Church Tower in the Resia lake Reschen

The sunken tower in the lake is the landmark of the vacation region Reschenpass. The landmark is both fairytale-like and fascinating: a sunken church tower rises from the six-kilometer-long Reschen Lake against the mountain backdrop of the rustic Langtauferer Valley, lonely and forlorn. It is located on the eastern shore of the lake at the level of the municipality of Graun in the Vinschgau Valley.

The tower, now only 22 meters high, was built as early as the 14th century and was originally 36 meters high. At the highest water level of Lake Resia, the tower is 7 meters deep in the water. The church away from the tower was built between 1832 and 1838 and was destroyed when the lake was dammed. You can learn more about the history behind the tower in the lake at the Museum of Old Curon on Lake Reschen.

Since the tower is the most popular photo motif in the Vinschgau Valley, you can take your vacation memories home with you through the WebFotoPoint. With the picturesque sunken church tower in the background, the perfect photo is created here.

The story behind the well-known postcard motif, the "tower in the lake", is far less idyllic: the Romanesque little church from the 14th century is a silent witness to an irresponsible lake damming shortly after the end of the Second World War.

In 1939, the large corporation "Montecatini" submitted a project to dam Lake Resia and Lake Graun by 22 meters, without taking into account the opinion of the population of Resia and Graun. However, due to the outbreak of the World War, this construction project was delayed and the inhabitants of the Upper Vinschgau believed that the construction project was buried forever. But already in 1947, only two years after the end of the war, work on the dam project was resumed. 

In the summer of 1950, the time had finally come and the sluices were closed, resulting in the great damming of the lake. In the process, 677 hectares of land were flooded, almost 150 families were deprived of their livelihood and half of them were forced to emigrate. 

Today the tower in the Reschensee is a protected monument and the landmark of the community of Graun.

Via the Vinschgau state road SS 40 to the parking lot in Graun am Reschenpass.