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                                                                                                                                              Photo: Pragser Wildsee ©Caroline M. Heiss 

 

Lake Braies offers a spectacular atmosphere
 
Marvellous landscapes and spectacular views await visitors to Lake Braies.
 
The lake is an ideal starting point for touring in the Fanes-Sennes-Braies nature reserve. Here you
can experience the beauty of the Dolomites; you’ll know why Unesco declared them part of our
World Natural Heritage in 2009.
 
The Dolomites are a breathtaking splendor and for decades a popular holiday destination in Europe.
 
Words cannot describe its beauty, the magical play of its colors, or the cam it radiates. Whoever sees
it on will never forget it.

  

                                          Photo: Pragser Wildsee from the Seekofel © Caroline M. Heiss - Photo: Colli Alti © Hermann Oberhofer

 

Excursions from Pragser Wildsee Lake

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The Alta Pusteria is a popular area for hiking. Hiking tours starting from here range from easy and

pictureque tours like the sea raound (app. 1h) to challenging tours to the top of the Croda del Becco

(2810m app. 5h)

 
Our hotel is an excellent starting point to discover the fascinating region of Alta Pusteria.
No matter inwhat you are interested, trips to the attractive destinations Drei Zinnen, Plätzwiese,
Misurina, Cortina, Fischleintal, Antholz, Tauferer Wasserfälle will fulfill your holiday dreams. Families
with children will find a wide range of activities in close vicinity.
 
In the evening when the day comes to rest, you can enjoy the silence of this place and refuel your
energy fromthe everyday stress.

  

                                                                    Photo: Marmot © Hermann Oberhofer Foto: Croda Rossa © Peter Stahlheber

  
 
 
 
My Love for Pragser Wildsee Lake – Anton Schwingshackl (* 1901 – † 1987)
 
The Pragser Wildsee Lake has found many admirers, but none more ardent than Anton Schwingshackl,
the parish priest of St. Veit in Prags, who put his feelings in writing.
 
“When I read about it, I sit up and take notice. When I write about it, my imagination sweeps me off my
feet. Of all mountain lakes it was the first one I saw — when I was just a boy — and it will be the last one
I forget. Pragser Wildsee is so beautiful, ever-changing and always beautiful; its charms are so varied that
no praise will ever describe it as it really is. No photographer will ever get a picture that even comes close
to doing it justice.
 
I have admired the lake at every hour of the day and night. Countless times I have circled its shores along
the familiar mountain track that offers a different view of the lake at every step. I’ve rowed around on it in
a boat, explored every point and landed in every bay. In midsummer I lay my body in its tingling waters.
In winter when it’s frozen solid under a soft or firm blanket of snow, I made tracks across it on skis. In this
way I have become its friend, and I always hope it has become mine as well. Could it yet hold any secret
that I have not discovered? Yes! A mountain lake always has more secrets than anyone has explored. For
a beauty without secrets, whether a flower, a person, a mountain, a landscape or a lake, would not be
half as beautiful.” 

 

                                                                                                                                                       Photo: Pragser Wildsee ©Torsten Lüdtke  
 
 
SS Hostages on Pragser Wildsee
 
As World War ll drew to a close, the SS were determined to use every means at their disposal to
prevent the defeat of the NS regime. One such means was to take prominent concentration camp
inmates hostage for use as pawns during negotiations with the Western Allies.
 
By order from SS Obergruppenführer Dr. Ernst Kaltenbrunner the hostages – many of whom had been
at the mercy of the SS for years – were collected from various concentration camps and brought together
in the camp at Dachau for transfer to a destination further south.
 
The group that arrived in Niederdorf in Hochpustertal Valley on April 28, 1945 in the company of a heavily
armed SS guard detail numbered 139 in total and included citizens of 17 European countries.
They were liberated two days later by German Army troops and taken to Hotel “Pragser Wildsee,” where
their odyssey halfway through Europe ended.

  € 14,80

 

 

110 Years of Hotel Pragser Wildsee: History of a Grand Hotel in the Dolomites

To celebrate the 110th anniversary of the Hotel Pragser Wildsee in July, 2009, the Pragser Wildsee
Historic Archives are publishing a book documenting the complete history of the hotel, as well as the
life of the founder, Frau Emma Hellenstainer, and her family. The book recalls the hotel’s past in
the context of the history of South Tyrol, tracing not only the hotel’s founding years, but also its
course through the century.
 
The life and works of the legendary hôtelière Frau Emma Hellenstainer and her descendants are of
course closely interwoven with the history of the hotel itself: Frau Emma’s son Eduard, owner of the
Pragser Wildsee and a successful entrepreneur; Hermann and Josefine Hellenstainer, owners of the
Hotel Emma in Meran; and Emma Heiss-Hellenstainer, owner of the Hotel Elephant in Brixen.

  € 35,00

 You can buy these books ordering theme by e- mail.

 

 

 


Hotel Pragser Wildsee - St. Veit 27 - 39030 Prags - South Tyrol - Italy
Tel. +39 0474 748602 - E-Mail:  hotel@pragserwildsee.com
VAT ID IT00689200210