• Index
  1. Director of Estate Management and Deputy Director of the Research Centre
  2. Secretarial staff

Laimburg Estate Management

Laimburg Estate Management is responsible for the management and administration of all agricultural property belonging to the Autonomous Province of Bolzano; it also has fiduciary responsibility for Laimburg Research Centre. The Estate comprises a series of two types of landholdings: consolidated farms and so-called “closed” farms, which are single indivisible agricultural holdings that have been passed down from father to first-born son for centuries. In addition to these farms, the Estate Management is responsible for a winery, several mechanical workshops, a nursery for plants, the Passer Fish Hatchery and The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. The landholdings are located throughout South Tyrol at sites ranging from 200 to 1,000 metres above sea level – a variety of altitudes and microclimates that makes it possible to cultivate and study all crops grown in South Tyrol. This in turn helps South Tyrol’s farmers garner an edge in a competitive marketplace.

The Estate Management’s first priority is to make its agricultural resources, forest areas and infrastructure available to the Research Centre, as well as to students of its Professional School for Fruit Growing, Viticulture and Gardening who use it as a training ground. However, if currently not being used for experimental trials, the grounds are farmed commercially; this allows for financial self-sufficiency and autonomous farm management. The products – all grown in accordance with ecological guidelines – cover a wide variety of agricultural practices: from dairy farming to beekeeping, from mountain agriculture to forest management, cultivation of herbs and spices, fish farming, horticulture, vegetable gardening, fruit growing and winemaking.

The Estate Management’s flagship is Laimburg Province Winery, which annually produces and markets 2,500 hectolitres of quality wine, made from fifteen different grape varieties grown on a wide range of sites throughout South Tyrol. Events and tastings that take place in the Felsenkeller or stone cellar, which was designed by local artists, serve to increase the visibility of South Tyrol wines and to foster wine culture in general. The stone cellar also provides a means of representing the province of South Tyrol since it is used as a promotional space by the local government.