At 6:45 AM on May 4, 1945, the first American patrol arrived at these shores to take custody of 141 prominent hostages released by the SS, concluding one of the final chapters of World War II in Italy. The backdrop to this historical event is Lake Braies, a barrier lake situated at an altitude of 1,496 meters. It formed when a massive landslide detached from the Sasso del Signore, permanently damming the Rio Braies. Located in a lateral valley of the Val Pusteria, 97 kilometers from Bolzano, the lake lies entirely within the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park. The settlement’s name was first documented in 1296 as Hünz an den Se, changing to Praxersee in 1330 and See in Prags in 1400. By 1885 it became Pragser Wildsee, with the addition of "wild" reflecting the era's rising mass alpinism. Although the 1923 gazetteer retained the German name, the official Italian designation, Lago di Braies, was introduced in 1940.
What to see
The water covers an expanse of 33 hectares, stretching 1.2 kilometers in length and up to 400 meters in width. It ranks among the deepest lakes in the Bolzano province, reaching a maximum depth of 36 meters and an average of 17 meters, with peak water temperatures of 14 °C. The basin is enclosed on three sides by Dolomite peaks, dominated by the 2,810-meter rock face of Croda del Becco, known as Seekofel in German and Sass dla Porta in Ladin. Standing on the shore is the historic Hotel Pragser Wildsee, where the WWII hostages were held. The distinguished prisoners included Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg, French Prime Minister Léon Blum, Italian general Sante Garibaldi, Pietro Badoglio's son, Hungarian PM Miklós Kállay, Greek general Alexandros Papagos, Soviet lieutenant Vassilij Kokòrin, Nikolaus von Horthy, Bishop Gabriel Piguet, General Franz Halder, and family members of Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg. American forces disarmed the Wehrmacht, leaving weapons only to Captain von Alvensleben and one other officer. High-profile Germans such as Alexander von Falkenhausen, Hjalmar Schacht, Fritz Thyssen, Georg Thomas, and Prince Philipp of Hesse were arrested. German prisoners with no Nazi ties were sent to Capri before release, while Schuschnigg emigrated to the USA. Since 2006, the hotel has housed the Zeitgeschichtsarchiv Pragser Wildsee, an archive dedicated to the anti-Nazi resistance. The wider valley also holds the memory of the Ponticello di Braies tragedy of March 7, 1970, when an avalanche killed seven Alpini soldiers.
Visiting
For hikers, the lake serves as the starting point for the Alta via n. 1 of the Dolomites, an extensive trek known as "The Classic" that concludes at the Schiara group in Belluno. In the winter months, the solidly frozen surface has hosted curling competitions since 2012. Recently, the lake has experienced a massive influx of visitors driven by the television series Un passo dal cielo, filmed here in 2010, 2012, and 2018. Starring Terence Hill as a forestry commander from San Candido, the show's success forced local administrators to implement tourism containment policies, including mandatory reservations and severe restrictions on private cars. The lake's wartime history was also the subject of the 2016 Rai documentary Ostaggi delle SS.
Our editors' tip
Look up at the dramatic geology of the Croda del Becco (Sass dla Porta), which is deeply tied to Ladin mythology. According to the Kingdom of Fanes saga, on nights with a full moon, the few survivors of the Fanes people—nearly destroyed by a greedy usurper king—emerge from a large natural hole in the mountain to row silently across the lake, led by their queen and the heroine Lujanta. A separate local legend claims the lake itself was created by mountain-dwelling savages, who summoned the water to flood the valley and protect their gold from avaricious cattle herders.