The Tradition of woodcarving in Val Gardena (South Tyrol - Italy)

In the heart of the Italian Alps, whortly after having crossed the Italian border to Austria, driving south from Innsbruck, the famous Olympic town, on your way to Verona, the romantic medieval town home of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, you can't miss a sing indicating the Gardena-Valley. Once a narrow montain valley, it has now become world famous both for his natural beauties which attract thousands of tourists, hikers, climbers and skiers every year and for the manufacture of wooden statues, figurines and toys.

This artistic production has its origins back in the 17th century when the poor mountain farmers began to pass the long winter evenings by carving. At the beginning simple implements for everyday use, including toys, where made. The wood used was soft pine from the surrounding forest.
Prompted by the necessity to survive, these farmers soon began to carry these simple products, to the important cities of Europe and sell them. Through their hand work and perservance it did not take very long before they perfected their skills and were then able to go over to creative carving and produce works of higher quality and artistic merit.
Already by the year 1820 there were over 300 wood carvers in Ortisei, the main village of the Gardena-Valley. The first art school of the valley, set up in 1872 in Ortisei made a major contribution in consolidating these artistic skills which had been handed down from generation to generation, in that it continually gave new impulse and ensured an all-round training.
The Gardena art of wood-carving is now world famous.

Many are the works, particularly of religious art, that over the centuries have gone out all over the world. It can be said that this local art has not only decisively influenced the economic and social development of Ortisei but has also, together of course with the mighty Dolomite landscape, put its stamp on the originality of these people and preserved it throgh to the present day.

About fourty years ago Conrad Moroder junior took over the workshop of his father and developed the manufacturing of artistic woodcarvings. He still personally taking care of the artistic sector of his family-business, which is now carried on by his sons as well, giving the utmost importance to the quality of each single Conrad Moroder Original woodcarving.

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