Culture et curiosités de Bressanone et de ses environs

Its successful scale, the distribution of its building volumes and its integration into the site unite the new building so harmoniously with the village structure that one would think it had been standing there since ever. Only upon second glance does one notice that the architecture is a reinterpretation of South Tyrolean residential construction forms ̶  without the Alpine decor. Pitched roofs atop solid plastered masonry with perforated facades and the construction raising from the ground, without a plinth, carry forward this architectural tradition. The building’s connecting components, made of glass and with carefully designed details, are thematic of our time; the woodwork, meanwhile, carries on the traditions of local carpenters and woodcarvers. All this results in a child-friendly environment, with an atmosphere that appears self-evident and a high comfort factor.

With its 65,000 square metres of space, Franzensfeste is the largest historical complex in South Tyrol. Begun in 1833 under Emperor Franz Josef, this masterpiece of Austrian fortress architecture was opened by Emperor Ferdinand in 1838 after a construction period of only five years. By this time, however, it had already lost its strategic importance and justification. The enormous effort and the horrendous costs - for nothing. From then on, the huge fortress was only of use as a depot and was frozen in the Sleeping Beauty sleep of a strictly guarded military installation for over a century and a half. Since the military left the fortress in 2003, Franzensfeste has been open to the public and was extensively renovated in the course of two major exhibitions in 2008 and 2009. As a South Tyrolean Provincial Museum, Franzensfeste Fortress is now a magnet for tourists and locals alike and a popular venue for a wide variety of exhibitions and events.

January and february: winter break

In 1726 a little church was dedicated to the miners of the “Pfunderer” mine. However, it was immediately too small so that today’s construction of the Early Baroque with choir and little tower was built in 1736. The secluded little church was expanded in 1934, though plundered and devastated in 1964. Until the First Wold War there had have been a weekly mass, initially Saturdays, since 1840 every Thursday. The cultural and historical altarpiece is a replica, the original altarpiece is located in the parish church to the St. Stephen. It shows the miners at work and around them the saints of the miners. (St. Daniel, evangelist John, Virgin Mother with the baby Jesus and her mother the saint Anne, as well as patron saint of the mines Barbara)

This fortress, which is the largest in the Alps, was completed in 1838 but was never actually used for the purpose of war. It served as a munition storage place until it was taken over by South Tyrol to be used for cultural purposes. So far the lower and middle fortress have been rebuilt to house exhibitions. Cellar corridors were extended underground and connected by a vertical shaft to the uppermost, destroyed, powder magazine. A staircase was installed here, free standing like a sculpture, so that the view of the exterior was not impaired. A new building made of concrete extends the ruins which are covered with a steel roof. The rest of the additional buildings were built in patinated black steel, whose open galleries seems to sway over the surface of the reservoir.

The church of Saint Blasius is a small romantic church with wall paintings of the year 1676. Additionally, the church is dedicated to Saint Blasius.

A sports ground with an outdoor and indoor pool, the Aquarena, was built north of the Bressanone Old Town. It is the result of a competition provided for the extension, which was to include a music school, underground parking and an indoor climbing gym; the latter has now been built. The climbing gym had to be of a certain height: a cube that is highly visible amongst the surrounding buildings thus emerged, which can also be viewed as a landmark. It not only affords good views of the city, but also allows one to see into the hall, and meets ecological considerations. The reinforced concrete structure, which has a steel-and-glass façade, also has a second façade level of corrugated gold-colored perforated plate elements that give the interior soft light without harsh shadows. The hall is accessed along a monumental staircase, which is also planned to serve as the entrance to the music school that will be built next door.

Welcome to SculpGarden25, a unique fusion of art and nature in the enchanting Staudenparadies Seidnerhof. From April 12 to October 25, 23 artists will showcase over 60 sculptures and installations, engaging in an inspiring dialogue with the diverse plant world.

Amidst blooming perennials, delicate grasses, and striking trees, the artworks invite visitors to pause, marvel, and reflect. The interplay between nature and art creates an atmosphere that is both moving and inspiring. The sculptures blend seamlessly into the ever-changing garden landscape, highlighted by the shifting light and seasons.

Complementing the exhibition is a diverse program of events, including the opening on April 12, readings, concerts, themed events, and Aperitivo Lungo on multiple dates. Step into this fascinating world where art and nature intertwine – an experience for all the senses!

Lago di Pausa Lake is a deeply blue alpine lake. According to a legend instead of Lago di Pausa Lake there was a stony area with many huts built on top of it. Dwarfs were the owners of the huts, and they worked in the mine of the Dwarf King named Mute. They searched for crystals in the mine and got good money for their hard work. However, after some time the dwarfs became more and more dissatisfied. One day, the dwarfs found a giant gemstone, which they wanted to keep and sell themselves. Mute found out about the dwarfs' intention and brought about a giant storm. Water flew down the mountains and the dwarfs could not be saved. Lago di Pausa Lake, and Mutenock Peak are still there today.

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.

One wrote the year 1494 as the young artist ALBRECHT DÜRER made a stop in Klausen during his Italy journey. Today a beautiful walk leads to these slopes from Klausen. From this promising place the painter drew the city of Klausen. The result of its feather was lost later, but a copper engraving "Das große Glück" ( the great fortune) is delivered: Klausen calls itself also the "Small Dürer Town": Who wants to visit this place, goes today to the "Dürerstein".

The building consists of lightweight walls, which are lined with rough chestnut wood slats and girded by retaining walls and ceilings made of exposed concrete. The concrete slabs, formed using coarse plywood formwork, were skilfully embedded into the terrain so that the building is harmoniously nestled into the steep slope. The rooms for filling, packaging and maturation are located completely underground, which has an added advantageous cooling effect. The tasting and sales room is glazed floor to ceiling and the chestnut wood battens in front of the window provide a visible filter. Natural materials, such as clay plaster, black plate, slate floor and oiled wood, characterise the room. The sparse furnishings with bar tables and a service line help to keep the focus on the essentials - the wines. Light shines diffusely from above, yet into the room in a targeted manner. From the tasting room, small peepholes offer an insight into the "holy of holies," the vintage cellar. Here the best wines are matured and skilfully presented. The considerate care for the landscape and the selected natural materials also reflect Garlider's philosophy in the production of organic wines.

On the edge of the slope ending at Rodeneck Castle over the Rienz river, lies a white cubic building visible from afar. The three-story building houses a youth and workroom on the ground floor, and is accessed from the outside by a vast ramp. The entrance hall has a stunning view over the valley. The canteen is on this level and the classrooms are situated on the upper floors. The building, made of concrete, is roughly plastered on the outside and has evenly spaced large windows, their smooth, white frames calmly decorate the facade. Even the interior spaces have been kept purely white; only the red rubber flooring and the yellow tiled bathrooms add color to the school, which also has a self-contained kindergarten.

The cathedral of Brixen/Bressanone is one of the most important sacred buildings along the Alpine area. Its origins go back to the year 980 AD. Due to a major fire in the 12th century, it was redesigned in romanesque style with a three-aisled nave and two façade towers. In the 18th century the baroque reconstruction took place, to which the cathedral owes its present appearance. Inside, the baroque idea of triumph was brought to perfection with wonderful ceiling paintings (f.ex. in Paul Troger's Adoration of the Lamb). The cathedral has a valuable interior with 33 different types of marble. The high altar, which was completed by Tehodor Benedetti, is one of the most important baroque altars in Tyrol. In addition, this church was equipped with a magnificent organ.

This unusual house is situated amongst a quite standard new village architecture. It consists of two sections: one constructed from parts of a 300-year-old farmhouse in which the farmer's and architect's family have been living for centuries, and another new building that crouches under the large tree trunks. The idea to live under mounted tree trunks came to the architect when he was a child playing in the woods, and he subsequently made it a reality. The stacked, untreated tree trunks do not hide a dingy living space beneath, but rather glass walls and openings that create an artful play of light when inside. In addition many other materials were used, from rough concrete mixed with glass shards to the extremely shiny stainless steel kitchen. A highly imaginative design here from the architect.

The pharmacy museum housed in the Apotheke Peer is housed in one of the oldest private residences in Bressanone/Brixen. The display windows and the entrances with their dark metal outlines and steel plates were very carefully inserted into the plastered front of the ground floor. A passageway leads to the museum, where elegant display cabinets with dark metal frames are to be found under the gothic arches. The historical structure with its staircases leading to the upper floors was worked upon, and simple modern details were added, which are instantly recognizable. This has also occurred in the partly historically paneled exhibition rooms, in which 400 years of pharmaceutical history is presented in modern, carefully detailed glass display cases.

The Brixen Pharmacy Museum leads into the past of a Brixen townhouse with splendid wall panelling, murals and tiled stoves. The house containing the Peer Pharmacy holds a rich store of rare medicaments that relate the diversity and imagination of the healing art. This wonderful little museum is also highly recommended for all lovers of architecture and modern art.

The space in front of the Augustinian Monastery was used as a car park for a long time. Surrounded by buildings of historical value, the potential of the space was finally filled in with a new design. The complex is made of three parts: the entrance from outside, the square and the entrance to the abbey gate. The square was lowered by 1.5 meters in order to recreate the original proportions of the facades of the surrounding buildings. A steel plate for a fountain was installed in the middle of the space. Wooden steps arranged above the water cascade, surround the square, which can be used as seats for open-air events. In bad weather a large tarpaulin with steel supports and rope guy lines can be set up. All new aspects such as paving, parapets, steps etc. were made from granite to stay in keeping with the buildings of the abbey.

The educational mills path leads along Ternerbach River. During a 1.5 hour hike you walk past 7 renovated corn mills, some of which are up to 500 years old. This is where farmers used to grain corn into fine flour, and sometimes still do During the summer months one mill is open to the public every Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During the Mill Festival you can get an insight into the millers' profession. Starting point: car park in the village center

The Neustift vineyards have distinctive long, dry stone walls. There is a group of three-family houses that rises up out of these stone walls. The wooden construction of the larger building rests on a ground floor made of stone work; the smaller building is an all-wooden structure sitting on terraces built from dry stone walls. An open expanse of garden stretches between them with a naturally formed pond. The slanting exterior walls that rise up, covered in wooden slat, are designed to protect the facade from driving rain. Windows are cut deep into this slanting wall, forming loggias. The interior reveals an unusual, imaginative sequence of rooms with white and partially colorful walls, and many wooden structures. The construction manager covers the heating requirements of both houses with waste wood from his carpentry business.

On the tof of Stoanamandl a panorama plattform is situated which provides a wonderful view over numoerous mountains ranges

Panorama Plattform on Mt. Gitschberg
Startpoint: Mountain station cable car Gitschberg
Walking time: 1,5 h
Altitude difference: 400 m

The group Dekadenz was born out of the desire to challenge the South Tyrolean audience with home-grown cabaret.
It was the year 1980. In the small bishop's town of Bressanone, a few critical spirits around actor Georg Kaser decided that South Tyrol could definitely do with more culture than chewing cows and tinkling church bells. They founded the group Dekadenz and caused quite a stir with their first self-penned cabarets - after all, cabaret was hitherto an unknown quantity in the country. The Brixen innkeeper Burkhard Stremitzer provided a cellar in the Stufels district (and still does, free of charge!), which the group gradually turned into a cabaret cellar.
With guest appearances by cabaret artists, initially from Austria and Bavaria, as well as jazz concerts, the program expanded. The Anreiterkeller became a year-round performance venue, where cabaret and cabaret from the entire German-speaking region could be seen for the first time in South Tyrol.

The Cantina Valle Isarco was founded in 1961. The simple production hall originally built in 1978 was restructured in 2005 in order to separate the operational functions and to give the building an appropriate new appearance. The new part of the building made of concrete and the remaining structure were brought together by a unifying grey-red plaster shell, which symbolizes the connection to the terroir. Many steel components were given an oxide red shading, a color chosen to make the building look like a stone that has risen up amongst the vineyards. A brick ceiling now covers the barrique cellar, and the walls are covered in clay plaster. The offices and meeting rooms were renovated and refurnished; bright colors now accentuate the rooms. To round this all off, the tasting and sales room was redesigned in 2014, and an educational exhibit on wine was added as well.

Small alpine chapel on the alpine pasture of Rodengo and Luson and a nice place for a short rest.

The University of Bolzano’s Faculty of Education was built in Bressanone/Brixen. At first glance, the rigid modern architecture may be jarring opposite the Bishop's Palace, but its urban development and architectural qualities evolve upon closer examination. The square building corresponds approximately to the dimensions of the Bishop's Palace, and Bressanone’s Lauben arcade motif recurs on the ground floor, underneath the three glazed upper floors of offices. For its structure, the inner courtyard takes up the alleyways and atriums of the Bressanone Old Town. The materials used for the exterior and interior are consistently reduced to glass and concrete. The cool impression of the interior spaces fits in with the intentionally quiet, almost monastic educational system.

The building is situated in a key position on the edge of town. It forms a gateway  between the historical series of façades and the newer neighboring buildings. It is a clear and contemporary structure that asserts itself within its environment, plays with the proportions of the surrounding buildings, and generates excitement through its cubic nesting. The reinforced concrete construction, coated with special weather-resistant plaster, allows for large projections and recesses in the three-story building structure. As a result, open spaces are created in front of the hotel rooms, some of which are illuminated above like little yards, and thus feel very protected and intimate. Another roof opening also allows daylight into the interior of the building. The planted roof terrace offers a beautiful view over the rooftops of the city and onto the mountains around Bressanone's valley basin.

The "world Loden" shows the way from the wool of sheep to the finished piece of cloth. The story of the produciton of tissues is told with the help of historical equipment.

Situated in the park of the Baroque seminary, Cusanus Academy emerged as a widely acclaimed South Tyrolean pioneer project in postwar architecture. The three-story building closes the courtyard, urbanistically speaking, behind the historical seminary building with the church. It interpreted a theme of Bressanone’s Old Town in a contemporary way: arcades and bays run down the whole length of the eastern facade. The materials, exposed concrete and hard-burnt brick, consistently shape both the outer shell and the interiors with a quality that, even half a century later, shows no structural damage. In the center of the building is a large hall from which all the spaces on the upper floors are accessed via galleries. Because it has good acoustics the hall is often used as a large lecture room. It is vaulted and has a structurally interesting exposed concrete ceiling, the arches of which give the space good illumination.

The natural bathing pond in Lüsen is a small, idyllic mountain lake right in the midst of South Tyrol. Returning from a great hiking trip with super panoramic views or a nature park excursion, a visit to the bathing pond will bring you much sought after refreshment. Children can whiz down the slide while parents dive deep into the fresh spring water from the Lüsen Alm, when nearby farmers work on the fields and cows grass on the meadows.

The Rio Pusteria Fortress can be found at the entrance to the Val Pusteria, between the villages of Rio Pusteria and Vandoies. The fortress is directly located along the main road, also the Pusterbike Cycle Route runs past this impressive place of interest. Exactly in this place, the borderline between the countships of Goerz and Tyrol ran in 1271. For this reason Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia, had a dam built, that is to say the castle-like Rio Pusteria Fortress.

Actually the original building was located 600 m in the west of the present-day location and consisted of a long-drawn-out barrage as well as two turrets. The ancient fortress was built according to the model of Mediaeval dam. The construction material consisted of natural and homogeneously-sized river stones, which were hardly modified. The last documents regarding this building are dated 1340.

The newly-built construction, that is by the way preserved still today, bears the hallmarks of Sigismund, Archduke of Austria. The fortress is decorated by round turrets, while a dam stretches up the forested slope. In fact, the Rio Pusteria Fortress not only used to be a toll station, but was also residential building and dam. The building can be visited in a guided tour in summer months.