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26-31 May 2025: Research Trip to South Tyrol

31/05/2025November 3rd, 20253 min read
Group photo of the seven-member project team in front of the Grey Bear Inn in Innichen/San Candido.

At the end of May 2025, the ALPINNKONNECT team went on an excursion to South Tyrol. The aim was to visit towns and locations relevant to the research of the project, and to enhance our understanding of trade and transit routes and their infrastructure based on inns in relation to the local environment. In the course of a week, we went to

  • Brixen / Bressanone
  • Bozen / Bolzano
  • Sterzing / Vipiteno
  • Klausen / Chiusa
  • Bruneck / Brunico
  • Innichen / San Candido

During our visits, we especially looked for historical inns, which are often important buildings located in the historic areas of the places we travelled to. Some have been operating since the fourteenth, fifteenth or sixteenth century and are still in business today. In Innichen / San Candido, we had the pleasure of a guided tour of the historic Grauer Bär Inn, led by the owner himself, who also showed us the historical documents in the inn’s private archive.

Inn sign of the Black Eagle Inn in Sterzing/Vipiteno: a black eagle surrounded by a wreath of firbranches. In front of it hangs a second metal sign decorated with grapevines.

Inn Sign of the Black Eagle in Sterzing/Vipiteno

The project team in the Diocesan Archives of Brixen/Bressanone, surrounded by shelves filled with historical books and archival materials. The team is examining several volumes.

Our visit to the Diocesan Archive in Brixen/Bressanone

In Brixen / Bressanone, we were invited to visit the Diocesan Archive, where the director, Erika Kustatscher, showed us some of the rich variety of materials being preserved, with examples relevant to our research.

At the Mercantile Museum in Bozen / Bolzano, we learned a great deal about transit trade and transportation and its great impact on the regional economy. A visit to the South Tyrolean Folklore Museum in Dietenheim / Teodone near Bruneck / Brunico provided a fascinating insight into the living conditions, material culture and daily lives of rural communities.

Additionally, we were fortunate enough to enjoy two guided tours led by historians specialized in the region. Siglinde Clementi from the Centre for Regional History in Bozen / Bolzano introduced us to the history and townscape of South Tyrol’s capital, shedding light on its development from the Middle Ages to the modern period. In Bruneck / Brunico, we met Andreas Oberhofer, the current city archivist, who showed us the town’s historical sites and the city castle, sharing his substantial knowledge of the city’s history and monuments.

The excursion was a valuable experience for the entire research group. We gathered a lot of new information, were able to connect the places mentioned in our sources with real locations, and grew stronger as a group.

 

Bozen's main street, lined with colorful buildings, some of which have shops on the ground floor.

Main Street of Bozen/Bolzano

Scene at the Dietenheim Folklore Museum with three traditional farmhouses and a field. In the center, four members of the project team are observing the buildings.

South Tyrolean Folklore Museum in Dietenheim/Teodone

Säben Abbey, a castle-like building perched on top of a hill, with forests and mountains visible in the background.

Abbey Säben near Klausen/Chiusa

A view of the main street in Sterzing/Vipiteno, lined with a variety of shops and cafés. At the end of the street stands the iconic late medieval Clock Tower.

Main Street of Sterzing/Vipiteno

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