Auer – Local history, churches and trails

Auer brings together a historic town center, religious buildings and the legacy of the Fiemme Valley Railway with hiking destinations at the Schwarzenbach stream and near Castelfeder. When planning your stay, you can focus on local history, hiking or regional wine.

Historic town center and gardens

Auer’s historic town center includes a maze of narrow streets, a massive wall and historic residences. Baumgarten Castle is also located in the historic center.

The Auer Anger gardens tell the story of an earlier role played by the village: with fruit trees, vineyards and vegetable gardens, they primarily served to provide for the local community. Today, the gardens’ characteristic historic walls shape the townscape, and the gardens form islands of biodiversity in the village. Thus, their former use as kitchen gardens and their present role in the townscape and in supporting biodiversity coexist.

Churches and architectural history

The origins of the Gothic Church of St. Peter date back to the 11th century. The present nave was begun around 1475 and completed in 1526. The north tower, with a bell tower dating from the 13th century, has its origins in an earlier Romanesque structure. Its building history thus spans several centuries in one place.

For visits to the Old Parish Church of St. Peter, Mass times or Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. are listed. Check the exact times with the parish in advance.

The Church of St. Daniel also offers a glimpse into different historical periods: its present structure probably dates from the 14th century and features lancet-arch windows on the south wall as well as sloping choir walls. The church also houses a late Gothic winged altar dating from 1525.

Traces of the Fiemme Valley Railway

The Fiemme Valley Railway was built between 1916 and 1918 as the narrow-gauge Auer–Predazzo railway. Part of the connecting station has been preserved in the former Fiemme Valley Railway site. It includes a water tower, locomotive and carriage sheds, and a locomotive workshop. The surviving buildings and facilities make the former railway connection tangible through its actual structures.

The old Fiemme Valley Railway station building is still used for cultural and musical events. Check current dates before your visit.

Hiking and landscape

A circular hiking trail follows the Schwarzenbach mountain stream to the waterfall. Another hike starts at the Schwarzenbach sports area in Auer and follows Trail No. 5 through woodland and scrubland up to the ruins of Castelfeder and the Barbara Chapel. The two hikes offer different highlights: one follows the stream, while the other leads to the ruins and chapel.

Castelfeder is a protected hill and an important archaeological and natural landscape. Its features include traces from Roman times, old walls, ponds, dry grasslands and ancient oak trees. The Katzenleiter offers a different kind of experience: it is a stone staircase with 540 steps carved into the rock.

Getting here by train and bus

Auer can be reached via the Brenner–Bolzano–Trento railway line. Additional bus services to nearby villages run from Auer station. The train and connecting bus services are useful points of reference when planning your journey and stay.

Wine in Auer

The Clemens Waldthaler winery in Auer is located in the heart of the Lagrein and Pinot Noir region in the South Tyrolean Lowlands and is now run by the seventh generation of winemakers. This connection to wine adds a distinctive regional focus to the town’s historical and scenic attractions.

A visit to the Clemens Waldthaler winery in Ora includes a 1.5-hour cellar tour with a tasting of four wines. Dates are listed for 2026 from September 4 to November 27; registration is required. Check the dates before your trip and sign up for the visit.

Discover more destinations: Salurn, Leifers, Neumarkt, Aldein, Tramin An Der Weinstraße, Montan, Frangarto, Truden Im Naturpark

Go to the main travel overview: Kaltern an der Weinstraße.