Environmentally friendly holidays at the Knappenhof in South Tyrol
The heart in the right place
What would a holiday be without the right companions? May we introduce your holiday accomplices: Helene, Thomas, Tobi, and Erwin. We ensure that everything runs smoothly at Knappenhof and that our guests can fully enjoy their well-deserved break. Here, we reveal how we operate and what makes us tick …
No matter where help is needed, Helene is immediately ready and willing. As a true organisational talent, she takes care of our guests’ needs and constantly brings smiles to their faces. What would we do without you, Helene …
With his friendly and charming manner, you can’t help taking a liking to the boss of the house. No info point in the world could replace our dear Thomas, after all he is always up to date with events and is a constant source of good activity tips … and he is also always available for a chat with our guests.
He is the youngest of the bunch, but already knows what’s what. His trademark? That friendly smile that is so hard to refuse.
He is Thomas’ brother and a real skiing ace in disabled sports. During his 31 years in skiing, Erwin has won no fewer than 102 medals, including 3 World Championship gold medals and numerous Italian championship titles. What does he love as much as skiing? La dolce vita. And when loud laughter can be heard through the Knappenhof, you can be sure that he is enjoying it to the full.
Anyone who knows us knows our deep love for nature. Environmentally conscious behaviour in everyday life and the implementation of sustainable ideas are part of our passion. Our photovoltaic system allows us to generate a large part of our electricity completely autonomously, while our solar system provides hot water. We cover the heating requirements of our house by using wood pellets.
As we ourselves travel a lot by train and bus, we are always happy when our guests arrive by public transport and use it during their holiday. Thanks to our guest card, environmentally friendly holidays here in South Tyrol are even free of charge.
It was several thousand years ago that mining in Fleres and Colle Isarco was first documented in the 13th century. Back then, hard-working miners began extracting silver around the area of the Tribulaun, marking the beginning of South Tyrol’s mining history …
While the yield in the 14th century was still meagre, by the early 15th century, several operations had combined to form the “Colle Isarco Trade” and achieved considerable income. Until the second half of the 15th century, the southern Alta Valle Isarco, particularly Fleres and Colle Isarco, was the centre of Tyrolean mining.
… and so it continued
By the late 15th century, extensive silver deposits were discovered in Schwaz, and silver production increasingly shifted there. Nevertheless, Colle Isarco and Fleres remained important suppliers of lead for centuries.
In the early 16th century, Emperor Maximilian I issued a new mining ordinance for Colle Isarco, and mining in South Tyrol became increasingly unprofitable. This marked the decline of mining in the Colle Isarco-Vipiteno mining court.
Even today, there are still many tunnels in the surrounding area from that era, serving as witnesses to South Tyrol’s mining history. Unfortunately, all of them have collapsed and are no longer accessible.
The Knappenhof was built by our parents Rosa and Ferdinand in 1991 and named after the hard-working miners of the region – after all, they have always played an important role in the valley. Since the year 2000, their son Thomas has been guiding the fate of the house with great passion and joy, steering the Knappenhof into the future until it will eventually pass to his son Tobi.
