Kultura i Zabytki w Bozen i Okolicach

On "Wallneregg-Bühel", where robbed graves can be visited; some burial objects have been found in the moss. On the top of the "Bühel" you can admire the remains of an altar more than 3 m high, which served as a burnt offering place from about 1500 to 750 BC.

The oldest glacier mummy in the world, Ötzi the Iceman, has found his last resting place at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Dating from the Copper Age (5,300 years old), he can been seen with his original clothing and equipment. Each year there are different special exhibitions on archaeological topics from South Tyrol to supplement the permanent display.

 

More about Ötzi and the museum

On the northern side of Bolzano face to Runkelstein Castle lies the antique ruin of Rafenstein castle. 

 

The parish church of St. Magdalena used to be a small chapel that was integrated into a castle. The chapel was built in 1304 and dedicated to St. Mary Loreto. In 1797 the chapel had some modifications, such as the construction of a tower and the extension of the chapel to a church. In 1804 the patronage of the church was transferred to St. Magdalena.

The ruin of St. Valentine was the precurser of today's church in Salonetto/Schlaneid. The wooden church was build in the 8th century, but was replaced by a stone church just one century later. In the following 1000 years the church was architecturally changed multiple times, and completely renewed in 1770, when the church was replaced by a new one in the village center.

The Romanesque church of St. Jacob on the Langfenn is located on the highest point of the plateau Salten (1525m). It stands on prehistoric ground and could probably tell exciting and captivating stories from the past . On the altar there are St. Jacob, the protector of the hikers, and the two patron saints of pest Rochus and Sebastian.

Quite exceptionally and thanks to the cooperation with the Parish of Central Churches in Bolzano, the Touring Club of Italy and the Bolzano Tourism Board, this tiny church opens the doors to the visitors. The late-Romanesque Church of St. Martin in Kampill, consecrated in 1180, boasts prestigious frescos of Bolzano's pictorial art.
During the special openings the loading zone on Via Innsbruck Straße is suspended. Due to the lack of pedestrian crossing, reaching the Church by public transport is recommended.

This section of the "Keschtnweg" leads from the Bilderburg Runkelstein in the provincial capital of Bolzano through the sun-drenched vineyards, past the beautiful wine farms, along the slopes of the Guntschnaberge to the mighty chestnut trees in Glaning and on over the low mountain range above the Etsch Valley to Terlan and Vilpian.

Distance: 27.5 km
Metres in altitude ascent: 1,446 m
Metres in altitude descent: 1,511 m
Average walking time: 9.40 hours

Route:
The hike begins at the car park or bus stop below Runkelstein Castle. From there you walk over a bridge and turn left, past allotment gardens, until you reach the valley station of the Jenesien cable car (currently closed). Continue on hiking trail no. 2, which leads very steeply over the access road to the Rafenstein castle ruins, past the Sandner Hof farm and after about 80 m you turn into hiking trail no. 1 B. The trail leads into the farmyards of Jenesien (currently closed). The trail leads to the farm access road above the church of St. Jakob im Sand.
Hiking trail 1A leads moderately steeply above St. Georgen. Now follow the narrow farm access road to the right and after about 100 m the hiking trail (5A) branches off to the left in the direction of Fagenbach and you reach the Winterle farm. Now follow trail no. 5, cross the country road and climb up a steeper section to Glaninger Straße. Then continue to the junction with trail no. 9. In a few minutes you reach the little church of St. Martin in Glaning.
From Glaning, you now hike in a westerly direction, branch off to the right (no. 11), cross the Mauritiusbach stream and from there descend again onto the asphalted road. Above the Noafer inn, follow trail no. 9 to the Schmalzhof farm and then follow the trail in a left-hand direction. After another short climb, you reach the main road again and follow it uphill for a short distance until you reach the "Moar in Rumsein" farm. Then follow trail no. 9 and after about 200 m of descent, always following the asphalt farm access road, turn right and descend over a few hairpin bends to a bridge. You then reach the Lanzoner Hof farm. Follow the road to the left for about 500 m until you reach the Wegscheider farm. The path now leads first to the right to a fenced water reservoir, then briefly uphill to a path on the left (signposted Terlan). Follow the signpost no. 8 B in the direction of Verschneid. Then turn left onto trail no. 4 A in a westerly direction until you reach the road to Mölten.

Note: If you do not want to descend to Terlan, you can choose trail no. 4 A here in a westerly direction to "Ober-Tschirggl", which then continues to Vilpian.

Now you begin the descent to Terlan. Follow the Mölten road to the left and then trail no. 4 to the right. Past the Liebeneich estate of the Counts of Enzenberg, the trail continues to the left to the Köstenholz estate and you reach the centre of Terlan.
The last section of the "Keschtnweg" now leads from the centre of Terlan to Vilpian. From the Terlan parish church, follow Kirchgasse on the right and turn left into Silberleitenweg (no. 4A). You quickly overcome the difference in altitude and then look out for trail marker no. 1 A, which continues to the left in a westerly direction. You now walk along the road from Vorberg until you reach Scholer Hof. From Scholer Hof, follow trail no. 1 A for a short distance and turn left onto trail no. 1. This leads to a fork in the road, where you can take the steep descent to the left down to the provincial fire brigade school (only for experienced hikers) or take the easy trail no. 1 down to the cable car valley station in Vilpian. Both paths take you to the centre of Vilpian.

Housed in the Mercantile Building, formerly the seat of the prestigious Mercantile Court founded in 1653, the museum details the economic history of the town. The chronological tour winds between conference halls, the chancellery, the hall of honour with its original furniture, documents, paintings and original artistic pieces. Also the ancient cellars of the building can be visited.

A church in Flaas is documented for the first time in 1237. The present church was built around 1500 and has a Romanesque predecessor with a half-round apse.

The Alessandro Casciaro Art Gallery is an international art gallery presenting modern and contemporary masterpieces by some of the most significant Italian as well as central European artists, selected for the quality of their quest and the uniqueness of their pictorial language, alongside works by emerging young artists, promoting them and developing their international profile. Founded in Bolzano in 2015 by Alessandro Casciaro as a successor to the Goethe Gallery, the first art gallery in South Tyrol (founded in 1964 by Ennio Casciaro), the Alessandro Casciaro Art Gallery can now look back on more than fifty years of important exhibitions, independently curated catalogues, collaborations and arts fairs, with the aim of providing varied and intense stimuli and objectives for the future of contemporary art in both Italy and Europe.

The St. Valentine chapel in the Fraction Schlaneid was built upon request by the population in 1769 in a simple Baroque style. The ruins of the old Valentines church (exposed in 1990) are in the forest “Valteswald”  below the village. The altarpiece with the Bishop Valentin was made by Franz Unterberger from Cavalese. The Stations of the Cross were made in 1770 by Josef Sparer.

The Stone Men are one of the most beatiful viewspace of the Sarntaler Alps.

Piazza Gries, with the architectural complex of the Abbey of Benedettini di Muri-Gries on the right handside, is right in the middle of the quarter. The monastery, initially hosting Agostinian monks (1406), was damaged by peasant revolts in 1525 and destroyed during the Napoleonic wars. It was suppressed by the Bavarian government in 1807 and donated by the Austrian Emperor to Benedectine Muri Monks (Switzerland) in 1845. The oldest centre is the castle, built by the Morit-Greifenstein Counts in 1200, and whose original 'mastio' (tower) today is the church's bell tower. It hosts one of the heaviest bells in Alto Adige (5,026 kg).

Located in Piazza delle Erbe / Obstplatz, right in the gastronomic heart of the city, Butcher's shop Egger pampers all meat lovers with tasted and genuine products.

Attractive building from 1634 incorporating an original part of the old City walls, maintained its official function until 1780. Right up in front of it a plaque which commemorates Saint Andrew's Church (demolished in 1785) and in front of it you can admire the picturesque Piazza del Grano Kornplatz (Wheat Square), embellished by nice shops and restaurants, one the main wheat market and of other land produce. In this respect we are talking about the firs main urban centre of Bolzano/Bozen together with the castle of the Prince-Bishops of Trento, founders of the City: the Castle was probably destroyed by Mainhard II during one of his incursions to obtain control over the important commercial town (1277).

The Corno del Renon: The most beautiful viewpoint mountain of the Dolomites, UNESCO’s world natural heritage. At the beginning of the 20th century the famous mountaineer, Ludwig Purtscheller, enthused: “Whoever wants to take in Tyrol with one glance should climb these mountains.” He was right for on clear days visitors have an unbelievably beautiful panoramic view: from the giant glaciers of the Ortles and the Ötztaler Alps in the west to the legendary world of the Dolomites far in the east; from the Stubaier and Zillertal Alps in the north to the Presenella, to the Adamello and the Brenta Dolomites in the south. The Corno del Renon makes for an ideal excursion at any time of the year. Here you can go for a gentle walk or on more demanding and challenging hikes. The Corno del Renon is ideal for Family skiing in winter. A modern cable car makes the ascent easier. The peak is just about an hour away and nearly 200 metres in altitude difference from the mountain station of the Cima Lago Nero.

The XIII century castle, situated right behind the hystoric city centre, is surrounded by fields of the fine Lagrein grapevines and has stunning views of the Rosengarten. It was renovated in the 1980s and transformed into a conference and exhibition centre. It is certainly the most interesting and exclusive complex, ideal for housing conferences, seminars, banquets, concerts, cultural events and exhibitions. The beautiful interiors, with stunning frescoes, have all the modern features and conference facilities. The view of the castle from the river walk nearby is particularly impressive. Adjacent parking.

The castle is a congress centre and open for visitors only during events and exhibitions.

One of the most typical streets of the City centre, adorned with pretty plaques in wrought iron, various typical restaurants and the historical Hotel Luna Mondschein. At the ent of the street, heading north you'll find the Museum of Natural Science, housed in the administrative centre of the Emperor and Count of Tyrol Maximilian I (built in 1512). Near the Museum you'll also find the historic Restaurants "Weißes Rössl" and "Batzenhäusl" favoured by various artists.

The tower in the Vadena district of Birti is the last remnant of the curacy church of St. Mary Magdalene from the 14th century. It is 24.6 m high and the walls are 70 to 90 cm thick. You can see the bricked-up arched windows on each side, only one is still open and intact. At that time, three bells hung in the tower, two smaller and one large. The brick helmet is damaged at its top, as the wind had thrown the button off the tower in 1743/44. Due to its very unfavourable location on the open valley floor, the Madgalena Church was hit by countless Adige floods. The church was flooded in 1755. The citizens of Vadena therefore thought about moving the church to the castle chapel in the courtyard of Vadena. In 1794, the church had to be abandoned after further numerous floods, because the water exceeded the altar refectory and the death chests floated around like ships. On 2 July 1795, a contract was concluded between the castle chapel owner Menz and the neighbours in Vadena and the castle chapel was designated as the new curacy church. In 1796, the Church of Mary Magdalene was demolished, only the tower still reminds us of the location of the old church. 

At the free fossil show below the  Tourist Office Meltina, which can be admired all year round, you can admire 260 million year old fossil tree remains. They originate from the Möltner Joch, where a large number of plant fossils from the more recent Permian period were found. The Fossil Museum offers an insight into the geology of the Tschögglberg on eleven display boards. In another eleven showcases various minerals, fossils and geological handpieces are shown. An exciting story of long extinct plants and animals, of deserts and seas, of catastrophic volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, of digging glaciers, plunging streams and leisurely flowing rivers.

The Santo Sepolcro Church also known as the Church of Calvary, can be reached in about 20 minutes following the forest path that starts from via Santa Geltrude or from the road that goes up from via Piè di Virgolo. A handful of minutes, following the via crucis, and here we are, immersed in the forest. From here you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over Bolzano and the Sciliar plateau.

The church, built between 1683 and 1684, has been for centuries a place of pilgrimage. On the right, looking at the entrance of the church, there is a chapel that contains the fountain with Christ. In past times couples used to do small fertility rites to become a child. The elders of Virgolo still remember a popular belief who said that children came into the world under the fountain of the chapel and weren't brought by the stork.

The church has been restored in recent times, but the countless love-graffiti are safe. Pilgrims and lovers engraved the walls of the sepulchre with love messages from the 18th century up to our days and it is a real emotion to read those messages that overlap over the centuries and tell the story of hundreds of people through a heart, a flower, a name, a date or a promise of love.

The Romanesque St. Anna church, the cemetery church, is probably as old as the Pfarrkirche. On its wooden altar it accommodates a very precious sculpture: the Pieta cast out of stone (1440)

The Dominican order established itself in Bolzano/Bozen in 1272 and built a church with a single nave inside a vast convent which branches off into different chapels, some of which have been lying in ruins, and a beautiful cloister. A part of the ancient structure houses the Music Academy shich, indidentally, Hosts the prestigious international piano competition Ferruccio Busoni. Also present is the Stadtgalerie, an art gallery which holds different exhibitions and other important cultural Events. The church has gothic archways, as well as baroque elements from the 17th and 18th century (such as the altar piece of Guercino to the left of the Major altar, which was bought by the merchants of Bolzano). The church preserves prestigious examples of paintings from Bolzano from the 14th century which can be found on the oriental side of the coister and on the western wall of the Church, but the real artistic jewel of the building is the Chapel of St. John, the Long and narrow side chapel which holds the cycle of frescoes of those painters who took Giotto es their role model, the so called "School of Giotto". Of particular interest are those scenes from the life of St. Nicholas on the last part of the oriental qall, and the fresco of the "Triumph over death " in the firs part of the same wall, the flight from Egypt on the western wall and the torture of St. Bartholomew on the northern wall. The entire chapel, decorated with individual frescoes of various themes, is a splendid example of 14th century art as practised in the Region. In the nearby coister you can also admire some frescoes by Friedrich Pacher which go back as far as 496.

The Artists' Association has been active in the Province of Bolzano since 1922, first under the name of S.I.A.B.A. (Italian Union of Fine Arts Artists) and later as F.I.D.A. (Italian federation of artists). In 1985 the Association drew up a new statute and took its current name. The aim of the Association is to coach and bring together artists from the three language groups operating in the Province. It is a non-profit organisation and carries out its activities thanks to the commitment of its members who enable the realisation of the various activities through their voluntary work.

It represents established artists and new talents through publishing activities, organising events and using internet as a means of information and communication.
The Artists' Association is also involved in the formation of art enthusiasts for whom it organises image education courses, especially in oil painting, watercolour, graphics, drawing and experimental painting. The teaching staff is made up of artists almost all of whom were trained at Fine Arts Academies. During the year they also offer visits to the most important exhibitions and art fairs.

The Renon earth pyramids are the highest and the most aesthetically pleasing in Europe. Earth pyramids are a phenomenon of erosion. They originate where ice-age glaciers have deposited moraine clay in valleys. When it is dry, it is rock-hard. If it comes into contact with water, it turns into a clayey pulp that flows down into the valley. However, when protected from the rain by large stones, the clay remains dry and hard. Only the part around the stone erodes. This is how earth columns are formed and become higher each time it rains. If the top stone falls off the peak, the column is certainly doomed to a quick decline because the clay is exposed to the rain and then carried away by it. The earth pyramids on the Renon can be marvelled at in three ravines: in the Rio Fosco valley between Longomoso and S. Maria, in the Rio Rivellone valley below Soprabolzano and in the valley of the Rio Gasterer at Auna di Sotto.

Consecrated in 1180, the small church is Bolzano/Bozen's pride and joy. The simple central architecture is enriched by the beautiful bell Tower with mullioned Windows with two and three lights from the early years of the 14th century. The interior artwork is splendid: artists from Giotto's "vagabond" movement introduced a new plastic style and an astounding fresco technique, which reveal extraordinary interpretative and artistic capabilities. For information and guided tours please ask the Tourism Board (Via Alto Adige - Südtiroler Straße 60).

Like every city Bolzano too faces the fast pace of urban life. However, with just a few steps you can leave your stress behind and immerse yourself in the peaceful tranquillity of famous walks.

Guncina and S.Osvaldo, for example, completed at the end of 1800, are well renowned routes gently climbing through Mediterranean vegetation up to the top of the surrounding hills and offering stunning views over the city.
Lungotalvera Bolzano and Lungotalvera San Quirino are immersed in the lush Petrarca Park and meadows along the Talvera river. These walks are right adjacent to the city centre and provide an opportunity to practice various sports and recreational activities.

Download the paths: Promenades in Bolzano

Every day, you can climb another summit. You will definitely have to hike up the legendary Alpine rage on the "Hohen Reisch" if you want to be called a friend of South Tyrol. It is one of the most beautiful views of the Sarntal Alps, from where you can see the entire Dolomite group, as well as the Marmolata and the Ortler mountains. Even if the weather should not turn out good, a hiking trip to the "Stanernen Mandln" (stone men) is extrenely fascinating. There are more than one hundred, which have been built over time, and most of them are of an impressive height. They are like a group of soldiers.

Here, at an altitude of 2,000 meters, they say that more than 500 years ago, witches have performed their dances and celebrations with the Devil. There are terrible stories around, which talk about what happened during a thunderstorm and also about the eating of children etc. A legal document from 1540 states that Barbara Pachler was accused of meeting with devils and witches and the document is used to support the old stories. Ancient signs seem to prove that the outlook was used as a Celtic place about thousands of years ago.

On the Vadena/Pfatten trail, hiking trail no. 5A, which connects Mover/Mairhof in Vadena with the Lakes of Monticolo, you will find this beautiful vantage point with a view of Laives/Leifers, Bronzolo/Branzoll and the whole valley. The vantage point can be reached via the path in 650m and approx. 20 minutes on foot from Mover/Mairhof.