Glurns: the small town with its whole town wall

Glurns was first mentioned in a document in 1163. At first the village belonged to the diocese of Chur; around 1290 Count Meinhard II of Tyrol granted the place market rights and promoted a market settlement next to the village around today's arcaded street. In 1304 Glurns is first named as a town. According to tradition, anyone who settled here was exempt from taxes for ten years, and merchants passing through had to offer their goods on the spot: salt from the salt works at Hall, but also wine, metalware, spices and fruit.

On 22 May 1499 the Graubünden forces defeated the Habsburg troops at the Battle of the Calven and then plundered nearby Glurns. Emperor Maximilian I had the town rebuilt to plans by Jörg Kölderer and secured with walls and gates; the fortifications were finished around 1580. In the following centuries Glurns lost importance as a trading place, fires and floods of the Adige came on top, and in 1799 French troops ravaged the town. Renovation began in the early 1970s; the artist Paul Flora, born in Glurns, supported it substantially, according to the town.

There are two readings of the name: Glurns Marketing derives it from Rhaeto-Romance and translates it as alder meadow, other sources trace it to the Latin word for the hazel bush. All that is certain is that it is very old.

The wall encloses the former village in the west and the market town with the arcaded street as its axis. Three gates protect it: the Malser Tor, the Schluderns gate and the Tauferer Tor. In the Schluderns gate tower the exhibition “Stationen einer kleinen Stadt” shows trade and defence, market and trades, and curiosities on two floors; part of the wall walk can be entered from this tower, as can a corner bastion. In the Tauferer gate tower, the church gate tower, around 60 works by honorary citizen Paul Flora are on show; the information office is on the ground floor.

In the arcaded street the craftsmen had their workshops and sold their goods under the arcades. The town square links the lower and upper town: two large horse chestnut trees, a drinking-water fountain, seats in front of the cafés, at times without car traffic. At the town mill in St-Pancras-Gasse you can see the mill wheel at the back, which like the grinding works runs again; on the street side you can make out the remains of a fresco with the millers' guild emblem, a mill wheel between two lions.

Outside the walls stands the parish church of St Pancras. Of the Romanesque church first mentioned in 1227 the tower survives; the baroque onion dome dates from after 1664. According to Glurns Marketing the interior is open during Mass on Sundays and public holidays.

The information office in the Tauferer gate tower arranges town tours of about an hour and a half. In season there are fixed tours, in summer also night tours; dates change and are available from the office. On request there is also a tour to the church of St James in Söles, reachable only on foot along the Sölesweg. Excavations there found remains of earlier churches from the 6th to 8th centuries.

Several paths start on foot at the edge of town. The Mitterwaal circuit begins at the Adige bridge, follows the wall and an irrigation channel and returns via the chapel of St Martin. If you want to go higher, you reach the Glurnser Köpfl at 2,395 m via the Glurnseralm, a long summit tour. For your excursion from the hotel there is also a dedicated walk to the nearby Tartscher Bühel; it is linked below.

The town is accessible all year, but the towers and the mill are open seasonally and closed in winter; days and hours are on the Glurns Marketing site. In spring the arcade markets begin with a garden and flower market, in autumn the Palabira market and a colourful autumn market follow. The Palabira, an old pear variety, grows in the Vinschgau between Mals and Kastelbell.

At the start of December the Glurns Advent takes place, with market stalls in the arcaded street and on the town square, over 20 music groups and a car-free town. Between the festivals Glurns is quiet; in rain the arcades give shelter, and the two towers are a good fallback on days when the mountains do not suit.

The town is small and easy to find your way around. Children can walk along the wall, visit the towers and stop at the mill wheel. For the guided tours there is a child price from eight years. The Jausenstation at the fish pond states a covered terrace, a sunbathing lawn and a playground.

Dogs are possible in town. On the Vinschgau cycle path at the edge of town they should stay on the lead. For the exhibitions in the towers, please ask the information office.

In its directory Glurns Marketing lists, among others, the Stadtcafé in Florastraße and the Café Schöpf near the Tauferer Tor, the Restaurant Grüner Baum on the town square, the Wirtshaus Steinb.ck, the Gasthof Weisses Kreuz, the Restaurant Flurin and the Salina in the arcaded street and the Pizzeria Erika outside the town. On the cycle path next to the Tauferer Tor there is a Burger Hotdog Bar, at the pond the Jausenstation Fischteich. The PUNI distillery lies outside the walls. Please ask the businesses themselves about opening hours and closing days.

On the way lies Burgeis with Marienberg Abbey. Churburg in Schluderns is about 10 minutes from Glurns, in Mals St Benedict and the towers await you, and Lake Reschen is another day. If you are interested in stone, drive on to Laas, where the white marble is quarried.

From Ferienhotel Kastellatz you drive about 20 minutes. By bus and train it is a day trip without a car: line 277 takes you to Mals station, from there the Citybus goes to Glurns. In the evening you are back for dinner and the panoramic indoor pool.

By car: From Prämajur drive down to Burgeis, then follow the main road down the valley through Mals to Glurns. It is about 12 kilometres; you can park in front of the Malser tower, in front of the Schluderns gate or in Florastraße. The town itself lies inside the wall.

By bus and train: Bus 277 from Prämajur to Mals station, then the Citybus 274 to Glurns. Alternatively take the Vinschgau railway to Schluderns and continue by Citybus. With the Reschensee Guest Pass, train and bus are included in your stay.

By bike: The Vinschgau cycle path from Reschen to Merano runs right through the town.

Parking: Car park in front of the Malser Tor