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

Wall panelling Paris 1925

Students and teachers of both art schools in Gröden made a panelled room for the 1925 International Exhibition in Paris that was awarded the Grand Prix and three other medals for its sculptural features. The panelling is an example of the stylistic renewal going on in Gröden art during the wars, which was mainly thanks to the head of the art school at the time, Guido Balsamo Stella.

Diana

This carved, unvarnished sculpture shows Diana, the Roman goddess of hunting, with her right arm around a deer and a bouquet of flowers in her left arm. There is a bow and arrow in front of her. This small figurine is an expression of the stylistic renewal going on in the two Gröden art schools, which started to embrace art nouveau during the 1920s under the management of Guido Balsamo Stella. 

World exhibition of medals Paris 1925

In 1925, both art schools in Gröden took part in the International Exhibition in Paris. Albino Pitscheider, a master in carving small works of art and art teacher in Wolkenstein from 1910 to 1924 as well as from 1919 to 1940, was awarded a gold medal along with his colleague Lusi Insam. The octagonal medal shows an allegory of spring on one side, while it has a bouquet of flowers on the other side. 

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.

Crist de Val

The life-size figure of Christ – probably dating to the early 17th century,  perhaps once part of a roadside shrine – was recovered from the Silvesterscharte on Stevia after being severely damaged during a storm. It was stored in a barn for many years before being discovered by the sculptor Albino Pitscheider, who replaced some missing parts. Unusual features include the construction in larch wood, the unusually long body proportions and the touchingly peaceful facial expression.

Villa ANRI

Villa ANRI in St. Christina, now a listed building, newly built in 1925, was used as the headquarters of the ANRI company founded in 1921 by Anton Riffeser. For this purpose, workshops, offices, warehouses, packing and exhibition spaces were housed here. ANRI products were sold as far away as the USA and in its heyday, the company employed up to 230 people. Production was moved to premises at Plan Tiefa in 1952 and ceased in 2021.

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.

Former art school in Wolkenstein

In 1908, state teaching activities at Wolkenstein technical school for illustrating and modelling received its own premises in Plan da Tieja school building. While the types of school changed over the course of the years, the Habsburg-era building remained until the art school in Wolkenstein was closed. It was not until 2013 that it had to give way to today's middle school building.