The City Walls and Other Cultural Gems
City Walls
In the 16th Century the Emperor Maximilian I ordered the rebuilding of the still-extant city walls, originally built as a bulwark against enemies. The former village of Glorenza/Glurns (today the town square district west of the road to Malles/Mals) and city of Meinhard II (with the Laubengasse lane as a central axis) were surrounded and embedded inside a ten meter high city wall with town gates.
Laubengasse Lane – Former Trading Centre and Market Alley
In 1291, on August 24, Duke Meinhard II, Count of Tyrol, inaugurated the St. Bartholomew’s Market in Glorenza/Glurns. The market took place over ten days and was regarded as a rival to the fair of Müstair Valley, organized on 8 September (the Nativity of Mary) in the nearby market town Müstair, which belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Chur. In addition, he fortified the city with a fortification wall at the main road and two no longer existing gates at the top and bottom of the road. Remnants of the former city wall can be seen today in the Pankratius alley opposite the old town mill.
The town’s trade concentrated on products such as salt from the Inntal Valley, wine from Valtellina, sheep and local grain. In the arcaded houses, the workshops of artisans were established. Among the arcades running upstream they then offered their wares for sale.
St. Pancras Parish Curch
Located outside the city walls lies the parish church of St. Pancras. The feast day of St. Pancras is celebrated each year on 12 May. From the Romanesque parish church, first mentioned in 1227, only the tower remains, the old nave with the choir having been replaced by a later Gothic construction. The Baroque onion dome dates from the period after 1664.
Opening times: the parish church is open during Holy Mass on Sundays and on public holidays.
City Square
Today, the Glorenza central town square is the link between the downtown and uptown areas. The square is temporarily traffic-free and boasts two large chestnut trees and a water well, a setting that invites visitors to rest for a while. From the circular bench under the trees and the seats of the surrounding cafés, one can relax and observe local small town life. On religious holidays, processions with banners, statues, music bands and delegations of local clubs cross the town square en route to the parish church. On market days, and on the occasion of festivals and celebrations, a bustling social life fills the town square.
Plenty of other attractions are to be discovered inside and outside the city walls.