The main town of the Upper Venosta Valley,
Mals, is located at 1,000 meters above sea level in a sunny, open location at the foot of Malles Heath. The old town centre contains seven Romanesque churches and chapels, towers and villas. There are the enchanting satellite villages of
Laatsch, Schleis and
Burgeis, with the
Marienberg Abbey, which is the abbey located at the highest altitude in all of Europe. At the bottom of Malles lies the mystical
Tarces hill. Also noteworthy are the enchanting mountain villages of
Matsch and
Ulten-Alsack,
Planeil and
Plawenn as well as
Schlinig and
Prämajur, which belong to Mals. In earlier times, the 5,000-strong community once had seven steeples and five of them are still in existence.