In our Ladin Dolomite valley, language, art, and culture are deeply rooted, providing the local population with a distinct identity that is practiced in their daily lives. As a tourism organization, we contribute to preserving this identity by prominently incorporating it into our communication and actively supporting local associations.
As you make your way into Val Gardena, you will immediately notice the trilingual signposts: Val Gardena’s variant of Ladin, German, and Italian. The Ladin municipalities all have three official names, too: Urtijëi, St. Ulrich, Ortisei; S. Crestina, St. Christina, S. Cristina; and Sëlva, Wolkenstein, Selva Gardena.
In 1989, Ladin became the third official language alongside Italian and German, which had already obtained that acknowledgement. Its status is valid across all Ladin municipalities in the province of Bolzano as well as in all public offices which take care of the issues and wellbeing of the Ladin population.
The education system in Ladin locations in the province of Bolzano is the embodiment of the three languages – Ladin, Italian, and German. In other words, schools are open to multilingualism and each language is treated the same. Children have their first contact with all three languages already when in kindergarten. To keep Ladin, the minority language, alive and kicking, a dedicated TV and radio broadcaster were created.
The “Micurá de Rü” institute organises initiatives to preserve and promote the Ladin language and culture. It publishes various books on different subject matters in Ladin as well as books in other languages about the Ladin area, language, and culture. An important part of the Institute’s work is supporting cultural associations which follow and promote its same goals and values.
The “Union di ladins” (Ladin Union) aims to preserve the Ladin language and culture in the Ladin valleys, and publishes the weekly Ladin newspaper “Usc di ladins” (Voice of the Ladini) and works together with the “Museum de Gherdëina”, the museum about everything Val Gardena.
The youth look to the future with optimism and want to experience Europe and its cultural and linguistic diversity. Incidentally, English is also added to the mix from the 4th year of primary school. This means the younger generations in Val Gardena speak at least four languages.
The traditions and culture of the Ladin people express the heart of folklore in Val Gardena. There are always countless traditions and festivities depending on the time of the year and, although in today’s day and age their deeper meaning and origin are not always obvious, they are nevertheless important to maintain traditions.
Ladin language and craftsmanship are important, traditional elements – as are the “Trachten”, Val Gardena’s typical clothing, considered the most beautiful and diverse in the entire Alps. The different types of clothes symbolise the wearer’s social status.
Associations are the beating heart of Val Gardena – indeed, there are countless cultural associations! The valley boasts “Trachten” associations, folklore dance groups, church, youth, and men’s choirs, bands, and theatre associations. They all contribute to the preservation of local culture and are supported by the municipalities and tourist offices.
The volunteer fire brigades, libraries, sport associations, youth associations, the “Heimatpflegeverband” (an association in charge of protecting local history, traditions, and landscapes), and trade associations complement the abovementioned list.
Ladinia Creativa is a portal where you can search for examples of innovative Ladin creativity. In particular, there are artists from all artistic disciplines (sculpture, painting, literature, music, dance, film and video, theatre, etc.), as well as special projects and cultural associations. Searches can be carried out according to various criteria and new artists and projects can be added.
Starting from the 18th century, farmers started looking for additional opportunities to improve their standard of living, especially during the winter. In Val Gardena, this took the shape of wood carving sacred figurines and representations as well as “chiena” (wooden toys). These wooden toys were carved by the entire family and made in series: dolls, wooden rocking horses, animals, soldiers. The start of this crafts goes back to the 16th century.
Val Gardena’s wood carvers travelled all over Europe to sell their wares. In the mid-19th century, there were a good 300 branches of Val Gardena companies across all Europe which sold sculptures and wooden toys. In the past, it was normal for households to host craftsmen for a short period of time. This tradition of moving from one house to the next and asking for accommodation in exchange of their services was called “jì sun la stieres (on-site services).
To this very day, this type of craft represents an important activity for the Ladin valleys’ economy. Some professions may have vanished over time, while others, thanks to booming tourism, survived, changed, and thrived. The marriage of tourism and craftsmanship is visible when we think about the valley’s hotels – carpenters, decorators, weavers, painters, and carvers have adapted to this new way of working and supply their clients with their good and products.
There are still plenty of sculptors, wood carvers, and painters in the valley – to the extent many have come together to create art associations the likes of UNIKA and Gardena Art to organise and offer joint initiatives.
