Tourist office Feldthurns Dorf 9 I-39040 Feldthurns - South Tyrol Phone: +39 0472 855 290 info@feldthurns.info  Prehistoric archaeological finds provide evidence that Feldthurns was settled as early as 1000BC. The name of Feldthurns – earlier known as Velthurn – is of Rhaetic, and therefore pre-Roman, origin. According to historians, the first nobles of "Velthurn" had a fortress in the area now known as Schrambach, although there is no trace left of this today. However, there is evidence of a fortress known as "Ziern" which stood on the Pflegerbühel and belonged to the "Lords of Velthurn", who appeared around 1112. "Ötzi" - an inhabitant of Feldthurns? According to the most recent scientific discoveries, Ötzi, found ten years ago, was probably an inhabitant of the Eisacktal, and perhaps even of Feldthurns. About 5000 years ago in the Copper Age, many tools were still made of flint. Copper, the first metal used by humans, was rare and was worshipped in cult fashion. It is possible that the man known as "Ötzi" was from the Hauslabjoch and searching for the precious metal when he died. The archaeologists have excavated ceramic vessels dating from the era of the culture known as the Beaker Culture. The most important find was a burial site in the form of an approximately 20m long oval heap of stones. This huge pile of stones was crowned with a menhir showing depictions of axes, daggers, arrowheads and bows. Only three of these cult sites have been excavated in the entire Alpine region - in Aosta, in the Wallis and in Feldthurns. The presence of copper slag shows that the inhabitants of Feldthurns at that time already knew how to work this metal. This would also tally with the copper axe found with Ötzi.