Discover Taufers in the Münstertal: Churches, Art and Hiking Trails
Accommodation in Taufers in the Münstertal
Churches, Art and Traces of the Past
Taufers in the Münstertal combines sacred art, Romanesque architectural history and hiking trails. Between churches, castle ruins, forests and pastures, you can combine cultural and historical topics with outdoor activity.
The Church of St. Michael dates from the 14th century and has housed a museum of sacred art since 2000. In the St. Michael Parish Museum, in addition to valuable Gothic frescoes, you can see more than twenty works of sacred art, most of which come from the eight churches in Taufers in the Münstertal. A particularly outstanding piece is a Late Gothic winged altar created around 1520 from St. Martin’s Church.
File:ITA — Region Trentino-Südtirol — Provinz Bozen–Südtirol — Bezirksgemeinschaft Vinschgau — Gde. Taufers im Münstertal — Puntweil 8 (Staatsgrenze) 2024-07-13 Mattes.jpg
Photo: Photo: User:Mateus2019
The permanent exhibition “Romanesque Art in the Vinschgau and St. John’s Church in Taufers i.M.” extends across three levels of the sacristy building. On the ground floor, it introduces visitors to the Romanesque period from 1000 to 1300 and covers the origin of the name, typical characteristics, the spirit of the age, historical highlights, as well as painting, architecture and sculpture. The top floor is dedicated to St. John’s Church, which is known for its valuable Romanesque frescoes. It was built around 1220 as a Romanesque church in the form of a Greek cross; entire sections of the walls of a predecessor church from the 9th century were reused.
Puntweil was a Roman settlement dating from the 2nd to the 4th century AD. Its remains include remnants of walled residential buildings and excavated areas used for economic purposes, constructed with post structures. Unlike the sacred artworks in the parish museum, these finds relate to residential life and the economy of a Roman settlement.
Hiking with a Cultural Focus
The Eight Churches themed trail is a well-signposted circular hiking trail that connects eight churches from different periods. It begins at St. John’s Church at the eastern entrance to the village; there is a parking area or a bus stop there.
The Turnaunawaal Trail begins next to the Romanesque Church of St. John at the entrance to the village. Its circular route follows Trail No. 6 to Rotund Castle Ruins and, on the return journey, passes Reichenberg Castle Ruins before reaching the starting point. The “St. Johann” stop is located directly at the starting point of the Turnaunawaal tour. The two circular trails focus on different aspects: the themed trail leads to eight churches from different periods, while the Turnaunawaal Trail passes Rotund and Reichenberg.
The circular hike in the Avingatal valley leads through pastures and forests and offers beautiful views. At the same time, Taufers is the starting point for numerous hiking trails into the Ortler region of Stelvio National Park. This allows you to choose between a route through the landscape and trails into the Ortler region.
Plan Your Journey and Accommodation
Taufers in the Münstertal can be reached from Mals by bus no. 811. When choosing a hotel or other accommodation, you can take the locations of the trailheads and the bus journey into account when planning your day. For day planning, the circular format of both trails means that they have a fixed starting point and return point.
Other Destinations in the Vinschgau
For further orientation, you can also explore St. Valentin a.d. Haide, Schlanders, Glurns, Kapron, Laas, Burgeis, Graun in the Vinschgau and Morter.
For the higher-level travel overview: Vinschgau.
