Recommended accommodation
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Erschbaumerhof, Moos/St. Lorenzen
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From a Roman settlement to a nice destination
If you visit St. Lorenzen and surroundings on foot, time and again you will lead to excavations, age-old walls and historical paces, which give evidence for the long history of the village in the center of the valley Pustertal.
In the ancient world it was an important road station of the Romans called "Mansio Sebatum". During the Middle Ages life happened between the two Castles Michelsburg and Sonnenburg and till today the small town has developed into a nice municipality with about 3,800 inhabitants.
With regard to its geographical position St. Lorenzen near Bruneck is a considerable junction, because there the valley of Alta Badia turns off and the river Gader flows into the Rienz. Probably this location was also a reason for the early settlement by Celts and Romans. Today the municipality includes altogether 16 districts and hamlets scattered between mountain and valley, meadows and forests.
For hobby historians and culture lovers
St. Lorenzen has a quite long past, therefore it is obvious, that visitors, who are interested in history and culture, can discover a lot of exciting sights. Primarily we have to mention the excavations of the Roman settlement Sebatum in the area of Heilig-Kreuz, the Roman milestone next to the main street, the archeological panorama path and the Museum Mansio Sebatum, dedicated whole-heartedly to the Romans and their importance for the region.
In addition you can visit also the impressive Sonnenburg Castle (today there is housed a hotel), the parish church in the town center, which dates back to the 11th century and is one of the oldest churches in de Dolomites, and the pilgrimage church of Maria Saalen with its worth seeing black Madonna.
All this doesn’t mean that a holiday in St. Lorenzen has to be limited to art and culture. Quite the reverse: For active vacationers and jocks the ski runs and the downhill route on Mt. Kronplatz are quickly reachable and even for tobogganing, hiking, biking and swimming the environs offer lots of possibilities.