Culture & curiosités dans les Dolomites

The Bunker
A Cold War Relic in South Tyrol
Built between 1938 and 1942 as part of the Toblach defense line, the bunker was only activated in the 1950s under NATO’s defense plans against the Warsaw Pact. It was never used in combat, but espionage was widespread. Abandoned in 1993 and later privatized, it has housed the BunkerMuseum since 2017.

The Dolomites are renowned all around the world for their unique -beauty. No other place can boast such contrasts between steep rocks and grassy pastures. Michael Wachtler presents the evolving of the Dolomites and their unique genesis in the historical Villa Wachtler. THE BIGGEST MUSEUM ABOUT THE DOLOMITES It will take you from the mysterious world of myths and legends to the bottom of our existence. “Megachirella wachtleri”, the ancient ancestor of today‘s snakes and lizards. The mysterious evolution of plants. Cavern bears in the Dolomites. NEW! DINOSAUR WORLD New researches yielded that in the Dolomites originated the ancestors of the dinosaurs. Beautiful dioramas and original skeletons show you their sensational ascension. NEW! THE LEGENDS OF DOLOMITES From Aurona, the land of gold and the lights to the Snow Queen Samblana. From the legend about the "Pale Mountains" to the Croderes, the people of stone. NEW! TREASURE DIGGING ALL THE YEAR Become an adventurous gold miner and crystal hunter yourself. You might just find a dinosaur, fossils, gold or a crystal of your own.

The Gustav Mahler statue is located directly in the village center of Dobbiaco and was made in the years 1976 - 1982 by the Slovenian Bojan Kunaver.

The famous composer Gustav Mahler delighted in his summer holidays in Dobbiaco: “It is wonderful to be here, it sets your soul and body at ease...”. From 1908 to 1910 Gustav Mahler spent the summer months at the Trenkerhof farm in Carbonin Vecchia. In the composing house there he created his Ninth Symphony, the unfinished Tenth Symphony and “Das Lied von der Erde.”

“DOLOMITES WITHOUT BORDERS” is a unique mountain trail with demanding via ferrata sections that runs, in nine stages covering a total of 108 kilometres, through two countries, along 12 via ferrata and past 17 mountain refuges. It is deeply symbolic, not just from a mountaineering but also from a historical point of view. The route runs partly along old military trails by trenches and galleries from the war, and passes through the areas of Cadore and the Sesto Dolomites in the region of the Three Peaks (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) and as far as the Gail Valley in the Austrian Tyrol. There are also several places where the trail can be accessed: in East Tyrol from the mountaineering villages of Kartitsch and Obertilliach, in Sesto from the Passo Monte Croce Pass, the Prati di Croda Rossa or the Fondovalle Refuge Hut, and in Belluno from the Auronzo Hut, Misurina or the Valgrande near Padola. An adventure for present-day summiteers

Located at 2,000 metres above sea level, visitors find true serenity and pure nature in the area of Prato Piazza. Thanks to its integration into the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park, the beautiful Prato Piazza area surrounded by imposing peaks, has been able to maintain its naturalness and originality. Far from car traffic and any noise, the alpine plateau fascinates with a splendid view of the surrounding mountains like Picco di Vallandro and Croda Rossa, and in the distance you can admire the Monte Cristallo and Tofane Mountains. Hobby photographers find the best of motives in summer and winter. You can sit down, take a deep breath, and enjoy the variety of nature, or actively discover the surrounding nature. Walking, Nordic walking, hiking, climbing or by bicycle.

A place of quiet grandeur - the Reinhold Messner Haus on Monte Elmo

Where once cable car gondolas arrived, a new chapter begins: the Reinhold Messner Haus is an impressive example of how the future can grow from what already exists. The former mountain station on Monte Elmo was not demolished, but upcycled - transformed into a visionary centre for sustainability, environmental awareness, art and culture.

This is where people, ideas and horizons meet. The Reinhold Messner Haus is more than just an exhibition. It is an invitation - to pause, to think, to engage in dialogue. Between old wooden beams and contemporary architecture, a lively place is created where past and future join hands. A house that not only tells the story of Messner's life, but also prompts our own reflections on responsibility and change. A place of quiet grandeur - the Reinhold Messner Haus on Monte Elmo. 

The unique tabernacle is particularly interesting: the Cross is made from a grapevine. The key can be collected at the nearby Gasthof Lamm.

Built in the first years of the 20th Century and consecrated in 1904. In Possession of the Hotel Lago di Braies/Pragser Wildsee.

The church contains a neo-Gothic altar. The cementery is the last home of the famous Alpinist Viktor Wolf Edler von Glanvell.

Built in 1735, at the site of a chapel dating from 1690. It is impressive because of the numerous frescoes and the pulpit with the inlayed Panels.

Already in the 13th century, there was a St. Mary’s church at Teis which, however, was destroyed by the heavy earthquake in 1471. The present-day neo-Gothic nave was completed in 1890 and consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The bell tower dates back to around 1500 and the great bell was cast at Innsbruck in 1734.

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.

Solid, central and welcoming, in this new and attractive visitor centre you will find information and emotions, fun and useful insights into the mountains and mountaineering, the Sexten/Sesto Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the people and the history of Sexten/Sesto.

The building itself was built using sustainable wood, without glue, paint or plastic fixtures, but entirely from untreated larch and spruce wood that fell during the 2018 Vaja storm in the area around Nemesalm. The unusual form of the “Haus der Berge” was chosen as the winning design of a high-level architecture competition in 2015, and was finally built by the municipal administration in 2022 - as a long cherished desire of the people of Sexten/Sesto.

We are proud and excited about this extraordinary 'visiting card' of Sexten/Sesto. Please celebrate with us!

Brick shrine on the way to St. Magdalena which was build in 1636.

Funes/Villnöß has managed to save itself from modern urban sprawl up until now. The rigorously modern architecture of the nature park visitor's center and elementary school, a design that had been set via an international competition, was initially very controversial. The result, however, has silenced all criticism. The cubic appearance of the two new buildings, with a flat roof above the Villnösser Stream, is well integrated into the village of St. Magdalena − this is true not only in terms of their size but also their color and the materials chosen. From the car park, you cross the stream along a very elegant, lightweight bridge and ascend between works of art to the two buildings, which have been set next to each other in a spatially sensible way. With a lively school and quiet nature park, this is a functionally differentiated place. Velvety wood and meticulous details await the visitor inside − all of the very best quality!

The artificial pond at Teis is ideal for relaxing. It is situated amidst meadows and a circular trail (suitable for baby carriages and wheelchairs) will take you around this pond. Benches and a fountain with drinking water invite to take a rest and boulders on the eastern side of the pond stand witness to the area's geological history.

The parish church of St. Peter was built according to the plans by Matthäus Wachter in the 18th century and was dedicated to the saints Peter and Paul. The late baroque frescoes were painted by Joseph Schöpf, one of the most eminent painters of Tyrol. The bell tower dates back to the year 1897.

It is one of the most striking skylines created by nature – the unique Sesto Sun Dial mountains. The Dolomite peaks number Nine, Ten (Croda Rossa di Sesto), Eleven, Twelve and One tower high above Sesto and jointly form the imposing stone clockwork. The position of the sun above these peaks can be used to determine the time on clear winter days. And: The Sesto Sun Dial also offers continuous new incentive and stimulation to challenge new records and to go beyond one’s personal limits – or even beyond the limits of the imaginable. The people of Sesto are really creative in this context! Greti Rogger, the innkeeper at the Pian di Cengia hut, and her son Daniel have managed to climb all five peaks of the Sun Dial on a single day. It is hard to imagine a more intense race against time! Insider hint: The best place and time to watch the sun above the Sesto Sun Dial is the main road between Moso and the Congress Hall “Haus Sexten” – in winter! This is when the sun dial will match the time of day rather well.

The San Valentino Church The San Valentino Church was built in 1825 at Bagni di Moso / Bad Moos. The chapel was constructed in 1925 by Valentin Wassermann for bathing guests. In 1980 the chapel was renovated.

The tourism museum in Haus Wassermann documents the history of tourism in Alta Pusteria.

On the first floor you can trace the foundations of tourism, the flair of the old inns and the many spas. Also showcased is the construction of the railway line in Val Pusteria, which led to the development of modern tourism. A separate room is given to the early development of Alpine sport.

On the second floor visitors discover the centuries-old history of the building. Some of the rooms focus on the history of the noble family Von Kurz and the Wassermann family. One entire room is dedicated to Emma Hellensteiner, Tyrol`s most famous innkeeper and hotelier. A simple chamber provides a glance into the working world of the servants.

link to the video

In the Infopoint Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Zans is shown the long history of the unique Dolomites in a time lapse.

The rocks, once in the seabed, are now building peaks and are sloping, bent or folded. This is reflected in the architectural concept of the Infopoint.

The church St. Valentine dates back to 1303 and the nave as well as the bell tower are built in Romanesque style. Probably there was already a previous church at this position around 1090. While the majority of the frescoes inside the church date back to the 15th century, the oldest ones were painted in the 14th century. Exceptional is the Gothic winged altarpiece, an oeuvre by Hans Klocker from 1500.

The St. Bartholomew Church of Nafen was mentioned in 1307 for the first time and the building in late Gothic style was built in 1489. The frescoes inside the church date back to the 15th to 17th century. The winged altarpiece from the 16th century is exceptional. Because of the illustration of the “Holy Face” at the back of the altar, the church was a pilgrimage site for dental patients for a long time.

The family Kiniger promised to build a chapel in 2013 and in the same year it was inaugurated. The chapel is situated in the Waldheim, nearby the Hotel Willy.

Next to the Franciscan Monastery you will find the Franciscan Garden.
The garden is open during the summer season.

The architects' aim with the primary school building in San Pietro/St. Peter in Funes/Villnöss was to start a new dialogue with the village. The building complex consists of several interconnected building parts of different heights, which are arranged in a kind of semicircle around an inner courtyard. The buildings encase and protect the inner courtyard, which is used by the children as a playground and rest area. The structural details of this project are child-friendly and simple in design: the school borders directly on the surrounding meadows, the walls of the building are plastered white, and the windows and doors on the fronts have different sizes and shapes. The surrounding landscape "infiltrates" into the interior of the school and is reinforced by the alignment and opening of the windows.

The three wood constructions, which looks like spruces, inform the visitors about the activity of our forests and the possibility of the usage of the wood. The trees are accessible and with bridges they are connected together. The attraction is recommended especially for children and families, as it is located next to the playground Waldwunderwelt and is very quiet.

The church of St. Magdalene was first mentioned in 1394. The present-day late Gothic building dates back to 1492 and the interior is characterised by baroque elements. The paintings by the Ladin artist Johann M. Pescoller in the choir vault from 1928 are well worth seeing.

Important information on arrival:
The access road to the church is closed for cars (gate) and only accessible to residents. It is best to park at the "Putzen" car park shortly after the village St. Magdalena and walk to the church (approx. 30 min.).

The tiny church founded in 1744 by the mine owner, Michael von Jenner, is nestled in extraordinary countryside. The altar paintings by Franz Sebald Unterberger from the Fleim Valley are particullary noteworthy. The church is privately owned and the access is subject to a fee.
However, the church remains closed. 

Please do not enter the meadows surrounded by fence.

We are the ideal ski resort for connoisseurs, who, after various skiing experiences, have found this modern ski resort in the Italian Dolomites, where skiing as a sport is still the focus and where relaxed time with friends and family in a spectacular nature is of greatest importance.