Gravelbike Wörthersee T1 | Ossiacher Tauern Kammritt

  • Tour 1 Gravelbike Wörthersee
    © Christian Riedel

instructions

You can find the stories about the lost places on this tour under "More info".

The tour leads from Velden in a southerly direction past the historical excursion destinations Rosegg Castle and Zoo and the Celtic World Frög. Along the Drau river, the route is gravel and flat via Villach to St. Andrä am Ossiacher See. There, the ruins of Landskron Castle tower above the town, visible from afar. By the way, you can visit it later on during a short detour at the Jungfernsprung.

In the direction of Gratschach you will pass the old daughter church. Walled-in Roman gravestones bear witness to the area's eventful past. After a first sharp ascent, you will come to the Michaeler Teich with its graves from the Hallstatt period. But the pond still holds a secret ...

On forest roads in a northerly direction you reach the actual ridge of the Ossiacher Tauern, which you then ride along for about 12 kilometers on a really gravelly surface. Before that, however, you have the opportunity to make a short detour to the Landskron castle ruins and the legendary Jungfernsprung.

At the Tauern pond you have a perfect opportunity for a breather. Use this to take a few steps to a classic "Lost Places" gem at the entrance to the Schluchtenwanderweg. Please leave the bike here on the main trail.

The tour now continues across the magnificent high plateau to St. Anthony's Church, the last surviving branch church of the magnificent Benedictine monastery of Ossiach. After another short ascent you will reach the highest point of the tour with an altitude of 952m.

Now you have to tighten your shoes, because the descent to Velden is quite fast. If you are a real lost-places freak, you should make a detour to the west at Ebenfeld to the Hochwart ruins. The once imposing fortress is truly spectacular. Here, however, special caution applies, as there is a danger of crashing and collapsing. Use the Lost Place therefore simply for a few casual snapshots from the outside. The last 600m to the ruin can only be done on foot.

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additional_information

WORTH SEEING LOST PLACES AND INTERESTING STORIES ALONG THE TOUR

Note: We have marked some of the Lost Places as off-tour, because a logical routing has top priority for us. Not every gravel biker is interested in our exciting stories along the tours. All those we did not want to lead along the track in "dead ends".

Celtic World Frög

Tumuli from the Hallstatt period? There was already something on this tour. Right! But there are more of them. In Frög there is a whole open-air museum dedicated to these actually very rare relics. It is called Celtic World and is located right next to the still clearly visible tumuli, some of which are almost 3000 years old. As many as 600 of these burial places, reserved for particularly well-heeled and/or important deceased, have been found here. The adjacent settlement from this era is considered to be the first capital of a dominion on Carinthian soil. How people lived there is shown in the Celtic World by means of reconstructions. The open-air museum is open from April to October.

Animal park, ruins and Rosegg Castle

A wall with a lot of history can be found in the Mühlbacher Straße in Rosegg. It was built from the stones of the old Rosegg Castle when Peter Ritter von Bohr had an animal park built around the ruins of the fortress starting in 1839. He was an illustrious person and made a name for himself first as a painter and businessman, but then also as a money forger. The zoo is still in operation and is a popular destination for excursions. It surrounds the keep of the old castle, which has remained standing. Today, the area belongs to the famous noble family Liechtenstein, as does Rosegg Castle (400 meters from the route). The café operated in the building allows a nice insight into the love life of bygone times: The castle was built in 1772 by Count Franz Xaver Wolfgang von Orsini-Rosenberg for his Italian mistress, a certain Madame Lucrezia, and is therefore intentionally reminiscent of a villa in the south.

Filial church in Gratschach

A 250-meter short detour along Max Lauritsch Street leads to the small church in the village of Gratschach. The Romanesque church was first mentioned in a document in 1145 and bears witness to another burial ground in the vicinity. In order to save building material and probably to have some free ornaments at the same time, old Roman gravestones were used when the church was built. They are well recognizable especially along the southern outer wall. If you look closely, you will discover, for example, a relief fragment with dolphins and on another fragment the sea god Triton, who is blowing a conch shell. Representations related to the sea are often found on Roman tombstones. They symbolize either the crossing of the dead to the islands of the blessed, or the life force of water, or both.

Tumuli at the Michaeler Pond

Michael's Pond is a child of the Gold Rush. It was created in the Middle Ages as a reservoir for draining the galleries that were cut into the rock here in search of gold, silver, lead and iron. However, not only miners made rich booty at this place, but - probably long before them - also grave robbers. They plundered the 15 burial mounds that archaeologists were able to locate around the pond, except for a few worthless shards. The graves date back to the so-called Hallstatt period, which lasted from about 800 B.C. to 400 B.C., and were reserved exclusively for the deceased of the upper class. The cemetery belonged to a settlement that was located on the adjacent castle hill Landskron. Some of the tumuli are well visible in the terrain and are located directly on today's roadside. Looting is futile (and forbidden).

Landskron Castle | a u t t o u r l i c h

A detour of one kilometer and about 150 meters in altitude is required if you want to admire the mighty Landskron Castle not only from the valley. The fortress experienced its heyday around the year 1600, when it was one of the social centers of the country. At that time it was surrounded by a double ring wall with seven towers. However, several fires caused by lightning then severely damaged the complex. In 1812, after another fire, the roof was not repaired and the building fell into disrepair until its renovation was begun again in 1953. Today, Landskron Castle, which is open to the public from April to October, houses a restaurant (awarded two Gault Millau toques in 2020) as well as the Birds of Prey Park and the "Eagle Arena" air show. Another zoo, the "Adventure Monkey Mountain," is located next to the castle pond. There, 170 Japanese macaques live on"Affenberg" in a four-hectare outdoor area.

Jungfernsprung | a u t t o u r l i c h

Today a popular vantage point above Lake Ossiach. The legend about it seems a bit more dramatic. According to the legend, a man wanted to take away the innocence of his beloved. But she ran away and saw as the only way out a suicide by jumping from the prominent roundabout above St. Andrä. By a miracle she survived the jump. A wooden sculpture in the shape of a water mermaid was erected in her memory. But this is not the end of the story. Shortly after its erection, however, the 130kg sculpture was separated from its pedestal by chainsaw in 2018 and stolen. Since then, it has not reappeared. In this case, the presumption of innocence does not apply, of course.

Ruin in the ravine path | a u s t o u r l i c h

A few meters before the picturesque Ossiacher Tauernteich lake, the rugged Schluchtenweg trail branches off to the right. It is worth leaving the bike here for a short while and following the trail for a short walk down the valley for about 150 meters. Right next to the path is a small ruin that allows only two conclusions: Either the building, which today only exists in rudimentary form, was abandoned in a hurry or it was simply not cleared out properly. What remained was a rusty bedstead and a stove, amid crumbling walls of rubble stone, entwined with ferns and moss. The function and age of the house are not known. Its location directly on the stream suggests a mill or a small sawmill operated by water power. In any case, the building was already (or still) to be found in the Franziszeischen Kataster, the first complete Austrian property register from the years 1817 to 1861.

Ossiacher Tauern | Antonius Church

Around the Carinthian lakes, front row seats are coveted. In the past, however, there were also dangers associated with them. The St. Thomas Church on the Ossiacher Tauern bears indirect witness to this. It is the only still existing branch church of the former Benedictine monastery of Ossiach. The other three places of worship, all located on the shores of Lake Ossiach, have sunk into the mud over the past centuries - lost places without a trace. Only the magnificent abbey building itself and the St. Thomas Church, which is safely located at a lofty height, have endured. No wonder, since it was dedicated to two patron saints over the course of time. In the 19th century, St. Thomas was replaced by St. Anthony, but the name St. Thomas Church was retained. Practical info for everyday life: Catholics traditionally ask St. Anthony for help when they want to find lost objects. The estate next to the church once served to feed the monks in the monastery; today horses are bred here.

Hochwart Castle Ruin | a u t t o u r l i c h

In Köstenberg, it is worth taking a short detour (1.7 kilometers by bike, then 600 meters on foot) to the freely accessible Hochwart castle ruins, also called the "Black Castle." The name fits the inglorious end of the once imposing fortress. It was owned by the powerful Counts of Cilli, whose dynasty died out in 1456 due to the murder of the last male descendant. In the war that broke out over the family's inheritance (a little "Game of Thrones"), the castle was destroyed and never rebuilt afterwards. What remains of it is also reminiscent of spectacular scenes from "Game of Thrones". There are still standing, lonely hidden in the forest, large parts of the main tower and walls of the 12th century chapel with some beautiful window openings.

ATTENTION: The ruin is not secured and stands, because this was strategically favorable for a castle in the Middle Ages, in places directly on steeply sloping terrain edges! The last 600 meters to the ruins can only be done on foot.

safety_instructions

GRAVELBIKE

  • Gravel bike tours sometimes lead over unpaved ground or gravel roads. Therefore, these are only suitable for very experienced riders.
  • Some of the routes also lead along public roads. Here, of course, the StVO applies.
  • FairPlay! Don't be a spoilsport! Ride the tours in the forest and mountain areas exclusively during the day. Please respect the interests of hunters and property owners.
  • Always stay on the trails and save the whole community trouble with property owners.
  • Respect driving bans and temporary trail closures.

LOST PLACES

  • Many of the Lost Places described are only accessible by a short walk. Please keep to this and give your bike a short break.
  • Do not enter ruins or other objects in danger of collapsing.
  • Keep your hands off objects. Please leave objects in their place and do not take anything with you. Otherwise, the special character of the places will be quickly lost.
  • Be sure to follow our notes, tips and warnings at each Lost Places description.
  • Please keep in mind that you'll probably be walking with your cycling shoes on. Not all Lost Places are suitable for a walk or exploration with these. However, we have noted corresponding notes in the descriptions.

equipment

  • Cycling equipment and clothing suitable for touring (consider off-road capability!)
  • Telephone for emergencies
  • GPS bike computer with track of the respective tour
  • bike lock, because some lost places are only accessible by a short walk
  • Smartphone or camera ; )
  • Flashlight or bicycle lighting to illuminate some lost places (e.g. tunnels)

suggestion

Be awesome! Show us your pictures from your tours and lost places in our region on your channels: #velowoerthersee #gravelwoerthersee

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