1900Transportation prior to the construction of the Vinschgau railway
The marble blocks from Lasa’s quarries were first brought to a workshop in Lasa, the only place that had adequate facilities, trained masons and sculptors. From there they were taken to Merano and Bolzano. The route to Lasa had some very steep sections where several oxen and horses had to be employed. "Osetz", the name of the hill between Silandro and Lasa, indicates the point where horses were detached. The heavy loads of marble that were to reach Merano required special wagons built using resistant larch wood. Up to 32 horses and 16 men were required on the "Vintschgauer Reichsstrasse”, a very rough and uneven section of the route. The men traditionally wore short blue linen aprons with white embroidery. Almost all the bridges had to be reinforced for this sort of transport.
