Braies
Braies, in tedesco Prags, è un piccolo comune della Val Pusteria, in provincia di Bolzano, adagiato in una valle laterale che si s...
Aktualisiert am 17 Juli 2026
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Was jetzt in Braies unternehmen
Die Geschichte
Die Geschichte von Braies
The Val di Braies in the Upper Pustertal
The municipality of Braies occupies the valley of the same name, which branches off the Val Pusteria near Niederdorf (Villabassa) and climbs south toward the Dolomite walls of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park. It is one of the narrowest and most secluded valleys in South Tyrol, crossed by the Rio Braies stream and closed at its head by the basin of the lake that shares its name. The administrative seat, Ferrara (Schmieden), whose name recalls the forging of ironwork, scythes in particular, once practised in the village, lies in the lower part of the valley together with the hamlet of San Vito (St. Veit). Further upstream lie Braies di Dentro (Innerprags) and Braies di Fuori (Außerprags), smaller clusters strung along the road that climbs toward the lake. The territory, predominantly mountainous and wooded, is bilingual like much of the province of Bolzano, with place names consistently given in both Italian and German forms.
Lake Braies, the Pragser Wildsee
Lake Braies, in German the Pragser Wildsee, is the reason this small municipality is known today far beyond the borders of South Tyrol. It lies at around 1,496 metres above sea level, at the foot of the sheer wall of the Croda del Becco (Seekofel, 2,810 m), and was formed after a landslide dammed the course of the Rio Braies, creating a basin with no surface inflow, fed mainly by underground springs. Its waters, ranging from emerald green to turquoise depending on the light and season, together with the reflection of the mountain above, have made the lake one of the most photographed subjects in the Dolomites, a fame amplified by the popularity of the Italian television series Un passo dal cielo, partly filmed on its shores. The tourist draw is such that, during the summer months, car access to the valley is regulated through a reservation system, while the lake remains freely reachable on foot or by bicycle at all times.
The Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park and the Alta Via 1
Lake Braies is also one of the gateways to the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park, which at around 26,000 hectares is the third largest nature park in South Tyrol and part of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage site, encompassing here the karst plateaus of Fanes and Sennes and the imposing rock walls surrounding them. The lake also marks the start of the first stage of the Alta Via 1 of the Dolomites, the classic high-altitude trek that links Braies to Belluno over twelve stages and roughly 125 kilometres, crossing mountain huts, passes and high plateaus. Numerous shorter trails also allow visitors to explore the park even in a single day, with routes climbing toward the Biella, Sennes or Fodara Vedla mountain huts, through high pastures, larch woods and panoramas sweeping across the surrounding Dolomite peaks, a destination for hikers and mountaineers in every season.
Landscape and Nature Between Forests and High Altitudes
The landscape of the municipality of Braies unfolds across a considerable difference in altitude, from the spruce and larch forests of the valley floor up to the rock walls and scree slopes that close the valley to the south, in a typically Dolomitic setting where pale dolomite rock contrasts with green vegetation and, in winter, with white snow. The Rio Braies stream descends from the lake toward the Val Pusteria through gorges and wooded stretches far less frequented than the lakeshore itself, offering quieter walks for those seeking a more peaceful contact with nature. The alpine fauna, including chamois, marmots and numerous birds of prey, finds a protected habitat within the park's territory, while the flora of the high pastures is enriched in summer by species typical of the Dolomites, some rare or endemic, which make the area of botanical as well as scenic interest.
History: the Bad Altprags Spa and the Grand Hotel
Before becoming a destination prized for its landscape, the Val di Braies was known for the curative properties of its waters: the springs of Braies Vecchia, known as Bad Altprags, drew travellers and nobles seeking thermal cures for centuries, alongside the valley's older agricultural and pastoral vocation, settled since the Middle Ages by scattered farmsteads tied to the alpine economy of the Val Pusteria. The modern tourist turn came in 1899, when the Hellensteiner family, already running an inn in Niederdorf, built the Grand Hotel Pragser Wildsee directly on the lakeshore, later extended in the early twentieth century with an Art Nouveau ballroom. The building, still owned by the same family and still the only hotel overlooking the lake, is considered one of the last grand hotels of the South Tyrolean Belle Époque to have retained its original function to this day.
Not to be missed
- A walk along the shores of Lake Braies with views of the Croda del Becco
- The first stage of the Alta Via 1 of the Dolomites toward the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Park
- A hike to the Biella, Sennes or Fodara Vedla mountain huts on the park's plateaus
- The Grand Hotel Pragser Wildsee, a historic Belle Époque hotel on the lakeshore
- A walk through the Val di Braies among the hamlets of San Vito and Braies di Dentro
Sehenswert
Sehenswertes in Braies
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Routen in Braies
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