Klausner Kirchtag (Klaus Hamlet Festival)

A hamlet festival around a Gothic ruin

The Klausner Kirchtag is the patronal festival of the small hamlet of Klaus, situated just south of Terlano along the ancient road descending toward Bolzano. Every year, on St. Margaret's Day, July 12th, the locals gather around the ruins of the Margarethenkirche to renew a tradition deeply rooted in the village's history. It is one of the most secluded and genuine celebrations in the municipality of Terlano, in the province of Bolzano, in the heart of South Tyrol.

The Margarethenkirche: from medieval toll to ruin

The very name of the hamlet recalls an ancient checkpoint (a Wegsperre) established at the end of the 13th century under Meinhard II to control the road. The church of St. Margaret began as a small Romanesque building and was expanded in the early 16th century with the addition of a five-sided late-Gothic choir. A high wall once protected it from the floods of the nearby Margarethenbach stream. Today, the church survives only as a ruin: the Gothic choir, the north wall, and parts of the Romanesque masonry remain, along with the tower attached to the facade and the arched portal. This setting of ancient stones under the open sky makes the festival particularly evocative.

The festival program

The heart of the Kirchtag is the religious service celebrated on the patronal day directly inside the ruins for the living and the deceased of the Klaus hamlet, following the tradition of the Terlano parish (Terlan-Mölten Deanery). The celebration, held in the late afternoon, is followed by convivial community festivities, featuring the typical hospitality of South Tyrolean Kirchtags.

• Gathering around the Margarethenkirche ruins in the Klaus hamlet
• Religious service in honor of St. Margaret, the village's patron saint
• Traditional hamlet festivities with social gatherings

Terlano and South Tyrol

Terlano is a wine-growing municipality known throughout the Wine Road area, famous for its white wines and asparagus. The Klausner Kirchtag offers visitors a different, more intimate side of the territory: that of small hamlets that preserve centuries-old patronal festivals around their places of worship. Participating in this festival means capturing the authentic soul of South Tyrolean tradition, far from the major tourist events.