Gravelbike Wörthersee T9 | Moor & Moos

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 gravelbiker is interested in our exciting stories along the tours. We did not want to lead all those along the track into "dead ends".

Bunker in Maria Gail | a u t t o u r l i c h

As a crossroads of important railway lines, Villach was the target of Allied bombing raids during World War II. From the summer of 1944 until the end of the war in May 1945, more than 42,000 bombs were dropped on the city. The population sought shelter in bunkers, some of which they had built themselves. There were particularly many in the so-called Pfarrhofhügel in the village of Maria Gail, because tunnels could be quickly cut into the not particularly hard rock of lime conglomerate. Some of them have been preserved and remain open. Two entrances are reached by a short detour (initially by bike) into the Silberregenweg, which is crossed after 200 metres by the dam on the banks of the Gail River. From there, walk 90 metres along the dam upstream to the southwest until a pond appears on the left and a barrage directly on the path. Before the pond, leave the trail heading south. In the area between the pond, the brook and the vicarage hill, the bunker entrances can then be seen after 100 or 150 metres. Entering the tunnels is forbidden!

Maria Gail pilgrimage church | a u s t o u r l i c h

A 100 meter short detour leads to the pilgrimage church Maria Gail. It is one of the oldest and most important sacred buildings in Carinthia. Its foundation probably goes back to the Lombards, who ruled northern Italy on the threshold from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages. The church was not always in as good condition as it is today. A stone tablet in the square of the tower tells of the collapse of the steeple in 1580 and its rebuilding in 1606, the cause of which is said to have been, to put it politely, "a lack of willingness to renovate". Among the numerous art treasures inside the church, the Baroque high altar with the image of the Virgin of Mercy and the late Gothic winged altar, which is considered a masterpiece among the carved altars in the country, stand out.

An ancient legend attributes the foundation of the church to the lords of the castle of Finkenstein and also mentions names: Baron Grotta von Grottenegg and his pious wife Sigmunde are said to have had a child around 1600 who was afflicted with a bad skin disease. An old man then appeared to the woman three times in a row in a dream and told her that she had to go to Maria Gail with the child. There, at midnight, she was to ride three times around a pit in which poisonous monsters still lived at that time. Sigmunde dared the "ride through hell", the child was healed, the dragons disappeared, the lords of the castle had the pit filled in and the church built on the spot. A stone relief on the southern outer wall of the porch is a reminder of this event. It shows St. George on horseback, who is revered as the slayer of dragons, with a monster rearing up under him, and on the right a female figure that could represent Sigmunde.

Kirchenwirt Finkenstein | K u l i n a r i k

At the Kirchenwirt in Finkenstein, tradition is as important as innovation - and has been for six generations! Today, the family business is a popular steak inn known far beyond the borders of the municipality. The menu lists every last ingredient, from salt to balsamic vinegar. And if you dare, you can sizzle your own steak. A hot deal in the truest sense of the word. A lava stone with a temperature of up to 400 degrees is placed on the table. Reservations recommended!

www.kirchenwirt.in

Finkenstein Pasta Factory | C u l i n a r i k

Not every factory is industrial. Probably the most original and delicious example of this is in Finkenstein on Lake Faak. A 1.5 kilometre detour from the route leads directly to the Finkenstein pasta factory. It has been in operation since 1895, when it was set up in an old hammer mill to use its hydroelectric power plant. The company is still run as a family business. The fifth generation now guards the secret recipes that form the basis of many pasta creations, some of which are made by hand. Attached to the factory are a delicatessen and a market café where, of course, the company's own pasta is served.

www.finkensteiner.at

Finkenstein castle ruins | a u s t o u r ly

A long time ago, a legendary Habsburg emperor also enjoyed the fantastic view of Lake Faak here: Maximilian I, who was to go down in history with the nickname "the last knight", spent a few months of his childhood at Finkenstein Castle around 1470. The then ten-year-old and his four-year-old sister Kunigunde were half-orphans after the death of their mother Eleonore, and their father, Emperor Frederick III, was quite busy. He had to fight with some uprisings and the Hungarians. Because the area around Villach was still safe, Frederick gave his children into the care of Landesverweser (Landeshauptmann) Ritter Sigmund Kreuzer, who owned the dominions of Finkenstein and Wernberg. Already at that time it was true: good account, good friends. In the emperor's books there are records of the cost of feeding the children at Finkenstein as well as the amount of oats fed to their horses.

Finkenstein Castle was inhabited until the 18th century. In the 1980s, the then owner stopped the decay and built an event center to it, which was used until. Stars such as Jose Carreras, Montserrat Caballé, Joe Zawinul, Udo Jürgens, Konstantin Wecker and Falco have performed in the so-called Burgarena.

Kanzianiberg

Because of its good strategic position (panoramic view and easy to fortify) the Kanzianiberg was already settled in the 3rd millennium before Christ. On the disappeared remains of the Neolithic village, a Roman fort was built, which has also disappeared today. The church - which is still standing - was first mentioned in a document in 1301, but is probably much older. It is dedicated to the early Christian saints Kanzius, Kanzian and Kanzianilla, who gave their name to the elevation. There were three limekilns around the hill. One was in operation until the late 1940s and was later renovated. It lies directly on the route and provides an exciting insight into the millennia-old technique of lime extraction. The rock faces to the left and right, from which the limestones were quarried for burning, now serve as a climbing garden with routes of all levels of difficulty.

www.kanzianiberg.com

Techuana

Since the 18th century at the latest, but probably much earlier, the Kozjak in St. Martin near Rosegg has been systematically perforated in search of ores such as lead and zinc. The mine, last operated by the Bleiberg Mining Union, has been at a standstill since the beginning of the 20th century - but only in the economic sense. Acoustically, the opposite is the case. Strange sounds keep echoing through the forest around the old tunnels and shafts. When draughts whistle through the old mine, the wind plays on a kind of great organ. Strange, but great for the Techuana Scout Camp, which has pitched its tents on the former mining site since 1964. Around the campfire, generations of teenage campers have probably puzzled over the sounds from the depths. It speaks to the discipline in the Boy Scouts that no one has disappeared yet: Not all the shafts leading straight and vertical into the old mine are sealed.

Techuana, by the way, is a word that occurs in almost all Indian languages of North America. It stands for the period of testing and maturing into a warrior: Every male Indian had to leave the home wigwam for at least 3 moons (months) during puberty in order to master life alone on the prairie, in the forests and mountains.

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, as some lost places are only accessible by a short walk
• Smartphone or camera ; )
• Flashlight or bike 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