Knottnkino, the Rock Cinema & garni Sunnwies at Marlengo in Alto Adige
Knottnkino, the Rock Cinema
Who ever said that a film must be made by human hand? That’s what the artist Franz Messner thought in the year 2000 when he had the idea of making 30 cinema chairs out of steel and chestnut-wood and placing them on the mountains over Merano, in front of the panoramic view of Rotstein-Kogel, halfway between Hafling and Voeran, thus creating a unique „cinema“: The never ending plot you are going to see, once you have taken your seat in the Knottnkino, is created solely by nature itself, and what is more astonishing is the enthralling spectacle. And all without advertising breaks. This film surely shows you the most impressive panoramic view possible.
The view
You will see the whole Etsch Valley together with the Merano basin, from which the side valleys branch off in star-shaped fashion. The scenery consists of the Dolomites and the Texelgroup Nature Park. Below you can see the cities of Merano, Lana and Eppan and the surrounding villages. Though a leading role is given to the wind and the weather, since the continuously changing light provides the special effects, in 3D. Such visions cannot be created in the cinema.
How to reach the rock cinema
The quickest way to the mountain cinema is to go to the Alpenrose Inn in Voeran. From its car park you can reach the panoramic view in about half an hour’ by foot. If you want to combine the nature documentary movie with a nice hike, there are two options: Start at the car park of the Grüner Baum Inn in Voeran and follow the signposted path number 12a up the Rotsteinkogel mountain, the whole round trip will take you about two and a half hours. The alternative is to turn the hike into a real round trip by returning on another trail that leads over the Leadner mountain pasture and the signposted trail number 16 back to the car park where you started. This hike would take you about three hours.