Kulturlarch – Kulturverein Schnals

Kulturlarch: Culture re-emerging in Val Senales

Kulturlarch is a biennial cultural festival created by the Kulturverein Schnals, the cultural association of the municipality of Senales (Schnals) in the autonomous province of Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige. Launched in 2022, the event alternates annually with the association's other major project, «Kunst in der Kartause», with a clear mission: to open up new spaces and forms of expression across the valley, taking culture out of traditional settings and into farmsteads, churches, and village homes.

The 2026 theme: Forgotten folk songs

The 2026 edition of Kulturlarch is dedicated to the intangible musical heritage of Val Senales, centered on the theme «Von der Weißkugl bis zur Hohen Wild – Vergessenes Schnalser Liedgut»—the forgotten folk songs of the valley, evoked by the surrounding peaks from the Palla Bianca (Weißkugel) to the Cima Fiammante (Hohe Wilde). This rediscovery project aims to restore orally transmitted melodies that were on the verge of being lost to the community.

The Program

• May 9, 2026 – «Gotische Schätze kehren heim» («Gothic treasures return home»): An event dedicated to the return of precious local Gothic artworks to the valley.
• June 13, 2026, at 3:00 PM – Vereinshaus in Monte Santa Caterina (Katharinaberg): The festival's centerpiece, a HUANGART featuring the forgotten folk songs of Val Senales. The dialect term Huangart refers to the old farming tradition of gathering in the evening to tell stories, sing, and socialize—the perfect setting to bring these old songs back to life.

A project rooted in the territory

Founded over twenty-five years ago by local cultural enthusiasts and affiliated with the Heimatpflegeverein Südtirol, the Kulturverein Schnals is dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Val Senales, as well as fostering cultural exchange. Alongside Kulturlarch and «Kunst in der Kartause», the association manages projects like «Silentium» and «Transhumanz», which celebrate the valley's transhumance traditions and Alpine identity. Kulturlarch offers a discreet yet invaluable opportunity to discover a vibrant mountain culture that remains in dialogue with the present in this authentic corner of South Tyrol.