Glurns 

it seems that time stands still 

Glurns is one of the eight cities in South Tyrol and it is the smallest city in the Alps with completely perserved city walls. Glurns is situaded at the bottom of the hill of Tarsch. In the west Glurns leads to the Münstertal Valley towards Swizerland, in the north it leads to the Vinschgau Valley towards the Reschenpass.

The first settlement, the village Glurns, was in the western part of the city, between Bridge Etsch and the Gate of Mals. The first time Glurns was mentioned on a document was in the year 1163; its name Glurnis, Clurne, Clorol or Glurens has a pre-Romanic or Rhaetian origin and means hazel or alder meandow.

Already during Roman times Glurns was a traffic junction as the Via Claudia Augusta went through Glurns and also a trade route into the near Switzerland.

In the year 1304 Glurns was mentioned for the first time as a city. Glurns is very welll situated near the frontiers to Tyrol and Swizerland and so it became rich in a short time and also famous for its market. In the year 1233 the courts from the whole Upper Vinschgau Valley had its headquarters in Glurns.

On 22nd Mai 1499 the battle of Calven took place: The army of the Three Alliances won the battle against army of the emperor. After that the city was plundered and raided and set on fire.

During the reconstruction of the city two fortifications were built after the plans of Jörg Kolderer. These fortifications were finished in the year 1580 and can still be visited.