How to Explore the Medieval Treasures of Carinthia, Austria

How to Explore the Medieval Treasures of Carinthia Austria monkeysandmountainscom medieval-travel-carinthia-austria

Carinthia is famous for its alpine mountains and lakes like the Woumlrthersee Inaddition itrsquos also home to medieval treasures in places like Friesach that so manytravellers miss out on

The first few times I was in Carinthia I explored the mountains and visited Hohe Tauern National Park Itrsquos myfavourite national park in Austria and partly lies in Carinthia Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time I remainedoblivious to what else travellers can find in this incredible state That includes the Transromanica Route which Ihadnrsquot heard of before

The Transromanica Route is one of 32 approved cultural routes by the Council of Europe It runs through 8countries features 5 Unesco World Heritage Sites and over 400 sacred sites dating back to medieval times

It was my first time traveling along such a route and itrsquos a unique way to explore an area Thatrsquos why Irsquove created a

weekend guide to explore the highlights of the Transromanica Route in Carinthia

Start your Transromanica journey in the market town of Milstatt

The first highlight of the town is the gorgeous Milstatt Lake Itrsquos the second largest in Carinthia Second yoursquoll seethe attention grabbing red domes on the ancient Benedictine Millstatt Abbey It dates back to 1070 and is a greatexample of the Romanesque architecture that yoursquoll find on the Transromanica Route Art lovers will revel in thefrescos found inside the cloister church some of which date back to the 1400s The frescos demonstrate thedetailed Romanesque artisan craftsmanship found in medieval times Milstatt was also one of the most importantintellectual and cultural centres in Carinthia during the middle ages Perhaps yoursquoll even feel smarter just beingthere ) The abbey is so serene and peaceful

Milstatt am See (town of Milstatt and the Lake) in Carinthia

Milstatt Benedictine Abbey is an excellent example of Romanesque architecture

Me contemplating lifersquos great mysteries in Milstatt Abbey

Bike one of the 5 Transromanica Cycling Routes in Carinthia

Irsquom a HUGE fan of combining active holidays with sightseeing Fortunately travellers have a choice of cycling one offive Tranromanica routes in Carinthia I cycled part of one path along the spectacular Woumlrthersee and loved itYoucan find detailed information about the cycling routes here

The Woumlrthersee is known as the ldquoCaribbean of Austriardquo because of its warm temperatures

Yoursquoll find 5 Transromanica cycling routes in Carinthia including one along the Woumlrthersee

While yoursquore in the Woumlrthersee area I also recommend a visit to the Pyradmidenkogel Itrsquos the highest woodenobservation tower in the world at 100 metres While itrsquos not an official site on the Transromanica Route it does offera 360 degree view of Carinthia and beyond You can either walk up or take the elevator For a heart-poundingadventure I highly recommend taking the slide down At 120 m itrsquos the longest slide in Europe It only takes ~ 20seconds to get down but yoursquoll reach speeds of up to 25 kmhour I LOVED the slide ndash even though it was fasterthan I had anticipated

The Pyradmidenkogel is the highest wooden observation tower in the world

360-degree views over the Woumlrthersee and Carinthia from the Pyramidenkogel

Me enjoying the expansive view of the Woumlrthersee from the top of the Pyramidenkogel

Explore the Church Peninsula of Maria Woumlrth

The village of Maria Woumlrth is famous forits pilgrimage church It dates back to894 and became a collegiatemonastery around 1146 Centurieslater it still attracts tourists andpilgrims Therersquos also a smaller churchreferred to as the Winter Church whereyou can see frescos dating back to the12th century

The peninsula also has a beach areawhere you can go for a dip in the lakeOr stay on land and take in aspectacular sunset over theWoumlrthersee I highly recommendspending a night in Maria Woumlrth as itrsquosso quiet and peaceful here

Pilgrim church in the village of MariaWoumlrth

Gorgeous sunset views of theWoumlrthersee from the Maria Woumlrth

peninsula

Learn How to Build a Castle ndashMedieval Style

The Burgbau (Castle Building inEnglish) site was one of my twofavourite Transromanica sites Itrsquos ahistorical experiment to build a 12th century Alpine Castle Theyrsquore using only medieval methods and tools withnatural materials ndash wood stone sand etc That means no motorized or electrical equipment ndash nothing that wasnrsquotaround in the middle ages

Admission is only available with a guided tour where you will observe craftsmen not actors at work Itrsquos absolutelyfascinating and painstakingly slow work The project will take 30 years to complete Itrsquos a place you could easilyreturn to each year and see progress of the castle

The foundation for the castle being built only using medieval methods and natural building materials

Blacksmith using only medieval tools and techniques to build the castle near the medieval village of Friesach

Admission is only available with a guided tour since yoursquore touring a construction site To arrange a tour in Englishemail [email protected] in office

Explore Friesach the Oldest Town in Carinthia and the Best-Preserved Medieval Town in321

Austria

In addition tothe historicalexperiment inbuilding amedievalcastle themedieval townof Friesachwas my otherfavourite stopNot only does itdate back to880 but it stillhas an intactmoat an intactcity wall And ofcourse severalhistoricalchurches andruins It quicklybecame one ofmy favouritetowns in all ofAustria

Of specialinterest is the820 metre-longmoat Itrsquos theonly originalone that is fullyworking andfilled with water in all of Europe If that wasnrsquot enough you can also take a boat ride ndash yes a boat in a moat )

Yoursquoll also want to do the short but steep hike up to the ruins of Petersberg Castle Therersquos a restaurant at topserving traditional Carinthia specialities The castlersquos old tower houses the Friesach City Museum What I loved mostwas the panoramic views over Friesach and the mountain views

You can take a boat ride along the 820 metre-long moat in Friesach

St Nichloas is the oldest Dominiman monastery in the German-speaking part of the world It dates back to 1217

The medieval town of Friesach as seen from Petersberg (mountain) Itrsquos worth the hike up

The well-preserved medieval city wall of Friesach as seen from Petersberg (mountain)

The church on the grounds of Petersberg overlooks Friesach and the stunning mountain backdrop

The ruins of Petersberg wall and castle are on a mountain top overlooking the medieval town of Friesach

Friesach is the best-preserved medieval town in Austria

The historic centre of Friesach can easily be explored on foot

Following a cultural route like the Transromanica is a unique way to travel It also ensuresthat yoursquoll see the most important medieval sites in Carinthia which many visitors miss Itscycling routes and hiking to the castle show how easy it is to combine an activity holidaywith Romanesque sightseeing

Note My tripwas madepossibleas part ofthe CrossingRoutes ndashBloggingEurope 2016campaign acollaborationbetweenthe Council ofEurope andthe European

Commission aiming at promoting the Transromanica Route in collaboration with iambassador All opinions are myown

How to Explore the Medieval Treasures of Carinthia Austria

Carinthia is famous for its alpine mountains and lakes like the Woumlrthersee In addition itrsquos also home to medieval treasures in places like Friesach that so many travellers miss out on





Learn How to Build a Castle ndash Medieval Style

Explore Friesach the Oldest Town in Carinthia and the Best-Preserved Medieval Town in Austria

Following a cultural route like the Transromanica is a unique way to travel It also ensures that yoursquoll see the most important medieval sites in Carinthia which many visitors miss Its cycling routes and hiking to the castle show how easy it is to combine an activity holiday with Romanesque sightseeing

Yoursquoll find 5 Transromanica cycling routes in Carinthia including one along the Woumlrthersee

While yoursquore in the Woumlrthersee area I also recommend a visit to the Pyradmidenkogel Itrsquos the highest woodenobservation tower in the world at 100 metres While itrsquos not an official site on the Transromanica Route it does offera 360 degree view of Carinthia and beyond You can either walk up or take the elevator For a heart-poundingadventure I highly recommend taking the slide down At 120 m itrsquos the longest slide in Europe It only takes ~ 20seconds to get down but yoursquoll reach speeds of up to 25 kmhour I LOVED the slide ndash even though it was fasterthan I had anticipated

The Pyradmidenkogel is the highest wooden observation tower in the world

360-degree views over the Woumlrthersee and Carinthia from the Pyramidenkogel

Me enjoying the expansive view of the Woumlrthersee from the top of the Pyramidenkogel

peninsula

Austria

peninsula

Austria

Travel

How to Explore the Medieval Treasures of Carinthia, Austria