Gravelbike Wörthersee T5 | Drau dich nach Westen

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".

Drauschleife

The so-called Drauschleife near Wernberg is an old arm of the Drau River. At its eastern end, the bike path passes directly by a Lost Place whose construction dates back to an enterprise with an imposing name: the "K. K. privileged southern state, Lombard-Venetian and central-Italian railroad company" (it was later renamed the Southern Railway for simplicity's sake). It put the section between Klagenfurt and Villach into operation in 1864. The course of the line is the same as today, only the old bridge has become obsolete. It was replaced by a new one when the line was extended in 1959 and partially demolished. The eastern ramp and the foundations of the piers, which rise out of the water of the Drauschleife, have been preserved.

Now a standing body of water, the Drauschleife is home to many, in some cases rare, animals. Birdwatchers have counted 127 bird species here, and (the non-poisonous) dice snakes can often be seen swimming in the water. If you want to see the area from above, walk north from the rest area at the old bridge ramp along the Slow Trail for about 700 yards to the viewing platform.

Mini-bunker

In military conflicts, bridges play an important strategic role in maintaining infrastructure. This was also true of the old railroad bridge over the Drauschleife. A concrete shelter with embrasures, which was erected to protect the structure, bears witness to this. It can be found - 150 meters from the bike path - directly on the road leading to a small allotment garden settlement. No one can say with certainty from what time the "mini-bunker" dates. In any case, it was built before 1945, possibly during the Second World War to protect the bridge from being blown up by partisans, or even as early as the First World War.

Beaver tracks

Along the Drau cycle path between Villach and Wernberg, strange trees keep sticking out of the ground, or rather what is left of the trees. All tree stumps, thin as well as really thick ones, are sharpened on top like huge pencils. Beavers were at work here! If you are lucky, you might even see one of the rodents swimming through the Drava. Since 2004, the once extinct and strictly protected animals live again in Carinthia and intervene in nature as only humans do. They cut down trees, build dams and dig up banks. The jump in the population from zero before 2004 to 664 counted animals in 2019 repeatedly leads to problems and resettlement of the beavers. One thing they can't be accused of, anyway: Laziness.

Villach Castle

A short detour to the other bank of the Drava (across the bridge, of course) in Villach leads to the castle, which doesn't look like one, but was actually once a castle. The walls housed the main administrative and defensive building in the Middle Ages. Today, the castle is a residential building that hides a mini-museum. The showroom, which is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., displays artifacts from the everyday lives of the people who once lived here. The discoveries are due, among other things, to the excavation of a latrine in the west wing, where leftovers and other waste were disposed of in the 16th and 17th centuries. According to the findings, the table was filled with common domestic and wild animals as well as - in immense quantities - oysters, which were brought to Carinthia from the Adriatic Sea as a live import in winter. In addition, the archaeologists recovered bones of turtles, brown bears and ibexes.

www.villach.at/stadt-erleben/museum-der-stadt/schauraum-burg

a u t o u r l y c u l i n a r i c | Malle beer

The detour "hurts" and is a mountain climb (150 meters in altitude over just under two kilometers), but it is worth it: Carinthia's smallest brewery is located in the village of Oberwollanig. It is named after its owner and only employee Rudolf Malle: Malle Bier. The operation in the former storeroom of his home is 8.5 square meters "large". When, before the official start-up, a whole crowd of officials arrived to discuss the required business premises permit during a site inspection, the representatives of the authorities were told, just like a doctor: "Please enter one at a time!" All seven ladies and gentlemen, including the applicant, would never have had room together among the equipment.

Malle brews beer - a maximum of 120 liters are produced per brewing process - purely by hand. You will look in vain for a computer-controlled automatic system in his little kingdom. This makes him a prime example of craft beer in Carinthia. The term has nothing to do with the strength of the beverage, but refers to the method of production. It comes from the English "to craft," which means "to work by hand." If you want to taste Malle beer directly at the brewery, you should call or mail in advance. There is only one employee, but he knows his stuff.

www.mallebier.at

The Picked of Molzbichl | Early Middle Ages Museum Carantana

In Molzbichl, a two-minute detour leads to the Early Middle Ages Museum Carantana, which - among other topics - is dedicated to two great mysteries of Carinthian history. The first was brought to light in 2013 during the excavation of a 10th-century cemetery south of the Molzbichl parish church. The skeleton of a woman was found who had been staked after her death. After several years of investigation and extensive restoration, the sensational find is now on display in the local Carantana Early Middle Ages Museum. In a novel presentation technique, the skeleton "stands" there in a vertical position on the wall; visitors look into the mysterious grave from a bird's eye view.

Why a wooden stake was rammed through the cold heart of the deceased more than 1,000 years ago remains unclear to this day. "Apparently, people were afraid that she would return to the living and cause them harm," explains Kurt Karpf, chairman of the association "Historisches Molzbichl" and archaeologist. "Two hundred years after Christianization, people still cultivated superstitious rituals. These must have been accepted. They took place in the presence of the village population and with the toleration of the priest." As revenants, people feared witches, magicians and social outsiders, but also women who had died in childbirth and people with mental or physical abnormalities. But what made the one staked in Molzbichl suspicious? "I have no idea," Karpf admits.

The second great mystery in the small village concerns the oldest Carinthian saint known by name. On the sidelines of excavations in the local parish church, an inscription plate set into the stone base was discovered - the last of Roman antiquity and the only one of the 6th century in Austria, as it would turn out. It commemorates Saint Nonnosus, who, according to the inscription, was buried here in 553. At that time, however, there was no church in Molzbichl. It was built as part of the oldest Carinthian monastery only in the 8th century.

www.carantana.at

Porcia Castle

A detour of actually only one minute by bike in Spittal an der Drau leads directly to Porcia Castle from the 16th century. It is one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings north of the Alps and is more like an Italian palazzo than a "classic" Carinthian residence. The building is always a target for ghost hunters from all over the world. They track down noises that can be heard at night from the uninhabited castle (it is used as a museum and event venue). Countess Katharina von Ortenburg-Salamanca is suspected of being the castle ghost, and it is said that she ruled here in a particularly cruel manner at the beginning of the 17th century.

The legend accuses her of several bloody deeds. The first involved a beggar on whom she set her son's dogs. Dying, he is said to have prophesied that her only offspring would suffer a similar fate. In fact, according to legend, Catherine's son Johann died later when he tried to separate dogs that were fighting with each other. The Countess became even more hard-hearted as a result of her grief. When she saw her own end approaching and the dynasty of the Counts of Ortenburg-Salamanca thus dying out, Catherine ordered a maid and a mason to wall up her treasures in the castle. She had the craftsman killed after the work was done and the maid she killed herself to keep the secret of her gold forever. To this day, no one has found the treasure, which seems to be guarded by the Countess's ghost.

A real treasure is the Museum of Folk Culture, now housed in the castle. It provides insights into the former life of mountain farmers, miners and city dwellers in Carinthia. With 20,000 exhibits, it is one of the largest folklore collections in Europe.

www.museum-spittal.com

a u t h o r t o u r c u l i n a r i k | Hotel Post and "The Satisfactory

Fancy relaxing in an austere chamber? The Hotel Post on the main square in Spittal/Drau is the place to go. The creepy highlight among the hotel's themed rooms is the "House Arrest". The room was set up in cooperation with Klagenfurt Prison, which provided a real prison door, bars for the windows and an original prison bed for the purpose. The only difference to a real cell: The door can also be opened from the inside. The hotel's own sauna and wellness area "Hochofen" with the subtitle "industrial monument to feel good" is also an experience. It was built into the former light shaft and extends over several levels. The business also includes the Zellot restaurant, now run by the fourth generation of the family, and the adjacent creative mix of market hall and eatery called "The Satisfactory." Among other things, it houses the "Gärage" microbrewery and a coffee roastery.

www.erlebnis-post.at

www.the-satisfactory.at

Lake Millstatt

According to legend, the name of Lake Millstätter See goes back to a gigantic Lost Place. For centuries it has been said that 1000 pagan statues (Latin: mille statue) rest at the bottom of the water. Duke Domitian, who was later beatified, sank them there when he converted the population to Christianity in the 8th century. The story is not true, of course. Some researchers even consider Domitian, who is venerated above all in the monastery of Millstatt, to be an invention. What is true is the fact that you could easily sink 1000 statues in the lake: At 141 meters, it is the deepest and, with 1204.6 million cubic meters of "filling volume," the most water-rich in Carinthia.

Sauzipf site

One should not be deceived by the tranquility that prevails 360 days a year at this Lost Place. The Sauzipf site near Döbriach (for whatever reason it is called) has been the regular venue for the rock festival "Sauzipf Rocks" in August since 2000. The original use of the location is still recognizable with a little imagination. Ice hockey was played here - only in winter, of course - until the local club moved to a then newly built hall.

Industrial ruin of the material ropeway

Magnesite has been mined in Radenthein for more than 100 years. The rock is used to produce refractory materials for the steel, iron, cement and glass industries. The company, which started in 1908, bore the beautiful name "Austro-American Magnesit Company" and expanded rapidly. In order to connect mining in Radenthein and a factory in Ferndorf in the Drau Valley, a material ropeway several kilometers long was built between the two places, which also crossed a mountain ridge. In the 1980s, the operation became too expensive, the company switched to trucks for transport and dismantled the ropeway. Only a few supports and the curve between Döbriach and the Erdmannsiedlung remained as industrial monuments.

o u t t o u r l i c h | Granatium

A "detour" of only 750 meters has to be taken in Radenthein to reach the Granatium adventure museum. As the name suggests, it is dedicated to the garnet gemstone that is found here and has been mined for centuries. The showrooms are partly located in a gallery. In the open-air area, visitors can then pick up a hammer and dig for garnet gemstones themselves. The appropriate tools are provided on site.

www.granatium.at

a u t o u r l y c u l i n a r i c | Metzgerwirt

The (now) gourmet restaurant Metzgerwirt in Radenthein has been in business since 1909. Emanuel Stadler is a fourth-generation innkeeper and, like his ancestors, is uncompromising in his choice of products. The more than 100 years of coexistence of butchery and inn have left clear traces in the menu. The in-house Nock and Granatschinken are refined exclusively by traditional natural maturing and preservation methods. For dessert, don't miss the garnet pralines, which also follow the traditions of the place.

www.metzgerwirt.co.at

a u t o u r l y c u l i n a r i c | Brauereigasthof Gartenrast

Before Untertweng, a short detour (1 kilometer, but 56 meters in altitude) leads to the brewery inn Gartenrast. Here, under the name Shilling (or sometimes quite British: Shilling's), innkeeper Uli Bacher has fulfilled his dream of having his own brewery. You can't accuse him of a lack of commitment: The search for the perfect hops for his Nock Ale took Bacher as far as the USA and New Zealand. He now supplies more than 20 inns and hotels. But the first place to taste his creations is and remains, of course, his own inn.

www.shilling.at

Lime kiln

Directly on the Millstätter Straße through the Gegendtal, between Einöde and Afritz, stands the ruin of a brick lime kiln. It was once used for the production of slaked lime, which, mixed with water and sand, was mainly used as mortar, but also as plaster, screed or wall paint. The technique of lime burning was known since ancient times. Limestones had to be exposed to great heat (about 900 to 1200 degrees) for days. A correspondingly large amount of wood was needed to fire such a kiln, which is why they were built near forests, as here. Bricked constructions were "better" designs. In many cases, lime burning, which was sometimes carried out in rural areas until after the Second World War, was also carried out in simpler formworks at the edge of the forest.

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

The detour is just under two kilometers and about 150 meters in altitude if you want to marvel at 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 1953, when its renovation began again. 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 in a four-hectare outdoor area.

www.burg-landskron.at

www.adlerarena.com

www.affenberg.com

a u t t o u r l i c h | Filial Church of Gratschach

A short detour (from the foot of the Landskroner Burgberg) of 350 meters along the Max-Lauritsch-Strasse leads to the small church of 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 passage of the dead to the islands of the blessed or the life force of water, or both.

o u r t o u r l i c h | Tumuli at Michael Pond

Two kilometers and 50 meters in altitude from the Gratschach church is the Michaeler Teich, a child of the gold rush. It was built 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).

Teufelsgraben

A short detour in Velden leads to the Teufelsgraben (Devil's Ditch), which can only be "conquered" on foot. The entrance to the 1.5-kilometer hiking trail is located opposite Kranzlhofenstrasse 16 and is the gateway to another world: no one would expect so much pure nature near the vibrant town center. The trail along the Damtschacherbach stream is a cool change of pace - especially in summer. It was laid out in 1885 as the first "promenade path" in Velden and is now a slow trail with stations for yoga exercises.

The Teufelsgraben (which, funnily enough, crosses the Engelweg) takes its name from a legend. It is about a farmer's wife who had given her soul to the devil in order to become rich. When he finally came for the woman, she hid from him in the church of Kranzlhofen. Thereupon, the furious devil is said to have extended his claws and tore the ravine into the terrain.

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 reachable 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