The old bridge over the Sanna is part of the small centre of Pians. Pians extends as far as the Parseierspitze, the highest peak in the Lechtal Alps. The village centre and mountain landscape sit alongside one another on very different scales. The sacred buildings add a focus on cultural history: their architectural styles and dates of origin span several centuries. To get your bearings in Pians, you can therefore consider the village centre, chapels and landscape as separate themes.

Churches and chapels: different layers of history

The Roman Catholic parish church is dedicated to Saint Anthony and is located in the centre of Pians. The Margaret Chapel represents a different architectural period: it dates from the 14th century or, at the latest, the early 15th century, and is Gothic. Its features include the almost completely preserved north entrance and the pointed-arch portal on the west side.

The walk to the Margaret Chapel is considered a more leisurely and less strenuous option; the chapel is also known for its beautiful frescoes. It thus combines Gothic architecture and frescoes with a walking option that differs from the views of the mountain landscape.

The open-air Sacred Heart Chapel represents a later local culture of remembrance. The Pians riflemen built it in 1996 on the planted tunnel tube of the expressway to commemorate the Sacred Heart vow of 1796 during the War of the First Coalition against France. A Sacred Heart relief is located in its altar niche. The construction date, the reason for the memorial and the relief offer different insights into the history of this building.

The wayside Chapel of St Joseph houses a 19th-century carved figure of Saint Joseph with the Child. According to a chronicle by Roman Stanger, the Quadratscher Kappali was built in 1820. The Gondakappali, in turn, was enlarged in 1871 and renovated in 2003/04 by the Pians Burschenbung. The chapels therefore also differ in the nature of their histories: the wayside chapel is notable for a work of art, the Quadratscher Kappali for its recorded construction, and the Gondakappali for its structural alterations and renovation.

Trails, landscape and local history

In Quadratsch, the Untere Kappali marks the start of the trail through the gorge. “Tobel” means gorge in the local dialect. The name links the trail to a local word for this type of terrain. Another historical connection leads to Grins: in the past, people who died in Quadratsch were taken there on foot. Quadratsch had no cemetery and belonged to the parish of Grins.

For a view of the landscape, Pians stretches from the small centre with the old bridge over the Sanna to the slopes of the Parseierspitze. The description of the village also extends to the Parseierspitze, the highest peak in the Lechtal Alps. Visitors particularly interested in local architectural history can consider the chapels according to their distinctive features and historical periods; the trail near Quadratsch offers a separate connection to the landscape.

Road directions are also specific: at the Pians exit, you reach the Paznauntalstraße (B 188), which leads into the Paznaun Valley. This adds a route towards the Paznaun Valley to the cultural and landscape themes.

Discover more travel destinations: Grins, Schönwies, Nauders, Sankt Anton Am Arlberg, Faggen, Piller, Tösens, Sankt Jakob Am Arlberg.

Back to the main travel overview: Landeck.