Discover Sankt Veit An Der Glan

Sankt Veit An Der Glan is a diverse destination for anyone looking to combine culture, landscapes and unusual discoveries. In the supraregional travel region of Central Carinthia, historic towns meet castles, museums, sacred architecture and protected nature. Families can choose from a variety of activities: one day may lead to a fortress or museum, while another takes you along a moorland trail or to a regional themed route.

Castles, history and special museums

One of the region’s prominent cultural destinations is Hochosterwitz Castle. It is considered an outstanding example of a medieval fortress and defensive complex. A visit can be combined with a ride on the Fürst-Max-Bahn. The Hochosterwitz Castle Restaurant serves traditional Carinthian cuisine, giving regional culinary specialties a place in the excursion as well.

Gurk Cathedral is an important monument of 12th-century sacred architecture and dates back to a foundation established by Saint Hemma. Its crypt contains Saint Hemma’s tomb. The Gurk Treasury houses more than 300 objects of Carinthian sacred art. Those interested in religious art and historic buildings will find several different ways here to explore the region’s history.

The St. Veit Museum presents the history of the city of St. Veit an der Glan and of regional transport. Its permanent exhibition areas include railways and model railways, a driving simulator for an electric railcar, motorization and the gendarmerie, as well as postal services and telecommunications. The history of St. Veit is also part of the exhibition. The Auer von Welsbach Museum complements these topics with an authentically equipped laboratory, a light and sound presentation, early metal-filament incandescent lamps, rare lighters and early gas mantle lighting fixtures.

The Heinrich Harrer Museum offers further insights across 1,000 m² with more than 5,000 exhibits. Opposite it is the Lingkor, a Tibetan pilgrimage trail. In Friesach, you can also visit the castle construction project: on around 4,000 m², a medieval hilltop castle is being built in various stages of development. Visitors can watch craftspeople at work and experience medieval craftsmanship without technical aids. The chapel tower of the Petersberg castle complex is 28 metres high and houses the Friesach City Museum across six floors.

Moorland, trails and regional experiences

The Hörfeld Moor nature reserve extends between the municipalities of Hüttenberg and Mühlen over an area of around 140 hectares. The Hörfeld Moor circular trail is 6.7 kilometres long and takes around 2.5 hours through the protected area. A path makes the moor accessible on foot. This provides a practical opportunity to get to know the landscape on a manageable circular route; you can take the stated distance and duration into account when planning your day.

The history of mining is also visible in the landscape. Today, you can hike along the route of the old ore railway, which transported ore to the Heft smelting works. In Hüttenberg, the Hüttenberg Reiftanz takes place every three years on the Sunday after Pentecost. Anyone wishing to experience regional traditions can take this date into account when planning their trip without structuring their stay exclusively around a single event.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans?

When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday house, it is worth deciding in advance what you want to focus on during your trip. For culture enthusiasts, castles, historic towns, museums and sacred art take centre stage. Those wishing to focus more strongly on nature can include the Hörfeld Moor, the old ore railway trail and the region’s hiking paths. In Central Carinthia, family-friendly and more demanding hiking trails connect Hochosterwitz Castle, Gurk Cathedral, the gentle peaks of the Saualpe, the vineyards at Lake Längsee, and historic towns such as St. Veit an der Glan, Althofen and Friesach.

Cyclists also have their own way of exploring the region: marked themed routes lead through the area and to the region’s lakes. The right accommodation therefore depends primarily on whether you are planning cultural excursions, nature trails, cycling stages or a combination of these. You can view the following places separately for further orientation: Lölling Graben, Micheldorf, Knappenberg, Kaindorf, Metnitz, Liebenfels, Launsdorf, Krobathen, Kraig, Deutsch Griffen, Eggen, Flattnitz, Mölbling, Sankt Veit An Der Glan, Klein Sankt Paul, Frauenstein, Sankt Georgen Am Längsee, Treffling, Passering, Sadin, Straßburg, Weitensfeld im Gurktal, Sand, Seebauer, Sankt Veit an der Glan, Hüttenberg, Eberstein, Guttaring, Althofen, Friesach, Glödnitz and Gurk.

For the overarching travel overview: Carinthia.