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| Man and the Nature Park |
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The peaks and rock faces of the Dolomites fascinated the alpinists already more than a century ago. The pioneers of mountaineering in the Dolomites were mostly English. They climbed the first rocks there during the second half of the 19 th century. The locals found this extravagant and weird: as herdsmen they climbed up as far as there was grass for their animals, as hunters as far as there were chamoises. In the old myths and tales, the peaks of the mountains were the realm of demons and gods, of giants and dwarfs.
The English pioneers were soon followed by Viennese and German alpinists. They hired guides and carriers among the most experienced local hunters. The first refuges were constructed and attracted more and more alpinists.
 "Neu-Toblach", a large group of hotels in the village Toblach, dates back to the beginning of the 20 th century and testifies the early boom of tourism. Today, the health resort Wildbad Innichen is a ruin and the resort Bad Maistadt above Niederdorf is closed. The building of the once famous Grand Hotel Toblach was renovated by the authorities of the province and is now a cultural center. The bourgeois houses and residences of Toblach show the importance of Pustertal during the last centuries, as the valley is situated along the old commercial road "Strada d'Alemagna".
The peaceful conquest of the mountains by the alpinists ended in 1915, when the Dolomites became the theater of cruel battles between the Italian and the German armies. The war activities in this area lasted for two and a half years. Ten thousand soldiers had to endure on the icy rocks for two entire winters. Shell splinters can still be found in the mountains and bullet holes can still be seen in Sextenstein. In the cemetery, the painting Totentanz by Rudolf Stolz reminds of the sufferings caused by the war.
Today the villages of Toblach, Sexten and Innichen are among the leading tourist resorts.
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