Glurns Historic Town Center

Glurns in South Tyrol - where history lives
The smallest town in South Tyrol - Glurns - looks back on an eventful history and a great past as a late medieval trading center. The still completely preserved city walls with their imposing gates and defense towers give the town a unique character. Historic arcades, charming alleys, noble town houses - the city itself is a cultural treasure in and of itself.
Idyllically located in the Vinschgau valley, surrounded by majestic mountains and a picturesque natural landscape, the area around Glurns also offers exciting activities. Enjoy the flair of our small town and the many advantages of the Vinschgau cultural region.
Text / source: Tourist association of the municipalities of Mals, Schluderns, Taufers im Münstertal and the city of Glurns - St. Benediktstr. 1 - 39024 - Malles
glurns.eu/de/geschichte-glurns/12-0.html

The Glurnser city wall
When on May 22, 1499 the imperial troops of Maximilian I were defeated by the Three Leagues from today's Graubünden at the Battle of the Calven, Glurns fell into the hands of the conquerors and large parts were plundered and destroyed.
During the reconstruction, Emperor Maximilian I issued the directive that the village and town of Glurns, which had been separate until then, were to be connected by a fortified ring wall. Talking to the locals, you will notice that the people of Glurns still distinguish between the upper town, which means the former village of Glurns to the west of the town square, and the actual town with the Laubengasse.
More than ten meters high, the completely preserved town wall of Glurns impresses you with its wooden battlements, which you can reach via covered wooden stairs and a total of six circular towers. Once at the top, you not only enjoy a wide view of the Adige Valley, but also of the maze of alleyways in the city center.
On your walk along the Glurns city wall, you will not only pass the three well-fortified Glurns gate towers, the Malser Tor, the Schludernser Tor and the Tauferer Tor, but also the associated medieval gatekeeper's cottage.
Text / source: Tourist association of the municipalities of Mals, Schluderns, Taufers im Münstertal and the city of Glurns - St. Benediktstr. 1 - 39024 - Malles
glurns.info/en/art-culture/sightseeing-glurns.html

Small town - big past
In the beginning there was a village: Glurns was first mentioned in a document in 1163. Its name is probably of Rhaeto-Romanic origin and means something like Erlenau. Initially, the settlement belonged to the Roman province of Raetia and in the early Middle Ages to the Swiss diocese of Chur, until Count Meinhard II of Tyrol granted it market rights around 1290. The first documented mention of town rights dates back to 1304; Glurns experienced its heyday as a trading center in the late Middle Ages: Those who moved to Glurns were exempt from taxes for ten years; the city benefited from tolls and obliged merchants passing through to offer their wares on site: wine, metal goods, spices, fruit; Above all, however, salt from the Hall salt pans was traded. In 1423, the city was named seventh out of a total of 18 Tyrolean cities by the first Merano state parliament.
Ever since Tyrol fell to the Habsburgs in 1363, they have repeatedly tried to push back the rights of the bishop of Chur in the Lower Engadine, in the Munster Valley and in the Vinschgau. As a counterweight, the bishop's subjects joined together to form the so-called House of God League. Due to further conquests by the Habsburgs, the situation deteriorated more and more over the years and finally culminated in the Swabian War at the beginning of 1499. In the decisive "Battle of the Calven" which took place on May 22nd, the Bündners were victorious over the Habsburg troops; afterwards they plundered and devastated nearby Glurns.
On the orders of Emperor Maximilian, Glurns was rebuilt according to plans by Jörg Kölderer. Glurns owes its current appearance with its town walls and town gates to him. In the years that followed, the city lost more and more of its importance as a trading center. Glurns gradually became impoverished, citizens became farmers. Flood, Mur and fire catastrophes intensified the decline; In 1799 it was burned down by the French.
In the 20th century, many commuters in Glurns sought work in nearby Switzerland. Simultaneously with the onset of restructuring at the beginning of the 1970s, the new economic ascent also began.
Text / source: Tourist association of the municipalities of Mals, Schluderns, Taufers im Münstertal and the city of Glurns - St. Benediktstr. 1 - 39024 - Malles
glurns.eu/de/die-stadt-glurns/kleine-stadt-gro%C3%9Fe-verfagenheit/14-0.html