L'architecture rencontre l'art culinaire

The square of Lasa/Laas, a village known for its marble, is fancily paved with white marble. In the same square stands a bust of Emperor Franz Josef, done likewise in white marble – and somewhat deserted, having been unclaimed due to the First World War. The traditional tavern situated here is a popular meeting point, and has developed into a popular event venue. The original character was unequivocally to be retained during conversion: wooden floors, brightly painted wooden paneling on the walls, circular benches, simple furniture of widely varying origin and a bar made of matte stainless steel all yield a mixture that seems random, yet was calculated in a sophisticated way in order to create a relaxed atmosphere. The centerpiece of the expansion is the vaulted medieval wine-storage area, which is now used as a restaurant and meeting facilities.

It all began in 1871 with the construction of the railway line from Lienz to Fortezza, which was owned by the Südbahngesellschaft in Vienna. In 1878 the Grand Hotel in Toblach was opened, thus giving rise to tourism in South Tyrol. Dobbiaco and the Grand Hotel soon became a destination for illustrious guests, especially in summer. The Hotel Südbahn became a prestigious meeting place for prominent personalities and, thanks to continuous investment, the building was gradually expanded.

The development of the Grand Hotel in Toblach
During the First World War, the Grand Hotel suffered little damage and became a military hospital. At the end of the war the complex was totally abandoned. In 1934 the building was auctioned off and bought by the ‘Istituto di Credito Fondiario delle Tre Venezie’. Fortunately, Italy was experiencing a phase of commercial growth and Italian customers discovered Toblach as a charming place for Alpine summer tourism.

In the period following the world wars, the building housed various institutions and facilities, going through a new phase of life. In the 1990s, it underwent a major and costly renovation.

The Grand Hotel today
What for its time was a luxury hotel now houses a Culture and Congress Centers, youth hostel, first class restaurant, Nature Parks Visitor Centre, Music School, Youth Service, training centre and social flats. The centrepiece of the entire complex is the splendid ‘Gustav Mahler’ Auditorium, dedicated to the Bohemian composer of the same name: with a capacity of 460 seats and excellent acoustics, it represents the beating heart of cultural activity.  
Today, the Grand Hotel in Toblach is home to the Euregio Cultural Centre, which houses the impressive Gustav Mahler Hall and a Guesthouse. 

Together with the pre-existing buildings, summit station of the cable car and pizza pavilion, the new mountain restaurant forms a courtyard situation sheltered from the wind in the very exposed, protected landscape site.  The new building, however, crouches down, an elongated single-story building, and appears almost as if part of the site. The architecture goes against the usual style of a mountain hut: a wide, cantilevered platform roof protects the underlying perimetric floor-to-ceiling glass façade, which makes the building appear more transparent and lighter. Familiar materials, though, were used: wood terraces, wood furniture, as well as natural stone masonry for the kitchen and adjoining room area. Three timber-clad cubes divide the otherwise completely open floor plan of the spacious guest area, which feels more like a lounge than a mountain hut.

Even from far away, the bright white abbey perched on a hill above Burgeis catches the eye. Founded in 1000, it has been one of South Tyrol’s most important spiritual centers since the twelfth century. “Ora et labora” is the Benedictine motto and also the name of the museum housed within the former farm buildings. The old walls were cleaned and stabilized to this end, left largely in their original state and expanded by a second level of modern interior design. While the walls remained rough and  unplastered, new mountings of glass and dark steel were placed in front of them and at a distance − so that the changes between the late thirteenth century and today are easy to deduce. The artworks and exhibits shed light on the monastery’s development. Upstairs, guest areas and seminar spaces have been created as well.

Marienberg Abbey above Burgeis/ Burgusio dates back to the 12th Century. The highest located Benedictine abbey in Europe is situated at an altitude of 1,340 m a.s.l., since 900 years monks live here according to the rules of Saint Benedict of Nursia. Today, the main hall displays impressions about the daily life of the monks marked by Benedict's credo ora et labora. The exhibition displays also beautiful paintings such as the Romanesque Crypt frescoe with its unique depiction of angels.

Special exhibitions:

- Marienberg in front of and behind the lens
- Maria

Guided Tours
All information about guided tours and timetables can be found at https://www.marienberg.it/en/museum/guided-tours.html.

Directly along the bike route into the Pusteria Valley you’ll find Lanz Bike Station, next to the busy street, right at the entrance to the valley. Due to its extremely convenient location the station has also developed into a popular meeting place for vehicle drivers, who find ample parking here. An elongated structure made of plastered reinforced concrete has been created out of an earlier makeshift wooden vendor stand, which is set into the steep hillside. The owner of the station is so connected to it that he had his own house built as a white cube with terrace on the roof of the ground-floor service area. The residence is decorated in a varied way: floor-to-ceiling glass walls for the sales and guest areas, a sheltered garden courtyard and adjoining rooms that seem to be closed off. Everything is painted in gray-brown earth tones in order to emphasize the integration into the area.

The sunny Plateau of Renon gives everyone the right moves to glide with ease on the ice, as our ice stock Players know. Slip on your skates and have a go on the ice rink and ice place of the Arena Ritten in Collalbo, on the ice place in Soprabolzano or on the beautiful idylicc lake of Costalovara.

Sesto was completely destroyed during the First World War, and the homes in the village are therefore new, almost without exception. Architecturally speaking the most important structure is the new Drei Zinnen Hotel, which was built in 1930 in the style of Bauhaus and Italian rationalism. The building, in fact, has become an icon of modern hotel construction in the Alps. The roof ridge is arranged transversely in relation to the narrow side of the structure. The side facing the valley represents a vibrant take on the bay window motif and sits, plastered in white, on a two-story stone plinth − all elements of traditional Alpine design with a modern twist. The 2000 renovation sensitively provided the comfort demanded by the modern guest without diminishing  the hotel’s distinctive style. A noteworthy example of this success, above and beyond the consistent selection of colors and materials, is the spa in the lower level, which provides direct access to the outside area.