Großkirchheim between the Hohe Tauern National Park and gold mining

Großkirchheim is located in the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park and combines protected landscapes with the history of gold mining. For families, the nature experience begins on the “Listen to the Inside” educational trail: it leads to a platform near the Gartl Waterfall. This allows you to combine the landscape with a specific experience without committing the day to a single activity.

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Großkirchheim, you can therefore first consider what type of holiday you are planning: nature experiences in the national park, routes with little incline, water-based activities or historical discoveries.

National Park, Water and Routes

Large parts of the Zirknitz Valley in Großkirchheim are protected areas. The Tauerngold Trail into the Great Zirknitz Valley is accessed via the Großkirchheim National Park Municipality. The “Glocknerradweg” cycling and hiking bus is also available for getting around locally. This does not include any specific bus departure times or routes, but the service is part of local travel planning and can be taken into account when preparing your trip.

The Glocknerradweg R8 follows a natural route, has no significant inclines and is considered suitable for families. Another option for a varied day is the Großkirchheim natural swimming pool, with a 1,200 m² swimming area. The water is treated without chemical additives such as chlorine. Those who want to combine exercise, nature and a swimming break will therefore find several different options for planning their day.

The “Gartl Waterfall” experience programme begins at the Carinthian National Park Administration in Großkirchheim. It also includes the “Urschreibecken”, where you can let out a liberating scream. The Großglockner Shooting Arena offers a completely different experience, with a 300 m-long shooting tunnel and a shooting cinema.

Gold Mining and Historic Architecture

The “Tauerngold” exhibition is housed in the Putzenhof, a Gewerkenhaus belonging to the gold prospectors. The Putzenhof was built between approximately 1540 and 1560 and later served gold miners as a place to live and work. The building thus connects the exhibition with a specific historic location.

The Alte Schmelz also points to the history of mining: during the period of precious-metal mining in Großkirchheim, it operated as a gold smelter. Today, the revitalised Alte Schmelz houses an event hall. Döllach is also home to the Mentlhaus, a combined residential and farm building that was constructed between 1650 and 1670 and rebuilt board by board from 2013 at the sports and leisure complex.

A path leads in just a few minutes on foot from the former mining site “Grasleiten”, with its Gewerkenhäuser and tunnels, to this historic mining location. Due to the lack of preserved comparable structures in Europe, the Kohlbarren zinc smelting works in Döllach is considered one of Europe’s most significant industrial monuments. Those interested in regional history can therefore discover various forms of the industrial past in Großkirchheim.

Churches and Historic Traces

A parish church in Sagritz was first mentioned in documents as early as 1271. The present building was constructed between 1769 and 1779 as a complete new structure after the late Gothic church had fallen into disrepair. It preserves the projecting crooked tower of the former late Gothic building. The subsidiary church of Putschall, also known as Maria Hilf, was built in 1809 and has a single-nave, two-bay interior with a flat dome.

Other historical points of reference include the Antonius Chapel in Sagritz, first mentioned in documents in 1301; its keystone bears the year 1522. Großkirchheim Castle and Schlössl were first mentioned in documents at “locus Chyrichaim” in 1140/50. On the 11.8 km-long Heiligenblut–Döllach stage of the Alpe-Adria Trail, the centre of Großkirchheim and historic Großkirchheim Castle are named as highlights.

More Places for Travel Planning

For further orientation, you can also visit the pages on Weinberg, Rangersdorf, Malta, Gmünd In Kärnten, Greifenburg, Kolbnitz, Stampfen and Berg Im Drautal.

For the main travel overview: Spittal An Der Drau.