The surroundings

 

 

Glen

At the foot of the Trudner Horn Nature Park, at a height of 550 metres above sea-level, lies Glen, a little hamlet in the community of Montan. With its old farmsteads, vineyards, meadows and forests, the countryside is almost Mediterranean in character.

Like Pinzon, Mazzon and Montan, Glen, with its sunny, southwest-facing slopes, is an ideal site for the quality grapes that go into the local Pinot Noir red wine. The Ora, a light afternoon wind that blows from Lake Garda to the south, is a source of warmth for the Pinot Noir grapes and refreshes the workers in the vineyards and walkers in the surrounding countryside.

 

Fleims Valley Railway

In the First World War, the Fleims Valley Railway – a narrow-gauge railway between Auer in the South Tyrolean “unterland” and Predazzo in the Fleims Valley – was used to carry supplies to the front in the Dolomites. The abandoned line of the railway is now a walking and cycle path.

 

Glen Viaduct

Magnificent views of the valley are to be had from the Glen Viaduct, which was built in 1916 as the highest curved narrow-gauge railway bridge in Austro-Hungary. 29 meters high and 69 meters long, the bridge was constructed in an enormous human effort without the use of modern machines in just three months.

 

Glen Waterfall

The Glen Waterfall is located in the gorge of the Truden – in the middle of the forest near the path to Gschnon. The shape of the reddish rock is indicative of a moulin or glacial mill and was probably carved out during the glacial melt.

 

Pinzoner and Glener Egger

The Pinzoner and Glener Egger natural monument is a wonderful place for walks, especially in spring when the meadows are full of Alpine anemones or pasqueflowers. A bench under the weather cross on Glener Egger is the ideal place for a rest.

 

Hans Klocker Altar in Pinzon

Amidst orchards and vineyards lies the idyllic little village of Pinzon, which also forms part of the community of Montan. The winged altar in St. Stephen’s Church by the Brixen artist Hans Klocker dates back to the late 15th century. It is considered one of the five finest winged altars in the Tyrol. To obtain access to the church, visitors are asked to call (0039) 0471 820781. For more information click here.

 

Montan

Montan, the main village, was once a popular summer resort on the Dolomite road. It has an attractive old village centre with narrow winding lanes, old residences and farmhouses, and the neo-Romanesque Church of St. Bartholomew with its 12th century tower. Enn Castle, which lies above the village not far from the line of the old Fleims Valley Railway, was built at about the same time and is still in use today.

 

Castelfeder

Numerous excavations and finds, the remains of a fort and chapel dedicated to St. Barbara, a ring wall and a fertility slide shed light on the history of the strategically located porphyry hill near Montan above Auer, which was a prehistorical site and a settlement in the Roman period and the early Middle Ages. There can be few places more suitable for an excursion for adults and children alike than Castelfeder, which is also known as the Tyrolean Arcadia for its Mediterranean vegetation. For more information click here.

 

Trudner Horn Nature Park House

The Old Mill at the centre of Truden is now a visitor centre for Trudner Horn Nature Park. Microscopic pollen magnified a thousand times, species of scorpions and lichen to be found in the park, a living anthill and a collection of the calls of local nocturnal birds of prey are some of the offerings that make it possible to discover the Trudner Horn Nature Park the easy way. There is a bark hut, where visitors can listen to the stories of the old charcoal burners or learn about other occupations that are now very rare such as peat cutting and larch root resin extraction. Outside, there is an amphibian pond with frogs, toads, newts water striders and dragonflies.

The centrepiece of the visitors center is a working electric elevator mill over three stories high, which is the only one of its kind in South Tyrol. It is operated to grind corn to make flour in the summer. For more information click here.

 

 

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