Call for Ideas 2026 · Thank-you: iPad 11

Knappenhof

What should become of this farm? Your ideas decide — as a thank-you for the best idea there's an iPad 11.

Apple iPad 11, 256 GB — thank-you for the best idea — iPad 11 · 256 GB · WiFi

Learn more

Location & Overview

Farm and Pasture

The Knappenhof is located in South Tyrol — the farm and the large, contiguous pasture are separated but within walking distance.

~7,8 ha Contiguous pasture

1440 m Pfitsch · South Tyrol

Mid-1970s Farm built

42 ha forest directly adjoining the fields

Impressions

The farm in pictures

What it looks like today — main house, outbuildings, location in the valley.

Knappenhof with mountain panorama and wooden fence in the foreground — View of the farm with mountain panorama

Main house of the Knappenhof with wooden balcony — Main house with balcony

Outbuilding with rooftop solar panels — Outbuilding with solar panels

The Farm

One farm, many possibilities

The Knappenhof is a South Tyrolean farm from the 1970s — full of character, space and potential. But what should its future look like?

That's exactly where I need your help. I'm open to anything — from experience gastronomy to sports, all the way to ideas no one has thought of yet.

Need some inspiration? Take a look at previous ideas (out of competition — just for inspiration) or just submit your own.

Take Part

Your Ideas

Tell us what you envision for the Knappenhof. There are no wrong answers.

Thank you!

Your ideas have arrived. Thank you!

The Thank-You

Your Ideas Count

For the most creative, most thoughtful or most surprising idea there is a personal thank-you.

iPad 11

256 GB · WiFi

For the best idea

Submit as many ideas as you like — gladly all in one submission
The selected person will be contacted personally
Submission deadline will be announced
Not a lottery in the legal sense — the farm owner selects at their own discretion

Submitted

Submitted Ideas

These ideas have been submitted and published with consent.

Erika

5 ideas · May 2026

Fish farming
Herb garden
Keep alpacas or other sheep, sell their wool, make things from it — possibly with tours for tourists
Highland cattle or pigs for meat sales
Workshop

Jürgen

5 ideas · May 2026

Kobe or Wagyu cattle
Adventure playground for kids and grown-ups
Helicopter landing pad
Camping site
Alpaca hikes

Illona

3 ideas · May 2026

Suckler cow husbandry
Vegetable growing
Rehab and therapy centre (modelled on Bad Bachgart 2)

Hansi

1 idea · May 2026

Experience-driven dining in the style of the Ritterkuchl in Hall (Tyrol)

Martin

1 idea · May 2026

Bitcoin-Mining-Farm aufbauen — und mit der entstehenden Wärme den gesamten Hof sowie die Haushalte in der Umgebung beheizen

Inspiration

Previous Ideas

These ideas are out of competition and only for inspiration — your own idea is what counts.

Raspberry Labyrinth A walk-through labyrinth of raspberry bushes — picking included

Electric Motocross Track Offroad-Strecke für lautlosen Elektro-Motocross

Paintball-Arena Action-Paintball auf dem Hofgelände

Escape Room Rätsel-Erlebnis in den Räumen des Hofs

Solar pasture Agri-Photovoltaik — Strom und Weide kombiniert Currently not legally possible

Glamping Luxury tents with mountain views and campfire

Wedding venue Celebrations and weddings with mountain panorama

Alpaca hikes Geführte Wanderungen mit Alpakas durch die Natur

Hofladen + Café Regional products, jams, fresh coffee

Open-air cinema Open-air cinema under the stars

Mountain artichoke farming Cynara at South Tyrolean altitude — a niche with potential

Mushroom Farming Shiitake, oyster mushrooms & co. — in the cellar or outdoors

Animal Sanctuary Refuge for old or rescued animals — sheep, donkeys, horses

Petting zoo Rabbits, kids, chickens — for families with children

Burlesque stage Cabaret theatre with feathers, spotlights and feather boas

Observatory Telescope platform — the Pfitsch sky is almost free of light pollution

Rage Hotel Rage room — smash plates, printers and furniture for an extra fee

Altitude training camp 1440 m for endurance athletes — mini suites plus running and cycling trails

Seed archive Preserving old South Tyrolean varieties — alpine grains, Pfitscher barley

Data bunker Small data centre in the cool mountain climate — backup hosting for privacy-conscious clients

Yak farming Himalayan highland cattle — meat and khullu wool, hardly any competition

Snail farm Heliciculture — high-margin niche product, low land requirement

Truffle grove Inoculate oaks with mycorrhiza — 42 ha of adjoining forest as a bonus

Wild-herb distillery Gin, vermouth, bitters from alpine herbs — the South Tyrol brand sells

Forest bathing Shinrin-yoku retreats in the 42 ha forest — a Japanese concept arriving in the Alps

3D archery course 28 stations with animal targets through the forest — silent, growing scene

Disc golf 18-hole course on 7.8 ha — cheap to build, low maintenance, growing community

Silence retreat 10-day Vipassana retreat — existing centres are chronically booked out

Pump track Dirt track for MTB and BMX — booming across alpine regions

Death café & grief space Moderated conversations about death and mortality, with mountain views

Writers' residency Paid residencies for authors — turns the farm into a brand

Float tanks Sensory deprivation tanks with mountain-view outdoor area — combined with sauna and silence

Balloon launch site Launch site for stratospheric weather balloons — clear sky, almost no air traffic

Medieval camp Reenactment grounds for LARP and HEMA groups — seasonal, low maintenance

Ham radio mountain hut Prime location for ham radio contests — micro niche with an existing market

Dark-sky certification Pursue IDA dark-sky status — astrophotography workshops with professionals

Vertical agri-PV Vertical bifacial modules with pasture in between — pilot project with Eurac/Fraunhofer

Battery storage site Container BESS for grid services — combined with your PV systems

Outdoor sauna in the garden Private slots with fire bowl, herbal tea, snow silence — very Instagram-friendly

Digital detox room No TV, no WiFi — books, the smell of wood, analogue alarm clock, notebooks

Secret spots A map of hidden viewpoints — guests only, curated by the host

Live webcam & timelapse Sunrise, snowfall, starry sky live on the website — strangely calming

Slow morning "Slow mornings in the mountains" — coffee steam, wood, local products, calm instead of buffet

Miner storytelling Mining aesthetic: copper, wood, old lamps, mine maps — leaning into the farm's name

Winter silence Not a ski holiday — snow, fireplace, sauna, powder calm for those tired of skiing

Bad weather package Blankets, tea, books, sauna, board games — emotion instead of activity stress

Knappenhof playlist Spotify with calm alpine music and indie folk — QR code in the room

Guestbook stories "Why are you here? What was your most beautiful moment?" — stories instead of names

Sponsorships Lease an apple tree, beehive or parcel — with updates like "your tree is blooming"

Hay barn suite Sleeping in the hay, panoramic window to the starry sky — mountain hay scent included

Dark cell A soundproofed room with absolute darkness — a nod to the silence underground

Miner's feast Candlelight, long wooden tables, earth-oven roasts — no frills, only substance

Work & Farm City dwellers pay for the stay and pitch in — haymaking, fences, animals

See-through energy farm Showroom with visible technology — PV, wood gasifier, own water source for tech-curious guests

Community garden plots Lease parcels to private people — gardening without owning land

Golf course 9-hole course with mountain panorama — rare at this altitude, day visitors plus a golf school

Shrimp farming Indoor aquaculture — a market gap, regional Q-label quality, premium prices

Insect farm Mealworms or grasshoppers as a protein source — growing novel food market

Art centre Studios, gallery, workshops — meeting place for artists from the region

Museum Mining and Knappenhof history — a curated showroom with local exhibits

Parkour park Obstacle course with walls, poles, platforms — young scene, low investment

Amusement park Mini Ferris wheel, carousel, stalls — family destination with mountain panorama

Saffron cultivation Crocus sativus at 1440 m — the world's most expensive spice, very little land needed

EV charging stations Fast chargers for EVs — use the charging time for a farm shop visit or the sauna

Gourmet food trade Premium farm products: speck, honey, oils, jams — farm shop plus online delivery

Fruit growing High-altitude apples, pears, plums — straight from the farm, with sales and tastings

Distillery House-distilled spirits — Williams pear, rowan, plum from the Pfitsch altitude

CHP unit with drying plant Combined heat and power generates electricity, waste heat dries hay and grain

High-altitude viticulture (PIWI) Disease-resistant hybrids for short summers: Solaris, Souvignier Gris, Cabernet Cortis, Rondo, Phoenix, Bianca — like in Scandinavia

Suckler cow husbandry Extensive pasture rearing with calf at the udder — premium meat, EU subsidies

Scottish Highland cattle Hardy, winter-proof, outdoors year round — Highland beef as a premium niche

Vegetable growing High-altitude vegetables: tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkin, zucchini, peppers — direct marketing

Tierheim & Hundehotel Zuhause für Tiere in Not — kombiniert mit einem Hundehotel für die Urlaubszeit

Pferde-Reithof Reitstall mit Boxen, Reithalle und Koppeln — Reitstunden, Ferienlager und Ausritte ins Sarntal

Have even better ideas? Send them in!

Submit your idea