Holiday apartment in Laas: Marble, churches and experiences
Accommodation in Laas
Laas combines the visible world of marble with distinctive churches, insights into craftsmanship and regional traditions. From the valley floor above Laas and Göflan, the marble quarries of the Jennwand massif can be seen; they are located at elevations of 1,500 to 2,250 metres. A striking technical detail is the original Laas inclined railway from 1930, which transported up to 18 tonnes of marble from the quarry into the valley. In Laas, marble thus appears both as a landscape feature and as part of technology and craftsmanship.
Holiday apartment in Laas between marble and sacred art
The parish church of St John in Laas was built around the year 1200 on the site of a predecessor church dating from the Carolingian period. Its altar table is decorated with an early medieval relief depicting the three holy martyrs Sisinius, Alexander and Martyrius. The rare Romanesque Church of St Sisinius is also located in Laas. It is a choir-tower church built on the ruins of an earlier structure. The portal is made of pure Laas marble, making the local stone directly tangible in a historic building. For those interested in culture, the two churches offer different focal points: the parish church draws attention to architectural history and the relief, while the Church of St Sisinius focuses on the choir tower, the earlier structure and the marble portal.
The Laas Marble World presents the history of marble extraction and processing using information panels and in a sculpture park. The Marble World therefore addresses both the stone as a material and the work involved in its extraction and processing. Another combination of a natural product and regional tradition is the „Marble & Apricots“ cultural festival, which is celebrated every year in August in Laas in Val Venosta and combines apricots with Laas marble.
Experiences for different types of travel days
The Marble Quarry Tour is aimed at visitors who want to experience the extraction site first-hand: shuttles take participants to the machine house, where the hike over 365 steps to the Weißwasser quarry begins. The 365 steps mark the section of the route that forms the ascent to the quarry. The Marble Experience Tour includes a visit to the Laas Marble World and a guided tour of the Lasa Marmo plant. Thus, the Marble Quarry Tour focuses on the combination of a shuttle ride and a hike, while the Marble Experience Tour combines two visits. For planning your day, this results in a distinction between a defined ascent and a programme consisting of the Marble World and a plant tour. Guided tours of the Church of St Sisinius are offered by Marmorplus on request. Those wishing to combine a church visit with a guided tour therefore have an additional specific option for their day.
Regional insights at Kandlwaalhof
At Kandlwaalhof in Laas, you can see how vinegar, fruit juices, dried fruit, mustard and Weirouge are made. Alongside marble and sacred art, the production of regional products is therefore another distinct subject of a visit to Laas.
Discover more places in the surrounding area
For further orientation, here are the directly assigned places: Schlanders, Martell, Prad Am Stilfserjoch, Latsch, Morter, Burgeis, Kastelbell-Tschars and Schnals.
For the overarching travel overview: Val Venosta.
