Sightseeing

The South-Tyrolean mountaineering legend, Reinhold Messner opened in the year 2001 his fifth Messner Mountain Museum. It carries the name RIPA, which means in Tibetan “mountain man” and at the same time indicates the central theme of the museum. The collection includes many objects which the famous extreme mountaineer gathered on his expeditions to the highest peaks in the world. They illustrate the history, culture and life-style of many differing mountain peoples, including Tibetans, Sherpas and Indios.

The City Sights at the Foot of the Kronplatz. The picturesque city of Bruneck lies just 12 km away from the Almhotel Lenz in Olang. This small city is the heart and soul of the Pustertal valley, and not only due to it's central position. Towards the south the Gadertal runs towards the mountain world of the Dolomites and to the north, the Ahrntal leads to the glaciers of the Zillertal valley. Bruneck, first mentioned in records in the year 1256, was soon to become the economic hub of the Pustertal valley.

Today, this town is well worth seeing with a myriad of attractions, these included stylish cafes and restaurants, hidden alleys, one of South Tyrol’s best shopping streets, regular concerts, several markets, theatre performances and in summer, traditional festivals in the city squares.

MMM Corones on top of the Kronplatz. The Messner Mountain Museum situated directly on the summit of the Kronplatz display artefacts and memorabilia that enable us to understand the fascination of mountaineering that so enraptured Reinhold Messner. To quote Reinhold Messner “The site, the view and architecture makes this a very special museum”.

The MMM Corones is the result of an extraordinary collaboration between three world class authorities each a specialist in their field: Reinhold Messner expert on the history of traditional mountaineering, Skirama Kronplatz for their expertise in mountain tourism and infra-structure and Zaha Hadid, internationally accredited modern Architect.

MMM Corones is open from the first Sunday in June till the second Sunday in October and again from the end of November till the middle of April (according to the cable car's timetable) from 10.00 am till 4.00pm. Last admission at 3.30pm. Open 7 days a week.

Museum of Folk Culture Dietenheim. Germany’s ADAC-touring atlas nominates the museum in Dietenheim as one of Europe’s most beautiful open-air museums. It covers more than 4 hectares around the stately home of Mair am Hof, the heart of the museum. It houses a number of religious and native art collections as well as a pipe, belt and zither collection. A number of old farmhouses and workshops remain intact, testimony to the variety of building styles and traditions in days gone by and to the social history of the farming community.

Nature Trail– Adventure Trail around Lake Antholz. Lake Antholz is always well worth a visit for walkers and ramblers, families and nature lovers. An adventure trail with 16 stations skirts its shores where visitors can have a lot of fun gaining interesting information about South Tirol’s third largest lake and the eccentricities of nature.

The origins of Lake Antholz are told in a saga at the start of the circuit. Visitors are startled to learn of the presence of flesh-eating plants in this part of the world which can be found nearby in a small swamp, The stepping-stone challenge is a test of balance and fun for younger visitors. Two amplifying listening tubes aim to arouse curiosity towards the inhabitants of the wood, always at their loudest in spring filling the air with their mating calls.

Then there are fish, tree roots and rocks, such as the Rieserferner-Tonalite, formed some 30 million years ago and is the youngest stone in the Antholz valley. The many different trees are well described on the south side of the lake so that the visitor can readily recognise them. The age- old names of streams are brought back to memory and with the help of a panorama map you can learn the names of all the mountain peaks from Hochgall to Ohrenspitze.

The circuit is approximately 3 kilometers long and takes about an hour and a half to go round.

Lake Antholz, a Popular Destination in the Holiday Region Kronplatz. Just a 30 minute drive from the Almhotel Lenz, the road branches off to the Antholz valley. Here, tucked away at the valley’s end, lies one of South Tirol’s most stunning Alpine lakes. Lake Antholz hides in a dark green spruce forest at the foot of the Rieserferner-Group and attracts numerous nature lovers all seasons of the year. It is South Tirol’s third largest mountain lake with a maximum depth of 38 metres and a surface area of 44 hectares,

The iridescent green of the lake, the relaxing peace and quiet and the pure mountain air all play their part in making this lake, at 1642 meters above sea level, an exceptionally popular destination. Many walkers drop by after a tour of the Rieserferner-Ahrn National Park. Ice skaters race across its frozen waters in winter. Cross-country skiers and snow shoe walkers being other regular winter visitors.

The Provincial Museum “Ciastel de Tor”. “Vi cun me tl museum” - “Come with me to the museum”: a Ladin turn of phrase in honour of this Ladin museum. Opened in 2001, it takes an entertaining look into Ladin life and centres around the linguistic identity of the five Ladin valley communities in the Southern Alps. Its charm comes from 12th century tower architecture: intimate and homely. A museum conceived with a lot of esprit and didactic skill!