When you trudge up through the expansive winter landscape to the “Hohe Reisch” summit cross at 2,003 m, around 100 “Stoanerne Mandln” (‘cairns’) welcome you at the top of the mountain: large and small men made from stones stacked on top of each other, all dressed in glittering white winter clothing. It is still a mystery today when and why these figures were created.
According to legend, witches once danced and celebrated between the piles of stones. When some farmers came up from the valley and wanted to convert them with a cross, the witches quickly turned them into cairns. In fact, prehistoric traces prove that this hilltop was already a cult site thousands of years ago. It’s no wonder: the unique panorama is still magical today, reaching from the Sarntal Alps over the Dolomites to Meran/Merano.
The “Stoanernen Mandln” can be reached from Vöran/Verano, Jenesien/San Genesio or from the Sarntal valley. Remote snow shoe tours or the prepared circular hiking trail from Vöran are particularly picturesque in winter.
