The Church of St. Ulrich/Ortisei,
On a slightly elevated main square one finds the church of St. Ulrich,
dedicated to the three kings and Saint Ulrich, the bishop of Augsburg
and patron saint of the community. Built from 1793 – 1797
it existed originally only of a single nave and later between 1905
– 1907, had two side chapels (Heart of Jesus and Rosary) added
on. The spacious building with longitudinal and cross ribbed vaults
limited by cupolas, and structured buttresses, as the vast beams
of the vestibule and the characteristic onion towers, makes it a
dignified monument of the late baroque. The beautiful wood carving
of the pews is also worth mentioning.
Veteran’s Capel,
It is located on the square on the left side of the church, in memory
of the many veterans from the parish of St. Ulrich from WW I and
WW II with their names engraved in the huge marble slabs. The special
feature of this chapel is the bell hanging in the small tower –
probably the oldest bell around. According to local believe this
bell has been discovered accidentally while plowing at the “Pincànlöchern”
and is therefore considered to originate from the medieval castle
of “Stetteneck”.
Convention Center von St. Ulrich (Wood carving, Exhibits),
Also in the square of the church there is a contemporary building
– the “Kongresshaus”. Its upper level is equipped
with a wood paneled auditorium with an entry used for various evening
activities, slide presentations, movies, and musical events. It
is also used for conferences and conventions or other events and
festivities.
Open:
Summer: from June till end of October
Winter: from December till end of April
from 10 AM till noon
afternoon 3PM to 7PM
Exhibit of Arts and Crafts of Gröden/ValGardena,
At the lower level of the Convention Center (“Kongresshaus”),
on the right side of the main entry is the Exhibit of Arts and Crafts.
At appealing displays work of individual wood carvers as well as
products of organized production centers are exhibited, demonstrating
a concise picture of the current level and quality of domestic craftsmanship.
At the same time they convey the variety of styles, expression,
and manufacturing. Certainly in its way a characteristic exhibit
and living testimony of century old tradition of craftsmanship of
the town and the valley.
Purger Monument,
Close to the church square where the Purgerstraße crosses
the Bahnhofsstraße a bronze monument can be found on the right
side, which deserves a short visit. It commemorates the former Mayor
of St. Ulrich and builder of the first Grödner Straße
(1856) from Waidbruck to St. Ulrich - Johann Baptist Purger (1805
– 1872). With his road construction he created an essential
connection to the outside world and thus a basis for the flourishing
development of international trade needed for wood carving items.
St. Anthony Church,
This precious small church is located on the “Antoniusplatz”.
It was built between the years of 1673 and 1676 and is therefore
older than the parish church. With its steep shingle roof and its
onion tower pointing towards heaven it has turned into a popular
motive for photographers showing Sela and Langkofel in the background.
The main altar is adorned by a picture of St. Anthony of Padua surrounded
by two new but in the same style created figurines of the bishop
St. Ulrich and St. Ruprecht a creation of Dominikus Vinazer from
1682. The beautiful paintings on the side altars – copies
of Murillo- are two works by the young Josef Moroder-Lusenberg.
The Luis Trenker Monument,
On the promenade with the same name, next to the old locomotive,
a monument reminds the passersby of the world famous and multi talented
son of Gröden – “Bera Luis”
St. Jacobs Church,
Is located above St. Ulrich and within walking distance. It is the
oldest church of the valley and dedicated to St. Jacob. In a picturesque
setting it displays beautiful frescos around the choir and sculptures
surrounding the altar.
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