Hotel Pacherhof nestles amidst green vineyards in Neustift near Vahrn, not far from Brixen.
This locality on the old Brenner road was mentioned in a document more than one thousand years ago. Innkeepers and tradesmen have made a living from the brisk trade on this important north-south interconnection since the Middle Ages. Several aristocratic residences, built by nobles and senior officials of
Brixen’s prince bishop, still give distinction to the village landscape today.
Tips for excursions in Neustift / Vahrn:
- Neustift Abbey
The history of the foundation of the Neustift Abbey began in 1140. During this year, Hartmann, the provost of the Klosterneuburg monastery near Vienna, was appointed Bishop of Brixen by Archbishop Konrad of Salzburg. He was very keen to have an abbey near to him in which he could go on retreat. In Tyrol there was not a single Augustinian abbey in 1142, an absence which Hartmann would have seen as a serious shortcoming. The abbey, then, was built 3km north of Brixen not far from the road that leads into the Puster valley on what was then an exposed and rough site in the most absolute of isolation. The abbey’s location was not chosen without good reason; it is at the northern end of the Brixen valley basin at the intersection of the important north-south junction over the Alps and the east-west traffic routes from the Puster valley. On the one hand, the abbey was far enough away from noisy residential areas, on the other hand, the Augustinian monks, could provide the Hospitalitas Augustiniana for which they were famed: a hospital was also established next to the abbey where travellers, pilgrims, the sick and the poor were treated.
Originally, Neustift was a monastery and a convent. Historical sources often refer to women in the abbey, although only up to about 1300. Today, thirty monks still live and work in the Augustinian Abbey of Neustift near Vahrn, the biggest and most famed abbey in the whole of Tyrol. The abbey library and basilica, herbal garden and wine cellar are particularly worth seeing!
More information on Neustift Abbey
- Lake Vahrn is a fabulous destination for a wander, a swim and a relaxing day out.
- The Road to Santiago in South Tyrol: the Road to Santiago runs through the Eisack Valley! Neustift Abbey is located at the intersection of both routes, from north to south and east to west.
- Schalderer river and adventure trail:
Adventure trail along the river on the oldest Kneipp trail in South Tyrol. See the strength of the water on the mill wheel, get your grip on the stones in the Schalderer River and feel the water on your skin, listen to the gurgling of the water through an ear trumpet, and discover the book of fairy tales hidden away on a small island in the river.
- The high plateau of Natz Schabs in springtime enchants visitors with its apple blossom, in autumn with the golden yellow apples and the whole year round with its pleasant walking and hiking trails.