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St. Anthony Church at Antoniusplatz in Ortisei in Val Gardena.

Ortisei / St. Ulrich in Val Gardena in South Tyrol

Welcome to Ortisei (in German: Sankt Ulrich, in Ladin Urtijëi)

Ortisei is the main municipality of Val Gardena (Gardena Valley) and lies at a height of 1.236 m. It is embedded in a beautiful coomb between the plain slope of the Hochalm Raschötz and the wooded steep slopes of the famous Seiser Alm.

Ortisei is, coming from Waidbruck, the first municipality in Val Gardena, if one drives in the direction of Selva Gardena (german: Wolkenstein), which lies at the end of the valley.

Ortisei and the Dolomites

Ortisei lies amidst the alpine scenery of the Dolomites, which are perhaps the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world. The Dolomites substantiate the reputation of Ortsei and Val Gardena as a holiday region of unparallelld beauty.

This extremely beautiful mountain range of the Southern Alps has been declared world cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009. Numerous hiking tours with various degrees of difficulty lead through the Dolomites, such as the well-known Dolomite high-level trail.

Naming

The german name of Ortisei, „St. Ulrich”, goes back to the patron saint of the place, Saint Ulrich, to whom the Roman Catholic vicarage has been dedicated.

In Gröden’s official language, Ladin, the place is called “Urtijei”. Like the Italian name “Ortisei”, the Ladin name can be traced back to an estate (so called Meiershof) at the centre named “Ortiseyt”, which has been documented in the archives since the 13th century, and today ranks among the oldest estates in Val Gardena.

Important data for Ortisei

  • Altitude: 1.236 m (village centre); otherwise the region spans over an altitude between 1.120 m – 2.518 m
  • Area: 2.423 ha approx.
  • Inhabitants: 4.560 approx.
  • Groups of languages according to census 2001: 12,1 % German, 5,6% Italian, 82,3% Ladin
  • Number of visitors’ beds: 5.900
  • Overnight stays: approx. 750.000 per year (at 2008, according to data of the tourist office)

Transport interlinkage

Up to 1960 there was a train link with the town of Klausen, situated in the Eisack Valley at the entrance to Val Gardena. The so called “Grödnerbahn” run as a narrow gauge railway 31 km into Val Gardena and was equipped with a steam locomotive.

The enormous spread of the automobile in the late 60’s finally led to the closure of the local railroad and due to the FIS-competition 1970 the road line was significantly expanded at the end of the 70’s, so that a further foundation had been laid for the developing tourism.

There is an excellent bus connection to Klausen or Bolzano. Ortisei can also be reached comfortably by car in half an hour from Bolzano.

Hotels in Ortisei

Enjoy the wonderful panoramic alpine view of the Dolimites. Simply book a hotel or apartment in Ortisei in Val Gardena.