In 1891 the name “Ciaschèa” (Ciajea) appears for the first time, linked to the Mussner family, a family of mule handlers. At that time, South Tyrol was still part of Austria. Until the end of the 19th century, this family mediated trade with Italy - via the mountains - with the help of their mules. Of course, a good part of the trade involved woodcarvings.

Our first shop in Selva

In 1936, the sculptor August Mussner founded our first woodcarving store in Selva, in the Ciajea house. The shop was later expanded to offer enough space for a wider range of sacred and profane sculptures.

Present days

His son, Walther Mussner, also decided to follow in his father's footsteps. He too learned the art of carving, continuing to run the shop until today. Over the years, he has further developed and modernized the range of products. That is why today you can find a huge variety of sculptures in all possible variations and designs in our specialist woodcarving shop.

Once upon a time, there was a farmer who lived in a small mountain village. In winter, the landscape was always covered in snow and the farmer didn't have much to do in his fields. One day, driven by necessity, he took a piece of wood and a carving knife and began to carve a small horse. He wanted to make a toy for his son. He succeeded so well that the next day he also carved a kitten for his little daughter.

When his relatives came to visit him, they were very surprised by the farmer's skills, and the other children in the village also wished for such wonderful wooden toys. Eventually, the inhabitants of this mountain village discovered that they could create many beautiful and useful things with the wood that grew in their valley.

With passing of time, they grew very skilled until they began to sell their products: first in the neighboring villages, then further and further away. This was the beginning of the art of woodcarving in Val Gardena. It wasn’t long before the sculptors in Val Gardena become world famous and up to the present day, they are bearers of a precious and unique sculpting tradition.