Rätische Siedlung Himmelreich

About the museum

On a hilltop between Wattens and Volders lies the Himmelreich settlement, a clustered village (Haufendorf) of the Iron Age Fritzens-Sanzeno culture, which is counted among the Raetian cultural groups. Its residents lived from farming and iron processing; charred remains of oats, rye, barley, wheat, millet, lentils and peas attest to the cultivation of many cereal and legume crops. A fire destroyed the village; the foundations, partly hewn into rock and partly built of masonry, have survived.

A ring wall enclosed the settlement and is still partly visible. Inside lay several houses with outbuildings and a 10.4-meter-deep cistern. The houses have twisting entrances and large cellars and belong to the “casa retica” type.

When the open-air museum was redesigned in 2009, pre-rusted steel frames were erected over the excavations to indicate the original size of the houses. Information stelae with texts from the Heimatkunde- und Museumsverein Wattens-Volders (local history and museum association) explain the site. Finds such as tools and weapons are displayed in the Museum Wattens. The site is freely accessible at all times and can be reached by a signposted hiking trail.

Highlights

• Exposed house foundations of an Iron Age settlement
• Steel frames show the original size of the houses
• Ring wall and cistern
• Information panels from the museum association
• View over the Inn valley

Permanent exhibition

• Freilichtmuseum Himmelreich – Exposed foundations of houses of a Raetian settlement, with steel frames and information panels, on a hilltop.

Founded

2009

Operated by

Heimatkunde- und Museumsverein Wattens-Volders

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

Signposted hiking trail; walking time depends on the source, about 20 to 30 minutes, also from the Marienkirche in Wattens or from the campsite in Volders. The roughly 9.5 km Historical Circular Hiking Trail Volders–Wattens (starting at the Karlskirche car park by the Volders Inn Bridge) passes the open-air museum.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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