Villanders: Archaeology, Village History and the Villanderer Alm

Villanders brings together archaeological traces, village history and the landscape of the Villanderer Alm. If you are looking for a hotel in Villanders, these different highlights can help you plan your trip: Plunacker is all about early settlement, the village centre about historic buildings, and the Alm about high-altitude landscapes. This way, you can decide whether you would like to focus your stay mainly on culture or include a hike.

Archaeology at Plunacker

The Villanders Archaeological Park is an archaeological site on Plunacker. Remains from the Stone Age, Copper Age, Bronze Age and Roman period reflect the site's long history. Traces of settlements and burial sites show that people lived there more than 7,000 years ago.

Reconstructed buildings complement the archaeological traces. These include a Mesolithic dwelling, a Neolithic hut and a Raetian house. Alongside the finds, the different types of buildings add another dimension to the visit. If you are interested in history, you can explore the periods mentioned and the reconstructed buildings as two different ways of discovering the site.

Village centre and history

The old village centre of Villanders features narrow lanes and two soaring Gothic towers. The Church of St Michael, consecrated in 1344, is located in the cemetery in Villanders. The village centre thus draws attention both to the historic appearance of the village and to a building with a specific date.

The grave crosses in the cemetery by the Church of St Michael are also distinctive: they are made exclusively of wrought iron, and their front faces point away from the burial mound. Together with the church, they offer a unique perspective on the cemetery, bringing building history and local tradition together.

The old village centre, its narrow lanes and the two soaring Gothic towers provided the backdrop for Franz von Defregger's painting “The Last Levy”. This connection leads from the village's distinctive appearance to art history: the features of the village mentioned here are part of this historical context.

Mining in the Tinnetal valley

A total of 16 tunnels, with a combined length of 25 kilometres, were excavated in the mining complex in the Tinnetal valley. These figures show the scale of the complex and make it a distinct historical highlight alongside the settlement traces at Plunacker. While several early periods and reconstructed buildings define the theme there, the tunnels illustrate the scale of mining in the Tinnetal valley.

The Villanderer Alm

The Villanderer Alm is an extensive high-altitude pasture above Villanders, between the Tinnebach and Zargenbach streams. Its landscape features lush green meadows, marshes, lakes and grassy mountain summits. The Alm therefore offers a different focus from the archaeological site and the historic village centre: here, the open high-altitude pastures and their landscape features take centre stage.

Hiking and practical planning

One specifically named route is the “Villanders–Flor–Dreikirchen–Villanders” hike. It follows trails 4, 10 and 11, is 10 kilometres long, and has 638 metres of ascent and 640 metres of descent. The ascent and descent figures are similar; together with the distance, they give an indication of the route's character. As route details may be updated, check the latest information before setting out.

Numerous mountain huts on the Villanderer Alm serve hikers traditional dishes and refreshing drinks. Offerings may vary by season. Bus route 345 connects Klausen, Villanders and the Villanderer Alm. Check the latest timetable before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Feldthurns, Laion, Barbian, Klausen, Villnöss, Lüsen, Mühlbach, Rodeneck

Back to the regional travel overview: Eisack Valley.