Description of the attraction
The Bryce Valley, part of the Alta Pusteria ski resort, is located in the heart of the Dolomites. The local landscape is characterized by a variety of manifestations of karst formation processes: almost all types of this phenomenon are represented here - mines, crevasses, cracks, wells and sinkholes. The latter are small sinkholes in which alpine lakes are usually formed.
Bryce Valley is considered an ideal place for outdoor enthusiasts - not only fans of hiking and mountain biking, but also mountaineers and rock climbers will find activities to their liking. Their efforts will certainly be rewarded with breathtaking views from the peaks of the Dolomites. In winter, there are many cozy alpine huts, snow-covered slopes and cross-country skiing trails.
Over the past few centuries, several churches and temples have been built on the territory of the Bryce Valley, and today they attract the attention of tourists. Perhaps one of the most famous is the Lake Bryce Chapel, built in the early years of the 20th century and consecrated in 1904. This chapel was visited by many famous people - for example, the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. During the years of the genocide, many prisoners found refuge here - Hitler ordered the transfer of well-known political prisoners from the concentration camp to Dachau to Lake Bryce. It was here that 136 people were executed by the Nazis.
Other noteworthy churches of the Bryce Valley are the 1335 San Vito church with a neo-Gothic throne, and the church in Ferrara de Bryce, erected in 1735 and famous for its frescoes.
Inseparable from the valley are its healing springs. The history of their use goes back to ancient times. And it is reliably known that in 1490 a simple but very ambitious worker of the local sawmill turned to the Lords of Gortius with a request to allow him to build a building on the so-called "deer springs" to serve and treat the sick and suffering. Permission was obtained, and a year later, Princess Paula Gorzia visited the first spa complex, where she healed her sore limbs. In 40 years - from 1830 to 1870 - over a thousand people visited the Bryce Valley spa, which is incredible for that time!
