Chienes - Kiens

The commune consists of five different parts: Chienes-Kiens, Casteldarne-Ehrenburg, S. Sigismondo-St. Sigmund, Corti-Hofern and Monghezzo-Getzenberg.
The main village of Kiens lies on the sunny side and on the estuary of the Grünbach stream which flows into the Rienza-Rienz river. The main road of the Pustertal Valley and the railway line Fortezza-Brunico (Franzensfeste-Bruneck) transit the village. In a document of 1010 a Roman church is mentioned in „Kiehna“. Today’s parish church of Saint Petrus and Paulus was built in the late Baroque era with pictures of Josef Renzler and Stadler.
The widespread farms of Hofern with the Gothic church St. Martin lie in the north and were called Houaroum in 1030. In the east there is the renovated Castle of Schöneck which is the birth place of Oswald von Wolkenstein, a famous earl, knight, poet and minnesinger. Just below Corti-Hofern there is the Issengo-Issing lake, a lake particularly loved for bathing from June until September.
In Monghezzo-Getzenberg you can find a few remoted farms and down in the valley there is the village of Casteldarne-Ehrenburg.