History of City Streets: Via Bottai-Bindergasse

The commercial development of Bolzano dates back to the Middle Ages. Many of the city's oldest buildings in the historic centre were built during the 13th and 14th centuries. 

Some of the most representative ones are found along Via Bottai-Bindergasse, one of the most important streets of the medieval merchant city. The street has retained its character and charm throughout the centuries, and even today, its atmosphere is lively at all hours of the day. Ancient wrought iron signs still hang over shop entrances, unmistakably indicating the type of trade once practiced there.

Via Bottai-Bindergasse is a busy street connecting the city’s main squares, yet it maintains its own character with its many cafés and restaurants, whose outdoor seating invites passersby to stop for a coffee, lunch, or dinner.

The street’s name dates back to the 15th century, when the first cooper workshops opened. In 1423, the coopers founded their guild: the oldest, most powerful, and most prestigious in the city. This influential guild is still remembered today through the traditional "Coopers' Dance," performed on special occasions. Two dancers, dressed in red tunics and distinctive hats, parade and dance through the streets. A fresco depicting the coopers can still be seen on a building along the street.

Via Bottai-Bindergasse was once the main northern entrance to the city. Near the current Museum of Natural Science – a building commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I of Austria in 1512– stood a gate that marked the city’s limits. At the time, wine produced from local vineyards was Bolzano’s most valuable commodity. Coopers and transportation routes were therefore essential to trade.

Travellers from Northern Europe and Southern Italy often stopped in Bolzano before continuing to Italian ports or crossing the Alps to other regions. They had to pass through Via Portici-Laubengasse, the main access route to the rest of the city. Those arriving from the north reached Piazza Dogana, where goods were inspected and taxed. They then continued along today's Via Andreas Hofer.

At the entrance to Via Bottai – near the current Natural Science Museum – another administrative checkpoint awaited: the office for measurement standards, part of the Habsburg administration. Merchants had to have their measuring instruments (used for cloth, rope, wood, etc.) officially verified and stamped. Without this stamp, they could not legally be used.

A stream, known as the "Mill Stream", once ran along the street. It was vital for artisans, who used it to power and cool their tools and machinery.

Image: Via Bottai-Bindergasse, Courtesy Bolzano Bozen Tourism Board