St. Ulrich in Gröden: Mountains, Trails and Woodcarving
Accommodation in St. Ulrich in Gröden
Mountain Landscape and Natural Environment
St. Ulrich lies in the middle of Val Gardena and is surrounded by numerous mountains, including Seceda, Pitschberg and the Raschötzer ridge. St. Ulrich in Gröden is a starting point for hikes and ski tours in the Dolomites. In Ortisei, Puez-Odle Nature Park covers 2,425 hectares; this corresponds to 41 percent of Ortisei’s area. Seceda is located in Puez-Odle Nature Park. The circular trail on Resciesa leads through Puez-Odle Nature Park and the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It runs from the mountain station of the Resciesa funicular to the summit cross, via the Santa Croce chapel and back to the starting point.
File:Pfarrkirche St Ulrich in Gröden Ostansicht Morgendämmerung.jpg
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Culture and Local History
The Gherdëina Museum is located in the Cësa di Ladins in the center of Ortisei. The Gherdëina Museum provides an overview of geology, woodcarving, artistic traditions and personalities who have shaped Val Gardena. The Gherdëina Museum also features a virtual reality experience about the ichthyosaur from Secëda and displays an elaborately illustrated Lenten cloth from St. James’s Church. The exhibition “From Wood to Toy – From Val Gardena to the World” traces the development of Val Gardena’s wooden toys from the 1830s to the turn of the millennium. The exhibition “From Wood to Toy” offers children and adults space for crafting, making and playing.
ART52 is a permanent exhibition in Ortisei’s cultural center. ART52 displays entirely hand-carved sculptures, paintings and high-quality woodcarvings by 52 artisans from Val Gardena. Since as early as the 17th century, numerous families in St. Ulrich devoted themselves to woodcarving and produced mainly biblical figures, statues of saints and altars. The parish church of St. Ulrich features Renaissance and Baroque elements as well as intricate carvings. St. James’s Church is considered the oldest church in Val Gardena and has a Baroque high altar with figures by the Vinazer family of artists.
The historic walking tour in Ortisei passes villas dating from around the turn of the century and craft workshops connected with the town’s toy industry and wooden sculptures. The Cudan-Dumat walking trail leads visitors to discover Ladin culture, from the valley station of the Resciesa funicular via the “Solaria” and “Cudan” houses to the characteristic “Dumat” farmstead. The Val Gardena Railway walking trail was created to commemorate an important chapter in the history of Val Gardena and explain the railway’s origins. The event “UNIKA – scultori in fiera” takes place in Ortisei every year.
Trails for Winter and Summer
A short hike to Seceda can be started from Ortisei by taking the gondola or cable car. The winter trail to the church of San Giacomo begins at the parish church in Ortisei and leads through forests and past historic farmsteads to the oldest church in Val Gardena. The route to San Giacomo passes through the forest and leads to the Col de Flam viewpoint overlooking Ortisei. The chapel dedicated to St. James is dedicated to the patron saint of hikers and pilgrims. Several mountain bike routes lead from Ortisei toward Seceda through forests and alpine pastures. The ascent to Seceda covers approximately 1,200 meters of elevation gain. The 8-kilometer trail leads from Ortisei to Selva di Val Gardena.
Getting Around
In Val d’Anna, a 1.5-kilometer paved path leads from Ortisei to the Val d’Anna hut and is wheelchair accessible. The path from Ortisei is accessible to wheelchair users year-round. The panoramic trail in Val d’Anna is particularly recommended for people with disabilities; the slight incline is easy to manage in a wheelchair. The valley station of the Resciesa funicular can be reached on foot from the center of Ortisei via the escalators on Via Rezia and through a tunnel to the Seceda gondola. Bus routes 350, 360, 172 and 351 reach Piazza S. Antonio in Ortisei.
Further destinations: Castelrotto, Tiers, Renon, Klobenstein, Lake Carezza, Lengstein, Sarntal, Völs am Schlern
To the overarching travel overview: Salten-Schlern.
