Karthaus - a place that stands on a monastery

The Schnalstal Valley is one of the most traditional holiday areas in South Tyrol. In a short distance, you can travel from the apple and vineyards of the Vinschgau to the high alpine glacier regions. In Kurzras, at the end of the valley, there is one of the largest and oldest cable car systems in the Alps, the Schnalstal Glacier Cable Cars, which lead up to an altitude of 3,212 m. Up here, near the almost year-round open ski area, the legendary "Ötzi", the glacier mummy from the Neolithic period, was also found in 1991.

Further down the valley, the Charterhouse of Allerengelberg was founded in 1326. It was founded by the then Tyrolean prince Heinrich VI, who was briefly also King of Bohemia. A terrace on the right side of the valley behind Katharinaberg was chosen as the location, where the monastery was finally opened in 1332. Allerengelberg was equipped with extensive patronage rights and soon developed into a center of the Carthusians in Tyrol.

As part of the Josephine Reform, which abolished all monasteries that were not dedicated to nursing, pastoral care, or education, Allerengelberg was also secularized in 1782. The monks had to leave the monastery, the complex was offered for sale, and finally acquired in small parcels by farmers and merchants in the valley. They did not demolish the buildings, but used them for their purposes. This resulted in a unique village in the former monastery complex.

For today's visitor, the origin of the village of Karthaus is not immediately apparent. The history of the village is explained on an information board in the main square near the church of St. Anna. The main square was once the monastery courtyard, surrounded by the prior's house, the Anna church, the library, the porter's house, economic buildings, and the monastery church of St. Michael. The latter was converted into a barn and stable during the secularization. The cloister and the former cell houses are still partially recognizable, and the ring wall with battlements and loopholes is partially well-preserved. Some embedded reliefs and sculptures can be seen in the building of the monastery kitchen.

In 1924, Karthaus was almost completely destroyed by a fire, but was quickly rebuilt. Thanks to the restoration by the monument office and the extensive village renovation in the 1970s, the overall impression of the "village in the monastery" is still impressive today.