Certain areas of the Pustertal valley/Val Pusteria, also called the “green valley”, were populated already in the Preroman time. A few names of farms and houses date back to that period, for example Walch. In the early Middle Ages Pustertal valley/Val Pusteria was governed by Bavarian Lords. They populated it with people of their tribe. A lot of first names in our area prove that.
The name Kiens was first mentioned in an old document from Freising (Bavaria) dated 1006 – 1039 with the name “K i e n a”. A catholic foundation from Freising owned the Pichlerhube of Mr. Ploner Peter in Kiens.
Paul Tschurtschenthaler wants to derive the village’s name of the german word “Kien”, which means Scots pinewood. Anselm Sparber thinks, that the name “Chienes” derives neither from the Romanic nor from the German, but Preroman.
In old documents from the 11th and the 14th century there is mentioned a Kastell – “Castrum Chienes”. Anselm Sparber thinks that this is the word for a group of houses which were build near the curch of Kiens/Chienes and they ware almost like a castle.