Panorama Styrian Ennstal, Salzkammergut
Panorama Styrian Ennstal, Salzkammergut
© Schladming-Dachstein Tourism Marketing, A. Zettler
THE SPORTING REGION schladming-dachsteiN
Schladming-Dachstein is a sporting region par excellence. Between the magnificent south walls of the Dachstein and the Schladminger Tauern, eight tourism communities captivate guests with a wealth of opportunities and a character all their own. Skiing and hiking 365 days out of the year are made possible by the imposing Dachstein glacier, which draws visitors not least because of the“ Dachstein Sky Walk” lookout platform. Also found on the Dachstein is the“ Ice Palace”, which scores high marks with new features every year. Now you can not only marvel at the inside of a glacier, you can also look into a glacial crevasse. You would do well to take things at your own tempo since, even after spending vacations here for years, you will still be far from crossing everything off your list: In summer, in the Schladming-Dachstein region alone, 300 tarns, 1,000 km of hiking paths, 500 km of cycling and mountain biking routes, 45 running and Nordic-walking trails, 4 golf courses and 14 via ferrata, as well as countless opportunities for outdoor sports such as rafting, paragliding, summer cross-country skiing, are just waiting to be discovered. After so much nature and sport, the region’ s 50 alpine huts invite you to enjoy a“ typically Styrian” experience. Warmth, sincerity, charm, products from their own farm and delicious dishes. More than 100 years ago, Styria was already so crisscrossed by paths, that hikers could spend days out in the mountains: in the Schladminger Tauern, for example, where today’ s Höhenweg still follows the path of the older trail. Hundreds of tarns and waterfalls flank this path that rises to 3,000 meters above sea level. Styria offers 14 trekking trails in total, leading energetic travelers through the countryside at all elevations and through all types of terrain. The ultimate experience is undoubtedly an ascent of the Dachstein in the north-west of the province, the highest point in Styria at 2,995 meters. From there you can look across at the Grimming which, with its 1600 meters-high, vertical face, proves itself well fortified against alpine hikers – making the feeling of having conquered it even more elating. As soon as the thermals allow, the paragliders begin circling the Stoderzinken and the Hauser Kaibling, hoping to remain aloft as long as possible. These two mountains and their surroundings were seemingly created for active vacationers. Being able to marvel at the mountains of the Ennstal, without being sapped of all your strength, is made possible along the stages of Panoramaweg 100, a 116 km-long, 7-day hiking tour. Lots of scenic spots lie along the way, including mountains south and north of the valley. The two ski mountains, Planai und Hauser Kaibling, are traversed, the village of Öblarn is on the path, a turning point in order to hike along the northern hillsides via Gröbming and the Ramsau back to your starting point in Mandling. In the valley below, the Enns flows eastwards through a land of gentle meadows, and forging its way through the rugged crags of the northern Limestone Alps. In Gesäuse National Park, to which the town of Admont is a gateway, the river rushes and swirls, deafening and incomparably impressive.
PüRGG [ 9 ]
Called by Styrian poet, Peter Rosegger, the“ Crib of Styria”. Parish church: Originally Romanesque( 12 th cent.), remodeled in Gothic style in 1400 with valuable interior features – glass windows, sculptures, paintings and gravestones from the Gothic era to today. 1953: Cycle of frescoes discovered on the second floor of the church tower. St. John’ s Chapel: East of the town, located on Mount Calvary; pre 1200; rare early-Romanesque frescoes, including cats, mice and foolish maidens. Related stylistically both to the Salzburg( Italo-Byzantine) and Admont schools of the same period. Romanesque crucifix( 13 th cent.).
TRAUTENFELS [ 8 ]
Finds from the Urn-Field and Hallstatt periods show that the Ennstal was a naturally preordained intersection of transit routes. Three-storey Renaissance castle( 17 th cent.); Castle chapel with a richly stuccoed ceiling; Marble hall with frescoes by Carpoforo Tencalla. Serves today as a regional heritage museum – collection documenting the area’ s natural and cultural history – renowned far beyond Styria’ s borders.