Culture & curiosités dans les Dolomites

The legend of the King Laurin

A long time ago at the Catinaccio was the King Laurin.

The hard-working dwarfs lived there. One day the King esposed his daughter Similde with another King of the Adige. All the noble people were invited but he does not. So he decided to go on this competition with a magic hood as a invisible guest to see his beautiful Similde. He saw her and fell in love with Similde.

The King took her on his horse and rode away. Similde's husband and his cavaliers was searching her. King Laurin knew that they are coming so he took the miracle belt to got more power. They fight each other and the King saw that he has no chance. So he decide to take his magic hood again and to jump throw the Catinaccio. The cavaliers saw the movement of the roses and captured him.

He was so angry that the Catinaccio betrayed him, so he cursed them: Neither day nor night should anyone ever see him. Laurin forgot the dusk and so it comes that today we can see it with his blooming roses for a short time...

The residential complex is almost cube shaped with a low, pitched roof. It is situated on a through-road, next to a hotel. Due to the noise of the traffic and the lack of privacy a different design was called for: the concrete frame shields the south side from the road, the west facing side is mainly closed due to the proximity to the hotel and only the most necessary windows can be found on the north side. It is on the east facade that large, regularly spaced windows look out over an open space, as do the terrace areas of the roof top flats. These different, rhythmically placed windows leave a lively impression of the house.

You will soon find more information about the St. Catherine’s Chapel and the manor house Gurten here.

The Seceda area is located on the sunny side of Val Gardena, at the foot of the Natural Park Puez –Odle.

From the Seceda summit you can enjoy a wonderful view of the Dolomites and of all the mountains in South Tyrol.

Our area offers a great number of mountain huts and refuges where you can stop, refresh yourself and have a nice time.

Every single hut on Seceda has its very special charm and boasts a really distinctive atmosphere. An original wooden bench, a comfortable deck chair, a sunbathing terrace or a cosy "stube" - Seceda offers something for everyone. Skiers, snowboarders, hikers, paragliders but also families with children ... everybody meets on Seceda!

The old Nives barn, in the middle of a sprawling tourist village structure, was to be preserved as a reminder of the farming past and used for exhibiting purposes. Through the renovation, surfaces were created in the section made of stone and in the solid wood construction of the barn. The interior spaces below were plastered, and those above were paneled with larch. In order to enlarge the exhibition space the barn was connected through a short passageway to a new structure, forming an elegant architectural contrast. A visually light pavilion, the structural steelwork, was surrounded on all sides by a glass facade. As a result, the building allows insight into what is happening inside and develops a dialogue with passers-by, who are encouraged by its transparency to visit.

St. Anthony’s Chapel built in 1673 and situated on the main square in Ortisei/St. Ulrich is a popular photo motif thanks to its simple and unadorned style and roof turret.

It features an altar painting depicting St. Anthony from Padua, by the Swiss painter Melchior Deschwanden.

The Seiser Alm is the largest high plateau in Europe (56 km²). It is located in the South Tyrolean Dolomites in Italy, north-east of Bolzano above the well-known tourist destinations Ortisei and Castelrotto. The Mount Sciliar and the Denti di Terrarossa bound the Seiser Alm to the southwest. To the southeast follows the striking mountain massif of the Sassolungo Group. To the north, Bullaccia borders with Val Gardena.

During summer, as well as in winter, the Seiser Alm is a famous destination for numerous guests. In early summer, you can admire the beautiful flowers that transform the plateau into a sea of colour. The Seiser Alm owes its uniqueness to the farmers, who annually mow the great meadows during the summer months with much diligence and effort.

Even during the winter months you can enjoy numerous activities, such as skiing, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Völser Weiher Lake: The Völser Weiher lake at the foot of the Schlern mountain is Italy’s most beautiful swimming lake. Whether enjoying a summer evening bathing in South Tyrol, taking a rowing boat out onto the lake or go ice skating in winter; the Völser Weiher lake offers relaxation and recreation.

The building complex, comprising the old hotel and the new residence apartments, is located at the entrance of the valley-side entrance to Selva/Wolkenstein, and is easily accessible both by car and by public transport. Based upon the modern mountain architecture of the 1920s, an elongated wing was designed on the constricted plot that adapts to the natural lay of the land and adjoins itself to the scale of the existing hotel to which it is attached. The reinforced-concrete support structure was built with materials that suit the surrounding landscape: dark impregnated larch wood in the outdoor area, bright spruce wood in the interiors, oak floors, quartzite, white stucco, black steel, leather and natural-colored materials. The ventilated horizontal wooden slats in front of the wooden-clad facade and balconies form as a "second skin”, so to speak, a sort of filter between the interior and exterior spaces.

The ruins of Salegg are not far from the Hauenstein ruins, at the foot of the might rock face of the Santner, hidden deep in the forest. The castle dates back to the 12th century and were passed in the hands of the Wolkenstein dynasty. 
Today all hat remains of its former glory are the castle walls, and yet the site continues to emanate a very special, mysterious energy.
According to an old legend, a secret passageway runs between the two castles Hauenstein and Salegg.

This tiny, charming place of silence and meditation was dedicated to the patron saint of cattle. 300 year-old frescoes illustrating the history of Jesus' life were uncovered during restoration work in 1993.

On the trail to San Giacomo there is a monument in memory of the Austrian mountaineer Paul Grohmann (1838-1908), who managed several first ascents in the Dolomites, including the Sassolungo (1869), the Marmolada (1864), the Cima Grande (1869) and the Tofana di Roze (1864). In 1875, the peak Punta Grohmann in the Sassolungo Group was named after him.

Since 2000, the world's largest nativity scene has been displayed in the Iman Sports Centre in S. Cristina. The project is beeing carried out by a group of 18 sculptors. It was initiated in 1998 with the first statue being that of the Holy Mary with Baby Jesus. Creativity, sensibility, sense of art and skill fostered the idea: St. Joseph, the Magi, a shepherd, a donkey, three sheep, an Angel and a camel are now part of the scene, and the family continues to grow year after year.

Farmer´s Museum in Tschötscher Hof St. Oswald is a district of Kastelruth located on a fertile high-altitude plateau which extends over the precipitous slopes high above the Val d'Isarco. Michl Jaider of the Tschötscherhof remembers the old days before the war well – back when everyone had to pull his own weight when plowing the cornfields, helping with the hay harvest, working in barns and stalls or in vineyards. When he took over the farm and the adjacent inn from his father, the modern era had already begun. Tractors replaced yoked oxen, automatic threshers replaced scythes, and the growing of grain was displaced by the more-profitable dairy industry. Of course, all of the old equipment was now only in the way, but the young Michl didn't want to throw it away. Too many vivid memories from his childhood were connected with it…
Admission ticket: volontary contribution
Categories: Farmer, Craft, culture, Popular culture, Etnography
March 1 - November 30 Thu-Tue 9 am - 20 pm

A cable car always means an intrusion into the mountains. For the fragile high-mountain landscape above Selva/Wolkenstein, an architect was commissioned for a suitable design. For the 2.2-km cable car, which has the capacity to transport 3,000 people per hour, three structures were to be designed: the base, intermediate and summit stations. The equipment rooms were to be situated underground to the extent possible, allowing passengers to step into spacious, glazed entrance areas that are covered by protective, undulating concrete shells. The smooth lines of the base station integrates into the terrain with smooth lines. The steel structure of the open intermediate station has a glassy, transparent look, and passengers are greeted at the summit station by the welcoming gesture of a concrete shell above the glazed hall.

The school is situated in the immediate vicinity of the parish church and the House of the Teutonic Order, and was built outside the old town in what was formerly a bog. Here the water table is only about one meter below the surface of the ground. In order to avoid a dangerous rise of groundwater in the area and thus circumvent repercussions in the historical buildings as a result of building the school, the structure was built on a “raft” 80 inches above the ground. Likewise because of the historical neighboring building, a long, single-story structure was planned that would not create competition from a design viewpoint but would, however. have its own distinct character. Under the wide, projecting flat roof and on the perimetric base plate a “forest” of tree trunks was placed in front of the façades, which allows for enough illumination but creates a solid impression in the oblique view. Depending on the viewing angle and light, the building differs distinctly in appearance.

Witches'spring: adventure path with the witch Curadina to the sulfur springs

One of the South Tyrols most magnificent fortress complexes, Castle Trostburg was built at the end of the 12th century and then enlarged and fortified in the 16th century. It has a stupendous late-Renaissance hall in addition to a vaulted Gothic Stube. This is where the famous medieval poet Oswald von Wolkenstein lived.
The castle houses exhibitions and works of art from a variety of epochs. It is also home to a collection of around 80 models of South Tyrolean castles, the work of Ludwig Mitterdorfer (1885-1963).

Information and reservation for groups, tel. 0471 654 401. 

Josef Runggaldier commissioned this parish in 1900 to honour St. Joseph as a sign of his gratitude after having survived an accident whilst working in the woods. A painting inside the church depicts the episode. The extension project was stopped in 1979. However, a new church was started in 1981 and consecrated in 1984.

Until 1860 the name of the Zallinger pastures was ‚Sassegg‘ which is Ladin-Bajuwaric meaning ‚hill on the big rock’, hence on the Plattkofel massif. From 1854, Karl von Zallinger-Stillendorf from Bozen/Bolzano with Bavarian origins is mentioned as proprietor. It was he who in 1857 prompted the building of the modest neo-Gothic chapel consecrated to the Virgin Mother. One year later, the little church was solemnly inaugurated. After its restoration in 1993, the Zallinger church needed a new facelift on the occasion of its 150th jubilee. The works were accomplished in autumn 2007 thanks to the generous backing of neighbours and sponsors. On July 28 2008 the accomplishment of the restoration was worthily celebrated.

Prösels Castle was built in 1200 by the masters of Völs, the noble servers of the bishop of Brixen. In the early 16th century, the head of the provincial government, Leonhard von Völs, turned the castle into a Renaissance residence. The castle as it looks today is almost entirely the work of Leonhard von Völs. In the year 1981, the company KURATORIUM SCHLOSS PRÖSELS Ltd. purchased the castle.

Discover the Rittersaal, the Pfeilersaal, Kaminzimmer ,the Castle chapel and many other rooms in the Renaissance castle on a guided tour. Special programmes are available for school groups and families.

In summer, Prösels Castle hosts numerous concerts in the castle courtyard or on the castle lawn and, in case of bad weather, in the Knights' Hall.

GUIDED TOURS SUMMER (01.05.-31.10.2025 | closed on Saturday):
German and Italian speaking visitors are taken by a guide, for all other visitors guided audio tours are offered in English and French. The castle can be visited only as part of the guided tours from May to October. For groups, guided tours are available on request all year round.

Fees:

• Adults 12,00€
• Children (6-14 years) 7,00€
• Groups (per person) 9,00€

The carved-wood monument in memory of the famous mountaineer is found under the "Parei de Ciampac" rock wall, in Vallunga, where Comici fell to his death in 1940. He made over 200 first ascents in the Dolomites, he was the director of the ski school in Selva and town mayor between 1938 and 1940.