Holiday apartment in Prettau: Mining history and high mountains

Prettau combines an alpine landscape with a tangible mining history. Those choosing a holiday apartment in Prettau can include nature, culture and trail experiences in their holiday planning. The range extends from Lake Waldner and the Rötbach Waterfall to churches, traditional rural theatre, handicrafts and an underground visit.

Landscape with Lake Waldner and three-thousand-metre peaks

Seventy percent of the municipal area of Predoi lies in the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park. Predoi is surrounded by 14 three-thousand-metre peaks, including the Dreiherrenspitze at 3,499 metres and the Rötzspitze at 3,495 metres. Lake Waldner lies at an altitude of 2,338 metres below the lake walls of the 3,252-metre-high Rauchkofel. If you make the landscape the focus of your holiday, these elevations and Lake Waldner provide distinctive reference points for your planning.

Mining history on trails and underground

The first confirmed record of copper mining in Prettau dates from 1426. On the “Adventure Tunnel” guided tour, visitors travel one kilometre by mine railway through the St. Ignaz tunnel into the mine and then walk 360 metres on two levels through the show tunnel. The Miners’ Trail follows the traces of historic mining and passes tunnel entrances and abandoned mine buildings. The long-distance Hoch-Tirol Trail goes even farther: It connects Prettau in South Tyrol with Prägraten in East Tyrol in three stages and crosses the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park in South Tyrol and the Hohe Tauern National Park in East Tyrol.

Churches, theatre and local handicrafts

Culture is also firmly rooted here. The parish church of San Valentino in Predoi was consecrated in 1489; its main altarpiece was painted by Franz Unterberger and depicts Saint Valentine with a herd of cattle in a landscape. The Stegerhof was a centre of Prettau’s traditional rural parlour theatre. The present residential building was extended in 1618, while the original section is considerably older and probably dates back to the 12th century. In Predoi, lace-making and mask carving are also part of the household economy.

Spiritual trails and health trail

For spiritually oriented stages, there is the pilgrimage church of the Holy Spirit behind the hamlet of Kasern, in the middle of the nature park. The Way of the Cross of the Holy Spirit in the Kasern area consists of 15 covered wooden pillars with incised reliefs depicting the Passion of Christ. At the Rötbach Waterfall above Kasern on the Knappenberg in Prettau, there is a breathing platform with a view and a refreshing microclimate. The Prettau Health Trail is approximately 4 km long and includes a natural bathing pond with a Kneipp trail.

Choose a holiday apartment in Prettau based on your travel idea

When choosing a holiday apartment in Prettau, it is worth considering your preferred daily rhythm: culture, mining, the natural bathing pond or a longer hike each sets a different focus. The hike to Lake Waldner begins at the church in Prettau and follows trails 16B, 17 and 15A. The Prettau Climate Tunnel lies 1,100 metres deep inside the mountain and offers a two-hour stay in its underground microclimate under the supervision of specialists and physiotherapists. Entry must be reserved in advance by email or telephone. For your journey, bus route 450 from Bruneck stops directly at the Prettau mine, at the museum car park.

More destinations for your travel planning

For further travel planning, you can also view Olang, San Martino in Badia, Ahrntal, Badia, Gsies, Colfosco, Floronzo or La Villa.

For the overarching travel overview: Pustertal.