46°33′36″N11°42′17″E / 46.56000°N 11.70472°E /46.56000; 11.70472
Val Gardena (Italian:[ˌvalɡarˈdeːna,ˌvalɡarˈdɛːna];[1][2]German:Gröden[ˈɡʁøːdn̩];Ladin:Gherdëina[ɡʀ̩ˈdɜi̯na]ⓘ) is a valley in theDolomites ofSouth Tyrol,Northern Italy. It is best known as a touristskiing,rock climbing, andwoodcarving area.
The valley's main river is theDerjon, a tributary of theEisack river. The mountains that surround the valley are formed bydolomite rocks, which confer on them a characteristic appearance. Most of the steep slopes are covered by pine woods. The favoured cultivations are barley, rye, potatoes, flax, buckwheat. The three municipalities in Val Gardena areUrtijëi,Sëlva, andSanta Cristina;[3] they were served by theVal Gardena Railway from 1916 until 1960.[4][5]
The first document about Val Gardena dates back to 993/94–1005: in a tradition note of thediocese of Freising, the Bavarian Count Otto from the Rapoton family transferred, among other things, "ad Gredine forestum" (forest area in Val Gardena) to Bishop Gottschalk of Freising.[6]
Val Gardena is one of five valleys with a majority ofLadin speakers (two of these valleys are inSouth Tyrol). The form of the Ladin language spoken in this valley is calledGardenese inItalian,Grödnerisch inGerman andGherdëina inLadin.
The woodcarving industry has flourished in Val Gardena since the 17th century.[7] Since the 19th century,statues andaltars carved in the area have been shipped toCatholic Churches throughout the world. In the 18th century, besides religious statuettes, the production of woodcarved figurines of genre art was widespread in the valley. Among them statuettes ofbeggars generally in pairs (female and male), four seasons, watchstands were very popular. In the 19th and 20th century, carving of wooden toys[8] was such a widespread occupation in all Gardenese families thatAmelia Edwards called Urtijëi the "capital of Toyland".[9] One of the valley's best-known products is thepeg wooden doll which was popular all over Europe and America in the 19th century.
In one of her many tripsMargaret Warner Morley went to Europe to Val Gardena where she was inspired to write the novelDonkey John of the toy valley.[10]
TheParish Church of Urtijëi displays a rich collection of statues carved by local artists in the last two centuries. TheMuseum Gherdëina in Urtijëi owns a rich collection of historical wooden toys,[11] and woodcarved statues andfigurines.[12]
The valley hosted theFIS Alpine World Ski Championships in1970.
Val Gardena is home to theSaslong Classic, a men'sWorld Cupdownhill race that has been held almost every year since1969. Since2002 (and in1983), the downhill has been paired with aSuper-G race, and from 1979 to 1982 acombined event was held.[13] The Saslong course is considered one of the five "classic" men's downhill races, along withGarmisch-Partenkirchen's Kandahar (GER),Kitzbühel'sHahnenkamm (AUT),Wengen'sLauberhorn (SUI), andVal-d'Isère's Criterium (FRA).[14] It is well known for the "Camel Humps" (or "Bumps"), a series of three small jumps which racers must negotiate in quick succession. Two men have won the Saslong title four times in a career: AustrianFranz Klammer (1975, two races in 1976, and 1982) and Italy'sKristian Ghedina (1996, 1998, 1999, and 2001). If Super-G wins are also included, two other men have matched that feat:Peter Müller of Switzerland and AustrianMichael Walchhofer.[15]
A women'sslalom and parallel slalom were also held in1975.[16]
Val Gardena is part of theSella Ronda alpineski touring circuit.
TheGardena Spring Trophy is an annual international figure skating competition held every spring in the Valley.
Val Gardena has aSerie Aice hockey team, theHockey Club Gardena.
