The theatre under the stars

Knottnkino, also known as Knottenkino, is a specially designed vantage point on the Rotsteinkogel porphyry rock at 1465 m above sea level near the South Tyrolean village of Vöran above Burgstall. "Knottn" means "rock" in the South Tyrolean dialect.

The Knottn cinema, created in 2000 by metal designer and artist Franz Messner (1952-2017) from Klobenstein am Ritten, consists of 30 weatherproof folding chairs made of stainless steel and chestnut wood. They serve the hiker as an invitation to take a seat and enjoy the view in changing light with drifting clouds like in a cinema where nature directs. In this way, depending on the weather, wind, view and brightness, there is a constantly changing view of the Adige Valley with the city of Merano including side valleys and adjacent mountains from the cinema armchair.

The original intention of the artist was to erect a Knottnkino on the "Beimsteinknott" (Beimsteinkogel) at the turn of the millennium. Since the landowner did not agree, the "Rotsteinknott" (Rotsteinkogel) was chosen not far away. The financing was ultimately provided by the South Tyrolean government within the framework of the promotion of Millennium projects. The opening ceremony took place on 28 July 2001.