre, which is still opened and decorated every year for Easter.