Jaufenburg Castle has towered above the road leading from Tyrol Castle over the Jaufen Pass to Sterzing since the 13th century. In 1320, the Counts Fuchs von Fuchsberg converted the former tower into a castle, before it was abandoned in the 18th century. Following the restoration of the keep and its frescoes in 2000, the five-story tower has been part of the Passeier Museum since 2003. A fascinating exhibition provides insight into the history of Jaufenburg Castle and the settlement of the region. From Bad Fallenbach, the castle can be reached in about a 15-minute walk.
The main building of MuseumPasseier is the birthplace of the renowned Tyrolean freedom fighter Andreas Hofer. Dating back to the 17th century, the building is now a listed historical monument. Through regular guided tours, a multimedia exhibition, an audio room with music, legends, and stories from the Passeier Valley, as well as the open-air museum featuring a traditional Passeier farmhouse, you can follow the traces of Andreas Hofer’s history and that of the Passeier Valley. The “Bunker Mooseum” in Moos is also part of MuseumPasseier.
The Timmelsjoch Pass connects South Tyrol’s Passeier Valley with the Tyrolean Ötztal Valley and is open to traffic from late May to October. It can be reached via the Timmelsjoch Road, which begins in Moos in Passeier and is considered one of Tyrol’s most beautiful panoramic roads. Along the pass road, you can admire five impressive sculptures dedicated to the region’s nature, history, culture, society, and economy. At the architecturally striking pass museum located directly at the border, you can also learn more about the history of the Timmelsjoch Pass.
Located at an altitude of between 2,000 and 2,500 meters, the Snowberg Adventure Mine is the highest mine in Europe. More than 130 kilometers of tunnels and shafts, some of which are still accessible today, bear witness to the long history of silver, lead, and tin mining in the area. During the mine’s heyday in the 15th century, up to 1,000 miners worked underground. At today’s adventure mine, you can travel back in time and, through half-day and full-day tunnel tours, rides on the mine railway, the museum with exhibition area, and the mountain hut, gain fascinating insights into the miners’ hard lives.
The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle cover an area of 12 hectares with an altitude difference of 100 meters above the spa town of Merano. Divided into four garden worlds and more than 80 different garden landscapes, spread across sunny terraces and crisscrossed by gently babbling streams, you can admire plants from all over the world. What makes these gardens truly special is their constant transformation: following the rhythm of the seasons, they change almost week by week. A sea of tulips heralds spring, followed by blooming rhododendrons, peonies, and roses. In summer, the sunflower field and the many summer flowers and perennials shine in vibrant colors, before atmospheric hues take over in autumn.
The spa town of Merano was already a favorite of Empress Sissi. Here, you can stroll through the picturesque Merano Arcades and browse the small shops with beautifully decorated shop windows. Along the Passer Promenade, you can enjoy an ice cream and then soak up a beach-like atmosphere on the Passer Terrace. Alternatively, admire the city from the Tappeiner Walk, take the chairlift to Dorf Tirol, or hike along the Sissi Path to the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. A weekly highlight every Friday is the large market.
