Laas: the marble village with its inclined railway and quarry

Laas marble is a very hard, weather-resistant marble quarried on the Nördersberg in the Laas valley. The Romans already used it in antiquity for milestones on the Via Claudia Augusta; the oldest written trace is a gravestone that Bishop Victor of Chur had brought from the Vinschgau around 720. Since the 19th century the marble has been used in church building and sculpture across Europe; at the 1873 World's Fair in Vienna it appeared under the name Laas marble. According to the Ferienregion Vinschgau it was also used for a subway station at Ground Zero in New York.

The deposit comprises about 500 million cubic metres. The Jennwand quarry and the Weißwasser quarry are the ones mainly worked; Göflan marble comes from the neighbouring Mitterwandl quarry. The marble occurs in several varieties, from pure white statuario to varieties with golden, green or bluish veining; according to Wikipedia only a few varieties are still traded. Since 1982 Laas has again had a vocational school for stone working.

To bring the marble from the quarry down to the valley, the Laas marble railway was built in 1929 and 1930 by the Leipzig company Adolf Bleichert. It consists of four parts: a cable crane from the quarry, an upper line to the Bremsberg, the inclined railway proper, an incline about one kilometre long that lowers the wagons down the slope, and a lower line to the works. The metre-gauge railway overcomes a large height difference between the works at about 870 m and the upper station at about 1,350 m.

The installation has been largely preserved in its original state and counts as an industrial monument. The sources differ on operation: the Ferienregion Vinschgau writes that the railway worked until a few years ago, Wikipedia gives autumn 2019 as the end, when operation was suspended for safety reasons. According to the Ferienregion Vinschgau, lorries now carry the marble. What you can see is the track bed, the machine house and the wagons.

In the Marble World near the station, information boards and reconstructions tell how the marble used to be transported by hand with oxen and horses, how it was worked with simple means and how it is quarried by machine and brought down by the inclined railway. In the sculpture park stand works by various artists in Laas marble. There are shady seats, marble tables, a marble sand box for children, a toilet and drinking water; if you wish you can work a marble block yourself. In the village you will find marble pavements, sculptures and artists' workshops.

The marble trail, also called the Schrägbahnsteig, leads from the lower station of the inclined railway in the Stelvio National Park in hairpins through spruce and larch forest up to the little church of St Martin, to the Wechsel and to the upper station at the Bremsberg. Five boards give information on the building history, the technical data and the earlier transport. As a circular walk from the station, about 10 kilometres and about 500 metres of ascent are given, for experienced walkers from about ten years. Paths in the Laas valley can be closed because of rockfall; check the situation with the tourist office before you set off.

The Marble World (Marmor plus) offers guided tours in season that start at Laas station: an experience tour with a film, the Marble World, a visit to the marble works and a village walk of about two and a half hours, a relaxed tour with a shuttle to the machine house of the inclined railway and an ascent through the quarrymen's tunnel to the Weißwasser quarry, and a full-day tour with a walk and tasting. Dates and registration are with the organiser and change with the season.

There are also three themed trails with the Marmorbrüchler, the marble quarryman, as a cultural guide for families: the marble trail, the Kaiserweg to the sulphur spring Stinkabrunn of about six kilometres, and the apricot trail to the Sisiniusbichl of about three and a half kilometres. If you want more, walk stages of the Marmorrundweg: 80 kilometres in six stages around the Laas group, highest point 3,123 m, for sure-footed and fit walkers.

The Marble World and the village are a destination from spring to autumn; the tours run from about May to October. The apricot trail is walkable all year. At the beginning of August Laas celebrates the cultural festival “Marmor & Marillen”, which links the marble and the Laas apricot. High mountain trails such as the Marmorrundweg are better suited to high summer and early autumn.

The Marble World is meant as an experience for the whole family, with a sand box, a sculpture park and a hands-on station. The apricot trail, about an hour's walk, is the easiest of the themed trails, the Kaiserweg is considered easy and suitable for experienced walkers from seven years, the marble trail is of medium difficulty. For paths in the Stelvio National Park the park's rules apply; ask about the conditions for dogs before the walk.

Marmor plus points to inns in the village with local specialities; the village walk of the experience tour ends on the village square. The full-day marble tour includes a tasting of local products. There is nowhere to eat on the marble trail itself, so take water and provisions. Please ask on the spot about opening hours.

On the way there lies Schluderns with Churburg and the Vintschger Museum, a day of castle, technology and stone. Glurns and Mals are further stops along the route. If you are short of time, take the Vinschgau railway: it stops right in Laas.

From Prämajur you drive about 35 minutes to Laas. Without a car, take line 277 to Mals and the Vinschgau railway to Laas; some of the tours start at the station. For the Marble World, the village and part of the marble trail, allow half a day to a whole day.

By car: From Prämajur to Burgeis, then follow the main road down the valley through Mals and Schluderns to Laas; about 26 kilometres. There is a car park at Laas station, from where the Marble World and the start of the marble trail are within walking distance. For the Bremsberg, the upper station of the inclined railway, drive up via the Parnetz farm group.

By bus and train: Bus 277 from Prämajur to Mals station, then the Vinschgau railway to Laas. The Marble World and many guided tours start at the station. With the Reschensee Guest Pass, train and bus are included in your stay.

Parking: Car park at Laas station