Skip to main content

"Great is the power of memory that dwells in places." (from Cicero)

Villa Martiner

Franz Martiner Senior da Kuenz, himself a manufacturer and son of a trading family based in Valencia, had the turn-of-the-century villa complete with production and despatch facilities built in 1897. He later passed the altar-building business that he had set up one year previously on to his son Franz Jr. Like many other Gröden altar builders, Franz Martiner's company exported to other countries in the pre-1914 Habsburg empire and was awarded the title of Chamber Supplier from Archduchess Maria Theresa von Braganza.

Villa Rudolfine

In 1909, Rudolf Moroder de Lenért had a house with a sculpture workshop built on the grounds of 'Pitl Paul' farm. He called the new construction 'Villa Rudolfine' - a combination of his first name and the name of his wife, Josephine. Rudolf Moroder was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition. His premature death in the First World War put an end to the 'Gebrüder Moroder's' production of sacred objects. The artist couple, Rudolf Moroder and Finy Martiner, lived and worked in Villa Rudolfine until the beginning of the 20th century.

Haus Lenert

Franz Moroder de Plandemureda extended little Lenért farmhouse and set up production of ecclesiastical art as a new branch of the 'Gebrüder Moroder' company. In 1906, he purchased an art school in Offenburg, which was managed by his sons, Eduard and Rudolf. Pre-1914, there were up to 40 artisans working at Lenért and Offenburg at times. His grandson, Norbert, is said to have carried on carving wood in this historical workshop before it closed down a few years ago.

Junerëi

Junerëi (from juniperus = juniper) is a group of houses at Außerwinkel by Cudan stream. The farms have been occupied since the early 16th century. The one-storey house bearing the name Junerëi on its eastern façade is a baroque structure. The Trebinger family has been running a major workship for baroque figurines and frame cutting here since 1662. Junerëi continued to be a centre for sculpture and craftsmanship into the 20th century.

Trëbe

The small farmhouse with late-gothic plastering and red quoins goes back to the 14th/15th century. Brothers Christian, Bartolomäus, Dominik and Anton Trebinger are called after their birthplace, Trëbe. They made their name in the 17th century with works for churches in South Tyrol and as pioneers of training sculptors and altar building. There is still a sculpture workshop on the ground floor of Trëbe today.

Villa Domur

The wood carver Christina Rifesser was running a workshop in the old farmhouse Domur back in 1888. When Matthias Comploy inherited the farmhouse in Tieja from his mother in 1903, he turned it into a turn-of-the-century style villa and set up a private teaching workshop for sculpting and altar-building carpentry. As of 1910, the teacher Albino Pitscheider and his family lived here and Comploy had to auction the workshop after the First World War.

Villa Venezia

Johann Baptist Moroder, son of Josef Moroder Lusenberg and himself one of the most important Gröden sculptors around 1900, built Villa Venezia in 1903/04 based on his own designs for a residence in neo-Renaissance style with a balustrade featuring marble wooden columns. A sculptor's studio and domed skylight were included. The mills from Planaces farm, the forge with furnace and a sawmill used to be in front of the newly built house.

Plajes

Plajes stands on visible layers of Gröden sandstone and was the birthplace and home to Jakob Sotriffer (1796-1856), the first teacher at the illustrating school founded in 1825. The school was even housed in Plajes at one point. There is an initial collection of Gröden wood carvings by Sotriffer, which he put together for the Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck in 1828 for documentation purposes. There are some examples of it in Museum Gherdëina.

Doss dl Preve

This detached farmhouse separated from Scurcia, its mother farm, and was first mentioned in records in 1420. In 1520, it passed to the fraternity of St. Anna church, as is reflected in the name. This shared farmhouse was converted in the 20th century and the wooden 'palancin' structure turned into a balcony. The sculptor Franz Tavella and, later, the sculptor and crib carver Luis Alois Insam worked at Doss dl Preve in the 1890s. 

Mureda

The dwelling is an original, fully stonewalled gothic construction from 1462/64. On the south-west façade there is a fresco of St. Florian, while an old church path runs past to the south. The farm building nearby was extended after the First World War in turn-of-the-century style and renovated a few years ago. Mureda, along with its neighbouring house Muradëures, have protected ensemble status and were the home of the sculptors Christian (1896-1968) and Eduard Moroder (1928-2010).